I got a late start, mostly because I stayed up so late last night that I slept until almost 9:00. I decided to install the rack and pinion so I could steer the dang thing again. I fiddled around too long with that trying to get the steering shaft over the nub. I piddled around with a few other things, then decided to forget the honey-do list and I dragged out the chain hoist and pulled the motor off the engine stand. I found out I was missing some transmission bolts (how, I have no idea. I didn't take it out)and ran to the hardware store to pick some up. Every freakin' bolt on this car is fine thread and very few places have them, so I used two coarse thread bolts. I didn't have a clutch alignment tool, so I used a long socket and guessed. After I got the flywheel, disc and pressure plate installed, I lowered the motor and slipped on the tranny. Very little wiggling and it snapped right together. I bolted it all up, lifted it on the hoist, and pushed the car under it. I had to mess around with the chain to get a good angle, but once I had it, it slid together very easily. Then I realized I had no engine mount bolts. If I ever get my hands on the PO...! Back into town. This time I thought to buy bolts for the driveshaft also. I bolted it all up, attached the driveshaft, and ta - da! Pretty easy. Even with the trips to town it took about an hour and fifteen minutes. I painted all the sway bar brackets, cleaned and painted the starter after testing to make sure it worked, and painted the old oil pressure switch. I was waiting for sway bar bushings and a new oil pressure switch from VB, but I wasn't going to wait. Just as I was putting thread sealant on the switch, UPS pulls in with my new switch and sway bar bushings. I installed them both, along with the starter. I pulled out the radiator to clean it up and paint it. When I set it on the ground, bird seed came pouring out the lower hose port. Those bastard mice! I will have to try to flush it out, otherwise it's off to Steve's Radiator and the hot tank. Now I will have to go through all the boxes to see what exactly I have and what I need to get. For instance, I know I have the wiper motor, but the bracket? I don't know. I don't think I have the washer bottle or pump. I am not sure about the brake or clutch master either. I have lots to do now. I am very excited at the very visible progress. It beats the hell out of sanding!

I got started early this morning and scuffed all the primed areas and spot sanded some spots of bare metal that rusted from my last washing. Then I broke out the paint guns and primered the frame, suspension, and underhood areas. After coffee and breakfast, I went back out and mixed the paint. It is the original paint code color, but it is much darker than what the car is now. Too bad, I am shooting it. I got everything painted and it looks really good. Now I want that motor in. I have to put the rack back in and the sway bar, too. I am waiting for the sway bar bushings to arrive, along with the carb kit. Might be a few days away, but things are moving along nicely.

Well, I spent Sunday sanding the cowling area, the area on the side with the hood catches and the area around the windshield. I removed the wiper transmission and the washer nozzles. Then I got everything taped up, Rust Mort applied and washed, and primer / sealed.
Today I removed the sway bar and the rack and pinion for better access to the frame. I painted both of them with the truck bedliner paint for durability. Then I sandblasted the few areas I missed earlier and hand sanded the frame and underhood area. Then I washed everything with a soapy green scrub pad. I applied Rust Mort and washed it again. I am waiting to primer / seal it until tomorrow. I have to do it in my garage and it was really windy today. Tomorrow I will spot sand any rust from the water on bare metal, scuff all the primered areas, and primer / seal the frame and engine compartment. Then ... finally ... I will shoot the actual color over the whole mess. The window frame, the cowling, the battery box area, the firewall, the frame, and the engine compartment. I can't wait. Actual color! It will almost make all the bliters on my hands worth it. I have never shot color before, but then I never shot primer before a few weeks ago. I have a good set of guns to use and a good buddy teaching me and giving me good advice, so what can go wrong?!? If I screw up, it's nothing a little more sanding can't fix.

Finally a day to work on the Spitfire and it is going to be 92 and sunny. Dragged my butt out of bed early and did my household stuff and got to work sandblasting by 9:30. My brother let me use his 'suitcase' sandblaster and black diamond media. I have been having a lot of trouble with sandblasters but today it went pretty smooth. The tip was a good size and it actually worked. I got the firewall, frame and underhood area sandblasted. The media worked very well. No more sand for me. I had a tarp under the car to catch the media and wasted very little. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon sanding everything smooth. It was dinner time but I washed the firewall, applied Rust Mort, washed again and shot it with primer / sealer. In between when it was work in the shade or pass out, I painted the horns and brackets with bed liner aerosol paint. I had the stuff and it seemed as if it would probably hold up well. Since I have to rethink everything now that I am unemployed, I decided to use my original seats since they are in such good shape. I had to make them black and recovering them would be too expensive, so I dyed them black. They turned out beautiful. Now I have the carpet, the seats are done, and I have to make the interior panels. Next time I paint I am going to pull the rack and pinion and sway bar for paint, prep the frame and sandblasted areas and prime them, and scuff and shoot the whole thing with Imperial Sapphire Blue. I can't wait. Once the engine compartment is painted I can drop the motor and transmission in and assemble the interior. It's all coming together.

Well, it was a busy weekend. I pushed old Spitty out to do some more sanding, and to my great dismay, the humid weather had raised ugly surface rust on the bare metal. I had been working on the underhood area where the brake and clutch masters, battery, wipers and washers all sit. So I had to sand some more, and then I treated the whole area with Rust Mort, a professional chemical that turns any left over rust into metal again. My buddy had it from his body work days. Then I prepped and sprayed a primer / sealer on the bare metal so there will be no more rust. It is the first real visual change and I am so excited to keep going. I have to finish sandblasting and painting the rest of the firewall, then seal that. Then we can paint it the actual color and then ... put in the motor! I can't wait to get back to work on it. But, Saturday afternoon we all had to go to the gun range and shoot a lot of lead around, and Sunday was the Back To The 50's Car Show. I don't know why they call it that, because they covered the 30's through the 70's as well. It was a good time though. Monday and Tuesday are spent up north at Mom and Dad's cutting down trees in the heat, rain, mosquitos and ticks. I finally get home Wednesday to sand. Yay!

I found a new custom carpet set on eBay and sniped it at the last second (well, last 5 seconds) for $139. I was going to make my own, but for that price I couldn't pass it up. I am also thinking about carpeting the trunk since I saw Paul Tegler's homemade version. It looks so nice, and you don't have to worry about sanding and paint chips. Now I have to decide what to do with the seats. Recover? Dye? Replace with Miata seats? Send to upholstery shop for rebuild? The seats are in great shape, they are just blue. I pressure washed them today and may try staining them. It will be cheap, and if it doesn't look good I will have to recover them anyway.