"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water......" Jaws II
It was going so well...really, it was! I was actually pattin' myself on the back; for the first time since I can't remember when, I was actually putting things BACK ON The Duke.
I re-strung the the seat belt warning wiring harness across the freshly painted floorboard (all the time asking myself "Why"?)....I remember back in the day unplugging the annoying thing.....but whatever. It was there; I put it back. 'Nuff said. Then I reattached the dimmer switch to the floor, and the washer foot pump, two screws apiece. Not a big deal, really, but a 'Micro-Triumph', if you will. Then I took one of the rear seat lap belts, covered in dirt, dust, grime, and (Ewwwww!) mouse pee and stuck it in the laundry tub and scrubbed the living **** out of it (quite literally, I'm guessing) with dish soap (lavender, even!). After reinstalling the seat belt and feeling pretty proud of myself, I stood looking at the progress I'd made. It looked good, really it did. But there was this little, nagging voice in my ear....
See, there was one fresh, virgin, untouched area of which I was quite proud. Underneath the rear sidewall vinyl/cardboard trim panels lay, untouched, the original semi-clear plastic sheeting, still attached over the binding strips of white caulk. Yep, I was quite proud of having something still untouched, unmolested since The Duke left Hamtramck. And here was this little voice telling me to "peel it off and look inside". And it had been, for days. Ever since I pulled the vinyl panels....
I had no intention of tearing that plastic sheeting. It was pristine; untouched. Maybe the only part on this car left unmolested.
I must've stared at it for 10 minutes. Then, curiosity got the best of me, and I popped out the tiny, half-inch plastic plug on the top of the doorpost and peered inside with my penlight.
SON OF A *****! RUST!
Why did I have to look? Why?
I looked for a bit; peered in, still reluctant for some reason, to peel off that virgin plastic. Until, that is, I heard the Duke barking; "Saddle Up...We're burning Daylight!" Without a further moment's hesitation, I ripped off the plastic like a chimp unwrapping a Twinkie.
In hindsight, I guess it wasn't that bad. A couple hours with a scraper, sandpaper, shop vac and an air hose rendered the flaky stuff gone, and no obvious permanent damage (other than the clear plastic sheeting). Repeating the same monkey-motion on the other side revealed pretty much the same; a little worse, but no rust holes. I'm sure a can of the old faithful Rust Converter followed up with a shot of rust proofing will render The Duke pretty much cancer-free (until I find more, somewhere....and I know I will.)
As a neat little party favor, I found this neat little "Furbie" thing hiding behind the plastic....a little round puff-thing about the size of a golf ball with glued-on plastic feet and eyeballs...how the blue blazes it ever got there, or how long it's been there is beyond me! Anyway, I 'liberated' the poor little bastard and made him pose for a photo shoot. If I can ever get this Flickr photo-thing figured out, I'll post a pic of him!
Guess the water wasn't that bad after all. At least I'll sleep tonight.
rotest:
