Making Life More Inviting...

In a previous post, I talked about how the dash board is the car's invitation to the driver, and how I felt convicted about not making my life an inviting place for God.  I also mentioned how I was dreading working on the dashboard in the t-bird!

Well, this weekend #1 son and I did exactly that.  It looked pretty bad before we started.  Remember the rusty lower dash?

Early Saturday morning we pulled the steering column and started on the dash.  The trim came off very easily!  It's almost as if the car wanted to be worked on.  Of course, it helps if you have the proper tools.  There is a special tool for removing the bezels on the dash controls.

 Then we masked the lower dash and wire wheeled the rust away.  I used a power drill and wheel for the big areas, and a mini-die grinder with a tiny wheel for the tight areas.

 Then, we layered on a coat of rustoleum hammertone to get some texture.  At this point I realized what a poor sanding job I did!  Well, I just layered on a couple more coats, and the problem went away.

 By mid afternoon, we were ready for color.  This is color matched to the seat and arm rest vinyl.  The sheen is supposed to match too, but I got it on a little thick and it's kind of glossy.  I put the color on a little too soon, and got some fisheye from the hammertone... so I had to wait an hour and lay on a second coat.  I'm hoping the sheen will sort of match the ash tray and glove box door that I already painted.

I carefully buffed the aluminum dash trim on a bench buffer.  The dull finish brightened right up, but the oxide spots took a little more effort.  It doesn't look new, but it does look a lot better.  Since I'm not ready to cough up $500 for new aluminum trim, I've convinced myself that it looks pretty good!  If you ever decide to buff your own trim on a wheel like this, be very careful.  The large holes for the heater controls and radio can easily get snagged in the wheel and turn your expensive trim into a pretzel!  Don't ask me how I know... let's just say that I started using a dremel buffing wheel for some of the tougher spots.

Meanwhile, #1 son carefully applied bronze wool to the chrome bezels and knobs.  I think he did an absolutely fantastic job!

 In the last few minutes of daylight, we installed the headlights and headlight doors.  Man, what a difference that makes!  It is really starting to look like a Thunderbird!  These are halogen H4 headlights I got from a truck supply house.  I really like the clear lenses and glare shields, and they are less expensive than the good quality tri-bar headlights.

 This morning the paint was dry, so we started installing the newly-buffed trim.  Here's a shot of that tool I was talking about.

While the steering column was out, I installed a mechanical brake light switch.  I did this for safety reasons... it is more reliable than the original hydraulic switch, and is the kind of brake light we are all used to on modern cars.  Any touch of the brake pedal will now turn the lights on.  While I was under the dash, I figured I would hook up the tachometer.  It's pretty cramped up in that corner... here's the back side of the tach hiding there above the headlight switch.

 Our first attempt to get the tach working failed.  Since I now knew it was only held in with two nuts, I decided to pull it out.  Oh, and the clock too.

 Oh, and the instrument cluster is only held in with four nuts... much easier to remove than I had thought.  I wanted to pull it out and brush away the dust that had accumulated under the speedometer dome.

 Now the joy of putting it back together...

 We finally got the tach working.  Mechanical tachometers behave differently than the electrical ones we are all used to.  Revving the engine makes the needle jump way past the actual RPM, then it finally comes back and settles down.

 Here's a celebration shot of the dash done, and the steering wheel back in.  We went for another short drive around Grandma's driveway, just to check that the speedo still worked.  It did.

I'll be bench testing the clock before I put it back in.  There is a guy who will rebuild the clock for around $50 if I need it, which sounds like a good deal.

It has been another awesome weekend!  I'm feeling extremely blessed to have several days of high-quality time with my son.  I'm also seeing this car come together in an exciting way, full of little nuances that I could not have predicted.  I feel that God has met me in my dread, and blessed my willingness to carry on.

As I reflect on my own spiritual restoration,  I can see other exciting, unpredictable nuances.  If I take these surprises with an attitude of faith, they can be delightful.  If I experience them in an attitude of distrust, they can be annoyances.  Or worse, they can defeat me.

Today, I am not defeated.  I am blessed.