| Page Nine, I think this is really it for the journal. Honest. |
| May 4, 2001 (Cont.) I just got a notice that the third company I contacted about the map pockets really can get them. The company's URL is WWW.gmpartsdirect.com. They're in North Carolina. I should have them by 5/9. Sure hope they are correct. They only came in charcoal which matches the new console, and other trim colors. I'll be putting them in with the upper trim and door handle release. No word on the seat covers yet. I'm beginning to think the company is flakey. They have charged my credit card, but no word on product. I sent them an email, no answer. I'll be calling them today. I got more pictures back. I think these will be about the last. I'll take more when the doors are complete, and of course when the paint is done. You can see them in the Gallery. I'm getting really excited about the car show in May. Downtown San Rafael on May 19th, if you can get there. Also a parade that starts at six. It's really cool to see these cars run. So often, they're just static art. On Saturday, they're really cars! |
 |
 |
 |
| rubber floor mat to seal the holes |
 |
| May 15, 2001 Well, more stuff has shown up, and more stuff has gone. The seat covers have arrived (last week). They are of good quality and fit pretty well. They're not as perfect as I had hoped for, but better than I expected. The picture on the web site isn't what arrived, but overall, I'm really happy with the quality, fit and look. And the price and warranty are well above average. And the biggest suprise is how well the color matches the existing colors. The map pockets arrived, as well. It turned out that only the pockets, and not the carpeted panels showed up. This is from the company in NC. They charged a ton of money for shipping and handling. The charge was $16+, and the one pocket only cost $19. This is the GMPARTSDIRECT site as listed above. Look elsewhere if you're looking for stuff. The carpet panels no longer exist, anywhere. So I had to figure out what to do about that. I went to Kragen Auto Parts, and they have replacement carpet in rolls. Bought one of those, plus contact cement. Stripped off the old carpet, used a razor blade scraper to clean the panel. Now I have a clean surface. I cut the replacement carpet large (I finally figured this out), glued it up and installed it. Since the carpet roll was too short to do the panel in one piece, I had to make a seam. Also had some compound curves to cover. The end result is good. Nice new carpet on the doors, and it matches the floor carpet. No seams visable, unless you're looking for them.The map pockets were easy to install, and match the center console. I gotta get more film for the final shots. There is only a few minor details left on the interior, and DONE! I finally installed the license plate lights. This means that all parts from the kit are installed! The lights took 4 hours. This included drilling the holes, trips to the hardware store, and the actual mounting. I used split flex tubing to hide the wires, and lots more wire ties. Again, the end result is good. It looks very professional.The only problem is the inside trunk lid isn't painted. Gonna have to remove it all, and reinstall. OOPS. Well, that's about it for the journal. Really. I mean it this time. All that's left is the major detail, and then it's off to the show! Oh, come back in about 2 weeks, I'll have the pictures of the intreior and other stuff posted. May 23, 2001 The car show was a HUGE success! There were almost 400 cars there, and the weather couldn't have been better. Hundreds of people visited the Rodster. I handed out about 150 cards that Henry sent. People were amazed at this ride. I had a great time sharing the gospel on this thing. The show gave me a new appreciation of what I've created. Standing back and seeing it through other's eyes was almost a revelation. I don't regret this project for one minute! I'm going to drive to Sacramento next weekend to talk to the paint shop. I'm really excited about getting it painted since it got such a great reception al natural. I'm also hoping that the trans cooler leak is gone. I found that a lot of oil had pooled above the hinge bar and was dripping down at random. This has been the biggest pain on the whole thing. I wrote Henry, and he spec'ed fittings: Endlemann 124540 or Weatherhead (NAPA)202X5X4. I may still go that route. Just plugged the Rodster onto a scale today. Finished weight, less top, is 2880 pounds. Now all I have to do is find out the before weight. No wonder it scoots, That's light by today's standards. Come back in a few days. I've taken the film to the store. I'll have those interior pics, as well as some from the show. |
| Gotta have FUZZY DICE ! |
| Trunk Release, Mounted |
| New Carpet |