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Hello again;
thanks for checking in and following along.

Craig, yes a shock for sure. I am hoping to reduce the shop hours by putting in as much sweat equity I can. Finger crossed...

I have been somewhat impatiently waiting my turn for the truck to go through the body shop. I had been in to speak with the owner to ask when it might get worked on next. I was told that it may be next week.
I was pleasantly surprised then when I got a text with some pictures and a request to come in and do some work. At the moment the doors need the gaps sorted out to get the optimal fit. As they were working on the doors they needed to adjust the latches in to get the fit. The latches are adjustable, however I had not removed them as part of my work. They thought it was going to be an ordeal, so they gave me the task to save me some bucks. The text I got was that they are likely seized and may need some heat to break them free.
I assumed that they had tried to loosen them with no luck. I don’t think they did as I showed up Saturday prepared for anything and I was able to get all the screws free in about a 1/2 hour. I used an impact screwdriver which torques the screw loose as you drive it into the slot. This is better, generally as it prevents the driver from tearing out the slot of the head. Sometimes this results in the head of the screw breaking off, but that is the chance you take. If you are somewhat gentle with your hammer blows you can finesse them loose most times.
Since I had so much extra time, as I really did not expect them all to loosen without breaking. I looked in my box of items to clean and paint. I selected the glovebox hinges and the emergency brake handle. I took them apart, blasted and applied some paint. I found a can of grey which I was using on items that would not be seen. I am really liking the grey as it looks, to me anyways, like something from that period. I am reconsidering the “all black” motif I have been going for thus far.

Anyways, not too much got done. But as I have been struggling to get back into it, a small win feels good and can get me motivated to keep on making progress.

Stay safe,
Steve