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12/01/25: An update on my project. It’s been a classic mix of two steps forward, one step back, but I finally feel like I’ve broken through a major barrier.

The initial delay was a real nuisance. I was patiently waiting for my blending spray shipment only to receive a notification that it would be delayed "with no expectation" of when it might arrive. I canceled the order and planned a trip to my not-so-local auto body supplier (almost an hour away) to grab what I needed.

Since painting was on hold, I switched gears and focused on getting the doors cut and buffed, ready for final reassembly. The driver's door turned out pretty good, aside from a few visible sanding scratches that I’ll need to re-sand later. I decided not to delay assembly for those minor spots, so that door is now back together.

The passenger door would require another full respray after I discovered another run that was porous and simply wouldn't sand out, so reassembly was now off the table, for the time being.

Reassembly of the driver’s door was not without its challenges. I hit two minor snags. The first was self-inflicted and incredibly frustrating. After installing the window regulator and glass, I rolled the window down to check operation, and it stopped dead about halfway. I removed both the regulator and the glass twice, looking for something fouling the path. As it was getting late, I decided to wait until morning and tackle it with a clear head. As I was trying to fall asleep, it dawned on me: the screws! I had opted for shinny new stainless steel screws instead of cleaning and painting the original clutch head hardware. Those new SS screws were a bit too long and were hitting the regulator gear. I chose the easy way out, and it definitely bit me in the arse. Once I swapped them out, the window operation was perfect.

The second issue involved the new exterior shiny chrome handles and the remote door opener. I had installed the latch and inside remote, but I couldn’t get the door to lock properly. After a few frustrating removal and reinstall attempts, I compared the new handle with the old one. Sure enough, the push bar on the new handle was about a quarter inch too long, preventing the latch from fully engaging the lock position. Cutting it down solved the problem instantly, and the rest of the door reassembly went smoothly after that.

I took a much-needed break over the long Thanksgiving weekend to spend time with family, which helped me come back refocused.

Today, I tackled the repaint. I used a couple of portable heaters and was able to raise the garage temperature to 64°F. It took me most of the day just to prep the area, mask everything off, and get the door ready. I painted the entire exterior of the passenger door and, most importantly, was able to successfully blend in the area where the two problematic runs (with their pock marks) had been. The painting went really well. I noticed only minor specks on the door, which I’m confident will disappear entirely when I get to the final cut and buff.

I’m feeling much better now that the paint issues are behind me.