The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Trimming out those Dash Grill Raised Ribs

Got to playin’ round with painting the raised rib on the radio/ash/glovebox grill today. As we all know, the raised ribs are a lighter color shade than the general dash/interior color, right! I needed to tape off the recessed rib area which is the same shade as the dash and tried slicing some masking tape into strips but just wasn’t getting as fine of an edge as I wanted. Any irregularity stands out like a sore thumb with the uniform pattern that the grill presents so all of the lines have to be parallel and sharp. I was digging through the tape drawer and ran across an open envelope of “Scotch 3m Fine Line” tape that was left over from when I painted the trim on my Pitts. Now that was back around 1982 and every time I opened that drawer and saw all that old tape I said, self you gotta pitch out all that old tape and make some room. I am a horder but down deep I knew that any tape that had been laying around for a quarter of a century surely had to be dried up years ago. But today I when I pulled off a piece before trying for that two pointer, it was just as fresh as it was when I opened it 25 years ago, yep, still sticky and pliable.
So I just posted one picture of the ash try grill with it’s lighter raised ribs. No big thing but we were discussing this a few days ago. The whole dash grill will be trimmed this way when I finally get around to it. I used an original glove box to match up the shades as well as I could just to see how it should look. http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2190807300098611668ufgBPc
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Looks good DG! I did the hood trim on my 4t6 quite the same process. I used 0000 steel wool to soften the tape lines and to clean and polish ribs.
Dan

Looks good, wish I was old and retired so I could do that sort work.

BC3600 Don't wish to hard. You will be there soon enough. Belive me. Cleon

Looks Great Denny!

That's the reason why Cheap tape is never a bargain. Thanks, Joe

Ahh, you get the point Joe, that was the whole point of my thread. Well that 3m tape couldn't be any more of a bargain. At my last job we were always pitching out masking tape that would get so dried out after a few years that you couldn't even get it started. Government mentality, they always went for the low bidder and got screwed most of the time.
What'cu mean Cleon, Jim is,,,, old, it's just that he's greedy and wants a liiiittle more stuffing in his mattress.
Yep, got time to play with useless crap like this, instead of having to get a day work done, it’s the only way to spend your waning years! Ya know, we could learn a lot about work ethic from the rest of the world. Of course, on second thought, then we wouldn’t be where we are today, now would we!
Well, got another batch of headlight switch parts soaking, better go take a look afore there’s nothin’ left of ‘em.
Now don’t you stay down there at work to late Big, ya don’t want cold supper again tonight!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

My mechanic came here from Romania in 1987 to go to college. He brought his wife and had two kids by 1991. He worked as a "shade tree" mechanic to support his family and put himself through school. After school he opened a small shop and began the American dream. I remember him complaining, after a few years of competing in the great "rat race", about how Americans worked way too hard. However it didn't take him very long to see why we work so hard (compared with the work attitudes of Communist Europe where he came from). He now has a large shop, ski boat, and a glider type airplane. He doesn't complain anymore...
Enjoy your retirement Denny and the rest of the Bolter retired as well, you've earned it! I'll be there with you when ever my wife quits spending money. ,