Almost a YEAR since I've really worked on the GTO, I finally made some headway. To get the car ready for the Mini-Tub, I took all the stuff out of the trunk (the tail light project, rear insert project, the center console triple gauge pod, along with 3 other cernter console's I was working on, small misc. interior parts and the spare tire set), packed it all away and cleaned it out. I also removed the tail lights and all the trunk trim.
Then I got to working on the interior. I managed to gett he seats out and stored away and removed most of the trim. I still want to remove the speakers, and all the wiring for the guys at the speed shop. I'm not sure if I should re,move the carpet. It might be a good idea, but I'll ask the shop owner if they have a fire retardant blanket to put down. I have one I could use to cover it, but I want to make this as easy and smooth as possible.
I didn't have much access to the passenger side, because the car is about 2 feet from the wall. Everything had to come out of the drivers side.
Since everything will be out, I'm wondering if I should recover some of those interior bits. I was ALSO thinking of recovering theOEM black suede bits with something that looks more body colored. Maybe it will accent the interior nicer. Again, the speaker shelf will be cleared off and all the speakers will be removed. I'm also going to pull the wiring out from the trunk and store that up front, towards the front floor boards. I don't know if they will want the door panels removed. If they do, the passenger side will have to wait.
The headliner is sagging, so a couple more screws for the visors and after I remove the passenger side A-Pillar trim, that will be free. That will need to get fixed.
I tell you, it feels really good working on this car again. It's oddly weird not having my father coming out into the garage to get in the way (this is in my parents garage, as I don't have the room to do any of this).
I didn't admit to this, but a few weeks ago, it honestly seemed like this car was never going to get done. There is/was zero time for anythin, and what time I had was going into dealing with my fathers basement hoard, figuring out billing at work (so I can get paid) and dealing with my sister, who makes it seem like I don't do anything to help my mother.
...I could could delve into this, but this isn not the venue... I will say, she and I used to be close and now we hardly even text one another. We are no longer friends on Facebook because she feels I'm abondining my mother. It doesn't help that she also hates my girlfriend. Mind you, she has done LITTLE to help my mother around the house, other than to complaint to and at me about all the things I'm (apparently) not doing...(yeah, because the snow at my mothers shovels itself and the garage / basement have miraculously-but slowly-been organized by the elves living under the stairs).
I understand that everyone has their own 💩 going on in their lives and I'm NOT going to discount or make excuses as to how bad my situation is. It's just, there doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything I wanted to get done on this car, finished. It has been over a 4 YEAR project at this point. I'm very unhappy about it. I expected to have this car done and running so my father could hear it.
...so NOW, I'm going to have to get this thing running and drive the F_ck out of it w/ the electric exhaust dumps open so hecan hear me. My girlfriend and mother have been very patient and supportive through this whole thing. I can honestly say, after this weekend, I can see a very fant light at the end of this very long tunnel.
