Jamming for Daytona

It was Rick's intention to finish the Monza in time to show it in July at the 30th annual Corvair Society of America (CORSA) national convention, Speedweek 2000, in Daytona Beach. He felt the pressure building as the car went through 6 weeks of massage in the body shop. During this time, Rick endured suspense filled days, as his job required him to be away from home each week, and he could only check the shop's progress every Thursday afternoon, when he returned for the weekend.

Smooth as a baby's behind

Having gone to the trouble of stripping the body to bare metal, Rick wanted every panel to be as straight as possible, and here we see the effort put into achieving that result on the right rear quarter panel. With the black epoxy primer serving as a guide layer, white filler primer was applied, block sanded, reapplied and meticulously feathered under the experienced hand and uncompromising eye of body man, Bondo John. Then it was on to the next panel and the next until every square inch of sheet metal met the approval of the shop's regular Thursday afternoon visitor.

Six weeks in the shop also ensured that there was sufficient time for each layer of primer and paint to cure properly before the application of the next layer. It also allowed for the surfaces to be inspected under a variety of lighting conditions as the job progressed.

At right, "T-bucket" Norris makes one of his scheduled stops to chat with Bondo John and make sure the boys are in good spirits. The clock is ticking but at this stage it looks as if all is on track to provide Rick with enough reassembly time to make the CORSA convention.