SOON THE REAL ENGINE BAY DETAILING WILL BEGIN.

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Well, this is what the inner fenders and firewall look like stripped of all wires, hoses, harnesses, and components needed to function. It's moments like this that you have a chance to clean up areas you wouldn't otherwise be able to access. 

Sure, I could ignore all the little flaws, the paint drips, the rust bubbles where brake fluid dribbled on the inner fender and ate the paint. 

But where's the fun in that, I ask? 

This is the time to get after all the small flaws while everything is properly out of the way. 

So without going SEMA-build fanatical, as soon as the engine is out, it's time to remove all the AC hoses

and expose the right-inner fender well as much as I have the driver-side. 

Then. I'll be scraping and scuffing and reapplying rust-inhibitive black frame paint as and silver paint to touch wherever needed. Since it's unlikely the Eastwood paint is going to match the existing metalic silver, so I'm prepared for having to repaint the whole deal. No biggie deal. It's just time and social distancing had given me an abundance of that. 

I'm lucky I have a dedicated workspace and a supportive wife. 

The nice thing about taking your time is being able to do this kind of stuff without rushing the process, using good quality materials, and diligently masking and taping to avoid overspray.

Speed is the enemy of great. Patience is a virtue. Sweat equity is its own reward. 

Will keep you all posted. 

get busy making what's already pretty tidy as clean as possible humanly possibly working within my garage.

 get busy cleaning masking a detail-painting before the new engine goes in. 

I ordered a batch of paint and scuff pads from Eastwood and now it's time to use them.

It's the small details that often say so much.