When the soul suffers too much, it develops a taste for misfortune.

Came home with the idea that I'd oil the pan bolts in preparation for Sunday's removal of the body and leave things alone until then...but a thread on The Samba got me wondering if there were any factory paint marks on the car.  I know the underside hasn't been repainted and most of the car is stock.  So I cleaned off the front beam (at the sides only) and found nothing.

This is the 'before' picture.

This is the 'after' picture.

I wound up trying the bolts, just for the hell of it, and every single one came out without any struggle-all threads intact, so the body is now just waiting for the doors to come off and a stand to be built to set it upon.

The front beam is in decent shape but will need some cleaning and fresh paint-a good weekend project for the summer.

It should be interesting to see which pieces from each car make it to the final product.  Both cars have significant issues (several in the same place) but I think there's enough here to make it happen.

A little bit at a time and I'll get it there.

I bought carb rebuild kits and as soon as they come in, I'm going to send them out for a rebuild...the fuel pump appears to be in really good condition so I'll probably just clean it up and put it back on the motor when it's cleaned up.  I also found piston rings-just in case I wind up needing them.

I pulled the rear cargo mat thing (the insulation glued to the floor) and found a dent near the top right side-which explains why the wall of the cargo area on that side is warped-the car must have been hit or backed into something.  It doesn't appear to have affected much else on the body (roof is fine) but I won't know how 'true' that is until I get the rear fender on the car as a test fit.  One more surprise for me from Icarus.

Background Tune: "Polish Girl" by Neon Indian