Surface protection, final template trial and nose job

With the paint removed from the body, I knew I had better protect it from surface oxidation until such time as I get the first coat of epoxy primer applied. Before I applied anything to the body, I knew I had to wash her down really well to get all the remnants of the stripper removed to prevent any nightmares in the future, so I pulled the ole gal downstairs on to the wash rack and scrubbed her good with hot water and a Scotch-Brite pad inside and out, then hosed her down generously with the hot water to dissolve any POR-15 Stripper that might be hiding in an inaccessible nook or cranny.

Once I was satisfied the chemicals were gone, I dried the body inside and out and then I filled a new spray bottle up with OSPHO Metal Prep. I applied a generous coating to all bare metal surfaces then went over the entire car using a three inch POR-15 paint brush to smooth out the layer of OSPHO as well as insuring every inch of the body was coated. Once everything was coated I pulled the car back upstairs to her bay and left the OSPHO to dry. (WARNING: OSPHO contains phosphoric acid. Avoid contact with eyes and prolonged contact with skin.)

When I returned the following Saturday the body was nicely etched and covered with a grayish-white phosphorus powder. This is normal and just signals that the OSPHO did it's job. I'll leave the powdery covering alone to continue to protect the surface until such time as I get ready to apply my first coat of primer. Then I will go over the body again with a dry Scotch-Brite pad to remove any loose phosphorus powder and wipe down with a tack rag before coating. Here are a couple shots showing how the body looks treated with the OSPHO........































With the body prepped, it was time to pull the front fenders so I could get to the inner fenders, firewall, and front suspension. But before I did that, I wanted to see my new front fender template installed to make sure it was correct before I blew the body apart, so I trimmed it and hastily stuck all the stripe templates and moldings on to get a feel for where I was with the templates. Here is what it looked like. Please bare in mind I didn't take my time to install it 100% accurately. The templates were loose and merely held in place with refrigerator magnets and the side moldings were held on with pads of masking tape...

With the template verified, it was time to pull the fenders. MAN, Ford didn't want the front end falling off the Torino's! After removing about 20 bolts per fender (some of them hidden very discretely) I finally had the nose off the car and ready for the next phase....

Until then........

ZEBRA 3 OUT!