Rear end looking good, pondering front end

Today was Super Bowl Sunday. Based on previous experience I decided not to waste the day watching the game (it started at 1:30PM here), so I Tivoed it and went to the shop. Turned out to be a pretty good game.

Not much to write about. Most of my time today was spent applying TECHNIFILL and sanding it smooth. Good thing it cures fast. With POR-15 Epoxy Filler the cure time is at least four hours. With TECHNIFILL I can get in several iterations in one day. I almost have that pushed-in area at the RH lower corner where I want it, which means more filler than I like but a lot less than what was there. I also worked the LH rear, same as last week. I don't think I need to hammer it.

Next Sunday my wife and I are doing the annual John Kelly Couples Ride, so I won't be working on the car. I don't like to leave exposed surfaces even for a week, because here in Honolulu they will start to rust. Two weeks is worse. So, when I finished today I covered the entire rear end with a coat on Acid Etch Primer. I know primer does not block moisture very well, but it is better than nothing. If it were going to be longer I would use finish enamel; that's what I did for the rear window sill (which still looks good). Another reason for laying down a coat of primer is that it removes the variations in color. This gives a more realistic view of how the part will look painted.

Back when I was grinding down to bare metal on the RH side I noticed how thick the paint was on this car. I not talking about Bondo here, but multiple layers of paint. My Lotus suffers from bubbling which experts have diagnosed as being the result of too many layers of paint. One of my goals for the day was to blend in the painted area to the bare section, just past and slightly forward of the RH rear tail light. I think what I need to do is pick out a layer and sand the entire car down to that layer. In today's pics you can see a yellowish white layer that looks promising.

I also coated some areas on the inside with Metal Prep, and sealed the patch edges with Epoxy Primer. The goal is to prevent moisture from collecting between the layers of sheet metal. There is still a lot of welding repair work left on the inside, around the fuel tank mount. I want to paint the entire inside with white POR-15.

While waiting for stuff to dry I spent some time looking at the front end. I think my plan was good, start with the back to develop my skills and the front later, when my skills are better. I think I am ready, although I wish my welding were better.