Day 4 ~ Finally Bare

4.5 hours in today. Sheesh, getting the thing down to bare bones sheet metal takes a bit longer than I was anticipating, but at least I can finally feel like I'm ready to call in the measurements for cutting. Other than a few connections left in place with the dash and systems (for engine work) all the interior is gone now. I also got the fenders off today too. They're a bit tricky because the undercarriage protection goop clings to them after you've got all the bolts gone.

  Tip: I was able to salvage a lot of the plastic connectors by taking some normal pliers, clamping down on the connector firmly (but gently), and then rolling the pliers along the sheet metal, leveraging a side pull. This gets most of them out without damaging or tearing off the clips so we can reuse most of them later.
  Tip: It bears repeating apparently. Take the time to at least attempt cutting the windshield and rear glass seals after removing all the weather stripping nearby. Hammer-boy here is still spending a lot of time vacuuming when I knock enough shards out of something I'm removing to get cuts and pokes on my hands and knees. No fun there. I think I'm finally over the major part though as there's really only the dash to mess with now before I cut. Then I'll be sweeping metal shavings lol.

Today's Removals:

Front seats
Fenders and splash guards
Glove compartment
Center console
All remaining trim pieces other than dash top and front console
Lower dash brackets
Carpet
Insulation underlayment

Front door inner panels with glass and weather stripping

  I left only the door latch assemblies in tact just so I can open and close them at will for now. I still need the special tool with the splines for getting the front seatbelt retractors and rear doors off, but they're not in my way yet so no biggie.
  Well my pile of removed parts is getting unmanageable, so a bunch is going into storage until I know for sure I won't be using any part of it before I even think about throwing it out or recycling. Tomorrow is definitely looking like a good day to give Mark Smith a ring. = ) I'm getting so close to the beheading party, I can almost feel it! Assuming another evening of finding out things I haven't though of yet needing removal, and a full evening or two doing measuring and marking and final pre-cut prep, I'm setting my beheading goal for this weekend. My best buddy is moving in town Saturday, so that one's out, but between a little Friday and Sunday, the cuts should be posted . . . I hope.