I had to get rid of all of the wood grain. First step was to remove the rivets holding on the outer trim.
There are a lot of them.
In the process, I removed all the trim pieces and badges.
The crunched left corner is going to need some addressing. I've stopped the rust from spreading, but that's about it.
A closeup of the rivets. I just drilled them out. At least half end up stuck on the bit itself, which was a convenience in the removal process.
Once the rivets were gone, I simply peeled off what I could however I could.
Once I removed the trim, I popped in a rivet to plug the hole.
A cleaner shot with more of the gum backing removed.
I tried peeling off with just a spackle knife, but it was a bit too aggressive. I turned to a heat gun and had more efficient success. But it still took me HOURS. The vinyl paneling was so shredded by age that it just came off in tiny pieces.
Looking good, I must say.
Not quite so good. I cut into the bronze paint a lot more than I should have. I'm an amateur, and it shows here.
Making progress.
This is just all kinds of ugly.
Again, more progress. The heat gun was so powerful, though, that I had to use welder's gloves to keep from getting burned. I'd then do a little rubbing with the glove to get the scraps to ball up for somewhat easier removal
This is a good shot showing you how terribly shredded this stuff was.
Done. Looking better every day.
