What was planned to be a two-week period of self-indulgent relaxation concentrating on my car, instead became two weeks of dog sitting and constructing storage shelving for my wife who was away in Belize with several of her artist friends.
Thanks to the government bureaucracy, after having the dog's airline ticket paid for and all the international paperwork processed, she couldn't take the dog when three days before she left CDC sent a notice that animals could not return to the USA from certain countries due to a change to anti-rabies regulations. They gave a way to get a temporary waiver, so we e-mailed the form, but just like everything else the government does, they didn't even answer the request until two days after she returned!
Since she returned, I have been able to sneak away for a few hours to resume my delayed Mopar project, and here is where I picked up the job.
After installing the side windows and temporarily hanging the door panel and associated parts, along with the heavy sound insulation, I discovered that I needed to slightly raise the back of the door to compensate for a quarter inch of sag from the additional weight.
Then I installed replacement poly sheeting on the door interior surface to help prevent rain water from soaking the board and fabric. Following a fit check of the interior trim panel and determining where the panel needed to be cut out to clear the door latch pins, I fabricated a stainless steel trim plate to help the cutout appear more finished.
The black cover for the interior door handle hardware will be covered to match the panel and the homemade handle will be chrome plated. A cushioned arm rest will attach to the top of the cover.
Unfortunately, progress will be further slowed as in a few weeks we will be hosting several of my wife's out of state artist friends to an old fashioned Texas barbecue. Lots of outdoor preparation for me to take care of!
