Brief Description: The firewall install begins with fresh paint
I gotta say, today's work was soooo nice, as a break from the tedious sanding and priming. I started out with an hour of final prep for firewall and spar paint. The goal is to have everything under the hood, coated or covered for a professional look. No bare fiberglass allowed. So I took some 180 grit and sanded every area that I knew would not be covered by the SS sheet. I then cleaned everything with my trusty Wax and Grease Remover and taped off anything that shouldn't be painted. Knowing that I would be brushing on my favorite hammered black by Rustoleum, I planned for easy cleanup using mineral spirits that is safe on both primer and plexiglass. So now the firewall and spar areas were ready and got 2 liberal coats of paint 30 minutes apart. While the first coat was curing I also disassembled the rudder pulleys, cleaned, sanded and painted each part as well. The nice thing about painting small parts like these is a fast cure in the oven. Baking these parts were as easy as placing them over tin foil on a cookie sheet and baking them at 195 degrees for 30 minutes. After that they were cured! It also allowed me to re-assemble them in prep for installation. Usually, the brush on Rustoleum needs a good 48 hours before handling with force. The only downer is that I put the paint on a little too thick in a spot on the airbox and the paint drooped a bit. I should easily be able to sand it down a bit and apply a new coat so I'm not pulling my hair out about it :) This is also one of the BEST reasons for using a paint like this. Easy touch-up and repair anytime. Sure is looking good and we will have an engine hung THIS WEEK!