The Spinal Tap

Even though it isn't absolutely necessary to completely remove the wiring harnesses in order to pull the body off the frame, it just makes me feel better knowing that they are out.

After all, one of the most frustrating things to diagnose about a car is the wiring, and in a forty-year-old car, it's a safe bet that one of more of those dozens of wires that make up that ugly snake of a harness that I finally managed to pull out of the left rear quarter-panel has gone bad at some point.  Either a break in the copper conductor or a worn place on the insulation is enough to cause havoc in the electrical system.  Without testing each individual wire I will never be sure that it isn't about to fail.  And it will fail.  Ask HAL.

So out it came.  Laying out on the hot concrete just pulled from the car, it looked sort of like a spinal cord, which is of course pretty much what it is.

Again, with no real need but a desire, I went around front and removed the headlights and turn signals.  Mostly I was curious to see if there was any rust in behind the headlights and I was rewarded with the sight of (mostly) rust-free metal under the eyes.  That front wiring harness will also come out soon, but there's no real rush and it's just fine where it is for now.  The headlights and turn lenses will have to be replaced, along with all the rubber seals and some of the screws.

With the wiring out, it's time to tackle the body bolts.