Ernie's Woody Restoration

Hi Ann, Sorry this is a day late but I worked a bit later in the day yesterday and didn't get on my computer last night.  Thank you for the latest check and the card of your brother and his wife with the woody! In the week ending Friday: As I noted in the last update, we worked a bit over last weekend. - The tailgate was removed from the car and disassembly begun - All wood and ancillary parts removed (with the exception of the hinge which will be removed for further cleaning and painting at a later time). Undercoating mechanically stripped using a heat gun to soften Damage to the seam at the inner and outer lower panels along with signs of debris inside the panel led to removal of the inner brace by drilling the spot welds.  A good thing we did this as it was loaded with rocks and dirt and some rust and corrosion had started to set in.  We will be able to clean this up and arrest corrosion without significant metal replacement. The wood was