Lots of work and not much done

I knew this would be tough, but I really didn't expect this much work.  I've been working on removing the paint from the engine bay, and it's a very slow process.  I think part of this is just due to the fact that I didn't leave the Citristrip on there long enough (it's hard to block out ~4-5hours of time for this), but part of it is, the stuff just isn't a 1-time-does-it-all product.

But the worst part of it all is the paint remover afterwash.  This is the stuff that inactivates the paint remover, and washes it away.... which sounds great except it:
1) is noxious (hence a respirator),
2) quickly evaporates,
3) Doesn't do all that great of a job of "washing" away the stuff - more like it makes it wet, then evaporates.

So it takes a lot of scotch-brite pads, steel wool, and patience, to get the stuff off.  But, I'm somewhat pleased to say that the Passenger side is mostly done, with the only thing remaining being (what appears to be) some primer and a few spots of paint.






While I'm at it, I'll talk about my ideas regarding the paint.  I've talked about them multiple times, but I'm still undecided.

All this tedious work brings up the question, why am I taking this engine bay down to clean metal and planning on applying POR15?  POR15 is meant to be applied to seasoned (aka rusty) metal, so I have a dilemma.  I don't know if I should even bother applying POR15 to the inner fenders, engine bay, etc., if all of that area stayed rust free to begin with (covered by factory paint). Or, do I take the other approach, and apply it to provide further preventative maintenance? 

I really like POR15, which, like everything, has benefits and consequences. POR15 is a rust encapsulator, and the biggest fault in my opinion, is that it is UV-sensitive.  This means it must be topcoated with another product, and I honestly wonder if I'm just wasting time & money.  One thing is for sure - I'm going to apply POR15 to the underside and interior floor.  That area WILL rust, even if painted, so getting the POR15 on there should result in a longer-lasting floorpan.

As for any other news, I can't say there is too much.  I've mainly just worked on the metal.  I test-fit my Export Brace, which looks like it should go in with minimal problems.  The heater has been removed to aid in firewall paint removal, and should also help me get some more of the crap out of the cowl area.

Thanks for checking in.