12/2/00

I’ll start this last of the year update with an upbeat note: Jason the Jerk has moved out!!! I am SO close to postal over his insulting behavior, I feel like Michael Douglas in that movie where he played the frustrated crazy milk-toast fellow who went nutzoid. I’d like to put on a gun and holster, and wear a T-shirt that says: “I want to kill somebody….give me an excuse”.

Do I sound a little mad?? Gee, I didn’t think it showed….

I did not get to D’Angelo’s for the glass and bondo, but Nick has it, and I’m heading over there now.

I will get some enamel for the frame, etc. tomorrow. While I don’t want more projects, one thing I see I have to do is make up another pulley/sling system for the dually shell. As it is now my work truck, I’ll need to be able to dismount and store the shell quickly. This should be fairly easy having done it before, and dealing with vastly less weight and size.

The driveway area slab/tool storage/parking/declutterfication area will get done mid-week, once I score some $. 

Meanwhile, we’ll be looking to do the following tomorrow:

Install the blower, injector, barrel valve, fuel shutoff cable, transmission shifter cable, and clan out the fuel cell and lines.

Maybe I can get BB to do some frame prep and painting, too.

We may install the headers.

Mike Peery did not show today (good thing, as I was not here anyway). Perhaps he’ll come tomorrow. I still need to score some chrome moly tubing about 1.5” in diameter for the roll cage augmentation. This needs a GOOD welder to be of any value at all. I could get him to weld up the wheelie bars (need some ends or splicing pieces), weld some tabs, etc. Might be better to wait until I have the Parker Pumper to mount that, too.

Stay tuned 

12/4/00

Didn’t call Peery as yet. DID weld the rear rabs for the wheelie bars. This required welded double tabs to get the required thickness, then grinding them down a bit to fit in the wheelie bar ends. Had an odd problem, the arc just didn’t seem to want to take on the frame. I did half of one tab, and it was strong, but the other side was just useless. We cut the wheelie bars down, ground the outside diameter of the inner sleeve to allow for better slip motion (a VERY tedious process),and cut off some other useless tabs. We Bb and MB and I moved on to the chassis, and BB steel-wooled all the tubes, wiped them down with lacquer thinner, and I resprayed the whole chassis with black lacquer. As Randy said when he walked in today: “Holy cow, DW, that looks great!” We were all so jazzed to see a significant and pleasant change. Now the frame no longer appears embarrassing. I scored the bondo, glass mat, and hardeners from nick, so we’re ready to go on the body.

Randy worked with me on a job of mine today, and we finished the day with him finishing up some of the welding on the wheelie bar tabs. Turns out the gas was somehow set at WAY too high a pressure (about 25 psi), and I think it was snuffing the arc or drastically cooling it off. Back at the proper 7 psi, with the wire feed setting about 32, and the voltage around 19, things went nicely with the Miller 250 welder. Randy and I tried looking at some way to get a 4^th driveshaft collar on, but no way without losing spline interface, NOT a good thing to do. So three is what we get, and that’s just fine.

Of course we found the missing brake line laying right on top of the valve cover under the side lip of the blower! The only way to guarnatee finding missing parts is to buy them, and BINGO, it will jump in your lap the next day!

Got a couple of 1/2” fine thread grade 8 rear end retaining bolts to complete the bolt count holding the rear end housing to the frame (one was missing). Tossed a few more trays of miscellaneous bolts and stuff out, moving toward making the 89-tray bolt crib on the wall nest to the race car just that, and not a catch all for endless varieties of drywall screws, plumbing and electrical stuff, bolts, nails, construction hoohah, etc. 

As this is MAJOR moey crunch time, my thoughts have again turned to the bozo, Dave Smith, who boned me out of $5K on  my Condor. I reached Champman at BAR and he said essentially it’s out of his hands (now with the DA’s office), that the DA has dropped the criminal charges, and is now pursuing Smith with a civil suit for $250,000!!!!  What POSSIBLE benefit to anyone can come from suing a low life meth addict with essentially no money for a quarter of a million dollars? Do they intend to distribute it to his victims? A personal bankruptcy will wipe out any civil suit except for something specifically based and named as fraud (“intentional tort”), and the authorities don’t seem to be going there anymore. I was unable to reach the DA as their voice mail is non-op today. Oh, and they can’t seem to be able to find him to serve him for a new court date. Can you f----- believe this? Tax dollars, victims’ money, cars ruined, lives crapped on, and they can’t find the guy???

Do I sound angry? I didn’t think it showed…….

Tomorrow (Tuesday 12/5), I’m scheduled for a Superior Court trial against an idiot who screwed me out of $1400 on a job. He countersued ME for $25,000, purely as a maneuver to push me away from pursuing him. It’s been 18 months. Guess again. I’m bringing my witness and paperwork, and we’ll see just what happens tomorrow.

Another idiot druggie, CJ, AGAIN got her court date postponed by firing her attorney. The detective called me today to let me know the new date. Amazing how slimes can jerk honest people around using the system, seemingly endlessly.

Interestingly, BB and MB are fastidious regarding the tools. They have taken my lead regarding proper methodology, and everything was vacuumed, swept, blown clean, and put away last night. Walked in today and found every tool RIGHT where it was supposed to be. What a pleasant change!

I have LOTS more work to do tossing and organizing, but the garage functioned today as it was intended. Wheeled the welder over, plugged it in, jumped on the grinder, rolled the creeper from its proper place, etc. Yeah, we’re making some progress here.

Here’s a distinctly female perspective on Christmas:

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year (the only members of the deer family with females that do so), male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid December.

Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they give birth in the spring.  Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolf to Blitzen........had to be a female.

Of course, we should have realized this when they were able to find their way. 

12/6/00

The bozo didn’t show in court, so it was dismissed without the judge even taking the bench. However, MY case was tied to it, and should have been heard, which it was not. So I had to refile my small claims, and now I’ve got to find him in Northern California somewhere. Big sigh………..

BB will be here tomorrow (SO punctual and determined!), and we’re going to do some glass work and bondo. 

Subject: new weights & measures.  

For those who thought the hardest part of Physics 101 

was the constant conversion from feet and inches to the 

metric system, including all its Newtons, Joules, and 

Watts, here are some other useful conversions:

Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter: Eskimo Pi

2000 pounds of Chinese soup: Won ton. 

1 millionth of a mouthwash: 1 microscope 

Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement: 

1 bananosecond. 

 Weight an evangelist carries with God: 1 billigram

 Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour:

 Knot-furlong

 365.25 days of drinking low-calorie beer because it's less 

 filling: 1 lite year

 16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone: 1 Rod Serling

 Half of a large intestine: 1 semicolon

 1000 aches: 1 megahurtz

Basic unit of laryngitis: 1 hoarsepower

 Shortest distance between two jokes: A straight line

 454 graham crackers: 1 pound cake

 1 million-million microphones: 1 megaphone

 1 million bicycles: 2 megacycles

 365.25 days: 1 unicycle

 2000 mockingbirds: two kilomockingbirds

 10 cards: 1 decacards

 1 kilogram of falling figs: 1 Fig Newton

 1000 grams of wet socks: 1 literhosen

 1 millionth of a fish: 1 microfiche

 1 trillion pins: 1 terrapin

 10 rations: 1 decoration

 100 rations: 1 C-ration

 2 monograms: 1 diagram

 8 nickels: 2 paradigms

 2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale

 University Hospital: 1 I.V. League

 100 Senators: Not 1 decision.

At our LeTIp mixer tonight, I met Larry, a detective (investigator) who appears to be THE man for finding a bunch of slime who owe me money. Hope springs eternal that I will one day collect some of what is recorded and documented and adjudicated as owed to me…

Anyway, Larry’s son is a 17-year old car fanatic. The conversation got around to my owning a FC. Larry and his son have been rebuilding a 69 Mustang, and in Larry’s words, “He’ll sweep your floors happily just to be around your car…”

On Saturday at 1:30 PM, he’ll get his chance.

Randy and I did a little brainstorming on the driveshaft cover, and decided that I’ll make an entirely new one for two reasons: first, it will be safer and stronger, and second, I need to fabricate a front coupler cover anyway.

It was interesting to hear a friend describe the Garage Mahal to Larry. I said little, and relished greatly Bob’s description of my operation. It appears to others to be FAR more accomplished than to me. Gee, what a shocker…..

I will work tomorrow to get more tools put away, more stuff organized, more space created inside the garage. I have NO money, so can not pour the driveway slab, which is fully prepped and ready. I need to score many thousands of dollars quickly, to pay the guys, do the driveway, pay bills, and just live.

Anyway, Randy and I also worked a bit on the seat and lower left tin. The fit on thee lower piece was always lamentable, requiring goofy length fasteners, and always a fight. Now it is obvious this left side piece below the seat was hitting the brake master cylinder hardware, AND the holes in the chassis tabs were a bit small for the Dzus fasteners. I reamed them out, cut the tin as needed, and flattened a couple of springs for a proper fit. Interestingly, Roy had thrown in 4 button head Dzus, which are working PERFECTLY for these pieces. These aluminum panels are sitting flush against the tabs and have no countersink (“dimples), and hence must use a button head fastener, NOT the countersink type on the windshield, etc. Happiness happens occasionally. I’ll need to get some more of them critters from Roy. This also saves me from have to remake those tabs. Cool.

12/7/00

BB showed up today, punctual as usual. I unfortunately had to leave her on her own to run to a bid closing. Happily, she possesses the initiative to work on her own. Bravo!

So we’ll get a little construction work to enable us to continue.

12/10/00

Larry Brambles, a private investigator about to join our LeTip group, brought his 17-year old son Jonathan by to see the FC. Jonathan is stoked, and after some lengthy talking, decided to get on the crew. He will be here next Friday night at 7 PM to commence, and again Sunday at 1 PM with BB and MB.

Meanwhile, I finished the rear fire system nozzle bracket, mounted to the rear engine plate, trimmed some tin, and fit a few pieces of seat tin. We’re missing the lower right seat tin, all the outside panels, and the bellypan. BUMMER!!!

I’m hoping against hope that we’ll find them here. Otherwise, big $ to re-fabricate the stuff. Gotta get the Parker Pumper ordered. The Cool Suit is ready (I am not, no $1800) And, I have to make a template for the rollbar braces, to take to Dave Tuttle at California ChassisWorks. Dave will cut and notch the pieces, and Mike Peery will weld them in soon.

Randy is working an overtime day Monday 12/11/00, and hopefully will have some time off after to get some action on his Newbury house and the race car. Got only one call (and from a local guy) on the Dragster Condor ad, but it came to zero at the end of the conversation. No other calls as yet, and nothing on the Gremlin. CRAP!!! This week will see more mighty struggles for $, and possibly pouring the concrete slab out front. I’ll check with the concrete company to see if I have credit there or not. 

12/11/00

Parker Pumper is ordered, with chiller pack.

I do have a credit account with NRC concrete, so we’ll shoot for perhaps tomorrow to pour the driveway.

12/12/00

Wanted to get Randy involved in the concrete finishing, but he looks unavailable for most of the week. I’ll shoot for Thursday at this point. Using Carlos, my normal mason. He’ s agreed to do it on the very cheap, as I will be helping him, and we’ll use what’s known as HOT mud, concrete with an accelerator to make it harden quickly. I opened a package in a bit of serendipity. I had bid on an item at the Los Angeles Master Chorale Annual ball (fund raiser), a load of Tony Robbins CD’s and books, and got it all for VERY cheap. In the first 5 minutes of reading a small book, I was energized and heartened. I can DO this, yes I can!!! Yes, boys and girls…..well, you get the point (to sound a little like Bob Frey). I am on a positive roll, losing weight (not just from the walletectomy), and committed to making incremental progress on the FC each day, if only 5 minutes a day. Yesterday got the Pumper ordered, today got the concrete scheduled, tomorrow will see some garage organization and review of the list. And, I got a hold of Glen Prine, ace fireman, whose busy schedule has pre-empted his showing up here. I’ve asked that he work on the sponsor side. He’s REAL good at it. Robbins makes a very good point, all the positive thinking does nothing without a COMMITTED decision. I’ve long been a proponent of ‘Nothing gets done until some action is taken”. Robbins is similarly inclined. He clarified that DECISIONS (committed decisions, that is) must result in some action (“massive action”) to be of any use. I’ve seen clearly that there are literally hundreds of decisions that I need to make regarding where stuff goes, what gets tossed, what do we do next, what color is this, where do I put my energy to get work…….etc. having BB show up forces me into those needed FC decisions. I need to make even more in the quiet of my own time. This is not limited by any means to the race car… no, no, no.

So hope is up, and we’ll see what comes.

12/13/00

Young Jonathan has decided that his pre-calculus and physics school load is too much to allow proper time for the race car. While he claims it is killing him not to come play, I applaud his overall sense of maturity in avoiding an overload. He’ll be back when his life is clear enough. Boy, can I relate!

And to be politically incorrect:

Gore and Bush were in a restaurant ordering brunch. The waitress asks Gore what he would like to order.

After looking at the menu, Al says "I would like some Eggs

Benedict."

Waitress says "Fine, and what will you have Governor Bush?"

Perusing the menu, George says "Well, I think I'd like to have a

quickie."

Taken aback, the waitress responds "Why Governor Bush, that's

awful, and you're not even President yet!"

Then Gore leans over and whispers into Bush's ear.............."George, that's pronounced 'quiche' "

Concrete is scheduled for 7 AM tomorrow. I’ve got to get out there and set a screed, a board to pull across to level the concrete when it’s wet. Tiny has been sick for 4 days, and it’s not yet in. So tomorrow one more mess will be cleared. My wife is on a tear to clean the place, as SHE has 36 party guests coming Saturday for a tennis lunch. Hey, whatever works!!

12/14/00

Mud showed up at 7, Carlos came a little after. All went well, and after several hours of diligent cleaning, hosing, sweeping, sponging, douching of the drain channels, etc., the 32 by 7 driveway storage area is a beautiful thing. Tomorrow I’ll set some stuff on it and get the garage a little more cleared, and perhaps get the dually inside in its assigned parking place. Now there’s a concept.

BB showed and was helpful as usual. We needed some more bolts for the windshield Dzus springs, and with those we completed that portion. Im adding 5 more attachment points to get the windshield as tight and flat as I desire. We marked and drilled all the holes with the windshield in place, then quickly and easily pulled it out (what a JOY!), and set to work countersinking the bolt holes (so nice to have the countersink tool). I may JUST have enough bolts, but we are short a couple of springs. I’m going to scare up some or place an order for another bag.

As I’ve been unable to catch Dave Tuttle, I haven’t done over there. Will try once more right now. He MAY have some springs as well.

And, the Gremlin parts arrived!! OK!! I’m leaving shortly for Nick’s. Meanwhile, consider this:

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a nativity scene in Washington D.C. this Christmas.  This isn't for any religious reason.  They simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's Capitol.  There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

Out here in FC land, I found enough masses to fill the driveway table. Well, not yet, and hopefully won’t stuff it, but we did move a LOT of stuff off the driveway (ALL of it). BB will be back on Sunday with Mikey, and we’ll move forward with the underside of the body, glassing and bondoing.  As the CIFCA banquet is over, I still haven’t heard how I was humiliated in absenstia by the old villifier himself, Pistol Pete. But I’m sure word will get here somehow.

I believe the following are George Carlin’s brain droppings:

Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

Five out of four people have trouble with fractions.

If quitters never win, and winners never quit, what fool came up with, "Quit while you're ahead?"

What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

Do old people read the Bible so much because they're cramming for their finals?

Never agree to plastic surgery if the doctor's office is full of paintings by Picasso.

If it's true that we are here to help 'others' -- then what exactly are the 'others' here for?

Never forget that 'stressed' spelled backwards is 'desserts'.

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

Clones are people two.

If a man says something in the woods and there are no women there, is he still wrong?

No one ever says "It's only a game," when their team is winning.

As I said before, I never repeat myself!

If a person with multiple personalities threatens suicide, is that

 considered a hostage situation?

If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?

Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

I just got skylights put in my place. The people who live above me are furious.

Whose cruel idea was it for the word "lisp" to have an "s" in it

If it's zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?

Why do you press harder on a remote-control when you know the battery is dead?

Since Americans throw rice at weddings, do Asians throw hamburgers?

Should wives put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans?

The Parker Pumper arrived today! Yahoo!! Just fitting the parts in the back as we speak here.

12/17/00

Well, we didn’t put the unit in the rear. Actually, we’re mounting it in the driver’s compartment to the left, up on the tin. The blower itself has been undermounted with just the air cleaner protruding into the driver’s compartment. Better to be drawing ari from in there than tack dust. The cooler is mounted next to the blower. Sorta like having an ice chest at the drags!

Had a minor disaster: while retracting the cables to lift only the front end of the car, the right rear cable hit end, and yanked a pulley off the beam! The lag bolts are the weak link (definitely not grade 8, which I tried in vain to find). Anyway, relocated the pulley after straightening it out, back in business. Millie had a tennis party yesterday, and one woman was the widow of the now-deceased owner of the first rear-engined funny car. We talked at length about the whole scene. When the car did a blow over, it came down to the car or a pool. She got her pool. Bb and Mikey will be here today. I’m looking to drill the hat, set on the injector, pump, and mag. I tried some initial tests to wrap the edge of the tin where it meets to roll bar and frame with some vinyl tubing, to avoid scratching up the new frame paint. Looks promising, but more work to do on making it really work.

Searched high and low, NO tin. SHIT!! No bellypan, no right side lower seat piece, no exterior panels. Where the hell are they??

Just a note about how we are way down on the totem pole of priorities for politicians:

Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security, and, of course, therefore they do not collect from it.  Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society.  They felt they should have a special plan for themselves.

 Many years ago they voted in their benefit plan.  In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it.  After all, it is a  great plan.  For all practical purposes their plan works like this.  When they retire, they continue to draw their same pay until they die, except it may be increased from time to time by the cost of living adjustments.

For example, former Senator Bradley, and his wife, may be expected to draw $7,900,000.00, with Mrs. Bradley drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of her life.  This is calculated on an average life span for each.

Their cost for this excellent plan is "$0," nada, zilch.

This little perk they voted in for themselves is free to them.  You and I pick up the tab for this plan.  This fine retirement plan is funded directly from the General Funds of the US Treasury.  Our tax dollars at work!

Social Security, which you and I pay into every payday for our own retirement, with an equal amount matched by our employer, we can expect to get an average of $1,000.00 per month from our Social Security plan.

Or, we would have to collect our benefits for 681 years and 1 month to equal the Bradley's benefits.

Imagine for a moment that you could structure a retirement plan so desirable that people would have extra amounts deducted from their pay to enhance their own personal retirement income.  A retirement plan that worked so well, that Railroad Employees, Postal Workers, and others who were not in the plan would clamor to be included.

This is how good Social Security could be, if only one small change were made.  That change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan out from under the Senators and Congressmen.  Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us.  Then watch how fast they would fix

it! If enough people receive this, maybe a seed will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.

How many people can YOU send this to?  Pass this on.  It could happen.

12/18/00

Mikey and I worked for quite a while, until almost 8 PM. The tap and drill didn’t seem to provide the right threads for the hat plugs. So we’ll need some advice from my trusty master machinist, Gordon, to see what we need to do. I’ll also check in with him to see if he’s dumping all his equipment and retiring.

Sunday was a tough go. My mind was not working well, and it took several rounds of unfocused effort to get in the groove. Mike and I ended up fabricating 5 aluminum blocks, similar to the one I made for the fire system rear nozzle, to hold the Parker Pumper wiring on the underside of the tin in its run to the rear portion of the body where the junction strip is. The blower is mounted, the chiller tank is mounted, but needs one more something on top to secure it really well. Don’t want any ice splattering on my face during the first portion of the run! Actually, the setup will make a fabulous spoof on having a cooler for drinks inside the car. When I start putting pix on the web site, you’ll see what I mean.

I need to order the following for the Pumper: a 22” section of hose, and either one 8’ length, or a proper coupler for the (2) 4’ lengths I currently have.

In a disconcerting turn of events, the dually lost its water pump one  year to the day from its last replacement. The backing plate rusted out. Shit!! Nick tells me he routinely coats his pumps with Vera-Prime to prevent that. As I have a new one (NOT rebuilt) with a lifetime warranty (from AutoZone) ready to go in, I may investigate that a little further. Keeping a large percentage of antifreeze in there would have helped a lot. As it was, the coolant (??) was VERY rusty (aka not much glycol in there).

Son Brian has just scored a BEAUTIFUL new BMW 530. Wow! Really nice machine. He had by Bird for 5 days while he was getting it, and he raves about the Bird.

Nick has NOT worked on the Gremlin as yet, claims THIS weekend he’ll get to it. I predict a month of weekends.

The Condor just sits, as I got only ONE response to the Dragster ads, and NO Gremlin calls. Not a one.

So, I may just go back to stock on the Condor, which will allow me to sell it more easily in California.

I may have a buyer for the remains of the 420” Windsor for about a grand, leaving me only with the dilemma of the now-overbuilt AutoRite AOD trans.

Frank Mastro, who is doing some upholstery for me, may want to buy the V-6 Bird motor, which would give me some $1500 or so to put toward heads for the Condor, putting that back on the burner.

Otherwise, Eddie Moran may take the Windsor parts for his truck, and Gary Carter can get busy on making the Condor a stock Bird again. Could this be called “retro”?

Yes, there is a lot of maybe going on here right now.

12/19/00

Some maybe’s are gone. Frank is NOT taking the V-6. BB did show up, and we got some more hardware and bolted up the wiring loom for the Parker Pumper. I needed to make some custom aluminum loom blocks, which came out great. I’ll need some longer small bolts to finish it off. The dually water pump failed (EXACTLY one year to the day) from a rusted out back plate, and has been changed with about a day of greasy work. BB is returning Thursday, and we’ll finish off the wiring on the Pumper.

I’ll order the correct hoses tomorrow, and we’ll move on to some underbody work on Thursday: setting a raceway for the front latch tubing in a body recess, fixing some glass spots, bondoing a few spots here and there. I’ll go to D’Angelo’s tomorrow on the way home in the AM and check on some Zolotone.  Tiny drilled and tapped the hat today for the access plugs, so that’s a BIG plus.

What remains to be done to actually allow making a pass on 

Jan 1 is as follows:

2 new batteries

mounting the mag and injector pump

setting on the hat, linkage

mounting the cables for throttle, shifter, and fuel shutoff

fabricating a new driveshaft tunnel/coupler guard

mounting a cable stand on the new tunnel

bolting up the headers

connecting the oil pressure and temperature sensors

mounting the master shutoff at the rear

mounting the chutes

vacuum bleeding the brakes (with the unit I have on hand borrowed from Gary Carter)

remaking the missing bellypan and exterior tin (where the HELL are they???)

To be legal to make a run, the front brakes are not required, nor the fire system, nor the extra bars in the roll cage area. The above list appears doable, and that’s what we’re going for.  

The Cool Suit is waiting for $ to be delivered. Not really necessary in this weather. In Palmdale this time of year, I might need HOT water in that suit!

The pumper is always helpful for holding down fogging in the helmet.

I’m debating a bit on how to remount the chutes. I had a simple way, inspired by Jim Scott, but I’m inclined toward setting a platform at the rear on a slight upward angle, ala the later cars.

I’ve got a call into Jim Maher to see if the tin is required for a pass.

Some optional stuff is:

Painting the body top and bottom

Getting the graphics done

Painting the interior tin

Running with wheelie bars (although they are just about ready anyway)

Setting tabs for the net to go on the wheelie bars (to prevent the chute lines from falling in there-it also makes a nice place to store the opened chutes on the way back to the pits)

The Garage Mahal is shaping up a little bit. We’ve cleared a bit more out, and Ed will be making some shelves in the next few days for a few more tools.

In GREAT news, I landed a $26k job today. This really came out of the blue: I got a call yesterday from a lady, went over the same day, and she came over this morning and signed the contract, paid her deposit, and we’re starting in tomorrow! Whew!!! Now understand, that job in its best form will yield a net to me of about $5K, hardly enough to pay bills and do much, but MORE than nothing, and certainly SOME towards making the holidays a bit happier. And the house is empty, so no owner/stuff hassles. 

Ho, ho, ho…..

12/20/00

This is a great idea: 

The gas companies believe we are all stupid. The price of crude oil per barrel is the same as it was 15 years ago. Why are the costs of gas and diesel fuel going up. A quart of refined oil for you cars engines more refined than ever; yet it costs between $1.00 & $2.00.

This is the same as it was 15 years ago.

 GASOLINE

This makes more sense than the don't buy gas on a certain day routine that was going around in April or May. Gasoline Prices! Whoever started this has a good point.

By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1.49 is cheap. Me too! As it is now $1.58 for regular unleaded. Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at less than $1.50, we need to try an aggressive response.

 With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we don't buy it. But, that's not really a practical option since we all have come to rely on our cars. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together.

Here's the idea :

For the rest of this year,..  DON"T purchase gasoline from the two

biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling, they should be inclined to reduce their prices - and if they reduce their prices the other companies will too. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of users. But it IS... doable!

I am sending this note to 42 people. If each of you send it to at least 10 more ...and those 10 send it to at least 10 more ... and so on.  By the time the message reaches the sixth iteration,  we will have reached over one million consumers.  Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on, or one you compose, to at least 10 more E-mail addresses.

  ***** PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO $1.28 - $1.29 AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

BB and Mike are taking the day tomorrow to work on the FC. We will get some more bolts for the wire loom on the Parker Pumper. The hoses have been ordered. Harold feels the main hose is long at 8’, but you gotta what you gotta do regarding placement. He feels it will still work just fine.

Got the tin answer from Maher, and we will have some SERIOUS tin work to do if I can’t locate the missing pieces. If that occurs, then our Jan 1 passes look very doubtful. On the positive side, we began work today on our (thankfully) holiday job, and that will require substantial attention and work time from me. 

12/23/00

In 1555, Nostradamus wrote:

Come the millennium, month 12,

In the home of greatest power,

The village idiot will come forth

To be acclaimed the leader.

Mike and BB are off for tomorrow (Sunday), so the next crew day will be the day after Christmas, Tuesday the 26^th .

My single focus now is to find the TIN…

Without it we’re just not going to make it for the Hangovers. 

12/24/00

Mike and Brian ground me to a pulp yesterday on a 2.5 hour killer mt. bike ride. I came back SERIOUSLY tired. No, I mean REALLY serious. I think I was dehydrated in a large way. There is also the possibility that I’m WAY anemic from the anti-inflammatory medicine I live on. I’ll get checked this coming week.  I’ve known I’m suffering from wallet-anemia, that’s no news….I’m going to make some clean up efforts today, and get to that much-delayed bolt list. We’ve got several bags here of neat little nuts and bolts, all new, not yet put away. Of course, once the car is done, it will be vastly easier to do all this. The point was doing the organization BEFORE we assembled it.

Whatever, it has been a delicious difference to have the rig inside, with things sort of organized and available. This differs hugely from doing it out on the driveway, in the cold, rain, heat, dust, with no real space, and hunting for everything (well that part is the same). 

And, looking for the tin…

12/25/00

While eventful, yesterday did not yield any tin. I ended up at the emergency room getting myself checked for possible intestinal bleeding and anemia. As it is, I AM anemic (slightly), and dehydrated. I will be checking with my trusty doc on Tuesday to see what we need to address. I think I’m bleeding internally from the anti-inflammatory medicine I’ve been living on. Time to switch to Viox or Celebrex. The loss of the tin is beyond maddening. This will seriously hamper progress.

I just can’t imagine who would have tossed it, as I certainly did not tell anyone else to do so.

Randy is working pretty much all week, doing his regular shift and some trades, overtime, etc., so his race car progress is on major hold.  The closest he will get to racing is watching one day of the Hangovers at Palmdale this weekend (Sunday for him). 

I’m going out in the garage again and see if I can turn over some more stuff in search of tin. 

12/26/00

I’ll share a friend’s resolve with you:

For a New Year’s resolution,  I will try to stay optimistic,

Colin Powell and Dick Cheney notwithstanding.

Those scary little warmongers.

Of course, nothing unifies a nation like a good war....

But I'll try to stay optimistic.

Gee, I sure hope John Ashcroft and Pat Robertson don't get their ban on dancing....

Aw, hell.  Onward into the 19th century!

Today we make merry, light candles, cook hams and turkeys and stuff ourselves on aunt Ethel's salmon mousse nut log recipe, and try not to let the redneck brother-in-law from Orange County bring up politics.

Anyway, may your future resemble your vision of it.

12/29/00

The miracle holiday job is going, although Greg is presenting MAJOR hassles. He basically is taking 3 times as long to do this as necessary. Good thing it’s piece price. The downside is it is holding up my cash flow, although I pried some dough free, but about $2K less than I should have. Anyway, I did get a bit done on the FC: cut the bolts down for the injector hat, got the gaskets from Maher, bolted on the riser and the hat. Sunday BB and Mikey will be here to press us forward. I still haven’t snagged more springs, as I keep thinking today will be the day I catch Dave Tuttle in his shop. I should have just ordered some from Maher with the injector gaskets. The Hangover Nationals are definitely off the table now, as yet one more long round of searching in vain for the tin has dashed hopes of finding it. I spent quite some time with the purported magic bleeder from Gary Carter. All I got was a lot of air and fluid running through the system, with absolutely no improvement at all in the brakes. Man, I can’t fathom what it will take to do this bleed job.

BB went over to Industrial Metals and scored a front lift bar for the hoist system, as the water pipe I was using on the front was bending precariously. So we now have a 68” long piece of 1.25” diameter 303 stainless steel solid rod holding the front as well. We all feel much more secure now.

The glass and bondo worked out pretty well. I scored several cartons of parts from McDannel, along with Randy getting a good hunk of stuff he needed. Among the goodies I got was some fiberglass cloth. That will do a nice job covering the rougher mat I used so far. I sanded a lot of the car while doing some bondo touch ups, and removed a bunch of gook from Tanner’s messing around (I have NO idea what the stuff was he splattered on the car…maybe polishing compound). I also lined up a graphics guy for the headlights, taillights, and rear window, and at a very good price.

Sunday we’ll hook up a 12-volt battery and give the electrical system a try.

I also scored the elusive 4-conductor disconnect I needed for the light bar and helmet air wiring.

And I spent a hunk of time just organizing, cleaning up, getting tools back in place, and finding several missing sockets which were just misplaced.

12/30/00

Sarah Wilder, the daughter of deceased friend and neighbor Bruce Wilder walked by today (she is a serious gearhead) and looked at the FC for the first time in a long while (“oh, she looks pretty”). She expressed interest in working on the FC, and I related our work schedule. She has a 440 Mopar motor and a Coronet wagon just waiting to be assembled. AND, she and her mom have a 392 Hemi on a stand, a testament to Bruce’s last work.

I’m going to do a bit more cleaning today, and line up some work for tomorrow’s session.

In my organizing and putting away of tools, etc., I have found several “missing” items, including a socket in Tiny’s own toolbox! No substitute for THE method (a place for every thing, more places than things).

The maddening stuff is buying it to find it, like the brake line for the front right wheel. Sitting right there on the motor the whole time!! So I’m working tonight to find as much as possible for tomorrow. 

Nick called and wanted to clarify I wanted the Gremlin fender “really nice.” Absolutely. It will see paint next weekend, says Nick. Any bets on this one? Sign in on the guestbook with your estimate.

I lucked out today and got another $2K from the co-operative owner of the magic holiday job, when she dropped by and saw us humping on the roof. I spent about three hours making it move along quickly, and laying out some more rules of work for Greg. The sooner we’re done, the sooner there’s a few $ for the race car.

12/31/00

OK, last entry for this year and this update. Saw the Gremlin, it’s doing OK. I need a couple of parts, no biggie. We did not make the Hangover race, but BB, Mike and I DID do some serious-ass garage organizing and cleaning. Got the dually back in the garage (major). And sadly, there is NO tin. Looked Again EVERYHERE. Damn!! Tuesday coming will not find us working on the FC, as court, doc appt, and other duties preclude it. We’ll shoot for Thursday the 4^th to resume.

Thanks for your interest, we’ll see you in a month.

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