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12/21/01
We loaded update #31 today (but you already know that since you finished
reading it and are now reading this). We used a very cool program
call Gallery to batch-process the 52 pix we loaded on the site. What
an incredible timesaver that is. Made a frantic run to Deist today,
getting there at 1:09 PM on Jim Maher's call at 12:34 PM to be there
before 2 PM, as he found they were closing for the week. Turns out
they closed at 12:30 PM, and only by pounding on the doors front and
rear, knocking on windows, and yelling through the mail slot did someone
finally open up. Spent a while chatting with Jim Deist about parachute
technology, Bonneville, etc. What a wonderful guy. Got my quick-release
seat belts (WHEW!). So I can look forward to finding my other set
now. I went by Luky's Hardware (correct spelling) and got a LOAD of
grade 8 bolts and nylocks. She didn't have every size I wanted, but
I got a lot of them. So that 80-bin bolt crib you see in the pictures
can get refilled with what I had intended: race car bolts instead
of a wide menagerie of stuff (plumbing, door hardware, etc.). I'm
going to address the belts installation tomorrow, and hopefully Gene
Christianson will show for a little help and comraderie. I also realize
I have to make a Y-adapter for the puke tank, to allow two 1"
hoses to merge into one inlet. I'll probably go to OSH and get more
vinyl hose as before, although I'd like to adapt the 1.5" heavy
duty vacuum hose I have here if possible. Had no luck at Apex on the
power supplies, so it's back to EE searching for the antique transistor
(Motorola #108) for the power supply and a replacement for the SCR
(easier to find by cross-referencing). And, having found some 1/2"
chromoly tubing here, I can attack the parachute mounting scheme.
As I may not be exceeding 150 mph on the Jan 1 shakedown runs, I MIGHT
get away without, them, but I'm not planning on it.
12/23/01
No Gene, notwithstanding talking to him just hours before. I guess
he's too burned out from his duties during the week at his very busy
place. Did some aerobic hassling with a client to get to a point of
getting a bit of money (Note: 3 weeks later there was still no money).
Love the work, hate the business. I spent some time yesterday cleaning
up the Gremlin induction, as it was nicely dusted with the yellow
overspray. Nothing horrible, but time-consuming. Getting the gasket
surfaces clean was a bit of a chore. Anyway, the next few hours will
be spent getting the street puppy back barking. After running to get
some more money from another client this morning (every little bit
is critical right now-so what's new?), I got to working on the Gremlin
and Mikey and I got it all back together and running. Richard Rose
stopped by (an AMC aficionado who is interested in the Gremlin and
drives a nice AMX and is building a twin-turbo Rambler), but we didn't
have it done in time for him to take a ride. He'll be by another day.
Mikey and I then addressed the FC, and got the belts in, requiring
that we scrounge for two more bolts, after finding only one bolt and
sleeve assembly. We made two more sleeves from the chromoly I mentioned
previously, so that is done. We reinstalled all the tin, another good
thing. Unfortunately, as I was installing the front latch mechanism
I dropped the Bimba cylinder and the top broke off with the heim joint.
It really shouldn't have been injured, so there was something not
quite right about that. I thought that joint was threaded on the end
of the Bimba shaft, but notwithstanding severe heating of the end,
the apparent oversleeve won't come off. So we'll either have to weld/braze
it up somehow, or drill out the end of that heim joint and thread
the stub of the shaft. More joy. Boy, we are sincerely reinventing
this car. We also replaced the tie rods bolts with the proper grade
8 units. So we're down to making the bellypan and the chute mounts.
The Parker Pumper is ready to reinstall (just the cooler chest, the
motor is already in), and just some routing of the 8' helmet hose
will make that a done deal. That item is really not critical for making
a pass, but it is nice.
12/25/01
Christmas Day 2001, 7 days to making a pass…wow! Got John and
Ed lined up for tomorrow morning to load the car in the trailer and
get it to Chinto.
I'm going to replace the pivot bolts with grade 8 units this morning,
and set the body back down.
And, I'm going to test the heim joint to see if it's stainless, aluminum,
or hopefully, just steel. If so, I'll weld it up.
12/26/01
Well. The heim joint was steel all right (VERY tough), and I welded
it up, only to realize that the swivel bracket that holds that little
ram will not pass OVER the end of the joint. SO I had to cut t off,
assemble the brackets, and weld it up again. Actually, it came out
better the second time. I set up the front latch system, did a lot
of tweaking, and it looked good. However, once I lowered the car back
down, I found the front frame bar was hitting the bellcrank for the
latch. I think I powder-coated a second set of latch mechanisms! I'll
just grind out the offending area later, no biggie. Electronic Ed
(E-squared or E2) showed early, and we dutifully loaded the car. Could
NOT find the remote for the winch, so had to jumper the remote box
to make it work. Gads, I HATE looking for stuff!!!! We got it over
to Chinto, who did not work on it for most of the day. When we arrived
there, I used the electric tongue jack to raise the front of the trailer,
while still attached to the hitch. It jumped off!!! We had left the
2" ball on it (from towing the Gremlin to Palmdale with a borrowed
flat trailer) and my trailer is a 2-5/16". Lucky I have a LOT
of tongue weight. Whew! Fortunately, I had the other hitch assembly
in the trailer. Randy dropped by later, and we brainstormed about
how to mount the Coleman generator. There is pretty much nothing about
the operation that hasn't been revamped. I covered the old holes in
the floor with plywood, and set the generator in. Perfect. Now I have
to modify the exhaust to get it under the trailer. I'll look for some
flex tubing at Pep Boys or wherever. And, I'll run the trailer 12-volt
which I already have stubbed out under that area up to power the starter
on the generator. Back when I was gong to use that HUGE step-up transformer
(still mounted in there), we set up a transfer switch. This is a VERY
LARGE affair, about 2' tall, to switch between land power and generator
power. At this point, I have to decide on whether to make it and all
110-volt thing, or just power the panel with 220-volts like a regular
house. That leaves a question as to how to power it up in the garage
or some other place on a land line. I think I'm going to go 220. I
can always back feed any plug with 110 with a simple male to male
adapter as I did in the past. Decisions, decisions. Randy expressed
concern that I could make the Jan 1 deadline for a pass. I've got
to mount up the chutes, make a bellypan, and connect the air system,
and modify the front latch. We'll see. As I won't have the chassis
here until Friday night, it will be a very "thrashing" weekend.
Of course, I gotta put the windows back, start up the car, set the
timing, adjust the valves. He noted I had gotten a lot done, even
if I don't make a pass next Tuesday. If it's safe, I'll do it, If
not, as soon thereafter.
12/28/01
It's pushing 1 AM Friday morning. Got the car back a day early from
Chinto. Looks quite good. Had Millie and Ana (my renter) help me pull
the car back in the garage. Finished up the front latch, including
threading a knob assembly for the front and relieving the latch bellcrank.
Polished some aluminum pieces for the outside, bolted on the front
tabs over the lift holes, hooked the body to the winch in the front,
and started to install the lift system. Gotta find the right side
filler door assembly that covers the air connection. It's going to
be a full weekend here! Talked with Marty Lorenzen and he will commence
the air brush work on Jan 8, 2002.
E2 is still quite sick, but I'm going to ask him if I can take some
aluminum parts over there tomorrow for buffing. My own cold is apparently
winding down, after HUGE amounts of Vitamin C over the last week,
on the order of 30-50 GRAMS a day! "Tiny" Ed Anctil has
also been sick all week as well. Turns out Gene claims he came by
the other day, but no one saw him, nor did he find me. Oh well.
Baida (the painter) came by this afternoon, after John and I spent
all morning (until 2 PM) reinstalling the lift system on its mirrored
stainless base, and setting all the lines in looms. Looks REALLY nice.
It is every bit the eye candy I had hoped for. Haven't actually fired
it up again as yet, but right there and ready. Need to find the trap
door for the side of the body, actually a modified Jerry Bickel gas
filler door, which I use to cover the air connections and lift switches.
Baida and I set the rear wing and spill plates, after drilling out
about a hundred holes in the body and wing pieces. I upgraded the
bolts to stainless steel button head allens using 10-32, replacing
the aggravating very small 6-32 stuff that used to be on those assemblies,
as well as used in holding the windows. The heads in those earlier
allens was so small that the hex wrench would turn and strip out,
and the nylocks would spin or break the bolts. AND, they were some
goofy size requiring pliers to hold the nuts. Ugh!!! The windows are,
of course, now Dzus fastened with full-bore fasteners. I made a MAD
dash to Allen Bolt for the 10-32's as I learned at 2:09 PM that they
were closing at 2:30 PM!!! Shades of the Deist scramble all over again.
So, with a lot of drilling and deburring of holes (using a countersink
tool), we did the HUGE number of bolts for the wing and spill plates.
We took the wing itself over to Chinto for polishing, and it looks
killer. Baida suggested sandblasting many parts, and after Tuesday,
we'll get to a lot of that prettyfication which I have so laboriously
talked about for SO long. Baida and I also got the window surrounds
painted on the body, not yet on the windows, though marked, and set
the windows in (and out) several times. It looks like a race car now.
It's so clear (pun intended) how awful my old windshield was. Yikes!!
In a massive stroke of luck at Allen Bolt, I talked with the only
other customer there, Brian Martins, who once outside confided to
me that a much closer supplier was available, and he only rushed from
my area to Allen because Space Air in Northridge was out of stock
on an item. I asked what he did, and he said "I build race cars."
The short of it is that he will be fabbing the bellypan tomorrow.
Man, what a nice connection, and a sweetheart of a fellow as well.
So we're down to parachute pack and bellypan, and bolting on the headers.
Baida took the light bar home to see if he could clean it up. It has
been grossed-out with dirt and paint overspray from sitting for the
last 5 years. So today's 15-hour thrash produced some gratifying results.
We might just make it!
12/29/01
Located the parts and got the lift system installed and functioning
after a few lines kicking off here and there this morning. Brian looks
to be arriving here late afternoon today. I'm going to take a quick
run over to his place just to see his operation. I also need to remount
the charging plug and the master electrical disconnect at the rear.
It has been raining for about a day now. Who knows if it will dawn
bright and clear on Jan 1. Usually does. We'll be busy bees until
then.
Now 10:42 PM, and the back is way sore. The original mounting for
the master shutoff was just anchored through the fiberglass. I made
new 3 x 6 x .063 plates on the inside and outside to give it more
support. Looks like it should have from day one. Working on an outside
plate for the charging plug. It showed no signs of fatigue through
its 8 holes. But I just don't trust the glass, nor want to fracture
the paint around the bolts. I'll work on completing that in the morning.
Brian did not show (I'm shocked-turns out he rang the wrong bell out
on the gate). This is why it takes 5 years to finish this thing! Baida
may come tomorrow. Man, he has been such a big help. He dropped back
by today with the polished up light bar. While here, he was polishing
on the left front wheel and commented how loose it was. As you recall,
I just had that wheel off several times tuning up the rotor position
on the brakes, and I thought it was adjusted nicely. Not so, as it
was rubbing the rotor on the spindle bracket. I had added one too
many washers between the rotor and the wheel, pushing the rotor too
far inward. Strange that it didn't show3 up until after we had pushed
the car in and out of the trailer several times. Thank you, Richard!!!
Everyone wants to go out and watch it run, but not wrench on it. Nor,
according to "Sore Eyes", read about it. But YOU do, and
I thank you for your interest.
12/30/01
Kicked some serious butt today, mostly alone. About 5:30 PM Baida
showed up for an hour with a friend, set the windows (after waxing
them), helped me set the CO2 trap door, and had his friend do some
polishing. I fabbed the master shutoff plates, mounted the switch,
laced the wiring, set the charging system plug-in, fabbed up a trim
plate, and fabbed the parachute mounting and installed it. Last item:
bellypan.
1/1/02
Yesterday saw the bellypan DONE (2 pieces), with an interesting twist
on the rear portion. The front is secured through the existing Dzus
fasteners for the side tin. This has always presented a problem: stacking
3 pieces on a single fastener. I did some smushing of the springs
that receive the fasteners to allow for a standard length where possible.
We made the rear by bolting it up through the X-frame members under
the driver area. This allow for a more complete floorboard inside
the car, and saves having to remove the tin to take it out, or vice
versa. The front fit fine, so it's complete. Plugged the 24-volt charger
in and POW!, it took a dump. Just great. So it's climb under the car
time and charge each battery separately with 12-volts. I'm going to
make another plug set on the rear bumper for 12-volt charging. Back
in 96 I lost the return race at St. George (after winning that match
race season opener) because our batteries ran down in the semis. At
that time the charging plug had been unbeknownst to us wired backwards,
and we had run three months on batteries with no charge. Baida showed
up again, and was VERY helpful, buffing up the blower surround, which
was WAY gross. So we got that in, after Jerry Lee and I finished the
bellypan. I rechecked the lift system on its own power, and it works
fine. After much scrounging, found enough header bolts, and mounted
those. So this morning the plan is to set the timing, check the valves,
load in the fuel, and give it a shot. Oh, I did fill the trans with
7 quarts. So Baida claims he'll come by this morning and help once
again. If all works, we'll load it up and give it a shot at Palmdale.
I have lost the frantic drive to make it today. Perhaps it just the
long thrash to get here. But we've accomplished pretty much what I
set out to do, which was complete the car by today. If we can run
safely, great, If not, next weekend or whatever. The trailer generator
is not connected, but I may make it work. That would be quite helpful
in the scheme of things. So other than putting some hose clamps on
the chute lines, we're good to go if the drive train functions.
Well, didn't make it. I thought the mag was in 180 degrees off, so
I switched it. It spit and sputtered a bit, but never quite caught.
Meanwhile, we found two oil leaks: one from the filter area, the other
out the side of the trans. The trans was easy, there were no plugs
or bypass hose on the cooler line fittings (hard to see under the
trans shield (shame on Gene for not telling me, but he thought I was
running a trans cooler), and the oil filter was more elusive. I pulled
off the System One filter, and it was dry all around its perimeter.
I decided to go to the remote Fram setup, and as I put the Fram adapter
in the block I noticed a pan bolt missing (shame on Ratican for missing
that one). That was probably it, as the pan rail goes through to the
crankcase. We cleaned the garage out, rolled it back in, put it up
on stands, and did the remote filter thing.
I need two 4' hoses to complete it tomorrow from Jim Orme of Orme
Bros. Baida showed again early and was his usual incredibly helpful
self. Jerry Lee came later and kept on with me on the filter. I mounted
it behind the blower, just above the trans flywheel shield. WAY more
accessible. I have the System One complete for sale for $50 if anyone
is interested.
I'm also going to research the most common battery connection/charging
plug to add two 12 volt plugs for the batteries. If E2 is well (he's
not), I'll get him on fixing the charger. We also had one other odd
malfunction: the shifter solenoid instantly triggers when the power
is turned on. I had heard this funny noise whenever I would turn on
power, but had not moved the shifter, so didn't confirm that it was
the culprit. So I disconnected it, and E2 may get a look at that also.
The car looked great outside, and sounded quite healthy, if for a
few brief seconds. As I said above, I'm happy to have gotten this
far on the goal. We did have it almost ready, just ate the weenie
on some little gremlins. Safety is first, and it was most definitely
NOT ready to run today. If this is all the wrong stuff we find, I
will be just ecstatic.
So tomorrow is back to work, and quite a few things to do. The trailer
needs to be completed in the generator/electrical area, more E2 stuff.
If we can get the hoses and starting problem solved, I'll look to
get it out this weekend.
1/2/01
Got the trans and oil filter hoses at Orme, for a WHOPPING $113!!!
Man, that is just so pricey. YEOWW! So, with that whining out of the
way, I relieved the trans shield in the area of the upper trans cooler
fitting, using some creative work with an air reciprocating saw and
the Dumor grinder, thanks to Randy's suggestion. Of course I cut through
one fitting. Ran to PAW and got two new ones, and with difficulty,
installed the trans loop. The Fram lines needed to have the staggered
length fittings reversed on the filter block off plate so as to allow
a wrench to get on them. That works, and no leaks. Randy dropped by
an stayed late, a major sacrifice for him as he had then to drive
to Palmdale and drive back for his 6:30 AM shift tomorrow. What a
guy! We found several loose fittings here and there on misc stuff,
so we really were not properly inspected as yet. We need to go front
to back and check everything. We checked the timing, pulled the plugs
and found they were gasketed types with the 13/16" heads, not
the normal 5/8" peanut-type we use, and not the tapered seat
that my heads require. And, they were WAY long. Fortunately, nothing
hit the pistons. Another demerit for Ratican (unless I supplied the
plugs, which I doubt). I found some old proper ones, and before putting
them in we pumped out a LOT of alcohol from the cylinders. We attempted
to leak it down, but it appears something is way goofy with the fuel
system, or my leak down tester (or us). I'm going to pull the hat
and barrel valve and run to Enderle tomorrow to see if it's OK. If
so, then we're REALLY stumped. We lit it up on gasoline, so the timing
is right. The primer pump, while making its usual noise, pumped no
fuel. Bummer. More silliness (the inlet line was loose).
I stayed up to 1:30 AM (again stupid, since I have to be up at 6 AM),
and fabricated the two 12-volt charging plugs, bracket, face plate,
and mounted it. But hey, it looks cool.
1/3/02
Spoke with Kent at Enderle who was massively helpful and very talkative.
He was extremely educational and eager to be of assistance. He also
noted we need to block off the return to leak it down. OK then. Basically,
I think we've got a bad batch of fuel. So I got 5 gallons of fresh
alcohol from LT Sawyer here in Van Nuys, and tomorrow we'll give it
another shot. So we were incorrectly trying to leak it down, as we
were not blocking off the return lines. I checked the return line
and check valve, and they appear to be functioning with no deposits
or corrosion. It all points to water or bad fuel, but it has SO much
extra when it doesn't run, it is amazing. So for tossing 7 gallons
of fuel and buying 5 more, we can find out. Sadly, methanol is not
a very good parts washer, as it doesn't seem to have the "heat"
to cut grease well. Which brings us to our search for a new parts
washer. I sold my rinky-dink one years ago.
1/5/02
Drained the tank (the drain plug I added sure helped), and fortunately
BB showed up just when I was cleaning out the remainder of the water
droplets in the bottom. The very bottom was WAY crappy-looking with
a lot of yellow (water). I vacuumed out the remaining alcohol that
resides below the lip of the drain plug (gotta find another way here),
and her smaller arms worked perfectly to get in the tank and wipe
it dry. I emptied the inlet line, blew the return lines out, then
added 5 gallons of fresh fuel, and loaded the car up for stops at
Bob's Big Boy and Flames last night aboard BB's boy-friend's flat
bed tow truck. Both places were delighted to see such an unusual piece.
Many thanks to Van for his efforts last night hauling the beast around.
I'm going to give it a shot by myself in a few minutes and see if
I can get it to start, provided the primer pump pulls up some gas.
At Flames they are anxious for me to start it up there, as it is all
industrial in that area. Monday I take the car to MM Auto Arts for
the graphics.
1/7/02
On Sunday I fabbed the retainer bracket for the Parker Pumper, finished
the wiring on the twin 12-volt charger plug, and did some general
tool organizing.
John showed up this morning and we loaded it up (what a SQUEEZE with
the headers!), and motored over to MM Auto Arts. So that is underway.
They were impressed with our "backyard" paint job. I found
out a bunch of stuff that would have further improved it, but it is
what it is, including the inevitable and already-appearing stress
cracks. If they continue to move on it as today, it should be done
in a couple of days. Perhaps this weekend we'll get it on the ground
at Bob's and Flames. I got it ALMOST started last night, and nearly
killed myself with fumes in the garage!! Whew!! I'll give it another
shot later in the week.
1/10/02
Got the car back yesterday from MM, however someone there cracked
the right front fender just as we were picking it up. Of course they
disavow any such occurrence. So, I get to look at my first repair!
The car looks great. Randy and I attended the first CIFCA meeting
of the year. Nice to see some old friends. Randy will drop by later
today and we'll give another try at firing it up. And, I'll shoot
many pictures as its appearance will be going nowhere from here but
downhill. Went to the Auto Show, and my car would have looked good
in there. If we can get it all tightened up and running, I may take
it out this weekend. Gonna call LACR right now and check their schedule.
Just a recording, nothing definite.
WE LIT UP THE BEAST!!!!!
Not running particularly well, and it appears to have a manifold leak,
but I did run it for about two minutes, twice.
1/11/02
Randy came by late this afternoon. I had the car back out on the driveway.
We fired it up at 5 PM and he immediately remarked that it sounded
way retarded, precisely my thought. We advanced the timing a couple
of times and it responded well. Then we ran it out of fuel (below
the pickup in the tank). At that point we were having trouble getting
it to start again, when the police showed up. So that took care of
that for the day. Randy thought the car looked tremendous. "Keep
it uncluttered" were his words. So we may be there, or close.
Gotta see why the timing was so far off. The manifold bolts (exterior
to the blower) appeared on the loose side. I may still take off the
blower and tighten the others. Also got to get the 1/2" pipe
plugs for the 4 openings in the manifold, one of which pushed open
the tape. Very odd that there should be any pressure, unless it's
just the empty water jackets heating up. We then addressed an oddity:
the body stopped about an inch and a half from completely closed,
but could be nudged down to latch properly. We both crawled over and
under, put the body up and down a dozen times, then I commented, how
about the rams? I adjusted them shorter by about 3/4", and that
did the trick. We then had some difficulty with it hooking on the
tin on the left, then the right. I'm just going to snip off the top
1" or so off the to of the tin and obviate that problem. Would
have been fun to take the thing to Bob's and Flames, but it got too
late. Maybe next week. Also called Kent Enderle and talked about fuel
filters. Basically theirs is similar to an Oberg oil filter, with
a #60 mesh screen. And, despite calling several places, no one could
tell me anyone or anywhere to test the alcohol for water content.
Bummer. Particularly when it's close to $/gal, about twice what it
was when I last bought it. Going to go to Harbor Freight tomorrow
and buy a small parts washer and about a dozen other little items,
totaling about $200. The car does look really fine.
1/12/02
Well, given the visit from the local police, we need to invent a muffler
system to light this up henceforth. Randy suggested a 55-gallon drum
idea with flexible tubing into it. Already got the drum. Oh joy, more
projects. For today, I'm going to continue putting stuff away, as
the trailer is outside, and the FC sits in the trailer's spot for
now. The operation needs a couple of improvements: some rear wheel
dollies, the materials for which I bought over 5 years ago, the generator
hooked up in the trailer, everything put away, and some general trash
creation. There is certainly some consolidation that can be done with
a little thought here. Now that the car is together, an enormous amount
of misc parts are no longer cluttering up the place, but a lot of
stuff still is!! Note the latest pictures. Anyway, out there I go.
1/13/02
Mikey and I are working on getting the compressor back in, a simple
matter. That done, I pulled the exhaust off the Coleman 7500-watt
generator and have been on hold right now with Pep Boys for about
20 minutes looking for some flexible 1.25" exhaust piping. No
got. I'll try some muffler outlets tomorrow. This will be WAY easier
than what I was having to do with the old Onan 6500. Of course I had
to fill in the floor where I cut out the large openings for the cooling
fan on the Onan, as well as the exhaust. I added about 25 feet of
#10 wire to the trailer land line extension, and next we're going
to figure out just how the wiring of the huge (like 24" tall!!)
transfer switch really works. We're also going to add a 110-volt light
to the front of the trailer. It sucks hooking up the hitch in the
dark. I also need to replace the lift jack bolts, as I stretched them
quite a bit when I rolled it off the block a couple of times. I do
have some nice grade 8 bolts for the job.
Drilled the trailer floor for the exhaust and the 12-volt line to
the generator starter. Ran the extensions to the battery cables and
connected them to the generator. Need to find the exhaust parts tomorrow
to get it done. I think I've had 4 different generators in this trailer.
One on the tongue, two Onans, and the Coleman/Vertex. Then I open
the transfer switch and see what the heck is really going on there.
Maybe E2 will be on the scene to help out. I'll also give Tony Long
(the electrician who wired the switch and transformer) a buzz and
see if he remembers anything. Randy left a message that he had found
some exhaust parts for the "muffler" for the FC. I'll speak
with him tomorrow.
On the Gremlin front I've tried several times to reach Todd at Vortech
to take it back up there for dyno testing and a cure for the highway
surging situation. It also appears not to be getting full throttle,
and appears to need the throttle pressure mounting moved to accommodate
that situation.
1/14/02
E2 did show, cleaned up the garage hifi, and looked at the generator
wiring.
It appears the whole thing is set up for 110-volts. So I know how
we're going to approach it: 2 dedicated 220-volt plugs, the rest,
including the panel, will be strictly 110-volt. Fabbed a tab for the
steering wheel lift switch, which heretofore was secured only by tie
wraps. Much better. That shear/brake is proving to be a VERY useful
tool. And Richard Baida picked up the two 4 to 1 collectors from Randy.
So it will be a matter of some bell adapters to go up or down from
2.5" to 2", and some flex tubing. The question now is one
barrel or two, and what size(s)? Dug out my empty 55-gallon drum,
and noticed I have a half empty barrel of alky, and a still-sealed
full barrel, up on a dolly (that's good). Once we get the mufflers
on, we can sample some of each fuel and see if it's OK. Meanwhile,
I'm hunting for a test facility for the water content of the alcohol,
and someone to tell me just what the limit is. E2 got the garage hifi
back to totally good. And I created a steering column cover for all
the wires and hoses using some 1.5" vacuum hose. Looks good.
Brad Cognata at Muffler Connection ordered some 1.25" flex exhaust
and hopefully that will be in tomorrow, to allow the generator to
be completed. Once connected, we can run it and determine our final
wiring plan. The Gremlin is scheduled for the front end rebuild tomorrow,
but tight funds will force a postponement of that. Got a load of dough
in today, and a load went out on bills. But I guess that's progress.
1/17/02
Received an unsolicited cash loan from very good pal Saul Bashin,
which will allow for the paying of some more bills, but no race stuff.
I was just blown away by his spontaneous generosity. Thanks, Saul!!!!!
Got the 1.25" roll (25') of flex exhaust for the generator, and
a roll of 2.5" for the muffler setup. Brad fabbed up some flared
pieces to make the 2.25" collectors into 2.5" to receive
the flex tubing. We had to remake 4 of the 8 pieces as it is a real
bear to splay them out and maintain clearance for the muffler clamps
and tubing. I'll get those new pieces today, weld them up, and continue
the research into just what is required.
1/19/02
Took the headers to Joe and Hollingshead Welding, to have the tips
cut off, rotated about 70 degrees, and TIG-welded back on. This should
provide enough clearance between the pipes to get the "muffler"
tubes and clamps on. I'll have to trim down the tops of the tubes
somewhat, as I have a strict 8" clearance height, and rotating
the tubes up will impinge on that. The car will not go in the trailer
otherwise. Ah, more fun. Took the car to Bob's Big Boy, and discovered
two problems: the fresh two bottles of CO2 leaked out through a faulty
seal (kiss $28 goodbye), and the trailer has some wiring problems.
1/20/02
Today saw only garage organizing. Mikey wasn't up to that, and I had
biz appointments as well. Hopefully E2 will make it tomorrow and we
can attack the generator exhaust and trailer wiring. Did try to fire
it up when a news chopper was circling overhead, but couldn't get
it to light. Tomorrow will see the CO2 recharged.
1/24/02
Well, the fellow overcharged one bottle and it blew its seal about
an hour later at home. Took it back on Monday, and they refilled it
for free. I also bought another regulator for one of the bottles,
as it showed a small leak. Probably nothing more than a simple O-ring
needs replacing, but the regulator cost almost $70!!! Oh well. Randy
dropped by and we disassembled the old one, and it all looks fine.
I'll run it over to All American Compressor tomorrow and let them
have a look. E2 and I worked the lift system over thoroughly, and
we appear to have eliminated all leaks. E2 has been here the last
few days, and straightened out a lot of anomalies with the trailer
and dually wiring. The electric trailer brakes now work, the lights
function properly, including the backup light on the trailer. He also
made two computer drawings of the wiring diagrams on the dually and
trailer, so we're solid there. And he lengthened the remote on the
winch so that I can now stand outside the rear of the trailer while
loading the race car and using the winch. Much better. Randy had a
fine idea about making a "tiller" for the front wheels.
I shall do that as well. This will be a "Y" shaped bar attached
to each of the spindles and coming together in a single handle, to
allow for "steering" the front wheels. It is REAL tight
getting the car in the trailer (see the newest pictures on the website),
and that would greatly assist in making it more of a one-man thing,
plus quicker. I will also set some lines on the floor to further guide
the car in. I had these lines years ago, but they got sanded out when
the oak floor got refinished. We hopefully will get the generator
wired up tomorrow and have the trailer fully functional again. I'm
going to take the FC to Flames tomorrow night. The headers are still
not done at Hollingshead. I'll call Joe in the AM and presumably find
them completed. At least I sure HOPE so! I'll need to whack them off
a bit once he completes the rotation of the tips, as outlined above.
I also did some bolt crib organizing of the stock I bought from Economy
Hardware when it closed. Next step is to take ALL the bolts and get
a final plan. Then I can empty the 5-gallon bucket of the "MISC"
stuff, take them all and clean and coat them, and have a nice, usable
stock.
1/25/02
Well, Joe has sorta vanished today. Been by there, left messages,
paged him, NOTHING. Ahhh, just gotta love this crap. Ed is meantime
changing the plugs in the Dually. It was running just TERRIBLY. I
felt like I was pulling the trailer with a four-cylinder Toyota. I
am going to just buy a new HD distributor from Jeg's, as Randy is
convinced this one is fairly junked out. The plug wires are also a
bit suspicious and fragile. Took the fc to flames, and Gene Christianson
showed. We did some tuning right there in the parking lot. Moved the
timing way up, and got it to light nicely. Then ran it out of fuel
again. He asked that I bring the car over Saturday to his shop in
the afternoon so we could pull the blower and correct the intake leak.
Things are getting better, bit by bit.
1/27/02
Took the car to Gene's pulled off the blower. Everything looked OK,
but we changed the gasket anyway. Checked the timing, and it started
S-O-O-O-O lazy. We bumped the advance about 30-40 degrees, and it
clicked on really crisp. Something is way goofy here. We are on TDC
with the degree wheel, we set the mag at 35 degrees before TDC on
the buzz box, and we need ANOTHER 30 degrees!! AND, we have a serious
intake leak. Didn't catch fire this time, just squirted out big time,
particularly on the right side. It appears to be under the adapter
plate. I am running a standard manifold, and using adapter plates
because we are running the tall deck block, which spreads the heads
about 1/2" on each side. So the car is back in the garage, and
we're going to pull off the intake shortly. A neighbor at Gene's shop,
Ray, expressed great enthusiasm, came over to help unload the car,
and is due here today. We'll see if it happens. Mikey IS coming, however.
Webmaster Derek is still laid up with the shingles (UGH!!!), so we
have not been able to do the latest updates so far.
1/28/02
Mikey and I jerked off the blower and intake, and found a 2"
section of gasket missing right where the geyser was. Totally strange.
Replaced it, buttoned it back up, and it was VERY lazy again on startup,
and without touching the timing from Saturday's crisp setting at Gene's.
This is a real bizarre situation. We worked on the muffler setup,
and got the right side almost complete. This is a real pain in the
ass. The clamps are a struggle, hose clamps don't work, and the u-bolts
have to be spread then re-bent to get into the clamps. And the clamps
have to be cut in a taper to fit on the middle two pipes. This is
a major boondoggle. I'll finish it to complete the exercise. But there
will undoubtedly be another approach taken soon, as just getting the
clamps on is a nearly one hour trial on eight pipes. Randy mentioned
he had seriously thought and penciled out a muffled system to run
some super Chevy shows or something. A dedicated set of headers/mufflers
would be the trick thing here, or a flange and bolt-on muffler setup.
Yuk!! Gonna change the mag to the spare and see if that changes the
goofy timing thing.
Called Don Zig, master of mag repair, and he cleared up the trouble:
I had been setting the mag using a buzz box, checking the timing by
moving the mag and rotor until a buzzing sound occurred. He suggested
that I might be as much as 45 degrees off, as I was going "on
the back side of the cam." This means I was setting it up to
fire just BEFORE the next cylinder, rather than before #1. However
all that works, I did as he said. BINGO! Lit right up and mucho crispy.
Finished hooking up the muffler system, took the mufflers off, and
ran them to Brad at Muffler Connection. He made three plugs and sealed
the unnecessary openings. Hooked it back up and while certainly not
quiet, it is MUCH attenuated, sorta like a really nasty street rod.
So it appears that with one more once-over on all the bolts and connections,
the car should be ready to make a pass, perhaps this weekend.
1/29/02
Randy came over today to hear the cripsy critter. But it didn't start
out too well. Today it was back to the old crap, not starting, and
I began to suspect the timing again (but I had just set it....). I
checked the mag and it was loose, as a nut had stripped out on the
holding clamp. I fixed that, and the starter blew a gear off itself
(the retaining ring on the nose went bye-bye). Changed that out, and
presto!! Instant start! Thank goodness for all the spares. Ahh, technology,
ain't it grand? Randy was frankly very impressed, and liked the way
it sounded. I intend to bring it again Friday to Flames and perhaps
make a lap around the lot (NO). I also now will give the car a front
to back going over for all bolts. Speaking of which, Randy found I
had put the tie rod bolts into the spindle arms incorrectly, as I
had the washers under the bolt and nut, and NOT on each side of the
ball fitting. That made for a little unwanted play in the front end.
Actually, that washer configuration is a rule in the 2002 NHRA rulebook.
Nice catch, Randy! I told you he was sharp. The plan of taking it
out, running it, etc. is paying off as the little goofs show up in
the car, dually, trailer, etc. It appears we have pretty much reached
a point where a trip down the drag strip is in order. Hopefully we
won't find any more gremlins in hiding at the track.
E2 showed today and found some bad connections in the contacts on
the trailer connection at the back of the dually, and will bring some
stuff to fix that tomorrow. You might recall he had tuned up the lighting
and wiring system, and now the left trailer light was acting badly.
Next on the agenda is completing the generator hookup, adding a light
at the front, and putting in the two 220-volt plugs (for the welder
and AC). We also need to put some kind of cap over the old, unused
skylights in the trailer roof (now just water funnels). Dr. Derek
has been remaining under the weather, so the updates are further postponed.
1/30/02
E2 put some time in today on the trailer, and completed the 220-volt
welder line to the side of the trailer. He will not be able to do
anything on it tomorrow, as I will be using it to move my mom and
sister.
2/3/02
Ran the car over to Flames again, and with Ed's help unloading all
went smoothly. Bumped the timing up significantly on the dually, forcing
me to go to premium fuel, but it helped. It REALLY needs a blower!
The FC started perfectly, ran crisply, and thrilled all who crowded
around to hear and feel it. Got many nice compliments on the car.
Ed also corrected several blown-bulb running lights on the trailer.
We need to buy a couple of more running light assemblies, however.
So we're closing in on getting the trailer wiring finished. Cash flow
has again hit crunch time, so I am spending some hours cleaning up
the garage, putting stuff away, tossing, etc. I will move the organ
pipes OUT and onto the back porch on Monday, to allow for actually
parking cars in the garage. I'll stuff the Gremlin in the back and
the street Bird in the front, and leave the racecar in the trailer
for now inside the left front area of the garage. Our website host,
Anderson Consulting, is having up line problems with some backup databases,
and has asked that we not update our site for a few days. As Derek
is still suffering with the shingles (ouch!!!!), that'll work just
fine. If things go well this week, I'll take the car out to Palmdale
or wherever next Sunday after I get my Nitro Fix at Pomona on Friday.
Have a good crowd for Friday's Winternationals, but not good buddy
Saul, who is STILL stuck in New York grinding away at the sale of
his late wife's properties there. He and I will have to go to Vegas
or one of the following races to let him catch up the racing he's
missed. And he is SO hot to go back to Bonneville again this August.
He's gonna kill me walking around (he's just indefatigable).
2/4/02
E2 showed today and completed the generator wiring. The AC runs (although
not cold-perhaps sitting idle for 5 years has caused it to lose its
freon). The interior and exterior 110-volt lights work, including
the backup lights (110-volt and 12-volt, too). So the trailer is pretty
much there. I see we should put some vents on the left side of the
trailer next to the generator, as quite a load of hot air blows there.
This generator is different from the Onan, Onan which had a large
squirrel cage fan and ducting that blows hot air down. This one is
somewhat randomly blowing out to the side. That will be relatively
easy. It appears we are race-ready, at least to give the whole operation
a shakedown at the track. Given that I can pull enough dough together
this week, we'll go next Sunday. I'll spend some more time this week
further organizing the garage, and perhaps even get to doing some
partitioning of the tool box trays. You knew that these updates would
get exciting, huh! So hold onto yourself, stay calm. E2 is fixing
tool cords, polishing up the trailer wiring, and Rogelio is touching
up the drywall in the garage in prep for a repaint. I am slowly sorting
STUFF and putting more and more things away. I warned you this was
exciting stuff. It's all about supporting those precious few seconds
when we roll up to the line and fire it up. It's called the OPERATION,
not just racing, not just wrenching (well, it is that).
2/6/02
Today was dump-the-trash-day. Cleared the (11) 8 and 9-foot organ
boxes (HUGE!!!!) out of the garage (they're nicely stacked on the
rear porch of the house), threw out a literal truckload of stuff from
both the garage and the storage area out back (making room for a lot
of garage stuff, thank you), and it went right to the dump, fixed
a few tools (thanks E2), and made some major progress. Heard about
fellow CIFCA racer Mike Savage hitting both walls last weekend, but
he's OK. Gives me pause and reminds me to take it easy coming back.
Looks like I'll go to Pomona Friday and Saturday, and pass on taking
the car out this weekend. I wouldn't mind letting the weather warm
up a bit, either. Well, Irwindale is muffled street-legal cars only.
So much for that. Can't find any info on Fontana. There's always Famoso
(Bakersfield), but that's farther than LACR, and still the hills to
climb.
2/11/02
Did some more work on cleaning up the garage, and moved the Gremlin
and Tbird in. The FC still sits in the trailer. E2 came fairly early
and showed up with an 8-ski rack he had built at home for me. Perfect!
We mounted it on the outside wall, and built another similar one for
the poles, and cleared up yet another pile of mess. I made three racks
yesterday to hold the funnels and air nozzles (short, medium, and
long). Also wondrous to get those THINGS into a PLACE. More places
than things, that is the goal (good luck, I know). We'll work on the
remaining stuff occupying the trailer space, and perhaps even get
the trailer back inside tomorrow. That would be sweet. Randy came
by and noted he has several things left to do on his car: finish the
wheelie bars, replace the pan (which I sold him) which does not accept
a starter (aw Pete, you shoulda told me….), and reset his motor
to TDC, as his timing mark is not correct. Then send off his headers
for performance coating (me, too money permitting). He and I have
talked quite a bit about muffling our cars to run more events. But
that is a ways off right now. Gotta clean out. He has done some heroic
dumpstering as of late as well. Are you listening Pete?
2/12/02
E2 did some more tool repairs today. Looking for tomorrow to be the
day we get the trailer back in. Still a lot of stuff to be moved,
stored, places created for things (does this scenario sound incredibly
failiar?). The muffled exhaust system will have to go outside on the
driveway storage area. Got the Gremlin up to Vortech, although a nasty
ride with it bucking like a bronco the whole way, at least until I
slowed to 2500 RPM (a crawl). Todd says a couple of days may do it.
He insists he wants to re-route the intake into the fender (thanks,
man). The FC will likely stay in the trailer until Sunday, while I
am gathering momentum and people for its first outing in 5.5 years.
In reviewing what has yet to be done, I also note that what HAS been
done is remarkable. The done list is VERY long. So, we'll be giving
it the track test in a few days. Wow!
2/13/02
E2 made it today and spent the day trying to correct a 2-year old
heating/cooling problem in the garage and office and guest room. In
short, I have a zone system, and until today, no one but the original
installer (whom I have been unable to get here for two years, and
who AGAIN promised he'd be here two days ago), understood how the
wiring worked. I had spent $1500 on 5 other people trying to make
it work, obviously unsuccessfully. After I finally got the rep to
call me and had him explain to me how the system functions, E2 got
two of three areas working (although there remains a problem, but
more on that later). The garage damper is apparently defective, nothwithstanding
it was new (and expensive). But the office and guest room work (again,
tune in shortly), and those are really the most important. I spent
a lot of dough providing for the Garage Mahal to be heated and cooled,
but that will just have to wait a bit more. The car remains in the
trailer, which did not get in the garage today (shocked??). A few
more items were placed, but a bit more needs to be done.
2/14/02
Baida is scheduled to come over Saturday at noon to help go over the
FC prior to Sunday's test session. We'll do what we can to check it
all out. I doubt I'll bother hooking up the mufflers again, as it
is a bit of a pain at this point. The Gremlin is still at Vortech,
and has not had its anomaly solved. Did have a nice conversation by
accident with Vortech's owner Jim Middlebrooks about his cars, upcoming
house project, etc. So that may have been a fortuitous connection.
No progress on the garage today as it was show-me-the-money time all
day. Did get some, more to come tomorrow.
2/15/02
Todd called from Vortech and wants to keep the Grelin over the weekend
to continue chasing the "anomaly." While I was out chasing
the money, E2 managed to complete the correction of the AC system
in the garage. So all (well, except for another "anomaly"
to be discovered shortly) is now proper with that, after only 2 years
of waiting. The "scheduled" service call by the other idiot
has still never has occurred. What a putz! And Derek the Giant (thought
not mentally) had put some wrong stuff in the ducting. So finally,
we can now heat and cool the workspace, a most humane touch. Moved
the trailer area stuff out of the way, and got some of it outside.
Off-loaded the FC into the garage for our last go-over tomorrow. AND,
literally winched the toolbox into the trailer. No real way to get
it up over the front end of the ramps without that winch or lotsa
bodies. What a heavy mutha!! The microwave will fit nicely over the
toolbox, but a rack will have to be fabricated to hang it up there.
And we still need to make some caps for the unused skylights. Oh,
and get some gas for the trailer generator tomorrow! That's a real
key to making it all work.
2/16/02
The forecast is for rain tomorrow. Crap! We'll do our prep anyway,
and if it dawns OK, we'll give it a shot. Baida came over and found
lotsa loose stuff in the steering. Nice work, dude! Got the chute
lanyards connnected. Fired it up, and my neighbor walked over and
said he wanted to show me something. His driver window was shattered
in his driveway next door!!! Now understand that we had the car IN
the garage, back door closed, front door open (lotsa relief there).
NO way that a 56' long wall with plywood and steel in it could move
enough air to break his window. Nonetheless, I cleaned it up, and
will pay half of the repair costs. Just love this stuff!!! I put his
car in my garage just in case it rains (it did). The FC starts nicely
on alcohol from the primer bottle, no apparent need for gas. Off to
get some generator gas, fuel up the dually, set back the timing a
bit, check the fluids, and hope for sunny skies tomorrow (nope). Cut
a 6" hole out of the work bench to provide access to the generator
gas filler cap (kinda important). Somewhere around here is the fuel
tank cover that Randy gave me for that very thing. Just can't find
it right now.
2/17/02
Goodly amount of rain has obviated running the car. So spent the day
doing more details, setting the shoulder harness in the FC, changing
out the body tree bolts in the front to new ones with new nylocks,
doing some housekeeping in the trailer (GOT to install some permanent
covers over those skylights!!), a little tool tray organizing, and
the like. I'm going to load the car back up, and roll the trailer
in.
2/18/02
All the above was done. The winch pulled a cute one: as I winched
the car in the winch kept stalling right as the front wheels touched
the ramp, I thought that the batteries were down, but that was not
it. It rolled up the cable OUTSIDE its drum. Now that was a mess.
Took about 45 minutes of patience and finagling, and got it corrected.
How it got that way is mysterious (of course). We're continuing on
the HVAC situation (not quite perfect yet). The Gremlin is remaining
at Vortech until at least Tuesday. Randy informs me it apparently
didn't rain much in Palmdale until about 4:30 PM, notwithstanding
our Palmdale Cam which showed light rain in the morning. So perhaps
next week. Gonna put the lids on the skylights, and tune up the Garage
Mahal some more this week. E2 is meanwhile up in the nooks and crannys
of the HVAC space correcting the ridiculous oversights of the prior
AC guys. What bozos! They had NOT isolated the guest room from the
office, so no air of any consequence would go to her far away guest
room, and ALWAYS would go into my office. She calls for heat, I get
it. So we're remaking the prior idiocy (and stupid amounts of money)
applied to the really straightforward situation. Just like the racecar,
gotta do it yourself. And the jerkoff who had me "on the schedule"
STILL has not called or shown up! Our next fix up project will be
to complete the video surveillance cameras which were not connected
(with little hope of seeing those guys in the near future, either).
E2 is a Godsend, for sure. The trailer and car look neat and tidy
tucked in the front of the garage, all compact and together, taking
up SO much less space than when scattered everywhere. But George Carlin
would nonetheless be inspired if he saw the garage: still too much
STUFF.
2/19/02
Got the window fixed for my neighbor, but little else got done on
the OPERATION. Will endeavor to find a 1.5" puke tank plug tomorrow.
In talking with Randy, I confirmed my thoughts about not really needing
the wheelie bars. I will take them, but may not use them next week.
Also need to confirm just how much oil should really be in the motor.
I think we have 11 quarts, and that really seems like way too much.
Gonna call Tommy Lee and see what his thoughts are about a dipstick
or finding an accurate way of determining proper oil capacity.
2/21/02
Todd Armstrong brought the Gremlin back on a trailer last night. He
fears it may have nuked the head gaskets, as it runs rich and rough
under 2000 RPM. The timing was set quite advanced, and he did not
retard it prior to testing it (but was informed to do so). He re-routed
the intake air to the blower through the left fender well with a neat
K&N filter up inside the fender well. He's also going to route
the bypass air out the front to quiet it down further. He has apparently
solved the surging. It appears that the vacuum tap previously used
was causing the fuel pump to run the bowls dry at minimum throttle.
He put a tap in the rear of the plenum to get positive pressure, and
that seems to make the fuel pump (a marine high volume unit) do what
was intended. He is kindy doing all this on his own time and dime,
including the (maybe) engine repairs. So we'll yank it apart next
week here in the Garage Mahal. If I get time, I'll pull the valve
covers off and see if any rocker arms have gone bad, etc. More joy…
Met with the HVAC rep for my zoned airconditioning system, and he
suggested a few small changes, but overall said we were doing the
right thing. So we need to remake one piece for tomorrow, and that
should complete it until we change a few sensors (not critical). He
was a gearhead, and loved the Gremlin and FC. So buy the Gremlin already!
2/24/02
Had a nice crowd for the trip to Palmdae: Bible Bob, Baida, Brooke,
Van, E2, and Ashok (Mr. Marble). Crawled up the grade at about 35
mph (only took a full tank of 91 octane gas to get up those 65 miles),
got in line for 20 minutes, and was told we could NOT run today, and
that if we did, it would have cost $65!!! So we turned around and
went home, only to find the dually overheating near the bottom of
the hill. It diesled into the driveway (horrible), and we loaded it
back up with water, only to find two leaks in the radiator.
So out that came. Of course, the Tbird is also experiencing heating
problems, so it is a home run, so to speak. All three cars are down.
Only the FC is good to go! Now THAT's a daily driver!
2/25/02
Everything but racing: E2 got the NEW radiator back in, using a new
5-row core. This will add some capacity, if no more cooling per se.
We'll go out and find some NHRA-affiliated Bilstein flush for the
system, and then refill it with the proper 50-50 antifreeze/water
mix. The SC MAY not need another motor, but it sure is acting funny
and getting hot. It shows NO combustion products in the sniffer. Todd
will be here this week to start in on the Gremlin's gremlins. And
E2 will be removing the old unused skylights from the trailer and
installing roof patches to end that leakage problem. We'll also give
the trailer AC unit a try on land power. Why that would make a difference
beats me, but worth a try. If no good, out it comes and back to Feder's
where it was repaired some 4 years ago, and not used until now. We're
still DYING for some good work, and money is terrbily tough right
now. Really do need all these car costs just when there is no dough.
The VERY bright side of the dually problem is that we caught it now,
and not on the way to Utah or something. The trans was down 3 quarts
(!!), and the engine down two. This thing is beginning to use fluids.
Randy made a new suggestion regarding the power (actually the lack
thereof) for towing: get a GM crate motor in the 425 HP with 550#
torque version. That certainly would be a lot cheaper (at least much
faster) than installing a diesel transplant. And I could always add
a blower later if it really needed it. Ahh, it's all just money and
time and energy…….
2/27/02
Speaking of time, money, and enormous outputs of energy, in a happy
turn of events the bozo who screwed me out of a master cylinder assembly
on my street Tbird last year lost his motion to vacate the judgment
(he refused to replace it or refund the $450) after not even showing
up for the original hearing. So I am waiting for $720 from the Sheriff
($500 on the judgment with costs and $220 per day for a Sheriff to
stand in his business and collect the money, known as a "keeper").
I'd love to see the same result from the slime, Dave Smith, who boned
me for $6000 on my Condor 3 years ago. He has apparently been collected
for some $10K or so by the Collection Dept of the San Bernardino DA's
office (who knew nothing of it, of course). So I am supposedly going
to see some of my judgment from them as well. As LACR is closed this
Sunday, I'll just tow it to Bakersfield for their Test and Tune on
Sunday. The following week is the March Meet there, which should be
really sweet. The dually runs fine, although it has some anomalies
with the idle. We have certainly done a lot of "honing"
of the operation over this winter (not to mention the previous 5 years).
2/27/02
E2 has done it again. He fixed MUCHO vacuum leaks on the dually, and
bingo! The idle is corrected. He also fixed the Gremlin's driver side
door latch. Good man! Brian (friend of Todd from Vortech) will be
here tomorrow at noon to comence on troubleshooting the Gremlin. And
there is trouble there. The Tbird APPEARS to be cured of its heating
problem with a new water pump, thermostat, and remade fan switch connection
(maybe that was the whole thing right there). Whatever, for $218,
it may be good to go to Derek. Derek is having some additional health
problems from some old injuries, and is a little down this week. He
is also waiting on the insurance payout on his old car to have dough
for mine. Hope this all goes through. The BS-er on the Gremlin has
faded, so it appears it is not going to Nigeria anytime soon. Why
do people do this crap? On the positive side, it looks like two jobs
are about to hit, after a very long gestation period on them. Got
everything crossed for these.
2/28/02
These are some star-crossed answers from the Original Hollywood Squares
TV Show. These are CLASSIC!
Q: If you're going to make a parachute jump, you should be at least
how
high?
A: Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.
Q: True or false...a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A: George Gobel: Boy it sure seems that way sometimes.
Q: You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a
man or a
woman?
A: Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.
Q: According to Cosmo, if you meet a stranger at a party and you
think
he's really attractive, is it okay to come out directly and ask him
if he's
married?
A: Rose Marie: No, wait until morning.
Q: Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A: Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.
Q: In Hawaii, does it take more than three words to say "I love
you"?
A: Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.
Q: What are "Do It", "I Can Help" and "Can't
Get Enough"?
A: George Gobel: I don't know but it's coming from the next apartment.
Q: As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your
hands
while you are talking?
A: Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing older question, Peter...and
I'll
give you a gesture you'll never forget!
Q: Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A: Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.
Q: Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going
to get
Any during your first year?
A: Charley Weaver: Of course not, Peter. I'm too busy growing strawberries!
Q: In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A: Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.
Q: It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist
camps.
One
is politics. What is the other?
A: Paul Lynde: Tape measures.
Q: During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A: Rose Marie: Unfortunately, Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.
Q: Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A: Marty Allen: Only after lights out.
Q: When you pat a dog on its head he will usually wag his tail. What
will
A goose do?
A: Paul Lynde: Make him bark.
Q: If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth
to?
A: Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.
Q: According to Ann Landers, is their anything wrong with getting
into the
habit of kissing a lot of people?
A: Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army!
Q: Is it possible for the puppies in a litter to have more than one
daddy?
A: Paul Lynde: Why, that bitch!
Q: While visiting China, your tour guide starts shouting "Poo!
Poo! Poo!"
What does that mean?
A: George Gobel: Cattle crossing.
Q: It is the most abused and neglected part of your body - what is
it?
A: Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused but it certainly isn't neglected!
Q: Charley, what do you call a pig that weighs more than 150 pounds?
A: Charley Weaver: A divorcee.
Q: Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his
head,
What was he trying to do?
A: George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.
Q: Dennis Weaver, Debbie Reynolds, and Shelley Winters star in the
movie
"What's The Matter With Helen?" Who plays Helen?
A: Charley Weaver: Dennis Weaver - that's why they asked the question.
Q: Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your
elephant?
A: Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?
Q: When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A: Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car. The rest is up to him.
Q: James Stewart did it over twenty years ago when he was forty-one
years old.
Now he says it was "one of the best things I ever did."
What was it?
A: Marty Allen: Rhonda Fleming.
Q: Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them
and
Has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A: Charley Weaver: His feet.
Q: Do female frogs croak?
A: Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough
3/2/02
The Gremlin fix was so easy-just dirt in the carburetor, under the
needles. So that works quite fine, thank you. And, the Sheriff sent
me the flake's $702, about $18 short of the $720 I was supposed to
receive. Close enough to forget about and move on. And more good news:
signed two jobs today. Oh baby……so there may just be a little
positive cash flow for a while. Tomorrow looks good for test and tune
at Famoso. Also, the Gremlin BS-er sent another email apoligzing as
his "buyer" has been sick and "to bear with" him.
Yeah, right. If it happens, no problem, But I'm certainly not planning
on it. Got a couple of car shows lined up for both cars. I'll also
likely need to find a driver for a couple of races, as it looks like
the arthroscopic left knee surgery will be coming up next week or
so, and the total right knee replacement in about 6 weeks. I'll probably
have to put Randy in the seat and relocate the steering, as mentioned
a while back. But that's a few weeks away.
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