I've been writing a series on cars I have owned for a website called "curbsideclassic.com". If you don't read that site, you ought to.
Anyhow, tonight I wrote an article about my 1974 Malibu that included this line:
"My car ate ball joints, tie rods, shock absorbers, and every other front-end component like a fat kid eats free candy."
So today's Minor Win is that I crack myself up!
KyAllroad wrote: Last year I was struggling with the suburban. Problems with drivability, busted fuel pump, just really aggravating and was seriously considering dumping it and getting something newer. Over the winter I fixed lots of stuff and things seem pretty good. Drove from KY to Mass Thursday and she performed perfectly. Still an old girl with 234,000 miles on her but things seem solid and more confidence inspiring.
Or not. Mea culpa automotive Diety, I've fixed the sacrificial part, may it please you to smile on the remainder of my journey.
It turns out, there is an unexpected bonus to being awake at the ass crack of dawn. Married with Children is on for like 3.5 hours. Best block of TV pretty much all day.
A Montero finally showed up at the pick n pull, now the right side of my Montero is less smashed. Just need to decide on a color to paint it.
Hot Dog Stand, the best color scheme from Windows 3.1!
While I was trying to chase a newly developed screeching sound in my wife's Range Rover I dropped a bolt in between the alternator and the a/c compressor. Had to take out the alternator to get my paw underneath it and retrieve the bolt.
How's that a small win? Well, I had to release the tension on the serpentine belt to get the alternator out and noticed that the fan had more play in it than a box full of kittens.
As it's an old school fan that runs off the end of the water pump I think I finally found the source of the mystery coolant disappearance that our local, highly regarded and generally very competent Land Rover shop has been unable to trace for the last 18 months (yeah, my wife doesn't drive that much). I just hope the screeching isn't the pump's impeller doing some impromptu machining of the front engine cover. Guess I'll find out when I try to fit the new pump.
In reply to BoxheadTim:
It's weird, the Rover V8 diverged from the Buick V8 in the 60s, but both the Rover engine and the Buick 3800 (looong-chain descendant of the Buick 215) both had waterpumps with depressingly short lifespans for a while. And they looked extremely similar, too!
In the late 90s I was able to get a Buick pump changed in 45 minutes, drive in to drive out, including running the engine until the fans kicked on to verify no air pockets in the system. They failed about every 30-40k and GM built a LOT of them.
Spent 11 hours at the dragstrip yesterday with my wife and a friend. Likely the only trip ill make this summer but night of fire and a relaxing day around race gas was just what i needed!
On Friday I got the f6 procharged stroked fe Ford fired up on edelbrock sequential efi.
Today my duster started on the first spin of the key on megasquirt.
Time to quit while I am ahead.
Dusterbd13 wrote: Time to upload videos and link them here.
Fixed
In reply to AngryCorvair:
I wish I had thought to take video of the Ford.
Duster can be arranged.
And today I painted most of the rest of it white. I'll do the roof and rear hatch next weekend. It turned out ok for a roller paint job. I'm also going to spray the lower moulding in bedliner.
Some new tires and it will be a decent rig for just over $1000 invested (the tires will be at least half that). I've already put 9000 miles on it over a number of states.
In reply to EvanB:
I found by accident that clear spraypaint brings chalky faded black plastic back to life.
This finding is relevant to the thread, too.
Was going to by a ac unit for the first floor before I went on vacation but ran out of time. Costco I was selling them at a really good price. Hot back and did not make it over to Costco until yesterday and I went to where they were an they were gone. Searched around but no luck. I was about to give up but decided to ask. They had to radio someone as the computer only showed one and they thought it was the display.
The guy on the other end of the radio answered back that I should meet him at a completely different part of the store. When I got there the Costco guy was climbing in to the center of the racks an called me over. There was one unit left behind the display unit in the back. It was one size larger than I was going to get but it was the last unit in the store. I claimed it. I was told that they were not getting any more this year and that they were going to be mobbed this weekend as yesterday was the start of a seven plus day hot an humid stretch.
With the new unit installed and it on the lowest setting it easily keeps the lower half of my house cool and dry while the unit up on the third floor is keeping the bedrooms and the living room on the second floor cool. The two units combined both set on low are keeping the entire house at 70 deg with low humidity.
I may go make my self a cup of hot coffee and kick back and watch the tv.
Life I good.
Local ice cream stand that makes all there ice cream on site just finished up a batch of coffee Oreo ice cream. I really like it!!!!
The closest thing I really have to social media is a Twitter account. Well, I got pushed an ad for warped tour today, and seeing the lineup, voiced my disdain. Reel Big Fish is now following me on twitter. It's stupid, it doesn't really mean anything, but it makes me happy.
Just got the elky back from the air conditioning shop a week ahead of schedule and under budget. Because the compressor is noisy, he fixed the air in the wife's car for free!! Hell of a guy.
Tim pettys cool shop in Monroe nc if anyone needs a guy.
But the elky has functional, nipple cutting glass Air for the first time ever!!!!
Oh E36 M3! My blood pressure is 120/76!
That's the first I've seen that since losing the job that was killing me. I'd been hovering at around 140/90 with spikes above that.
Just made the final payment on the DD! This is the first time I've been free of a car payment for more than five years. With a lot of self control, and a little luck, I'll stay this way for a while.
As of this morning, I officially have begun the credit rebuild process. I paid off all of my debt last year, which did help my score, but I've noticed it hanging. I now have a secured Visa card from my credit union. WHy the credit union? Most credit cards report 3-4 times a year to the credit agencies. Credit union reports every month. One year of responsible use, even if it is my own money put up front, can do the repairs multiple years with other cards would.
Crap, I'm turning into an adult.
Fixed my mower. Wasn't getting spark. Now it is. I'll need a new spark plug (and mower if i'm honest) eventually, but not today. 
While this might actually be a major win, I went from surprisingly losing a job in the morning to being interviewed for a much different but better paying new job in the afternoon. I start next Monday for 6mo worth of training. The curveballs in life can be the toughest, but I like to think I've gotten fairly good at hitting them. 
In reply to WOW Really Paul?:
WOW! Really Paul? That's a heckuva day, well done!
I just scored a brand new Honda shifter for my '86 CRX for $28. Now to find an OEM knob and boot...
EDIT: I just received an email from the company I ordered the shifter from. And from what they found, I got the last shifter in the entire country.
KyAllroad wrote: In reply to WOW Really Paul?: WOW! Really Paul? That's a heckuva day, well done!
Sometimes things seem to work out, sometimes they don't.
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