Chris V wrote:...I have memories of being five or six years old driving to the long gone Bow-Wow in Lake City - Dad used to have me memorize what we needed and would send me to the counter...
Yep, I did make him do that. I'd sit out in the parking lot and watch as he'd go in and say (for example) "I need a 3-notch head gasket for an `81 1.6 liter diesel Rabbit with 11mm head bolts - 068 103 383BB" ...just to see the expression on the counterman's face.
Well, I got news that I'll be working full-time again shortly - so I went ahead and found some supposedly sweet 4" Infiniti speakers 150W/50RMS for the fiberglass front kick-panels - so he can have some real music fitted... seriously think we'll be re-using the Ford 6x8 speakers in a parcel shelf in back though. Picked up 25sq/ft DynaMat and 9 sq/ft of DEI boom mat too for quieting things down - It'll probably be fitted with an (early) 1-5/8" Sidewinder w/Magnaflow over summer while I finish making something with heaterboxes. Dad says the heated seats will get him through the cold mornings.
I've been sick as a dog the past couple days and haven't accomplished anything else, just trying to ride it out...I think it's been a week since I even worked on it, and next week it hopefully becomes a daily driver, It's never boring.
Just got back from working on the auto shop...only to find the Dakota Digital module has returned fixed. Now, I haven't even heard from them since before I sent it in! Comes as a shock...the invoice mentions they replaced a capacitor in the accessory timer circuit and tested it before sending it back.
Excuse me, it's Fat Mat (not DynaMat) we bought, showed up today. I just finished cutting the fiberglass front kick-panels for the speakers and the `69-only defrost floor levers, as well as the `68 trunk lid release on the driver's side. While I was at it I finally installed that #8 amplifier power wire from the battery to the trunk - it runs along the tunnel on the passenger's side along with the other power wire, RCA cables, and DIN cable for the head unit display in the glovebox door. I also rough-cut the new door vapor barriers out of some 4 mil clear plastic I found on Amazon.
Installed the Dakota Digital module back in the car and it's working well again.
Finally got some plates and tabs, get to put it on the insurance tomorrow...borrowed my GF's new camera to snap a couple photos tonight after I worked on the rear window defrost wiring in the C-pillars.
She's a runner...I'm still awake from yesterday as I've been working graveyards again...have to be back up and going in six hours. But after 8-1/2 years, it was worth staying up. I crudely nutted-and-bolted the car (among other last minutes tasks), only to lose an odd-ball 16mm 'Ghia caliper bolt from a CB kit along the way - man I hate the fact they can't sell the correct 17mm drive hardware and shakeproof plates. I guess I must've run them in only finger tight since I didn't have the funky socket out...shame.
Anyway, it was the upper driver's side that fell-out as I was coasting around a turn...went back and looked for it quickly with no luck. Twirled in the remaining 16mm with a pair of wire strippers and headed the last couple miles of side streets to the shop and replaced it with the correct bolt...and tightened the bottom 16mm - I even stopped again on the way home to look for it's mate. Anyway, I'll be replacing the rest with the appropriate hardware as I think that's the only odd-ball set of bolts we have and it's just asking for trouble, obviously.
About 100 miles on it now...had Autovice do an appraisal for the insurance, so I tossed in a passenger factory cloth bucket and new seatbelt for the girl to go with - then tonight we took it out for fast food and she got to mess around with the new camera (car needs to be washed):
So between our Progressive agent and calling half a dozen other places for insurance...I've got nothing. Seems you can't actually drive anything over 20 years old and protect your investment. Really fucking irritated.
Chris V wrote:So between our Progressive agent and calling half a dozen other places for insurance...I've got nothing. Seems you can't actually drive anything over 20 years old and protect your investment. Really fucking irritated.
Yes it sucks.....I mean you can only drive one car...For those of you who have statefarm, they have a vintage plan...
I looked into State Farm...and it's not all that great from what I've seen, including reading testimonial of 'appraisal shop' owners that say how bad they are to work with.
Grundy and Fireman's Fund have also been suggested, but Grundy (underwriten Chubb) requires you to own a $750,000 house insured with them and FF just underwrites through American Classic and there's a usage restriction. I'm already planning on my exit from the ACVW scene, looking into mid-90's Volvo wagons now...I just can't rationalize carrying on spending money on cars we cannot cover and have no 'value' to the rest of the world.
Yesterday I modified a 'Ghia fiberglass center console to fit (OK, hacked it up with a reciprocating saw and a cut-off) the Beetle inbetween the firewall and the shifter. I installed a recessed/spring-loaded type 2004 Forester cup holder into it, and it's seemingly going to work for small beverages. Hopefully Dad will take the keys tomorrow and report back on the shortcomings thus far...Should have about 200 miles on it by then and only one thing has fallen off, that sucks
Yesterday I worked on the alignment a little bit (after doing battle with our oil burning furnace that decided to seize the fuel pump), in the process I swapped the 17x7 rims for some 16x8's (w/225/50) to get a flatter sidewall to more accurately measure the toe-in. The 225's even fit inside the fenders and nearly allowed one enough turning circle to drive around town..I believe the passenger tire did rub a headlight bucket though. Looked pretty cool with 255's and 225's - passed a couple aggressive looking Mustangs while I was driving it around town and I nearly had as much tire. I also re-indexed the lower AVIS adjuster to raise the car some...it's now sitting at around 5.25" of ground clearance to the lowest flange of the framehead. Today I need to look at the front camber, the rear alignment and replace the fuel sender in the tank.
The center console has worked well so far, so I guess I'll have to start thinking of how I'm going to make it look finished. We also tried the USB stereo dock for the first time, and listening to music from thumbdrives and not CD's is so nice.
Found a great Volvo, other than the guy slapped a curb in the rain and bent some running gear 'totaling' it - `98 V70-R (turbo/AWD) 125K miles, black, 17" Comet rims. Trying to find out if it's worth parts or repair.
Front end feels right, finally. The beam is an old Brazilian "Puma" unit from Gene Berg, which only allows adjustment downward from stock height - with the CB Performance drop spindles, it was simply lower than it needed to be until Chris disconnected the shocks and spindles so he could adjust the beam as high as it can ever go (basically, stock height). Still have one set of caster shims in, and the steering effort at low speed is acceptable so they'll be staying.
We can still slam the front end if we want for car shows or whatever, but it drives best where it is now.
Marc wrote:...We can still slam the front end if we want for car shows or whatever, but it drives best where it is now.
What do you think of putting a couple fat washers between the top of the shock and the shock tower? There's enough thread on the top-stud I think....
otherwise it is a bit of a chore going back and forth - the Whiteline bar is in the way of the shocks liking to come off the control arm. Easier to carry a full tank of gas and throw in a spare tire on a steel wheel with a drum bolted onto it
I'm pretty sure with the AVIS adjusters dropped, the CB spindles, and shorter front tires (to clear headlight bucket) the car would lay-pan with a driver and passenger.
I used the 1A Yakima roof rack towers and 48" crossbars on my trip out to Monroe last night, and they worked very well...Still reached my hand through the sunroof to hold my Rubbermaid service kart when I started getting hit with the occasional side gust around 45-65MPH.
Going back to working day-shifts in a service-van - so I might get to tackle some more projects soon with the ability to have either of the cars down for a few days at a time.
Yep, I did make him do that. I'd sit out in the parking lot and watch as he'd go in and say (for example) "I need a 3-notch head gasket for an `81 1.6 liter diesel Rabbit with 11mm head bolts - 068 103 383BB" ...just to see the expression on the counterman's face.
