Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Winter = a lot of down time

It hasn't been a particularly snowy winter, this year; but, it has been tremendously windy. Gusty.
Other than  a couple very cold days, we haven't even had any real winter coat days. We are currently in the beginnings of another pretty bad wind storm, though.
As I said...tons of wind this year.
This past weekend we had a storm that didn't produce much more than a few hours of rain, but with gusts hitting mph in triple digits at times, I am thrilled to report that the car port is actually still standing.
For now, that is, as this next storm's gusts have started to blow. This one is only expected to produce 55mph gusts, but I don't count any chickens until they've blown out of the nest.

In the meantime, I have wasted yet another winter when I could've been working on indoor projects such as really getting that carb cleaned and getting the sending unit and gaskets on the new gas tank.
I blame the stress of dealing with getting a new roof, finding out that it was not the real cause for the leaky roof, then dealing with getting the chimney rebuilt.
Ah, home ownership sure does know how to make a person feel like they will never get ahead in life. I don't mean that to sound like I am not grateful to have the means to fix our leaky roof, which I know we are lucky to have over our heads, but I do feel like that carrot just gets farther and farther out of my grasp.

But that is just a moment in time, isn't it.
Looking ahead, we still have the fence to fix, now that it has gotten even worse with these wind storms...

OH! and the car, of course.

When I go through the list in my  head, I see myself driving the car by the end of this summer at the latest.
Then when I put lists to paper, it is clear that I am putting a lot of faith in every thing on that list will just be a matter of execution, and move along with no problems or set backs.
And, if the history of this project...hell! the history of the world...has shown us anything, it's that nothing moves along without issue.

However, I do have faith. And with each tasks I've crossed off my list so far, I have gained the confidence to believe that it is possible, even with set backs, that this car could have me sitting behind the wheel and cruising the Cape at least before next winter.

I have not been keeping up here, mostly because I've not done much with the car, and I like to keep this blog devoted to just that; but, also because I've been blogging on a new site where I am making a little bit of cryptocurrency on a platform called Steemit.
Friends of mine told me about it and I figured, what the hell...doesn't cost me anything and if I can make a few cents here and there, it will add up eventually, right?
Anyway, if you're interested in the other bits of nonsense going on this winter, while the car sits waiting, here is the link to my Steemit blog.

And just so you're not subjected to an all text post, here is the last picture I took while 'working' on the car. We had a random day of nearly 60 degrees. I had the day off, but also little motivation since it was at the tail end of my bout with the flu. I have been trying to figure out how to get the filler tank out, so I could put in the new tank properly. Everyone said 'try a gator grip', since they are security screws and I was trying not to spend another chunk of money on another specialized tool for 3 screws. I found a gator grip, promptly went out to get the screws out...and discovered the socket was too wide to fit into the space where the screws sit. That part had not occurred to me, of course.
So...I can get back on ebay and order the $20 socket that I will use for this one task; or, I can try to just shove the tank with the new gasket back onto the filler neck while it is still attached. I will most likely attempt without the tool and if it's just too much work or just won't work, then I'll get back on ebay.
I have a feeling I will be using the hell out of the gator grip, though!

Wondering what my list looks like now?
Torque all rear bolts (axle, etc)
Fill differential
Assemble rear drum brakes and connect all rear lines
Install fuel tank and connect lines (plus close off vent line on sender unit)

Finish sanding, filling, painting drivers side floor
Find nuts for front seat and reinstall

Assemble front disc brakes and attach all front lines
Bleed brakes
Have tires mounted to original rims and balanced as best as possible
Torque all front suspension bolts

...Then all the engine stuff will commence...fingers will be crossed, prayers will be said, animals will be sacrificed (in the form of celebratory burgers, hopefully) and breath will be held...

Just a few more weeks and I'm hoping to have more to report and more pictures to share.

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