Class #2: Oil changes & diagnostics

At the end of my first class, Mr. Dryz said that I may bring in the rims from my Barracuda so that we could remove the tires and clean up the rims.
Well, that would've been great if I had been able to get them off the car.  Let me point out that it was no fault of my own.  We had some less than agreeable weather last week...snow, slush, rain...it was gross.
But, even though he asked at the beginning of last nights class if I had brought them in, there is no way we would've gotten to them anyway.
We knew we were in for an oil change.  And we knew that he would be hooking Ricky's Saturn Vue up to the diagnostic computer.  What we didn't know is that Ricky's thing would take up a ton of time!
It didn't bother me though.  I would have done oil changes all night long, if we had to!!  When you have a garage, a lift, and all the proper equipment at your finger tips, car repair and maintenance is kind of fun.
We started with Mr. Dryz's truck, to learn the oil change procedure, while Raffi tried getting his Scion TC ready on the lift.  (That proved to be a waste of time, but we'll get to that!)
The Sonoma oil change was a snap.  Best part of this week's class?  When I was told to 'hand tighten' the new oil filter, and then Mr. Dryz checked to make sure it was tight enough and commented 'wow!  You've got a firm grip! That's tight!'  So, of course, I flexed for him.  Unfortunately, when time came to get the old filter off the Scion, I was defeated...but, none of the boys could loosen it either, and they did actually say to me 'maybe you should try'.

Raffi couldn't get his car positioned on the hoist, so we waited so he could use the drive-on hoist.  Personally, I think if he had pulled his car up just a bit more it would have been fine, but what's the difference, anyway...as long as it goes up in the air.
Throughout class, Mr. Dryz would float between instructing Raffi, Josh, and me on the oil changes, and Ricky and his Saturn.  At the very end of class, the rest of us went over to get a quick lesson on the hand-held diagnostic computer.

Next week, we are doing one of the wheel bearings on the Saturn.  Now, my wheel bearing is so loud right now that I am a bit frightened to even be driving on it.  So, I have made an appointment to have mine fixed at my regular mechanic's.  Yes, you'd think this defeats the purpose of taking this class, but one bearing is going to take up a whole class period, and I'm uneasy driving.  I will wait and try to have my front brakes done in class.  I've driven without brakes before...

So, I am still terribly nervous before class, still.  I try telling myself that it doesn't matter if I do something stupid.  I will never see these people again, and I'm taking the class for my own personal enrichment.  But, being the overly anxious, socially awkward person that I am...that is how it will be up until I walk out of class #8.

Speaking of socially awkward...here is the other thing I'm doing in my free time:

ROLLER DERBY!

Last Sunday.  Chili Challenge.  Firefighters and my roller derby dolls!

My new toys...watch out!

Day One: The power of Air

Okay...it's done.  I did it.  I survived the stress of walking into a class that I was sure I had no business being in.  And, on top of that, I made it through the first full 3-hour session without getting laughed at.  Well, I did get laughed at, but it was because of jokes I was cracking (how can you not laugh at those giant community sinks!?)

So, here's how it went:
I got there super early, and I was going to take a photo of the front of the school, for this post, but forgot.  Oh, damn!!  The 20 minutes I sat in the garage waiting for class to start I could have gotten pics of the 'classroom'!!  Oh well, maybe next week.

I walked in just behind the first guy...'Do you know anything about cars?' he asked.  'Nope. You?'  'Nope!'
Already, I feel better.  Eventually, another guy walks in...same question, 'Nope!'  Sweet!!  So, all in all, it ends up being me, and this boy-band trio.  I mean, one of them has a faux-hawk.  And, they were all prettier than me!!
Someone didn't show, so as it stands, it's me, Ricky, Josh, and Raffi.  (You can expect our album out next Spring.)

The instructor, of course asks us what kind of car we have ('have', not 'drive').  We also had to give a list of 10 things we want to learn.  I basically put every system I could think of, minus electrical (b/c they have a separate class for that on Thursday night).  When I told him about the Barracuda, he said 'good luck with that'...but then all through class, referenced it and said to feel free to bring any parts in that I'd like to work on or learn about!  Already this class is paying off!!  If I can take my tires/rims in and use the tire mounter (I'm sure that's not the proper name) and tire balancer...I mean, that's huge!!

So we toured the shop (and the annex where they have 3 more bays and more computerized diagnostic things) for about an hour or so before we set out to learn about tools and equipment.

Air hoses!!  I both love and hate them!  First we had a demonstration and hands on practice with attaching the hoses to impact wrenches.  This is when it became clear that I was the girl in the class.  I could not, no matter how hard I tried, get that damn gun off the hose!!  After a few tries, the teacher says, 'well, that's alright.'  So I heard, 'That's alright, little girl.  When you need help next time, just ask one of the boys.'  Guess who's gonna be working out even harder now!!

So once things got going, we were actually working on a car!  First day!!  Miraculously I didn't get my clothes dirty, but I LOVE having grease all over my hands.

The four of us practiced working the hoists, and were trusted to make sure the car we were hoisting was set right on the hoist.  I got my placement right!!  We looked at the underbelly of a Saturn wagon...and then we took it's tires off.  And then we disassembled one of the back drum brakes AND one of the front disk breaks.  We put the front brake back together but ran out of time and left all the other pieces off the car...sorry, class that is working on it this morning!

So, I was super excited to write this post.  It seems sort of lame now that it's all out there in 'written' word, but that's fine.  I'm still trying to learn the names of tools and remember which lever is the safety lever, and which sequence to push buttons on the hoists. I am completely overwhelmed by the number of sockets and other tools we have at our fingertips in class.  I'm still nervous about my ability to use air powered tools (talk about power!!).  But I am so excited that I am not in a class of macho dudes, and that I have an instructor who has clearly taught girls before.  We connected a bit when I told him the story of the Barracuda and that my dad was in Vietnam.

Next week, my very first oil change!!  We are changing the oil in Raffi's car.   We are also going to hook the little diagnostic computer up to Ricky's Saturn Vue...seems his car has a ton of issues, including an air bag light that stays on.  I was also asked if I would be bringing in any parts from the 'Cuda.  'We can get those four flats off, and clean up those rims, if you like.'  Now I have to figure out how the hell I'm gonna get those wheels off!!  Time to go get me a breaker bar and some jacks!!

Back to School?

Maybe.
As one of my handful of readers, you know I have no practical knowledge of the inner workings of any automobile.  If you were to take a look at the car I drive -my darling little green 2000 Chevy Cavalier (affectionately known as The Green Monster, or sometimes The Stagecoach)- you would see I don't spend much time cleaning it.  Each time I take it in for servicing or inspections, I gather up all the trash and throw it in whatever might serve well as a trash bag.  I have not one, but two reusable grocery-type bags that are full of clothes.  Not to give away, but 'just in case'.  This is a direct result of spending many days with my grandmother, who could never be prepared enough for any situation.  This time of year, you'll also find two extra hats, two extra pairs of mittens/gloves, and a pair of snow pants added to the collection.  You may wonder why a person would think these things might actually be needed, but more than once in my young life I had to 'get out and push' in the winter...I'll take it from Grandma and just be prepared!

So what does any of that have to do with school?  Nothing really, I just have a nasty habit of going off on silly tangents...you're welcome.

But there is a reason I bring up school.  I'm tempted to take an adult education class in Basic Auto Repair.
There's a class offered at a local Tech School and the class time would actually fit right into my schedule.  Hubby would be playing poker at the time the class is running.  It's just 8 weeks.  It's pretty reasonably priced (only slightly more than I just paid to have my rear brakes replaced).

Ah! Windows open!

I don't know that having more smarts about car repair would keep me away from my regular mechanics (there is one who has a crush on me, after all!), but I don't like being so 'in the dark' with Spring quickly approaching.  I want to get at that Barracuda when the weather changes.  And this class will coincide with the weather change quite nicely.

Well, it's something to think about.  I'm certainly not lacking support from friends and family!  It's all up to me and what kind of guts I have to take a class I am pretty sure I will be the only girl in.  Not only that, but probably the only person who would need a vocabulary lesson, as well!  If only my sister would've remained interested enough to take the class with me.  Oh well, as always, I live and learn...time to move on.

Emotional meltdown turned re-ignition

Warning: this post starts a bit personal; but, I promise pictures and actual 'car talk' at the end.

Here's a little more of my back story. 
My family life wasn't full of touchy-feely emotional love-fests.  That's not to say I didn't feel loved, but we didn't show a lot of emotion in my family.  I, of course, felt supported and protected by my family...but, more in the way a growing lion cub might.  Your parents are there to keep you out of trouble to a certain point.  You learn your lessons, because you're on your own next time. 
My siblings and I all dealt with our particular brand of family love in different ways.  Without getting into every one's business here, I'll keep it to my own personal issues.  I retreated to my room a lot.  I didn't need people in my life...people complicated things with their own problems that I didn't need on top of my own.  I didn't cry a lot.  I was an emotional wasteland.  When I was in my late teens/early twenties, a friend of mine told me I had 'a heart of stone' because I didn't cry at the Lion King. 
Who cares?  How could this possibly have anything to do with the rebuilding of a car?  Well, if I saw that movie today, I would cry from start to finish.  I cry at the drop of a hat.  It's something I'm not proud of.  But here's how it ties in with the car...
I had a bit of a breakdown this week.  I have been chipping away at some cosmetic things.  The latest project was the carpet.  The driver's side carpet is soaked.  The passenger's side seems wet, but it is hard to tell because of the cold.  I attempted to use the shop-vac to dry the carpet:

The suction of the vacuum tore the carpet for me.  I had no choice at that point; but, I had been avoiding the inevitable task, anyway.

All of the padding had turned into a rusty, soggy mess of floor-rotting goo.

It wasn't as warm as earlier days, and my emotional state was pretty delicate at that point, so all I could manage was the worst part of the carpet.  I wasn't really prepared for the severity of the rust.  I knew it was bad, but it just went on forever!  My fingers had become numb, so I just cut out the wet part, to go back later and do a proper job of getting all the carpet out.  When I decided I would take care of the rest later, I moved over to the passenger's side just to make sure that side could wait.

I saw this:

From reading another blog (Mopar Motorhead's post about rebuilding his own 1964 Barracuda's heater) I was taught that this is the fresh air inlet (passenger's side).  It's cracked!  Luckily, I can use this other blog as reference...Thank you, Mopar Motorhead!

But here's the trouble...the numerous leaks I've discovered, the leaks I've found after thinking I've fixed the problem, the rust...oh, my! the rust!, the cracks, the tears...it's all getting to be a bit much when you consider I haven't even done anything with the engine.  Actually, parts have been taken out...nothing going back in!
I have pretty much been abandoned by the person who (seemingly) wanted this more than anything.  I was feeling alone and defeated.  What was I thinking?  How am I, a girl with no knowledge of cars, going to fix this rusted mess of what used to be a car?
I sent my brother a text asking his opinion, telling him I felt abandoned and depressed.  He said: sell it.  He also offered, and not to be mean, I obviously had felt the same way more than once: don't take this the wrong way, but I thought you two were getting in over your heads.  He is his father's son...before passing away, those were some of Dad's last words...only without the 'don't take this the wrong way' part!  But after some texts back and forth (I think he was at work and I HATE talking on the phone...texting is the best thing to ever happen for the socially and emotionally detached!) I simply asked if he would still help me out, talk me through stuff if I called.  He said 'of course' and that he would still like to do any body work.  I felt better.
After a long day of talking myself into and out of and back into sticking with this project, Jason came home and handed me a piece of paper he found stuck in our door: 'If you want to sell your Ply Barracuda Give a call...'
But I had already made up my mind for sure, at that point.  I entered into this project knowing it was going to be difficult, having no idea what I was doing.  I knew I was going to have to be the driving force behind the whole thing, but I can't just give up after replacing a couple seals and tearing up a bit of carpet!  I haven't even started to learn about how the engine works!  That's the part I am looking forward to!  That's the whole point!
And I know I always have the support of my friends. 
So, after a long emotional day, I've decided to stick with it.  I've abandoned any type of time table for finishing it, though.  I think, with the cold weather coming, we're looking to get moving again in the Spring and see how things go from there.  I don't care what it looks like when it's running...I just want to hear it start!







Preparing for winter;or, we gotta fix those seals!

This is our awesome back window.  One of the things I love about this car is the back window.  I'd love to not have to remove it; but, as we've come to realize, rust is a bigger issue than I was aware of.
At first I thought the major issue with the rear window would be replacing the trim.  But, as we learned from my last post, it's leaking pretty heavily into the trunk.
So, again taking advantage of the relatively nice weather we've been having, I set out to try a temporary fix...at least for the winter.

So, here is the major water entry.  You can see the vinyl roof is has also been compromised.  This is the major area of roof damage, too.  I was so hoping to not have to also replace that, but I think I lose there.

I, of course, did not get an 'after' shot of the seal job I did.  I bought an auto/marine clear sealant and just put a thin bead around the entire outer edge of the trim.  I don't honestly know if this will even help at all, considering the damage I am sure is under that part of the roof vinyl, but I'm going to get the hose, or a bucket of water, to test it tomorrow...just being sure it's good and dry!

 

Now, onto the 'major' project I have been putting off since the car arrived at my house...the roof rails.

Perhaps you can see how the seal doesn't exactly form a tight seal against the window?  The day we 'washed' the car, the water practically poured right in and down the inside surface of the window.  Maybe that's why the floor is soaked all the time and I'll be lucky if the floorboards aren't completely rusted out?  Ugh!
I have been dreading replacing these seals.  First, I had no idea how to go about doing it.  I can't find any info on replacing these anywhere!  I scoured YouTube and all the manuals and car mags I have and there's just no mention of it anywhere.  Secondly, after the trouble I had doing the trunk seal, a horizontal workspace and a clear beginning and ending spot, I just didn't know how I would be able to glue that seal in place AND...what do I do when I get to the end, at the back window??  Just cut and stuff?
Well, miracle of miracles, this is what I found when I started to remove the old seal...

...NO ADHESIVE!

It simply gets tucked into the channel!  And, yes...at the end, I just cut the excess and stuffed it in place!
Of course, once it was in, I couldn't really figure out how the window was supposed to fit into the seal, but I think I got it. 

Not that you can tell from this shot, but after a couple adjustments, I was able to successfully do the water test without drips on the inside of the window!



 

So there you have it.  The major 'body work' I wanted to finish by winter, and before I felt comfortable moving onto the engine parts. 

This is where I really start to freak out!

Taking it slow: The trunk seal

Leaks.  That's what this car has going for it at the moment. 
We've discovered a massive amount of rust in the trunk.  There's also the issue of the soaking wet (not damp) carpet on the front floor boards.

Here's how my day went when I decided I would just change out the seals/weatherstripping on the doors and trunk...
Start with the trunk, to get a feel for working with the molded rubber and weatherstripping adhesive.  Then, the doors will be a snap.
Not really how it went, at all, though.  First of all, it took me about an hour to finally get the old adhesive completely off, so that I could have a nice clean surface for the new seal.
Well, surely putting in the new seal won't take too long, right?  Wrong.
It's not easy maneuvering that snake of a thing!  Add in the fast drying adhesive, I was working a couple feet at a time...when I finally got the nerve to put adhesive to car and seal; and, eventually seal to car. 
I couldn't remember how the old one looked when it was on!  I didn't know how to put the new one on!! Damn these parts with no instructions!  Thank you, YouTube!
I nearly put the silly thing on wrong side out!
But, at the end of the day, that new trunk seal made it onto the car.  Score one for me...first bit of new, installed!
Here are some pics (most are pretty much impossible to figure out, so I'll add captions):

Old seal...new seal

Lots of nasty old adhesive to remove...an hour with some GooGone seemed to do the trick.

Shiny new edge to adhere my new seal!

New seal! (Outside, looking into the trunk)

I never got to the door seals.  This little project took me almost an entire afternoon (of course, I also had other things going on that day, but the point is there was no time left!)

I still have the roof rails to replace.  And, of course, the very next day we had rain all day.  Good for checking my work, I suppose.  The trunk seal worked like a champ!

The bad news?  Well, that wasn't the biggest problem with the trunk leak.  The real problem, now discovered, is the water trailing across the bottom of the rear window seal, into the corner, and drip-drip-dripping into the trunk.  I watched a nice little puddle forming in the trunk.

I didn't want to replace the windows.  Doing some research, it has come to my attention that replacing the rear window trim on a '67 Barracuda is better done by converting to a '68 trim...the pretty shiny 'chrome' trim.  For now, I'm just getting it ready for another winter of sitting in the snow by adding a clear seal around the outside. 

Discouraged again, I took a look at my handy work with the trunk seal...surprisingly, that was enough to convince me that, though it may take longer than I'd like, I still want to finish this!

and then i said to myself, 'i may be in over my head'

My sister says, 'it's not dad...it's just a symbol.'  And with those words, I realized, this is now my project that she may help with now and then. 
With the little bit I've done now, I can tell there will be a lot of 'now and thens' in the future because this car is in worse shape than I anticipated.
My understanding was that the engine needed to be restored, some tweaks here and there, the timing was off before so that needed to be addressed...there's a bit of rust at the rear, but nothing major.  I mean, our brother's a welder, he can help!
But, oh dear, with every step, I wonder what have I gotten myself into!!??

There's the leaky window seals.  That seems easy enough for a girl with no car knowledge to tackle.  I ordered the roof rail seals, stopped at AutoZone for the adhesive, and took advantage of a beautiful day to see if I could make this happen.

Well, before I could start anything, I had to stop ignoring the fuzzies protruding from the visors.  It was pretty clear from the beginning that there had been a family of somethings living in that headliner at some time. 



Clever girl that I am, I decided that this was something that would eventually need to happen.  That lovely blue vinyl needed to go sooner or later, why not sooner.  I grabbed my utility knife and started cutting.  I mean, I couldn't make it worse, right!?
After a lot of cutting and ripping and clawing the ancient fuzzy padding from the roof, I got really scared...no one's gonna buy it now, until it's finished. 



Then a little reality hit me: I really want to drive this car.  If we get it running, I don't even car if the headliner has to wait until there's more cash! 

But here's where my anxiety really took over, and it has stayed with me...even now.
My friend came by to check out this car I had been talking about.  He thought it was cool.  He looked around, poking and prodding, examining inside and out.  My main concern (the rust) is what put me over the edge yesterday.

He had said, 'the floor is soaking wet under this mat.  You should get rid of that, and the carpet as soon as possible.'  Well, after pulling up the extra floor mat, this is what I saw.  Not just damp carpet, but muddy water that had been sandwiched between the car's floor mat, and the extra mat I took out.  I was not prepared to pull up the carpet just yet.  I mean, once I do that...I don't know...I feel like I can't do it by myself.  I'm going to need a support system for this one!  And at least a 6 pack or a full flask of whiskey!
Oh, and here's the best news yet...as if my stress level with this car hasn't already hit my personal best, all time high mark...
'You should also get any lining or fabric out of the trunk, if it's leaking, because the trunk will start to rust,' was another great piece of advice my friend gave me.

If only he had told someone else...like one of the 3 other people who had this car for so many years?  Big rusty holes in the trunk were not something I was expecting to have to handle.

But, it's our car now.  I can't live in the past and wonder why this car was purchased just to sit for all those years.  I have a tiny budget and I have to just deal with it.  Things will get done as I am able to do them.  And when this car is running, and I'm driving around looking like a crazy bad ass grandma, it will all be worth it.  Even if, right now...at this very moment, I feel like I am so over my head I want to just push the thing into the road and see what happens.