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Introducing "rays" ( No LBC )

To: <assn@justbrits.com>, <Spridgets@autox.team.net>
Subject: Introducing "rays" ( No LBC )
From: Robert Duquette <robertduquette@sympatico.ca>
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:23:10 -0400
I, perhaps foolishly, have agreed to purchase a '78 Fiat X1/9.  While parked in 
my driveway, it has tried hard to fit in by leaking gearbox oil on the driveway 
and requiring maintenance.  ( MC / clutch and the passenger window fell out of 
it's bottom channel when my daughter cranked it too hard. :( )

It was my brother's hobby car that he had purchased last fall, with the 
intention of working on this spring.  I had offered to sell it for his widow 
and, as my family got drives in it, they each asked if we could keep it.  I had 
fought with myself about whether I wanted it or not.  I, of course, can't 
afford it, and answered that way.  My expenses have gone up and my income has 
gone down.  To cut the whining short, when my wife said, "let's find a way to 
buy it", I was pretty much sold, even though it didn't seem wise.  ( When has 
that ever stopped me? :)  But, she didn't finalize that, so I was proceeding to 
attempt to offer it for sale.  I entered it into our local Italian week parade 
and show.  I was, as usual, behind in everything, and rushing like mad the 
morning of the show, to put some wax on it.  It was damp out and I was getting 
swirls and not feeling good about it.  Then, running late to get there ( a ten 
minute drive ), I fired it up and proceeded to the end of th!
 e driveway, where it stalled, multiple times.  It had never done that before.  
I figured after it warmed up, all would be well, so I proceeded.  It stalled at 
every light and stop sign and almost every time I shifted up to third.  It 
brought a picture to my mind of what my aging dog did to me last summer.  She 
was my jogging partner and one hot day she dug in her heels after half a block, 
and looked at me like she was saying "You can forget it, I'm not going."  So, 
at about the fifteenth stall, I pulled over, got out he cell, and called my 
sister-in-law and agreed to purchase the car.  Then I called the parade 
organizer and said I couldn't make it.  He encouraged me to drive the extra 2 
blocks, which I did.  While there, I met one other X1/9 owner who had converted 
to Fiero V6 power when he restored his car from the parts of a '78 and a '79.  
I told him about mine and he told me about his parts supply from the left 
overs.  Bingo!

Anyway, for those that are interested, there's a picture of the unwaxed car 
here:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/robertduquette/temp/Bob0152.jpg

The car was safety inspected last fall and will have to go through another to 
transfer the title.  I'll bring it to the local specialists, as it has to be 
safe for my son to drive.

The black soot on the garage door is Miss Marple's.  Gotta wipe that off some 
day . . .

Robert D.
( At least one car too many.  Or is it that I'm one parking spot short? )




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