Great quotation, Paul. Yeah, I think it applies...
paul.hunt1@virgin.net had this to say:
>"Al, bent over the wheel, kept shifting eyes from the road to the instrument
>panel, watching the ammeter needle, which jerked suspiciously, watching the
>oil gauge and the heat indicator. And his mind was cataloguing weak points
>about the car. He listened to the whine, which might be the rear end, dry;
>and he listened to tappets lifting and falling. He kept his hand on the
>gear lever, feeling the turning gears through it."
>
>"Listen to the motor. Listen to the wheels. Listen with your ears and with
>your hands on the steering wheel; listen with the palm of your hand on the
>gearshift lever; listen with your feet on the floorboards. Listen to the
>pounding old jalopy with all your senses; for a change of tone, what a
>variation of rhythym might mean. That rattle - that's tappets. Don't hurt
>a bit. Tappets can rattle till Jesus comes again without no harm. But that
>thudding as the car moves along - can't hear that - just kind of feel it.
>Maybe oil isn't gettin' someplace. Maybe a bearing's startin' to go..."
>
>The Grapes Of Wrath
>John Steinbeck
>
>It was near life and death for the people Steinbeck was writing about, but
>does it strike a chord?
>
>PaulH.
>
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
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