One day ecstasy...the next day agony....
My weekend nirvana of removing, repairing and replacing the gearbox
and clutch on "car" was followed by a bout of British car purgatory
yesterday.
Undaunted in my attempt to get this car running soundly for my lovely
SO I endeavored to rebuild the carbs and fit the gearbox cover I
bought from Moss which arrived yesterday. So after work I headed home,
threw my bag on the floor and headed out to the garage. Lights on,
overalls on, radio on...ah yes...the Giants are at Riverfront playing
the Reds. Rain delay...then it began to rain in my garage. British
rain.
While the replacement tranny cover that Moss sells is much better than
the OEM cardboard version, its installation is less than user-friendly.
I guess I was hoping it would fit a little better than it did...and the
"seals" I bought with it were not as good a solution as they coulda
shoulda woulda been....
In any event, I got it installed and took it around the block....
The difference is of course, amazing. You can hear the exhaust note,
and you don't sweat like a pig. It's almost civilized now.
Not wanting to stop I decided to replace the throttle bushings which
sit in the body, supporting the throttle pedal assembly. There are
two of these little suckers, they were both completely gone. They're
made out of grey plastic and cost 7 bucks a piece which was outrageous.
I was just happy to be able to get them at all. So this 3/8 shaft had
been running in a half inch hole in the firewall for years...doesn't
exactly contribute to positive throttle actuation....and with the
throttle linkage so tweaked it made for less than acceptable acceleration.
Installing these bearings was a huge pain...extremely frustrating....the
kind of part that gets damaged just trying to install it.....I tried
greasing, heating, squeezing....all were hard on the part and my fingers.
In the end they both went in...and the throttle linkage was adjusted as
best as could be expected.
Out for another spin...tweak the timing a little.....
Ring a ding a ding....Kelley speeds around the corner on her little RZ
350 (two-stroke Yamaha motorcycle for those unfamiliar) and rolls in to
the driveway.....thrilled to see her cars new pieces.
She said the moon was beautiful and that I needed to see it....then I
opened my fat mouth and suggested she take "car" for a little spin.
We could drive to see the moon I suggested.
The gas gauge read a quarter tank. Anyone see what's coming?
Out Arastadero and down the little one lane country road....10:45 at
night...deserted...I fiddle with the heat to try to get it working...
She's smiling and telling me she's the happiest girl in the world...and
for a minute I'm feeling very satisfied, if a little sore and tired from
10 straight days of wrenching.
Up Page Mill Road (beautiful winding road here in CA) and over the top...
there is the moon....waning now...but beautiful in its orange glow.
Near the top of the hill she says..."teej...what's happening...we're
losing power...."
Uh oh.....
We ran out of gas......fortunately, almost to the top.....we pushed it
over the top and then coasted almost two miles to the bottom....anywhere
else we'd have been screwed.
Pushed it in to a parking lot and walked home. It was near midnight by
the time we got back to the car with a gas can.
Then it wouldn't start. Would run briefly, then quit. Bad gas...dreck
at the bottom of the tank I'm sure.....so tonight I'll have to drain it
and refill her.
It was sad to leave it there......broke both our hearts....but it was
late, and we were getting nowhere....
So it goes....
Cheers,
teej
--
TJ Noto Palo Alto CA USA http://www.rahul.net/tjn
"He spent a lot of time on a barstool, and if you asked him what he was doing,
he'd say, "Jus' waitin' for a beer front to come blowin' through." -Spurr
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