[Shotimes] Plus from Hell Update

[George Fourchy]

For those that don't know, during the time I was in the hospital trying to save my
hand/finger (two years ago today), I made a bad deal to buy a Plus from a guy (a
current lister) in Florida.  I should have had someone look at it before committing
to it, but I didn't.  To make a (horribly) long story short, I paid a premium price
for that car, sight unseen, and paid almost three times that much more to get it
home, fixed, and barely acceptable for my cousin, for whom I got it, and who still
does not have it.  I was told that everything worked, so I made the assumption that
was true, and brought my wife and nephew with me (by air) to drive it home across
the country, doing some touring at the same time.  Don't anyone else do that unless
you know the seller personally, or are able to inspect the vehicle yourself or have
it inspected by a reliable person.

It had to be towed halfway across the country, after we left it in Ok City, and then
sat in the back yard for another year, waiting for Zach Leahy to work his magic on
the engine.  I used it for my work commute a few days after that, while it was cool.
 I still got the intermittent CE light, and it would quit while the light was on.  I
was ready to blow it up.

Then Nick Crimes noticed the bad positive battery terminal (and PCM connector) last
summer.  I worked on that (tightened the strap that holds the cable to it...the
bolts were finger tight), but didn't change it, and the CE light went away.   That
would have prevented the towing trip behind the CVic, which has started the CV's
axle howling......Ford's 8.8 inch axle strikes again!!!!

This fix served until it went to the a/c shop for a new heater core/evaporator/R134
conversion.  $2200...!  The a/c system was in a shambles.  Hey Rob.....you need to
find a new a/c guy....my guy, who walks on water (and has done so for 15 years),
says there were no serviceable parts remaining in that a/c system, and that the last
time it was serviced, it was totally screwed over.  It was full of water, along with
Freon, and totally froze internally after about 20 minutes every time it got turned
on.  You (and I) got ripped off BIG TIME.

After it was done, it sat for 3 months....the lights were inadvertently left on, and
the new battery went dead.  In jumping it, the positive connector to the battery
finally broke...both of them are the lever type that allow quick release.....totally
unnecessary here, a waste, and the likely cause of all the electrical problems this
car has had, and the reason for well over $2000 being spent on or for it while
getting it home.   I have taken pictures of these terminals, as well as proper
terminals, and these are on SHOTimes.com for reference and repair instructional
purposes.

After being jumped, it ran fine, but the CE light came on again a couple of times,
and the engine quit whenever it was lit.  I got it where I wanted it to be, and
finally replaced those terminals.  It's fine now.  It cools and heats fine, and
cruises fine....there was a bad release switch on the brake pedal.  So what's left
is to fix the steering....it has a bad pinch connection at the firewall, and still
needs a speedo cable.  It's had 93044 miles for the last 6 years or so.

I'm commuting in it now, just for a couple of days....it has good rear struts (Toks
and CCs), but the front bounces...they're original.  The rears are going to be
removed and brought to the convention for use there by another car that needs them
more.  I'll borrow some struts from PnP until I get back from Madison.  The PfH will
get Lowrider's struts when it comes home and gets its new set, which will be swapped
with the LuxoBarge when IT comes on line and Lowrider heads to the museum.  

After the speedo and steering are fixed, and some rust is stopped in the trunk area,
it should suffice for a while with my cousin.  She is, however, disenchanted with
it, since it is rather noticeably down a level or two in reliability from the
Lowrider (to say nothing of being two years late in arriving).  So it may become for
sale down the road a bit, and it won't be allowed in this household.  

But it is running, and running well........finally.

George