So the chevette.
Today I took the back tires off. I found the leaking brake line and cut it off so I can take it in and get a new 2 foot piece of brake line. Hoping it is pretty cheap, should be. Last time I took the brakes off the back they were locked on. I didn’t think about it then, but the other day I tried to drive it after some other work and it seemed to drag like it had no power. The emergency brake, well parking brake as it is called in the Chevette was locked on. Yeah lot of fun, so I took the back brakes off and just removed the EB cables. The adjusters were locked up so I had to take them off and beat them loose. I put everything in the rear drums back together minus one brake line and started it up. I drove it around the yard, and it ran great, I mean way better than I expected.
I expected it to run, but not so good. I removed the entire fuel evaporation recycling system, and also the EGR system. I took off everything and plugged all the vacuum lines I could, a few things I had to leave hooked up. The EECS return solenoid has a wire to it that makes it open. It has to be open. And rather than tearing the carb down again I just ran the wire live so it stays open. After my removing the smog control, EGR system, ect. . . I figured the carb would need adjusted, but I got it close when I set the jets
and idle with the carb off, near perfect.
I also took off all the thermo controlled choke controls. I just ran a modified manual choke. The gas pedal kicks it open abut ¼ of the way, and the rest is easily opened but pulling the choke knob. The car needs a full open choke at about five minutes so it is an easy system to use, and will make cold starting much easier.
So it still needs a brake line, thermostat housing, and the exhaust put on. Of everything the worst will be finding the new windshield. There is a lot of interior work and minor detail work that I need to do, but not the most important. I want street legal and excellent running.
Yesterday I was mad though. I started it and heard a rod bearing clunking around. It has an oil leak; I suspected the rear of the valve cover as the engine smoked from there profusely the other day. I pulled the valve cover and used a little seal all on the gasket and put it back on. I also poured some slick 50 on the rockers and springs and into the crank. I checked the lifters, springs, and rocker seating while I had access, they were pretty good, and the cam is nice and clean. Then I topped off the oil and boom a smooth running little 1.6.
My bronco also has had some improvements. Still needs a radio desperately. But I took the make shift gas tank out, I was running a 5 gallon gas can like a boat tank, I took it out and put on a massive 45 gallon tank. The issue is I have about 20 bucks worth of gas my sending unit won’t reach. Later on I am getting another sending unit that will reach. But since my float is hooked to my sending unit E still means E, and F stills means F. When you’re on E you have still have 10-15 gallons sitting under the reach of the sending unit. I love that truck, almost as much as my brother who drives it once in a while on short trips. I have new straps and strap bolts for it, but I figure they can wait until I get the new sending unit. I could of put a rubber hose on the end, but even fuel line will start too melt if it is submerged in gas long enough so I passed.
My Nova still sits and waits. I still drive my truck mostly, it actually does better on gas than my Nova. I look forward to getting that Chevette street legal though, awesome gas mileage, and a hatch back to hold my fishing poles and gear. Though backing my truck up to the water and just fishing out of the back sounds nice too.
As soon as I can afford it I am getting my fishing license. Still waiting on my insurance so right now I’m broke as broke with having to pay for Doctors visits and medication. It should be going through any time now though. The cars I’m nickel and diming here and there. Since I do all the labor it is actually a cheap hobby. That’s an update on the cars. I’ve been busy so I haven’t been able to work on them as much as I like.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Update - Warning first draft.
So I would like to rescind on my last blog a little bit. None of us are perfect, but I’ve come to several realizations on the divorce. And actually am over it for the most part, not sitting and thinking about it. Part of that may be because I am busy. I decided if I was going to blog a catch up blog it would be good to recap everything.
Honestly I’ve had a little adventure going on. It has been interesting. I took a four wheel drive trip through a field with no brakes. Shot some pool and still suck at it. And I’ve been losing weight, sort of.
Right now everyone wants to know about the bronco. My big ugly camo bronco, yes it still runs, actually running pretty good. It has not been without problems. I got a hard miss until it warmed up, I thought the choke was opening too quick for the negative degree weather we had going on. I adjusted the choke, it is electric, so you just loosen the three housing screws and turn it, usually back toward the firewall will open it slower and forward make t open faster. But all that depends on the choke and carb, I do like the fact you can adjust the choke. Here at -23 you want that choke to open a little slow when you’re driving into head wind, but fast when it is 102.
That did not take the miss out, and then it got worse. At the point it was constant I knew I didn’t have fire on a cylinder. So I checked the plugs and wires. A wire on that Ford small block has rusted out in the boot. No idea how that happened, but they are all crap. I need a new set of wires when I can afford them. I took one off a car in the yard, a wire that is. Put it on and the truck runs great. Low oil pressure, but those old Fords are known or that.
The brakes, well first the master cylinder went out. Fixed that, and then lost brakes again. The brakes went out whole gong through town, I had no brakes, none. You couldn’t even pump the peddle up, reservoirs were bone dry by the time I got home. Heading out on the highway I needed to make one more light. That light was red. So far it had just been slow driving, but this was hit the ditch of cars.
Why ht the ditch and stop? I put it in 4X4 and drove through seven foot deep ditches full of snow, I would of worried about the gas tank or exhaust but that’s another story. Anyway a trip through a feld, and another ditch and I was on the empty, no stop sign trip back home. Took a couple forward, reverse trips to line up the drive way’s 90 degree turn.
I had to fix that master cylinder, next a rear wheel cylinder went out. The front brakes are farly new, the brake lines up front are brand new, fixed them a month ago or so. The rear drums and shoes are brand new, now a new rear wheel cylinder, and a master cylinder. So the brakes on that truck are about new. Now if only I can get the rest done . . . ha.
So anyway I the gas tank story. I moved back and had a gas tank. I did not have the new straps, so the old straps which got bent punctured the tank. That left me with no gas tank. I ran a 5 gal tank to the line so I could drive it. I have another gas tank bought, but there has been too much snow on the ground for me to go get it. So when the snow melts I’ll be able to go get it. That will cost me a fortune to fill once, but I won’t miss the constant stopping to get gas. So I am waiting for spring to arrive so I can get my gas tank.
The exhaust on the other hand turned out great. Some idiot split the muffler to make it louder. This of course made everything rust out. So I cut the pipe off right before the mufflers. Put two 24” glass packs, same thing that is on my car, and ran duel exhaust. Sounds great. It is tight to the body, so I don’t’ fear ripping t off.
My car has bent springs now. I loaded it up when I moved, and now you can notice the curve. So I am going to take them off, brace them, flip my over loads to pull instead of push, and maybe drop the leaf shackles down. Once they are braced with ½ of steel, and the overloads flipped I think it will be fine. I’m not sure how long I’ll drive my nova, had many many offers of people who want to buy it, I don’t want to sell t, but I don’t want to get crap mileage. I can do that in my truck.
I am leaning toward my chevette this summer. I need a brake line, head light, maybe some fuel line, and to put a manual choke on it. Then plate and insure it. I should be good to go. It is a lot of little stuff, but for less than hundred bucks, plates pending, I could have it about new. Imagine that gas mileage I could be getting.
Work is ok. Very part time hours. Which sucks pay time, but is kind of good in it’s own way. The job I can kind of enjoy. I am writing again, have a couple big projects, and a few small ones that I will publish soon. Not big payers but still better than nothing. Pays for gas and insurance the two biggies.
Gas is nice, been dating. Found my dating pool to be much younger than I expected, I’m 28 so I thought 25-35ish, and it seems to be 19-23. Which is nice in it’s own right. But been seeing someone, nice to feel wanted for me.
I suppose on talk of the love life I’d should comment on my ex. At first it was hard but as I sat and thought about it, really I deserve better as a person. For example we had a split up that I found later from friends was due to the fact she met another guy and wanted to test the waters with him on a weekend. When we talked after they just separated she tried to make advances the same day she left him. I turned her down, I thought way more of her than that. This time she went out and slept with a guy first, then told me. I shouldn’t of been surprised really. She didn’t give me the decency of ending it first; he didn’t really respect her by making the choice either. At least I had class, I didn’t think of her as that kind of girl but this new one evidently didn’t care. But to each their own. I don’t blame her I suspected she was kind of a border line sociopath. I mean she met this new guy, he set off her endorphins, so she wanted to see more and more of him. She wanted to feel good, and I was an old stimuli. So she didn’t really care just put on a face and played the role and moved on without care to a new source of “feel good” then justifies it. It is a pattern so I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I guess after the years I thought she may have changed, but no. How can I really care about someone that thought so lowly of me to do what she did? I can’t.
But on to less boring crap. With all the new stuff, came bad new stuff. Really bad new stuff. MY kidneys are worthless. Not really, but I failed a UA due to blood in my urine. I have been to a doc several times and ruled out stones, infections, and found out on a x-ray I have spots. These spots may just be cysts, or could be worse. Either way they hurt all the time, and I feel like crap most the time from them hurting. Sleeping is a pain because I can’t get comfortable. With that being said it has had positive effects.
Docs told me to loose weight, sometimes fatty cysts can spread due to an increase in fat. So I have actually gained weight. But I’ve lost body fat by a fair amount. Doing simple weight sets, cardio, and lots of hiking and just being outside. It takes my mind of my hurting kidneys, and is helping me be healthier so that’s good I guess.
But that is about all that is going on. No camera yet so no pictures, but this summer when I start fixing up my cars, putting my tank on the truck, fixing my leafs on the Nova, and finishing the Chevette I hope to have a camera. I‘m not making much at work, but the little padding from my writing is definitely going to help.
Honestly I’ve had a little adventure going on. It has been interesting. I took a four wheel drive trip through a field with no brakes. Shot some pool and still suck at it. And I’ve been losing weight, sort of.
Right now everyone wants to know about the bronco. My big ugly camo bronco, yes it still runs, actually running pretty good. It has not been without problems. I got a hard miss until it warmed up, I thought the choke was opening too quick for the negative degree weather we had going on. I adjusted the choke, it is electric, so you just loosen the three housing screws and turn it, usually back toward the firewall will open it slower and forward make t open faster. But all that depends on the choke and carb, I do like the fact you can adjust the choke. Here at -23 you want that choke to open a little slow when you’re driving into head wind, but fast when it is 102.
That did not take the miss out, and then it got worse. At the point it was constant I knew I didn’t have fire on a cylinder. So I checked the plugs and wires. A wire on that Ford small block has rusted out in the boot. No idea how that happened, but they are all crap. I need a new set of wires when I can afford them. I took one off a car in the yard, a wire that is. Put it on and the truck runs great. Low oil pressure, but those old Fords are known or that.
The brakes, well first the master cylinder went out. Fixed that, and then lost brakes again. The brakes went out whole gong through town, I had no brakes, none. You couldn’t even pump the peddle up, reservoirs were bone dry by the time I got home. Heading out on the highway I needed to make one more light. That light was red. So far it had just been slow driving, but this was hit the ditch of cars.
Why ht the ditch and stop? I put it in 4X4 and drove through seven foot deep ditches full of snow, I would of worried about the gas tank or exhaust but that’s another story. Anyway a trip through a feld, and another ditch and I was on the empty, no stop sign trip back home. Took a couple forward, reverse trips to line up the drive way’s 90 degree turn.
I had to fix that master cylinder, next a rear wheel cylinder went out. The front brakes are farly new, the brake lines up front are brand new, fixed them a month ago or so. The rear drums and shoes are brand new, now a new rear wheel cylinder, and a master cylinder. So the brakes on that truck are about new. Now if only I can get the rest done . . . ha.
So anyway I the gas tank story. I moved back and had a gas tank. I did not have the new straps, so the old straps which got bent punctured the tank. That left me with no gas tank. I ran a 5 gal tank to the line so I could drive it. I have another gas tank bought, but there has been too much snow on the ground for me to go get it. So when the snow melts I’ll be able to go get it. That will cost me a fortune to fill once, but I won’t miss the constant stopping to get gas. So I am waiting for spring to arrive so I can get my gas tank.
The exhaust on the other hand turned out great. Some idiot split the muffler to make it louder. This of course made everything rust out. So I cut the pipe off right before the mufflers. Put two 24” glass packs, same thing that is on my car, and ran duel exhaust. Sounds great. It is tight to the body, so I don’t’ fear ripping t off.
My car has bent springs now. I loaded it up when I moved, and now you can notice the curve. So I am going to take them off, brace them, flip my over loads to pull instead of push, and maybe drop the leaf shackles down. Once they are braced with ½ of steel, and the overloads flipped I think it will be fine. I’m not sure how long I’ll drive my nova, had many many offers of people who want to buy it, I don’t want to sell t, but I don’t want to get crap mileage. I can do that in my truck.
I am leaning toward my chevette this summer. I need a brake line, head light, maybe some fuel line, and to put a manual choke on it. Then plate and insure it. I should be good to go. It is a lot of little stuff, but for less than hundred bucks, plates pending, I could have it about new. Imagine that gas mileage I could be getting.
Work is ok. Very part time hours. Which sucks pay time, but is kind of good in it’s own way. The job I can kind of enjoy. I am writing again, have a couple big projects, and a few small ones that I will publish soon. Not big payers but still better than nothing. Pays for gas and insurance the two biggies.
Gas is nice, been dating. Found my dating pool to be much younger than I expected, I’m 28 so I thought 25-35ish, and it seems to be 19-23. Which is nice in it’s own right. But been seeing someone, nice to feel wanted for me.
I suppose on talk of the love life I’d should comment on my ex. At first it was hard but as I sat and thought about it, really I deserve better as a person. For example we had a split up that I found later from friends was due to the fact she met another guy and wanted to test the waters with him on a weekend. When we talked after they just separated she tried to make advances the same day she left him. I turned her down, I thought way more of her than that. This time she went out and slept with a guy first, then told me. I shouldn’t of been surprised really. She didn’t give me the decency of ending it first; he didn’t really respect her by making the choice either. At least I had class, I didn’t think of her as that kind of girl but this new one evidently didn’t care. But to each their own. I don’t blame her I suspected she was kind of a border line sociopath. I mean she met this new guy, he set off her endorphins, so she wanted to see more and more of him. She wanted to feel good, and I was an old stimuli. So she didn’t really care just put on a face and played the role and moved on without care to a new source of “feel good” then justifies it. It is a pattern so I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I guess after the years I thought she may have changed, but no. How can I really care about someone that thought so lowly of me to do what she did? I can’t.
But on to less boring crap. With all the new stuff, came bad new stuff. Really bad new stuff. MY kidneys are worthless. Not really, but I failed a UA due to blood in my urine. I have been to a doc several times and ruled out stones, infections, and found out on a x-ray I have spots. These spots may just be cysts, or could be worse. Either way they hurt all the time, and I feel like crap most the time from them hurting. Sleeping is a pain because I can’t get comfortable. With that being said it has had positive effects.
Docs told me to loose weight, sometimes fatty cysts can spread due to an increase in fat. So I have actually gained weight. But I’ve lost body fat by a fair amount. Doing simple weight sets, cardio, and lots of hiking and just being outside. It takes my mind of my hurting kidneys, and is helping me be healthier so that’s good I guess.
But that is about all that is going on. No camera yet so no pictures, but this summer when I start fixing up my cars, putting my tank on the truck, fixing my leafs on the Nova, and finishing the Chevette I hope to have a camera. I‘m not making much at work, but the little padding from my writing is definitely going to help.
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