A Hoodlum Update

Pix to come soon, but it's 10:20 p.m. and dark and I'm not going to take them now...

Been working on the free car, Hoodlum (since it has no hood), on my free evenings and some afternoons when Comcast cuts off my email because I've sent too many press releases out.

Got the non-functional air conditioning system out, and I swear the compressor weighs at least 40 pounds. So that's a bunch of weight gone and two belts the engine no longer has to turn.

The PO (previous owner) had an oil cooler installed when he lived in Arizona. Not a bad thing, but he had it mounted behind the front bumper. Not only does it not get a lot of air flow tucked behind the front bumper, I've removed the front bumper entirely, which left the oil cooler hanging there like a tongue. Not a good look. Tonight I relocated it behind the grill where it will get a lot of fresh air and should work a whole lot better. And 2002s look cool with no bumpers.

Decided that I don't need to replace the nose on the car, since it's going to be a race car anyway. I pulled and pounded the dents out pretty well, and with a hood in place you don't hardly notice. Should be able to install the replacement fender and hood I bought for $40 in the next few days and have a pretty well intact car.

Upgraded the brakes to the bigger vented rotors from a 1977 320i and calipers from a 1987 Volvo in front, and the bigger drums from a 1983 320 in the rear. Need to bleed those, and had to get 14" inch wheels because the stock 13s didn't fit over the bigger brakes. (All the parts in this paragraph came from various Pick N Pull wrecking yards.) The wheels are BMW bottlecaps and look cool.

Started scraping out the sound insulation from the interior, but haven't fully gutted it yet. (And may not for a while.) Roll cage will go in eventually.

The eventually list is LONG. Upgraded suspension, 5-speed transmission, smog-free, high-horsepower engine, free-breathing exhaust, etc., etc., etc.

I'd say that's it keeping me out of trouble, but you know that's a lie...

The Trailer Works Just Right

Yes, it's a tiny little thing, but our new trailer works just great. On Friday, it hauled a couple of weeks worth of trash to the transfer station, then on Saturday I took it down to Lodi and Stockton and came home with a new hood for the '76. (We call than car Hoodlum, for obvious reasons...)

I've been looking for the right kind of latches to connect the tailegate to the sides and finally got them ordered last week. They'll be in on Monday and I'll install them, retorque all the bolts and it'll be ready for whatever comes next!

How I Spent My Eveneings This Week

More details, as always, on The Portable Blog.

Parking Pad Poured!

Pix to follow. Friend Dave knew what he was doing and it came out well. Pictures on The Portable Blog.

Damaged Doppelganger

Details at The Portable Dad blog...

Dangerous Dave's Debut Dog

This is Geary, our good friend Dave's new - and first! - dog. He got him at a shelter in Plumas County today, and Geary made the 3-hour ride home in good shape.

Just a pup - 11 weeks. Welcome to the pack!

A Very Nice Weekend

It was a very nice weekend in This Land. On Saturday, we took the BMW over to Sonora to have lunch with some friends and see their new house, then after dinner that night we went down to Murphys to try to catch up with the Mother Lode 400 Rally.

As well pulled into the hotel parking lot in my tan 1974 BMW 2002, we see a tan 1974 BMW 2002. Those folks have owned it for 4 days! Nice car - not a single crack in the dash - but it's an automatic so it's a wash. Some cool cars in the Rally (next year!) including a couple of vintage Alphas, several 2002s, a few Datsun roadsters and even a Lancia.

Today started slow and included a lot of small projects, which all got done. Diane spent most of the day with her plants. A BBQ pork tenderloin for dinner, a bit of playing with Gus and we're both pretty well set to hit the ground running work-wise tomorrow.

All in all, excellent!

And Tucker is His Name-O...

Guess they liked that better than Rocket!

(Or maybe they just didn't like the Oldsmobile, and its Rocket 88 engine, as well as the 1948 Tucker Sedan...)

The Newest Edition to the Family

Meet the newest edition to the family. His name may be Reilly, although I'm pushing for Rocket. (Rocket Reilly works, no?)

He's Gina and Ben's new boy, one of the litter Coco had across the street.

When he has an official name, I'll share!

Did I Mention I Like a Project?

It's not the car. OK, it it'll always be the car, but not this very instant.

Right now, it's the ground beneath the car.

This is the parking area just to the side of our garage, and as you can see, it's packed rock. Or at least it was before Monday when I got out there with a pick and shovel and started taking out the rock layer. Got that finished tonight.

Next step will be taking out about four inches of hard-packed dirt, then building forms, putting the rocks back, laying in reinforcement, then pouring concrete. It's a 20 x 12 space, so it's a fair amount of work.

But, when it's done, it'll be much neater and a much safer place to jack up a car (should that ever be necessary...) than it is now. Maybe a carport will also go over the top - who can say?

Bye-bye Pretty Motorcycle...

Sold the bike today to a guy in Angels Camp who, like me, likes vintage automotive stuff.

Sad, but. I'd rather do stuff with my beautiful bride than go off by myself, so the bike never quite got used as much as it should have. And it's going to a good home, so all is well.

And the guy is putting together a team for the 24 Hour of Lemons Race (sub-$500 cars), and I just might be a part of that. So, as AD has already realized, likely not any long-term net financial gain here...

Pomp. Circumstance. Shades.

It's graduation season in This Land - or at least at Cal some three hours west of This Land.

Frankie's two departmental graduations were both nice - political science outdoors without stress, African American Studies indoors with the stress of giving the valedictory speech (which was great.)

That's Frankie and Becca on stage (and in the crowd), and Frankie and his girlfriend Katherine after graduation #1.

The future's so bright...

Geek From Go - Deal With It

Saw Star Trek today and loved it.

As a kid, I loved the original series. Knew all the episodes. Had a phaser flashlight and a viewscreen in my clubhouse.

NO complaints about the series reboot. The original Trek characters were always the coolest, and to see them back in action is fine by me. You don't have to be a fan to enjoy the movie, either. (Karl Urban as McCoy steals the frickin' show, though, and you have to know the original Bones to get that.)

Anyway, highly recommended, But my my cell ringtone is the Doctor Who theme, if that colors the recommendation at all...

Small Saw 1. Big Tree 0.

Just in case it ever comes up, when the borrowed neighbor's chainsaw fails to start, the proper next step is renting a real chainsaw, not seeing if your old 12-inch electric originally purchased by your grandpa will get the job done.

Although, if you stay at it long enough (and the motor doesn't burn up...) it will.

Notice the top half of the big trunk beyond the fence - I had to take down a few sections of fence and roll back the wire to drop the big sucker. The skinny tree next to it I used a hand saw on after the chainsaw motor did give out.

Swine Flu. Bunker. Done.

So if this swine flu thing gets bad, send all correspondence directly to the bunker. That's why all that canned chili and Milwaukee's Best is down there...

It's Actually Not to Keep Gus In

It's to keep Hanna out.

And Dance.

And Coco.

As much as we like the neighborhood dogs - and we do quite like the neighborhood dogs - we decided that they don't need to spend as much time on our front porch as they had been. Most of the time it's not a problem, but first thing in the morning it can actually be dangerous as Crazy Hanna throws herself at us and Gus throws himself at her. One too many mornings when Diane had to start her day yelling at dogs and trying to keep from getting her knees taken out led to the gate.

It swings out, of course, so you can bonk crowding dogs with it, if need be. Had to buy the latch and primer - rest I already had.

Because Everyone Needs a New Automotive Plan

So if nothing else, my automotive decision-making processes are interesting.

Here's the latest candidate - early '80s Mercedes 300 SD turbodiesel. Big, bulletproof, high-20s mpg long-distance cruiser.

Decidely not a sports car, but that's what the '02 can do. Any thoughts from the gallery?

A Picnic Day Picnic

Had a lovely Picnic Day picnic in Davis yesterday. Picnic Day is UC Davis's big spring celebration. (We've gone three or four times now, once in pouring rain....) Yesterday was beautiful weather, but we didn't stay on campus very long.

Gina and Ben had a barbecue at their house, so we were on campus long enough to grab Frankie (who came over on a bus with the Cal Band) and head out to G&B's 40 Acres of Stuff. (Not their stuff, but they live among it...)

Nancy was down from Oregon visiting Dee, so they drove up as well. We brought the dogs, and everybody had a great time. (Great burgers and beans - them young'uns can cook.) Gina's apparently unclear on the whole sunscreen thing though.

It was our second weekend outing in a row with dogs and Gus is a crackup when we get home. He jumps out of the car and immediately launches into his best menacing bark - in all four directions. Not sure what he thinks other people and dogs are doing while he's gone, but he damn sure wants them to know he's back and to knock off those shenanigans!

Unrequited Car Lust; Unresolved Car Issues

I'm having car issues.

One broken nut KO'ed the 2002 for far longer than one broken nut should. (I have a new tranny being shipped from a dismantler on the coast - should get it late next week and hopefully be back to 100% shortly thereafter.) It's on the road, but leaking trans fluid and not a long-distance option.

The little Toyota truck that gets us to and from the dump is probably going with Frankie after he graduates (and it needs an O2 sensor replaced...)

The Hyundai has 110,000 on it, and we plan to keep it around for many, many more. When we replace it, the replacement needs to meet the following criteria:

• Safe
• Reliable
• Economical
• Comfortable
• All Wheel Drive

And that's a list that starts to limit your options...

Without the AWD requirement, there are many decent options. But because of where we live, AWD isn't a convenience. We don't go to visit the snow once in a while. We have to get home in it on a seasonably predictable basis, and yes we can chain up and yes I do chain up but it's not a safe or enjoyable activity.

And, if Frankie does need the truck after graduation, there's that to consider. I haul more than trash (and Diane's shed components won't fit in my BMW's trunk...)

I know even in the short term I probably need to look at a decent used Civic or Corolla, just so we have a second distance-worthy option. And I will.

But all the photos in this post are pictures of cars I've posted before; cars I've lusted after, wanted to buy, or even planned to buy sometime in the last two or three years.

It's a pretty good photo array, I think, and there's not a civic to be seen...

Everyone's a Critic

So I was feeding the dogs the other morning, and apparently I didn't prepare Miss Idgie's food to her liking. I set down the bowls, she sniffed, then proceeded to push the bowl off the back deck into the dirt.

Rude, I tell you.

Guibo Failure and Other Bad Things

As some of you may know, my 2002 has been grounded for about a week. I was driving in Stockton, heard speed-related clicking or tapping coming from the driveline, then a bang.

Here's the culprit and the damage. The rubber donut here is called a guibo and it connects the transmission to the driveshaft. One of the eight bolts making that connection backed out, and unfortunately it was one of the four that face the transmission. (Yes, they were nylock nuts but it apparently didn't help.)

The clicking was the bolt hitting the trans case, the bang was the bolt getting caught against it and breaking it.

The only good thing in all of this is that Anonymous Diane learned a new word and now gets to say "guibo" whenever she wants!

Snow, Snow and More Snow

I'd post pictures, but you've seen it all before.

In other cool news, the Amazon page for my book now has the cover image. Woo-hoo!

A 24-Dog Circle and One Leashed Cat

Our neighbor counted and our block is very dog-friendly, apparently...

Not sure what to say about the leashed cat (or the woman who "walks" her...)

The Christmas of Rubber Chickens

Did I ever mention the time I hid the kids' Christmas gifts in rubber chickens?

A Blast From the Past

Uncle Don sent me this photo yesterday. Has to be what, 1971 or so?

Timing is Everything When Parts Are Distant

Like the rest of California, we here in This Land enjoyed about 10 days of unseasonably warm weather a week or two back. Sunny days, highs in the upper 60s and low 70s - just perfect spring-like weather.

To take advantage of it, I decided to ride my motorcycle to Angels Camp one afternoon and was letting it warm up while I put on my boots and noticed a fuel leak. The rubber hose had cracked, and replacement was the only option.

I could have bought a short length of regular fuel line from the local Napa, but all the fuel hoses on the bike are wrapped in braided cloth and it wouldn't have matched. Could have - and maybe should have - done it anyway, then replaced it with the right hose when I got it. But I didn't. I looked into ordering, but didn't want to pay what I considered excessive shipping charges for a length of hose. Then last week, I had to be in Modesto and did buy the right fuel line at the BMW dealership there.

It was, of course, raining by then. Yesterday the rain turned to snow and this morning when we got up it was 22 degrees outside and the roads were icy. But my motorcycle doesn't leak!

A New Use for Superglue

Was doing some work on my car this weekend, and needed to hold a flat washer, lock washer and nut in an awkward position - under the interior carpet even - then thread a bolt onto all three with my other hand. And, because of the odd position, I could really only hold the washers and nut with one finger.

Not easy.

In the end, I superglued the lockwasher to the nut and the flat washer to the lock washer. When they were all held good and tight, I glued the nut to my finger. That held just fine until I got the bolt threaded through.

CS Madness and Proper Dave

GCS = Gus Containment System
FDCS = Future Dog Containment System (not effective as a Real Dave Containment System)
CCCS = Crazy Chicken Containment System
KKOCCCS = Keep Koji Off the Crazy Chickens Containment System
The Haircut = Teca Containment System

And speaking of Real Dave, there was a Doctor Who episode on recently with Proper Dave and Other Dave characters (and Proper Dave sounds cool)

A Finishing Touch and a Picnic Gus

You knew I would.

I just wonder if there was a pool and who won. (Careful readers will notice that I extended the existing checkerboard on the table over to the left so the new pattern on the doors would flow into it.) Yes, I am a geek.

Gus is not a geek. He's a bit odd, but will take the sun wherever he can find it.

And if nothing else, his head fits.

Doors, Boxes and Space Savings

Here are a couple of my New Year's weekend projects.


I put doors on the new storage cupboard I built a couple of weeks ago. (Warped doors, thanks to Home depot plywood, but doors just the same...) Not only do they make the corner look a little cleaner and neater, they do increase the storage capacity of the cupboard (as you'll see in photo two.) Yes, some slow afternoon I may paint a nice blue stripe or checkerboard on them...



The little gray box is even better. That corner has been pretty much wasted space ever since we moved in. I had the bench grinder mounted on an old plant stand in that corner, which made storing anything else there impossible. On New Year's Eve I built the box out of one sheet of 3/4 MDF. The wheels and paint I had.



What's cool about it is not only does it store all my oil and filters and motorcycle spares, I have both the bench grinder and drill press mounted to the top. When I need them, the box just rolls out .