What Did You Do This Weekend?

FuryPaul
Sep 7, 2010 at 8:42 pm

Four-day weekend!
Friday I messed around on the computer all morning, then puttered around the house all afternoon. Friday night I got together with friends to record something for the 100th episode of the Balticon Podcast, but not before I parked the ragtop on my nice new blacktop driveway. Had to wait a full week before parking on it because it’s extra-thick and the cars that go in the driveway usually sit for days at a time. No more ruts! No more weeds growing in the ruts! Yay!
Saturday I could have gone to a car show, but ended up washing all four cars instead. By the time I finished, it was too late to go to any shows, so I killed time not buying new sneakers and driving a used ’10 Challenger SE. If I hadn’t spent so much money in the last couple of months, I’d seriously consider buying the Tor-Red Challenger as it’s the cheapest used one I’ve seen yet (under $21k!). Went to the Saturday night cruise at Marley Station, which was really crowded because of the exceptionally-nice weather.
Sunday my computer wouldn’t switch on. The friend who built it offered to let me bring it to him that morning, so I did. Hit the grocery store and then it was too late to go to a show that day, so instead I took the Daytona for a long ride and shot some pics of older cars I spotted along the way.
Monday my friend brought my computer back to me with a nice new power supply and anti-malware protection, but it was such a nice day that I decided to go for another long ride, this time in the ragtop. Discovered that the new pavement means I can no longer raise or lower the top while under the carport, but that’s not really a problem. Went down to Annapolis, slowly negotiated my way around the crowded City Dock area and made my way home again. It really was a perfect day for top-down cruising, and I saw a fair number of folks who felt the same way (too bad I wasn’t able to get a pic of the vintage bugeye Sprite that passed me as I was waiting to turn onto Main Street!).
Overall, a pretty fine holiday weekend!

WWW116
Sep 7, 2010 at 9:11 am

This weekend I changed the oil on our ’02 Grand Prix debunking the mechanic’s theory that we would have to put a whole new oil pan on to change it because of a stripped plug. I pulled as I unscrewed the plug and it came right out with no problems. I changed the oil and put a new plug in. Glad I didn’t listen to the mechanic saying it would cost $300 for them to do the work.

Found where the oil leak is at on our ’89 Caddie Brougham. Fortunately, it’s not in need of a new oil pan. I’m not sure if the leak can be fixed or not though since it’s higher up on the engine. Will have to ask a mechanic about that one.

And lastly, discovered a slight leak in the fuel line inlet to the carburetor on the Caddie. Fixed that by undoing the inlet and reattaching nice and tight.

Was a very productive weekend. Now I just need to get the oil stains off the drive and garage floor. lol

90xjpunk
Sep 6, 2010 at 1:19 pm

I’m still in Vegas. And we’re renting single seat dune buggies on Wednesday!!!!

GTwildfire
Sep 6, 2010 at 1:03 pm

Oh and earlier on Saturday I went to my friend’s garage. We finally wheeled out the Fiero so the next project can be done, most likely the pulsing brakes on my friend’s Avalon or as I have nicknamed it… the Avaloff.
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After the garage was freed up I vacuumed the hell outa the shop with a big ol shop vac. Next, to finish organization then onto other projects.
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The Fiero’s final details will be worked out outside.

GTwildfire
Sep 6, 2010 at 12:56 pm

So, yesterday was the day my sister came to pick up the Volvo. Em, another sister brought her up from Jersey. they checked out the car, and drove off. 3 minutes later I get a call, the car stalled and won’t start…
Bon was out running a quick errand, came back and I jumped in the malaahboo and drove the 5 blocks to Bev and the Volvo. The car needed a jump, probably a bad alternator or something to that effect. I kn…ew the battery was capable of holding a charge.
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Problem was I didn’t have jumper cables (believe it or not) and she didn’t have cables either. Em came back and also was cable-less. We thought Em could shoot around the corner to the Exxon, they might have cables there… nope. I head to Penndel and get a set at Advance and head back, about 20 minutes total.
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I jump her car, it starts and stalls before she can get it in gear (of course after I shut both hoods). I open the hoods and do a more lengthy jump, she drives my car following, managed to go about 1 block.
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Jump the car again, go 1 more block. Getting fed up, pretty much flat ground… I decide to push the car, go another half block before realization this will kill me. Jump again, more lengthy (at a time when every second feels like a minute). Have her remove the key from the ignition which stops the drain from “nothing happening but using electricity anyway” things in the car. The car manages to make it 25 feet from my driveway. I push the thing the rest of the way.
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It’s Sunday, a holiday weekend. I gotta get the alternator out of the car to be tested and possibly replaced. Realize I gotta remove a bottom coolant hose to free the alternator. Grab a plastic underbed box and use it to catch the coolant.
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Head to Advance in Feasterville. The alternator test result is GOOD. I decide to replace the positive and negative battery cables. I know the ignition switch is good because I had taken it apart and inspected it already. They only had the negative battery cable. Had to go back to Advance in Penndel for the positive battery cable, then back home while there’s some daylight left (not much now).
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I replaced the positive battery cable, which required disconnecting and/or removing the air intake hose, vacuum lines, partial air filter housing. Next the negative battery cable which was mercifully easy.
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Now I have to put the alternator back in, and I wasn’t thrilled with one of the wires, its connection was unclear. I scoured the AutoZone.com’s repair guide for a picture of the installed alternator… found it… NOT. Then looked through the wiring diagrams and found the alternator, and the electrical schematic was not drawn right. It was rubbish.
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I reinstalled the alternator and figured out the connections, reconnected the coolant hose. There was no filler cap in the radiator, so I disconnected the top hose, rinsed and cut a milk jug, and used a piece of cloth to filter the coolant that was drained as it was poured back in. The coolant stopped draining through the improvised funnel so I quickly used a vacuum cleaner to create suction in the radiator and pull the rest of the coolant out of the funnel and into the system.
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Last thing was to connect the positive cable to the battery and jump the car – hopefully for the laaaaast time.
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It worked. The car ran fine and it is finally out of my driveway. I hope it lives up the the excellent reputation of the Volvo 240