Bill and The Dangling Carrot

So close. I had another Friday off and was getting things lined up to make the trip to Harrisburg.  A pickup to cart back all of the old parts, family to invite, lunch plans, etc.  Throughout the morning, I struggled to keep the optimism up as a part of me suspected there might be some trouble with this final step.  Bill had earlier informed me that the car was going to the alignment shop and then an A/C charge and we would be ready for delivery.  I recalled some earlier pictures:

Here, amongst the shining new pipes and freshly welded sub-frame connectors, is some rather antiquated steering components that quite possibly are the originals.  I wondered as to the integrity of the parts, but figured that Bill and CJPS would let me know if that happened to be the case.  Well, it turns out that the upper control arms are shot and cannot be adjusted for a proper alignment.  Bill seemed genuinely bummed about the setback but I took it as karma. 

I have a huge exam next week and will be in a Microsoft bootcamp from this Sunday to next from 8am to 5pm.  The Mustang would have been a major distraction and probably affected my ability to pass the exams. Anyway, this will give Bill and his guys plenty of time to get things squared away, just the way everyone prefers it.  What's the sense in putting in over 160 hours just to have an undrivable car sit in the garage?  It'll be worth the wait, I am confident of that.

Speaking of hours, I recently calculated the hours and parts for the project up to this point and will share that in the next post.  It's unbelievable and truly a monumental accomplishment for everyone involved and I look forward to sharing it with you.  Until then, here's some Marine humor to pass the time:



Humor In The Face of Defeat

A Marine was deployed to Afghanistan. While he was there he received a 'Dear John' letter from his girlfriend. In the letter she explained that she had slept with two guys while he had been gone and she wanted to break up with him. AND, she wanted pictures of herself back.

So the Marine did what any squared-away Marine would do. He went around to his buddies and collected all the unwanted photos of women he could find. He then mailed about 25 pictures of women (with clothes and without) to his girlfriend with the following note:

"I don't remember which one you are. Please remove your picture and send the rest back."

Semper Fidelis

Breakfast, "Cake", and the World's First Wireless Engine

Every tenth day of the work week I get an RDO or "Regular Day Off", the result of working (9) 9-hour days. So, having a Friday to myself, I did the logical thing and grabbed a friend and headed north.  This time I brought along Ben, a retired Xerox executive, to check out the works at CJPS and to partake of some quality grub.  Unfortunately he wouldn't get to meet the famous Bill since he was at OC, but I was advised earlier that there would be "a few guys" at the shop.

So off we went to grab the requisite breakfast and coffee at the Valley Diner.  We finished up and rolled ourseves into the Jetta for the leisurely drive to Harrisburg.  I began to inform Ben about everything I had done to this point and right before he was about to doze off, we arrived at the red-roofed CJPS. 

Strangely enough, there were no cars out front. Even stranger, the front doors were locked.  It's a good thing Mike wasn't in attendance because I'm sure he would have panicked and headed directly for a shrub. Walking around the side I noted the "Shop 2" door was halfway opened.  Good enough.

As I walked in, I saw the rear of the beast. 

Not too bad! Things look pretty buttoned up here, so I headed to the front to check out the engine as I could see the hood was raised.  As I stood in front of the engine compartment I almost had a coronary: it had gone wireless!

Waaaiiiittt a minute, that can't be.  Just last week the motor was all together and ready to rock but apparently  the flex plate needed to come out and therefore the beast was out of commission.  Bummer! I needed to talk to someone and find out what else was going on.

Bill had mentioned that although he would be at OC, RK and "Cake" would be there.  Cake? Some nick-names are fairly obvious, but "Cake"? I don't want to know.  I began a proper recon and the first guy I spotted had a bandanna on his head but skittered off into the shadows before I could ask him about RK or "Cake".  I finally walked into the front area and found "Cake" who was familiar with the car and what was going on. 

He informed me that the plug wires I had supplied were for an HEI setup, and therefore would not work. He also informed me that the idler arm was a bit sloppy and the gearbox was kludgy.  At this point, RK had entered into the conversation and began to provide an estimate.  I had gathered quite a few aluminum cans in the past few weeks, but now it looked like I would have to up the ante and simply rob a bank. Yes, I added power steering.  Borgeson to be precise.  Shoot me now.

Meanwhile, whilst all this is going down, Ben is meandering throughout the shop and just taking everything in.  Ben was in sales in Xerox and can strike up a conversation with just about anyone.  However, Ben can also sniff out a bullsh*tter better than anyone I know.  The only remark Ben made about CJPS was this: "You never do anything half-way do you?"  Translation: CJPS scores an 'A' with Ben!

By now, you may be asking yourself why I bring so many folks to see CJPS.  First and foremost, I hate eating alone and if I do happen to choke on the great grub at the diner, I want someone I know behind me doing the Heimlich maneuver.  Second, and more to the point, I want my friends and family to share this great experience with me.  Having survived brain tumor surgery in December 2010 I am celebrating my triumph and realizing a dream my brother started on December 2008.

So, to date we've had the following folks trek up to CJPS: (In order of appearance)

• Joe - the brother-in-law and car enthusiast\Bill irritant
• Mike - The one and only Brotha aka Maddog
• Pam - Mike's better half (unfortunately a Chevy fan)
• Austin - Son of Pam aka The Pancake Cannon
• Corey - Friend of Austin aka Pancake Cannon fodder
• Ben - Good friend and bs sniffer

And if the car is done by Friday this list will include my better half and the rest of the crew.  We'll see!