9/22/08

Yarr, I hopes ye enjoyed… ahem. So, I hope y'all enjoyed International “Talk Like a Pirate” Day last Friday. I know I did. Ok, I'll admit it, I chickened out and only talked like a pirate with close associates whom I knew wouldn’t take offense or think me weird. Well, no weirder than usual. Is that last sentence an oxymoron? Anyhoo, I'm trying to think what went on over the weekend. John couldn’t make it to the shop Saturday morning so I didn’t rush down there myself. My plan was to inspect and install the freshly painted nose for Shi-Chi and go for a hoon. As I was driving in, I passed Marty Smith going the other way in his Miata. We waved at each other and I thought that was the end of it. He called while I was assembling the car. He wanted to know if I was going for a drive and would I like company. I told him I was going to Automotive Machine to show off the car but that I could go for a hoon when done there. We agreed that I'd call when I came back to the shop. I buttoned up the car and took off to AM. By the way, the nose and fenders look really good. John does fine work, even when plumb wore-out and seemingly indifferent to the project. See last Thursday’s rant for a ‘splanation of that. The one thing I think we will want to do in the near future is skim a little Bondo on the pimple (which is now the new name for the “blister” over the radiator cap) and blend it into the nose a little better. Ok, so I head off to AM to show off the car. I arrive but Steve isn't there. I show the car to Mitch, who also helped with the process, and then hung out to show it to Eric the machinist who did all the work. Now, I was under the misguided impression that he was just some dude they hired as a machinist. No, he’s co-owner of the place! He finally gets free and comes out to see his handiwork. He seemed impressed, as was Mitch and some random dude off the streets who cornered me for a while. Mom had asked if I would join her for lunch so I called Marty back to say I'd have to give the hoon a miss for the time being. He was cool with it and said to call him when done with lunch. I called mom and we agreed to meet at Papadeaux’s. Wait, is it Papadeaux or Papadeaux’s? Anyhoo, that’s where we meet and have a nice lunch. I'm much closer so I hoon around downtown for a bit “on my way” to the restaurant. I swing by the old fire station where I used to work but didn’t stop. After lunch we both head for the house. I take a quick nap and head back out at 1500 h or so. I call Marty and we agree to meet at the shop and go for a hoon. He wants to go to the Motorsport Ranch to see if the store there has a copy of Burt Levy’s book, “The Potside Companion.” We head that way. They do have the book as well as a shelf full of hydraulic system power bleeders. Marty asks how much they are selling them for and is told $15.00! We each buy one. We toss them in the trunk of his Miata and go talk to Ray. After a while we head out again. Marty asks if we can stop for drinks at the gas station and I hand him some cash to grab me a Gatorade. I sit in front of the inconvenience store while he’s inside. While waiting I hear either a BANG or a P-TANG or some other loud noise from under the car. Nothing is on fire and the engine is still running fine so I sit and listen until Marty comes out. We each drink our drinks and then head out. Shi-Chi has never run this well! It was as if the BANG was something clearing out of the car somehow. I romped on the gas getting on 377 and rip-snorted up through the gears like this thing has never done! Oh, I forgot to mention that the “she doesn’t want to roll well” issue popped up again earlier in the day. As I was approaching a stop light, the car ground to a halt as soon as I put in the clutch. It went fine after the light changed and rolled fine at every other stop, but I was still a bit concerned. I'm wondering if the parking brake has been hanging up and popped loose while sitting at the inconvenience store. I don’t know. All I know is Shi-Chi ran like a scalded cat all afternoon. Lots of low-end grunt along with plenty of top-end power, I was happy. Of course the BANG and running better might not have anything to do with one another as I might have finally started sucking the 91 octane gas through the system. Ok, so Marty and I leave Cresson and head west on 171 to Bear Creek road. We hoon that road and then FM5. Of course we get stuck behind a pickup truck who goes three miles per hour through the turns but then romps on the gas on the straights. I let him get some distance on the straights and then catch him as I hoon the turns. We stop at that alimentary school and I ask Marty what he wants to do. We decide on another lap. I take him up through Aledo and across back to FM5 where we get a good clean hoon in. We stop at the alimentary school again and decide to call it a day. I lead him back down 1187 to 377 and back onto 1187. We turn off on, um, whatever road that is where I almost always turn off, and hoon past Mustang Park. When we get back to 1187, Marty flags me down and wants to go back to see if the Mustang Park boat ramp is still open, or something. I follow him back and he gets the info he wants. We head back to the shop. He hops out and opens the door to my shop for me so I can park and I park. We hop in Darth Versa and go to Sweet Home Chicago for dinner. I drop him off and go back to make sure everything is fine in my shop. It is so I go home. I'll tell y'all about Sunday tomorrow.