7/17/09

So, what shall we say today? I promised John I wouldn't talk about a certain thing on FaceBuick, but I think he said it would be OK to mention here. I'm still not going to do it, but I just wanted y'all to know there is something I could be talking about, but won't. John didn't say whether or not we’re going to look at that 810 Wagon near Possum Kingdom tomorrow so I'm assuming we aren't. That means we can work on Lil' Wiggly, hopefully. I'd really like to get some wheels and tires on there soon. We don't, necessarily, need to get it lowered just yet, but better shoes are a must. We’re still not sure how we want to lower the rear though. I think that may be the biggest issue with the project. Lowering blocks are fairly easy to install, once the “U” bolts are re-bent and the bottom mounting plates are drilled out. That would give it a virtually unchanged ride in the back. Removing a leaf or two from the pack is also fairly simple, if I remember correctly. That would soften the rear ride considerably allowing more weight transfer on launch. It should also increase rear grip in corners though, which could make the car a pushing pig. Adding front roll stiffness with cut springs isn't going to help that situation. So, I think if we remove leaves we ought to look at installing a rear sway bar. We could, I suppose, remove the front bar temporarily to offset the decreased roll stiffness in the rear, but I'm not sure how much help it would really be. On the gripping hand, a car that pushes is a lot less likely to go careening off into a ditch backwards when hooning. Oh, it might still go off into the ditch, but at least you’ll see what you are about to hit. Speaking of seeing, I went against John's wishes and installed the fender mirrors on Lil' Wiggly last Saturday. Did I mention that Monday? No, it looks like I totally forgot to give any report of the weekend’s activities. Well, I guess now is as good a time as any. Saturday morning I get up around 0730 h and head to AutoZone for oil and filter to change the oil in Ms. Clio. I also pick up a battery tie down for Lil' Wiggly and a roll of blue paper towels. This is really starting to sound familiar. Anyhoo, I take all of that to the shop and grab the ramps. I drive Ms. Clio onto the ramps and gather tools. I drain the oil and grab the filter. I manage to wrestle it loose bare handed, because I am just exactly that manly. I fill the new filter and install it, cranking it down as tight as I can with semi-oily hands. With the plug back in the pan I crawl out to fill the crankcase. Now, I'd bought a five liter thing of oil thinking, “Well, it almost always takes five quarts. A liter is a little more than a quart. Gopher it.” I poured most of the thing in then checked the level. It wanted a little more so I finished off the jug. I checked again and it was a tad high. I knew the filter would take a wee bit more oil so I didn't worry about it. I fired up the engine to check for leaks and found none. Huzzah! Off the ramps it went and I parked in the shade to mess with Lil' Wiggly. First off, I installed the battery hold down thingy. It was about this time I also decided to check on John. He texted me back and asked what my status was. I told him I'd already changed Ms. Clio's oil and was installing Lil' Wiggly's battery hold down. He said he wasn't sure he’d be able to make it. I tried to coerce him with the following threat, “Well, I'm sitting here with a drill and a pair of fender mirrors.” I had hoped he would take the bait and say, “I’ll be right there.” but he didn't. I followed up with something to the effect of, “I’m either doing that or installing the ugly-assed wheels while it is still cool enough to work.” He pointed out that the wheels would be a major pain in the ass to get off of the Violet, inadvertently talking me into installing the mirrors. Now, he never did say SPECIFICALLY to not install the mirrors, and it is my car anyway, so I do not feel too bad about going ahead with the install. I got them mounted up where I think they are supposed to be and tweaked on them until the aim seemed right. I went for a hoon down to the lake and back then decided it was getting hot. I cleaned up, parked Lil' Wiggly, and took Ms. Clio for some gas and a wash. From there I went to the gun show. I called an invited Pat to come along but he declined. I had Space Gun I in the trunk thinking I'd carry it through the show and try to unload it on someone. Once I got there though, I decided against it. I'm not sure why. I walked the whole show, only looking at long guns because I really want that Marlin Camp Carbine in .45 ACP. Once I had run the whole show, I started to go back through looking for a Beretta PX4 Storm pistol. I found a few but then got bored with that and went home. John came over Sunday and tried to get the new laptop onto my home wireless router but, like I said the other day, I forgot the password. So, now that we’re all up to speed, I'm done for the week. I'll talk to y'all again Monday.