8/4/09

So John talked me out of buying brake shoes for Lil' Wiggly just yet. He makes the valid argument that the rear brakes on a Datsun don't do anything once they have been worn down to the point where they need to be adjusted. If they aren't doing anything, they aren't wearing anymore either. QED. So, before Thursday evening’s shop trip, if we actually make it down there, I need to buy a set of front pads. I'll probably go the cheap route and buy the store brand, economy units for it. The car has way more brake than it needs now so super grippy race pads are really overkill. Oh, we really need to roll the fenders on the car again now that it is lowered. The tires rub on bumps and the sharp edge of the fender is cutting into the sidewall. I'm not sure if we need the helper springs we had discussed, but stiffening up the rear might make the car a bit more fun. Well, unless it make the thing so tail-happy that it wants to spin all the time. I can't see 80 horsepower ever getting out of control though. Hmm, perhaps I will trade in the 3” blocks for the helper springs while I'm buying brake pads. On a different subject, I think I might just lose the air conditioning in that car. When a “Knee Knocker” air conditioner is working at its most efficient, it still doesn't work all that well. Not to mention most, if not all, of the vents in the thing are broken. Then there is the weight penalty I'm hauling around with it on there. Besides, that’s what I do, I yank the air off of old Datsuns. It isn't going to be a daily driver. If I do drive it to work, even on the hottest day of the year, it isn't that bad in the morning. Sure, I'll sweat my ass off on the way home, but at that point it doesn't matter if I'm all sweaty. What worries me is driving it with the windows up, like in the cold or rain. I'm not sure that I wouldn't die from the zorst fumes due to (tee hee, I said doo doo) the lack of a floor in the trunk area. I guess I need to buy some fiberglass cloth and resin as well. Oh yeah, another thing we decided to do is put those leather Saturn seats I acquired for Barbecue Bob in there. That ought to help the sweaty ass situation! Perhaps I'll replace the carpeting while the seats are out so it doesn't look as ratty inside. We shall see. Well, I had a look at my “DLR Vehicle Inventory” elsewhere in the laptop earlier and took Roku-Hyaku, Barbecue Bob, and Herman off of the main list. I kept them in the document under a new heading of “Possibly Redeemable Others” and added a “Non-Redeemable Others” section for the 620 truck, 200SX, Junkyard 1200, 300ZX, BMW IX, and 510 wagon out back. Yes, I know the BMW, 300ZX, and 510 wagon aren't mine, but they are at my shop. So there. Anyhoo, my point is, I have the “Keepers” list whittled down to Ms. Clio, Fifi, Shichi, George, the Chickenhawk, Lil' Wiggly, and the trailer. I do not see a major problem parking that many at the house once the driveway to the back patio is poured. Now, having said that, Pat and I were looking at the yard the other day and I had a bit of an epiphany. If I built a two bay wide extension straight off the house, stopping just short of the existing power pole thingy on the wall, the air conditioner compressor wouldn't have to move but a few feet to the west. The bays would wind up being a few feet shorter than the existing bays, which might hurt resale in the future, but it would make plenty of room for my needs. I just did a drawing of it and I like it a lot. We may have a new plan for the DLR shop at the house! I'm going to save it to the hard drive and then call it a day. Toodles.