5/5/10

So, apparently there was this shipment of Mayonnaise headed to Mexico on the Titanic... No, I guess I won't do the “Sink-o de Mayo” joke after all. Every year I point out that this is not Mexico’s Fourth of July. First off, the Fourth of July is the same for everyone, right between the third and fifth. Secondly, Mexican Independence Day is in September. Of course, every year I forget just exactly what Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of as well. Not being Mexican, or of Mexican heritage, I don't really feel the need to remember such minutiae. Yeah, that’s right, I dismissed Cinco de Mayo as “minutiae.” Again, not Mexican, don't care. So, there you have it. OK, did I mention the other day about a worry I had with The Seven? If so, bear with me. The other day, at the Purple Cow thing, I took the bonnet off of The Seven to show some dudes the engine. While looking around under there, it appeared as if one of my brake fluid reservoirs was empty. The brakes felt fine on the way in so I was a tad confused. Did I check the level then? Psh, of course not. Well, it has been bugging me since. Last night I decided to “wash” the car and check that level. I parked Ms. Clio behind mom’s car and rolled The Seven out in the driveway. I took an old towel, a blue one with a microchip in it who likes to get high all the time, and soaked it with the garden hose. OK, I don't actually have a garden hose at this time so I just used the faucet out by the A/C compressor. I took the wringing wet Towlie and wiped off all the dust and much of the dirt and grime. It looks a lot better. Well, to me at least, but I can't see dirt all that well. John would probably say the car is still filthy. Anyhoo, I wrung out the towel and then “dried” the car off. Yep, “Lookin’ good Mistah Kott-air,” as Freddie “Boom-boom” Washington would say. I yanked the bonnet off and had a look at the offending master cylinder. Imagine if you will, two glasses of iced tea (minus ice) next to a glass of water. Juan might assume that the glass of water were empty if there were no visible clues like a meniscus or something, right? (Do you want me to tell you what a meniscus is or are you going to look it up? OK, the meniscus is the arched shape of the top surface of a fluid due to (tee hee, I said doo doo) surface tension.) Well, that was what was going on with the master cylinders. The clutch and rear-brake master cylinder have dark gray fluid in them whereas the front master cylinder has nice clear fluid. Yeah, yeah, I know I ought to flush and bleed the others and have clean fluid in all three. Get off my back. I'll get around to it. So, with the worry over the possibility of needing to fill and bleed the brakes alleviated, I went back to “tarting up” the hussy some more. For some time now I've been annoyed by the schmutz I get on my hand when removing the bonnet. I decided to clean the underside. I flipped it upside down and gave it a good scrub with the damp towel. Much better. I reinstalled it and stepped back to have a look. I think it is passable. Well, except by Tony’s Stalker! Wahahahahahahahahaha! OK, I'll ‘splain. Last year at Birkinstock, Tony convinced me to take to the track with them. I was running along at a pretty good clip when I noticed him in my rear view mirror. I expected him to blow past me on the next straight but he didn't. In the corners, he was right with me but I was walking away from him on the straights. I finally moved over and slowed way down to let him by. It took almost the entire front straight for him to get past me. His car is all bottom end torque and NO top end power. It just will not rev. OK, so after looking the car over last night, I went in and had dinner with mom. I decided that since it was trash day, I'd need to move Fifi from the street. I decided to run down to the shop and pick up the tonneau cover. I also decided to time the trip this time. Twenty five minutes to get there taking the Dam Road. I grabbed the cover and my “skid lid” just in case. I locked up... What? What is a “skid lid” you ask? My helmet. I picked up my helmet, just in case someone gives me one of their track sessions. I locked up and headed home. Twenty minutes by Granbury Road to I-20. Back at the house, I took the shoulder harnesses loose and threaded a strap through the metal. I then installed the tonneau cover, after re-tightening the harnesses. I rolled the cover up and secured it with the straps I'd just installed. I have to do it this way because I cannot slip the cover behind the seats anymore. The harnesses would be under it. We'll see how this works out. So with the car ready for the event, I think I'm... um, ready for the event. I may tell y'all about my latest “lust” tomorrow. As a hint, “7.62x54.”