9/14/10

Do you want to know what is kicking my ass the most about Nadine? It is the fact that I must make it look “pretty.” I don't do pretty. Every time I look at that stripped interior and think of all the cosmetic bullshit I'm going to have to do to make the thing “pretty,” well, it just beats me down. I spent at least two hours Saturday fabricating that piece for the fuel sender. Loved it. The thought of making the engine and transmission mounts to mate the car and drive train, bliss. Looking at rewiring the whole car... well OK, that’s a bit of a pain in the ass. But it’s not half the whip I see when I think about the interior and exterior. Perhaps a Rat-Rod with “Patina” is more in order. Mom will hate it. Nadine, the lady I got the car from, will hate it. Triumph purists will hate it. Hmm, it’s beginning to appeal to me more and more. John, just exactly how ass-ly would the car look painted flat black? I'm not sure I'm ready to pull the trigger on that, but I'd like an opinion. I'm also beginning to think that I don't ever want to install the windshield. Yeah, I shouldn't have sold my Brooklands to Tony. I see that now. Yikes! I just priced replacements. A new set, with shipping, is going to be about 150 Pounds Sterling, or over $230.00 US! OK, perhaps I will use the Triumph windshield after all. We'll see. I need to take a look at the frame and see if there might be a way to cut it down, or something. Make it just high enough for license and inspection stickers, that sort of thing. Hmm, interesting. I'm never going to put a top on it so a full height windshield is superfluous. Besides, have you seen how cool a TR-3 looks without the windshield? Me rikee rots. But back to the interior. I guess some simple aluminum panels, perhaps with a thin coat of Rhino-Liner on everything, would work. No, I’ll probably take the thing to Northside Upholstery to see what they would charge for a “complete” interior job. I'm thinking carpet, vertical panels, finishing caps, and a tonneau cover. That sort of thing. I'd want them to do a center zipper like the one on The Seven's tonneau so I could drive it with the passenger side covered. I rarely do that in The Seven, but I could if I wanted. OK, you know how I just said, “I'm never going to put a top on it”? Well, I was just thinking about how nice it is to have the Birkini top on The Seven in the blazing sun. Oh sure, it is still hotter than a hell in there, but at least I don't get a sunburn. Anyhoo, I'm thinking that some sort of bikini top might be in order. Not the full “hood” that the car is “supposed” to have, but a little sun shade sort of thing. I just went and had a look at the pictures from that event John and I went to in Oklahomo City. I think a bikini top is quite doable. I'll probably have NSU (Northside Upholstery) quote me one of those as well. Look at me, spending all this money as if I had it. Oh, I just had another thought about the bikini top. If I used the factory “sticks,” that is the frame work for the “hood,” it might even work with the cut down windshield or Brooklands. Hmm, probably not though. I don't know. We'll see. Well, I've just about had enough of y'all for today. I think I'll go play some solitaire until 1600 h and then go for a ride around campus with Larry Shuttlebus, on the shuttle bus.