8/8/2011

OK, we didn't move Jeff’s Hilux on Saturday. We moved it on Sunday... but I'll get to that story in a moment. Saturday I headed to the shop with the 7.62x39 so I could install the US made gas piston and make that gun fully 922r compliant without resorting to the magazines. Now US made magazines are just gravy in the 922r parts count but I can use foreign made magazines as well. Huzzah. OK, the reason I had to take the gun to the shop to swap the piston was that the factory stakes in the piston and I needed either a vice or a drill or both to get the old one out. But I'll get to that in a moment as well. As I was driving to the shop, I noticed the song on the radio had an unfamiliar beat going on in the background. I shut off the radio and the beat kept going. I played with the fan speed on the HVAC and the beat changed frequency. I shut off the obviously broken fan and decided I needed to get the car to Nissan to have it fixed. I went to the shop to do the 7.62x39 first though. There, I stripped the bolt carrier from the weapon and chucked it up in the vice. I tried turning it with a wrench but it just spun in the vice. I knew I was going to have to drill. I found a smallish drill bit and went to work on the first side. When I was sure I was at least close to the threads, I rolled it over and hit the divot on the other side. I re-chucked it in the vice and wrenched them apart. The new part threaded in by hand, up to the drilled holes, then I finished it off with a wrench. Of course the “TAPCO USA” stamp is on the underside but it isn't that hard to remove the bolt to show it to an agent if necessary. What will be a bitch is if he/she doesn't believe the hammer is a US made part and I have to pull it out for them. Probably a moot point, but it never hurts to be prepared for the worst. Anyhoo, with the one thing I needed to do at the shop done, I headed home to prepare to take the car to Nissan. I called Kevin, who was planning to come hang out with me at the shop, and told him I was leaving then called John to tell him I needed to repossess Fifi. I said I'd call when I was headed his way with Aunt Bea and went home to get mom to follow me to Nissan. We ate a bite of lunch first and I took off to get the car logged in while mom finished up with the dishes. I dropped the car off and met mom in the parking lot. Back at the house, I hopped in Aunt Bea and called John. I rolled to his house and watched as he messed around with his motorcycle for a while. Oh, while at the house, I opened a package I'd received in the mail. It was the tactical AK style sights for the two Saiga 12s, mine and Larry’s. I dropped on in my pocket, figuring I'd swing by Larry’s out of the way home from John's. This I did. We, Larry and I, installed the front sight on his gun but didn't mess with the rear at that time. I'm glad we didn't because it turns out to be a BITCH! But I'll get to that in a moment. In fact, I'll get to it now. When I got home, I messed with my sights on my shotgun. I installed the front and tried to drift out the rear with a rubber hammer and a screwdriver. No luck. I decided I'd drag the thing along with me when I went to the shop to meet Jeff in the morning. I didn't get a chance to mess with it in the morning because by the time I had Fifi hooked up to the trailer and was just about to unhook the Spitfire, Jeff arrived. We dropped the Spit and headed to his house. There we tried to roll his Hilux out into the street to load it on the trailer. The right rear wheel was locked up. He jacked it up and removed the wheel. Eventually the brake drum came off and we were able to roll the thing out. The second problem was that the steering was disconnected and wanted to go toe-out pretty badly. Eventually we got the thing on the trailer and tied down. We rolled north. Sanger isn't as far north as I had thought, just a bit past Denton, so it wasn't as bad a trip as I intended. The truck dropped off the trailer much easier that it went on, duh, and we headed back home. I backed the trailer into its spot and bid Jeff adieu until the meet later in the day. I then went in with my 12 gauge to try and remove that rear sight. I chucked the gun in the vice, after field stripping it and with a towel to “protect” the finish. Yeah, it got a little scratched anyway, but it would have been a lot worse had I not protected it. Anyhoo, I chucked it up and began tapping on the sight with a hammer and punch. It didn't budge. I began hitting the sight with a hammer and punch. It didn't budge. I began WAILING on the sight with a hammer and punch. It didn't budge. I finally said, “Fuck it!” and took a hack saw to the sight. With the sight almost cut through, it finally budged. I was forced to quote John when it finally fell out and said, “Now sit there and bleed, suckah!” I tried the new sight and was actually relieved when it didn't quite fit. “What?” I hear someone saying. “Why were you relieved?” Well, if it had just slipped in with no resistance, I was screwed. Since it was too wide to fit the dove-tail, I could file it down to fit perfectly. This I did. Once I had the sight in and aligned, I hit all the scratches and dings and stuff with some black paint. It actually turned out pretty well, I think. With that done, I packed up and went home to rest before the car thing. I got home around 1510 h and rested until 1800 h then I piled into The Seven and headed east. Just before the Camp Bowie merge onto I-30 the car cut out. I hit the hazard flashers and began rolling to the side of the road. I flipped the fuel pump switch a few times and finally it came back to life. I fired the car back up and debated turning around an bailing on the event. That would probably have been the smart move but I went ahead and drove across town. I watched the temp gauge as it hovered on the high side of 180 degrees and made me nervous the whole way. Just before the merge of 121 and Loop 820 on the east side of town, the car sneezed. It was similar to the sneeze Gil used to make when he’d chuck a push rod but the engine didn't seem to lose any power or run erratically. The temp did look a bit higher so it might have been a discharge of pressure from the radiator. I don't know. I think I felt the car buck when it sneezed, but I might have imagined it. I worried over the temp gauge the last mile or two to the event. I parked and got out to socialize. When we were done, I headed out hoping the thing would get me home. It did but the temp gauge was higher than I like to see it. Yes, I know 190 isn't hot and I shouldn't worry until it goes over 200, but it does worry me when it goes over 180. I guess I just shouldn't drive that car when it is 110 degrees out. So, that’s about all I have for the weekend report. Oh, except that I heard back from the guy who sold me the part the post office has apparently lost. They are going to look into it (yeah, I'm holding my breath for that) and will send me another. At least that was the gist of what he said... I think. Anyhoo, either way, replacement or totally lost, I'm easy. I'm either writing it off as a learning experience, or will have to send one of the units back if they both arrive eventually. We'll see I guess.