5/20/13

Ka-pwinnnnngggggg!  It was a near miss but John DID offer a well-reasoned argument against the faux rally car Chickenhawk.  He pointed out that if I sell George, the Chickenhawk will be my only 1200.  We’re not sure I can be without a slammed 1200.  He’s also not convinced the thing will be the pushing pig I am assuming it will be.  Of course the point is moo for the time being until we find a new place to work on them.  Juan otter assume from that last statement that we have not found anything yet.  Ok, I literally just called about a place on 377 twixt I-20 and the traffic circle… my dad used to office out of this complex 20 years ago in fact.  I installed the engine in the Cosworth Vega there.  The dude on the phone didn’t say no when I told him what we’d be doing there.  Y’know, dog fights, cock fights, porn and snuff films… that sort of thing.  John has given tentative approval, pending our grokking it of course.  So, there’s all of that going on.  Anyhoo, here’s what went down over the weekend… on Saturday at least.  I got up at my usual 0530 h because the cat being empty and my bladder being full conspired to get me out of bed.  By the time I was ready to leave however, it was 0730 h.  I brought the 7.62x39 Saiga Bullpup and 100 rounds of ammo with me because I fingered I might swing by Winchester Shooting Gallery to give it go after John and I were done for the day.  I headed to the shop.  I totally forgot that the Dam Road was closed between Bryan Irving and Old Granbury and had to take that detour again.  I finally arrived at the shop to find John hard at work on his car.  Good on ya mate!  I watched him for a few seconds and then got to work on Lil' Wiggly's wiring again.  Now, I'm not sure if I ever mentioned my concern about this wiring harness.  See, there were only three wires going to the rear lights: park, left turn & brake, and right turn & brake.  I kept saying to myself, “Well, Hot Rod Wires must know what they are doing!” all the while worried that there was no way in hell they were going to work right.  Once I got to the turn signal switch wiring, I fingered out how HRW was going to separate (or combine if you prefer) the brake and turn signal sources to the individual bulbs.  Apparently a GM turn signal switch, which I'm NOT using, separates (or combines if you prefer) the signals to send them down the common wires.  (This morning I fingered out why The Seven was different: the brake light switch is at the rear of the car so… never mind, I understand it.)  What I was going to have to do was either finger out how to replicate the separation (or combination if you prefer) of the signals at the fuse box or turn signal switch, or run a new wire to the brake lights.  Since the B-210 has amber turn signals, which wouldn’t be used if I kept the turn signals and brakes combined, I decided to run the new wire.  Of course this meant I had to re-rewire the taillight harness I'd made a few weeks ago.  I had to combine the wires for the “high beam” bulbs in the park/brake sockets, and add in the amber “turn only” sockets.  These then had to be rewired to the existing runs from the fuse box… again, I understand what I'm saying here so, never mind.  With the rear harness re-rewired, and the new wire run forward, I began re-taping the harness.  John finished up with his project and asked me to come look at it when I got to a stopping point.  I decided I'd keep wrapping until I either got to the fuse box or ran out of tape.  I got to the fuse box first.  I shut off the soldering iron, I think, and closed up my project then went to see what John was on about.  Las week he did the rear flare on the left side of his 1200 and the wheel looked to be way too far back.  This weekend he did the right side flare and that wheel centered perfectly.  What the fuck… over.  We grokked it a bit and decided that somehow the left side of the cross member was installed at least ½” too far back.  We shoved the car back in and waited for the dude to come buy my KA-24.  He eventually arrived and we loaded it up along with all the other bits he was taking with him.  As he was tying it down in his truck, John and I took off to go to the sushi place.  John needed to be home early so he could meet a man about a horse… or something.  After we ate, I headed towards east Fort Worth to shoost the 7.62x39.  I walked in to the range and showed them my gun.  “Pull your damn pants up!” they said.  So I opened the gun case and they inspected my rifle and ammo.  When I was cleared to go in, I headed to the range.  I put up a target and loaded all four, ten round magazines.  I popped off three rounds and pulled the target in to see how I did.  High and to the left.  I adjusted the optics and sent the target out again.  Three more rounds and now I was just a tad high… gunpowder does that to me.  No, I was SHOOTING high on the target.  I adjusted again and finished off that magazine.  I pulled the target in after each three round “burst” and saw that I was doing alright.  I ran through all 100 rounds and then packed it all up.  I pulled my target and had a look.  At the full length of the range, 20 yards I'd say, I was well within a human torso.  I was a better shot when I didn’t try to keep both eyes open so I might bail on the heads-up display school of optic use.  As I was packing, I noticed they had given me two targets.  I took a spent shell and poked one hole in the center of the target.  When I went to check out, I showed them that one and said, “One hundred rounds through one hole.  Not too bad, eh?”  Yeah, they didn’t believe me.  From there I stopped by Elk Castle to confirm the rumor that they allow shotguns on their range.  They do!  The only things were: no steel shot or slugs and no pistol grip guns without butt stocks.  They didn’t have a problem with the Saiga as a Bullpup, so they said at that time when the weapon was at the house.  We’ll see when/if I ever take it to try it out there.  There is more to Saturday’s tale, but I'll save it, along with Sunday’s, for tomorrow.  Toodles.