7/23/13

Tomorrow at this time the auction for “my” 1965 Ford cabover van will be over.  The reserve has yet to be met, and I have been outbid.  It sits at $3,050.00 as I type this.  I'm going to let it go with the observation that something else will come along.  While this van is so friggin’ cool, and almost exactly what I want in an old van, something newer with air conditioning makes a lot more sense as a replacement for Fifi.  Unfortunately, I'm afeared I'm going to have to go back on my mandate that I will not own an automatic.  Virtually anything from the mid to late seventies will be a slush-box.  Anything with a V8 is almost guaranteed to be a ladies’ model.  Thing is, while I've been very lucky towing with Fifi's V6… well, I've been very lucky towing with Fifi's V6.  I'm sure I've been way over its capacity many times.  I really should be using a V8… or, Flying Spaghetti Monster forbid, a diesel.  Then again, with my wee little 12’ trailer, I can't really haul anything too big and heavy.  I'd love one of those E-350 V10 Fjords!  Of course if I did get one of them, I'd have to find one of those Fjord V4 motors for something.  Then I'd have a V4, V6, V8, and V10 vehicle.  Hmm, a V4 Mini?  Ooh, I'd also need a V-Twin bike motor in… I don’t know, the Formula Vee frame?  NOT A HARDLEY DUMD-ASSED-ONE‼‼‼  It would have to be a Japanese V-Twin… although, that three-wheel Morgan that Richard Hammond drove on the “Track Day Special” episode of “Top Gear” would be cool.  Oh, I suppose I'd also have to buy a V12 to round out the set.  Ok, this could get out of hand quickly.  Perhaps I'll settle for a couple V6s, a V8, and perhaps a V10… along with several inline fours, of course.  Anyhoo, there’s all of that going on.  I keep thinking about the new shop.  In the past, I have had dreams about moving into more rustic digs… literally, middle of the night, REM-sleep dreams where we move the shop into an old building.  The thing is, in the dreams the interior of the shop is always much better lit than D.A.T.S.U.N.  Hopefully when we get some more lighting in the place, and it doesn’t seem so dreary, it will really start to feel like a place I can be comfortable.  I'm sure the Beenbroke building was just as dusty and dirty as D.A.T.S.U.N. when Pat and I first looked at it, but the darkness at D.A.T.S.U.N. is just so oppressive… I think.  I might be talking out of my ass though.  I don’t know.  We’re moving in because I don’t have much choice.  I'm just going to have to learn to live with it, I guess.  One thing that is really nice is the building with the toilet.  Not just the fact of there being a toilet, but it is air conditioned!  John has already said we need to bring in some chairs so when we’re doing head-scratching, we can do it in the cool.  I wonder how long it will be before someone suggests having a Car Show/Meet thingy there.  Oh, I guess “that long.”  Hmm, perhaps when we get all moved in, and John is driving the 610, we can talk to Patrick (the “landlord”) about having the JNC Old School Japanese thing in the parking lot.  Maybe do a cookout, sort of thing.  As the “idea man” behind it, I'm not going to do any more planning than that.  The ball is in John's court now… if he sees it as a good idea of course.  We’d be guaranteed six old school cars in attendance: Lil' Wiggly, George, the Chickenhawk, "Timmy!" (John's 1200), John's 610, and The Seven.  Oh, and Patrick’s 620 truck!  I forgot about that.  There’s a guaranteed seven cars in attendance.  Jeff would show up in his Toyota truck, I'm sure, and “Crash1976” would probably come over from Arlington in his Celica bringing the total to nine.  Juan might consider counting all of my dead stuff as cheating… but Juan can shove it!  This is a D.A.T.S.U.N. event by crackey!  Well, it would be a D.A.T.S.U.N. event, if we were to go through with it.  We’ll see.  See, if I “hated” the place, would I be thinking along these lines?  If I “resented” being “forced” to “settle for” this place… oh, never mind.  I don’t hate the place.  It will grow on me.  I'm sure of it.  I do have to admit that the picture John posts of the building does look pretty cool… I just wish the insides were more… feh, no point in rehashing all of this.  D.A.T.S.U.N. will be fine.  We’ll build cool stuff there.  We’ll all be happy as pigs in shit.  Keep calm, carry on.  That sort of thing.  And with that, I'm done for the day.