Been awhile since last I wrote anything here, but I have good reason. There really isn't anything going on. I mean just normal every day stuff, get up, eat, sit here in front of the computer, go to bed at night. I think I've been resting up from all of my recent travels.
I did discover, from the same recent travels, that my new (to me) car has a transmission fluid leak. So until the problem is fixed my traveling has been limited to just around town. I hope we can get this looked at soon so I don't mess up the transmission.
By the way, this is one of those cars which does not have a dipstick for checking the transmission fluid level. There is a plug which must be pulled and you fill it until it starts coming out the hole. Not the best system, but it is what it is.
Got my flu shot today. I think this is the latest I've ever gotten that. I did have a slight cold earlier, I think I caught it from my granddaughter, Lexi. I really had not gotten sick that way once since I've been taking flu shots, so it was something different.
S'pose to go to Vevay tomorrow to have Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's (Judy) house. Always nice to get together with family and eat good food. I hope everyone has a great holiday and don't over eat!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Another trip
And sleep he did, all the way down. We left Carly's house about 12:30 AM and arrived at my son's house about 7 AM. We stopped once at Henryville to fill up and once again on 1-24 to use the facilities. I only drove 65 mph on the highway and I think we made pretty good time.
They live near Blytheville, and as such they are on central time, so it was only 6 AM when Carly called her dad to open the door so we could go into the house. He was very surprised as he didn't know I was bringing Carly and Trevyn with me. I'm pretty sure it was a very pleasant surprise.
A couple more photos in the park, Christian and Bryce swinging, with Breonna pushing and Christian and Trevyn in the stroller. Trevyn enjoyed a nap most of the time we were there.
The trip back home was fairly uneventful. Trevyn got a little fussy a couple of times, but nothing that bad. We made a couple of stops along the way, but after dropping Carly and Trevyn off at their house I arrived back home about 9:30 PM. Trips are great fun, but it's always nice to be back home...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Fun time in the Bluegrass state!
Had a great time visiting my sister Melody and her family over the weekend. Never a dull moment there. Running here and there, I don't see how they do it! But is was a welcome change of pace for me as my life is just the opposite.
One of the many trips we took was south to Lancaster and her daughter Angel's house. You can see in the picture at the left that Melody is showing off her best side! Then we traveled on to Crab Orchard, where my youngest sister Sharon operates a restaurant called the Past Time Cafe. We were joined there by another sister, Kathy, and we all had lunch. Food and company was excellent and I really enjoyed the visit.
After that we traveled back to Lexington, dropped Melody off at the UK medical center to take care of some family business and Jim and I went to look around at Harbor Freight. I bought some plastic trim removal tools I had been wanting and checked out a tool chest I am interested in. I always enjoy a visit to that place, tools, tools and more tools!
Back home we watched TV for awhile and before we knew it the clock struck midnight, which made it Melody's birthday! I gave her the card I'd bought before coming down and soon after that it was time for bed as I was wore out from the trip down as well as all of the running around we did.
After a good nights rest, we got up to do a few things. Jim got an old Corolla wagon he had bought ready to junk by pumping up some tires and removing the catalytic convertor from it. After that he loaded it on his dolly and away we went to make a deposit at the scrapyard.
Once finished, we stopped by a house where their grandson Rodney had spent the night with a friend to bring him back home. Also got a look at a '66 Buick LeSabre there that the guy had. Then, after dropping Rodney off at the their house, we proceeded to the local pull-a-part junkyard to see if we could locate a few parts I needed for the Cavalier.
The gatekeeper there told us a red Cavalier had been brought in very recently and he thought the right front fender was still on it. We went to look at it first, but unfortunately, the fender was not in very good shape. We walked around the entire lot, looking for parts, but didn't find a lot. I did get the missing piece for my console though and I picked up some sun visors with good plastic holders as well as a spare hubcap.
I was also looking for a jack and lug wrench as my car had neither, but none were found at the junkyard. I did find a spare tire cover which I also needed, but unfortunately I left it laying on top of a car while I was searching for something else. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
We left the junkyard after Melody stopped by to get some money from Jim. She was taking Rodney back to his mother's place in Lancaster. Jim and I went looking for his mechanic friend to see if he could tell what the noise was in the back of my car. He wasn't at his shop so we stopped by a nearby Hardee's to get a bite to eat. I had wanted to try their Memphis BBQ Burger ever since seeing this commercial:
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| From left to right, Angel, Melody and Allie. |
Back home we watched TV for awhile and before we knew it the clock struck midnight, which made it Melody's birthday! I gave her the card I'd bought before coming down and soon after that it was time for bed as I was wore out from the trip down as well as all of the running around we did.
After a good nights rest, we got up to do a few things. Jim got an old Corolla wagon he had bought ready to junk by pumping up some tires and removing the catalytic convertor from it. After that he loaded it on his dolly and away we went to make a deposit at the scrapyard.
Once finished, we stopped by a house where their grandson Rodney had spent the night with a friend to bring him back home. Also got a look at a '66 Buick LeSabre there that the guy had. Then, after dropping Rodney off at the their house, we proceeded to the local pull-a-part junkyard to see if we could locate a few parts I needed for the Cavalier.
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| Before |
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| After |
I was also looking for a jack and lug wrench as my car had neither, but none were found at the junkyard. I did find a spare tire cover which I also needed, but unfortunately I left it laying on top of a car while I was searching for something else. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
We left the junkyard after Melody stopped by to get some money from Jim. She was taking Rodney back to his mother's place in Lancaster. Jim and I went looking for his mechanic friend to see if he could tell what the noise was in the back of my car. He wasn't at his shop so we stopped by a nearby Hardee's to get a bite to eat. I had wanted to try their Memphis BBQ Burger ever since seeing this commercial:
I was not disappointed at all, it is a very good sandwich. Jim asked where the girls were, but no one seemed to know where they were. Probably for the best, I doubt I could of eaten if they were around!
Jim's friend was going to be awhile, so we went back to the house to watch TV while we waited. After awhile, he called to say he was at the shop so we headed over there. He and Jim took the Cavalier for a ride and once back the man said he thought all of the wheel bearings needed replaced, but we might get away with just doing the ones in the rear for now. He also said it could be driven as is for awhile, but they would need to be replaced soon. He also had a jack and lug wrench which he gave to me, so mark a couple more things off my list. I really appreciated that.
We headed back to the house to wait for Melody to get back and once she did, we headed out to eat supper. Texas Roadhouse seemed to fit the bill so we headed there for a pleasant meal and some people watching. Although people were waiting outside, Jim saw his friend, the owner, who promptly seated us near the bar, which is the best place for people watching.
I had my usual roadkill, well done, with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies, along with a cold Bud light to drink. I don't often drink beer, but I was just in the mood I guess. Food was great, and watching a certain girl wearing sparkly shorts was nice too. All in all a very pleasant evening out.
Once back home we had another fine evening talking and watching TV. Melody made some fresh baked oatmeal cookies of which I had several. After which I retired to the bed once more. Slept pretty good with my belly full and the beer probably helped too.
Next morning I got up and ready, but didn't leave until around 11 AM. Then after saying goodbyes I headed back towards Louisville and then north to Seymour. I arrived home about 1:20 PM, so Google was right on the money when they said the trip would take 2 hours and 20 minutes. Of course I only did 65 on the highway to save gas, which was excellent by the way. I filled up before leaving Seymour Friday and still have about 3/8's of a tank left. Not bad for down and back and running around Lexington.
To Melody and Jim, I just want to say thanks so much for your hospitality and I really appreciate all you have done for me. You have helped me a lot and I have truly enjoyed our times together. Hope we can do it again someday soon.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A bit of news
We went to the tire shop yesterday and had a new rear tire put on to see what effect it would have on the noise. It did seem to help the problem, but it's still there and I don't know whether it's a problem or just the way small cars sound as I'm not really used to smaller vehicles. I will feel much better if the bearing can be checked. My grandson (Billy) is supposed to change my oil and filter today after school, so perhaps we can pull the back wheel and see if there is any obvious problem. I would have liked to think the guys at the tire shop would have mentioned it if they saw it, but you never know.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Nothing going on
Well, I would have posted an update, but there is really nothing going on since I removed the dash pad on the Buick and cleaned up the speedometer. I did pull the car out last weekend and clean the area under the dash pad on the right side, but I still need to do the other side. Just haven't felt like doing it.
No, I'm not sick or anything, just sometimes get the blahs and don't feel like messing with things. Plus cooler weather has settled in and I'm not a fan of that at all. With highs in the 60's and the lows dipping down to near freezing, I'm content to stay in my room where it's warm.
I did disassemble my main computer system earlier in the week and clean that. It was caked with dust and cobwebs, but it's clean now. I also attempted to put Mountain Lion on it, but I can't get that to work with the video card, so I will have to wait for that until I get a better/newer card.
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
No, I'm not sick or anything, just sometimes get the blahs and don't feel like messing with things. Plus cooler weather has settled in and I'm not a fan of that at all. With highs in the 60's and the lows dipping down to near freezing, I'm content to stay in my room where it's warm.
I did disassemble my main computer system earlier in the week and clean that. It was caked with dust and cobwebs, but it's clean now. I also attempted to put Mountain Lion on it, but I can't get that to work with the video card, so I will have to wait for that until I get a better/newer card.
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Update Time!
Been awhile since I had anything to say so I thought I would update a few things. First is the Buick, which is still sitting in the garage waiting on parts. I did get some of the stuff I needed, a sending unit for the hot and cold temperature lights as the old one was bad. Got that in and it works as it should now.
I was also able to fix a problem that had been bugging me since I got the car. The dash lights which should be green, the turn indicators and COLD light, had faded over the years and were now white. I suppose the filters used to make them glow green were not as good as those used on the red ones for GEN, OIL and HOT lights, as those were still fine. I found replacement type colored LED bulbs, but they were kind of expensive.
So I was ordering something else on Ebay from a supplier in China when I thought perhaps that might be a good source to check for cheaper LED bulbs. Sure enough I found a deal there for 5 LED bulbs for less than the price of one of the more expensive ones, so I ordered and have received those. As you can see from the before and after pictures, makes all the difference in the world!
I have since replaced both of the turn indicator lights with the green LED bulbs and those work also, but for some reason, the right one is not as bright as the left one. I will have to investigate that at another time. At least they all work and are the correct color now.
While working with these lights, it quickly became apparent that the small plastic sockets which those lights fit into do not hold up well over time as one of the tabs have broken off on several of them. I did buy a couple of replacements, but now I need a couple more. Of the joys of working on an old car!
On to the floor pan problem. I did have a chance to really get into that with the wire brush and quickly found out the floor is in far worse shape than first expected. I can get away with replacing just half of the pan, but my original plan to just uses patches will no longer work. The entire right side of the pan is pretty much gone, so I'm back to my original idea of ordering one of these replacement pans to repair the area.
I also made a slight mistake when working in this area as I left the right side front door open for over a week not realizing that the dome light came on while that door was open. Of course it ran the battery down to a point where it would no longer turn the car over, but a night on the trickle charger fixed that problem.
It also made me wonder why the light doesn't come on if the left door is opened, so more investigation followed. I discovered the door jamb switch for the dome light was hidden behind an access panel which hides the inner fender from view. Removing that allowed me to remove the bad switch in hopes of finding a replacement.
After scouring the internet, I did find one (actually a pair), but subsequent discussions with the seller revealed that he wanted $85 plus shipping for them. I understand making an extra profit b/c the part you have is kind of rare, but no $2 part is ever worth that kind of markup. I plan to post a picture or two with a description of the switch in the parts wanted section of the V8 Buick forum in hopes of finding a much cheaper alternative.
As for other items, I went out to get a bite to eat the other evening and didn't get far. Seems the battery on my Monte Carlo decided to go dead. I had just taken a trip to Vevay the week before to visit my mother and it seemed fine then. But as I very well know from years and years of messing with these infernal automobiles, they like to surprise you. Lucky it happened here and not out on the road.
Took awhile, but I finally managed to get it out. Time was you could just unhook the cables and pull out the battery for the most part, but not on this one, I first had to remove a body brace, then the windshield washer pump and bottle, and finally a bar which supports the windshield washer bottle and also holds the battery down. Then I barely had room to remove the cables and wedge the battery out!
I found the side terminals and cables to be clean and free of corrosion, so no problem with a bad connection, but the sides of the battery were bulging so I think it is time for a new one. It was in there when I bought the car, several years ago, so no telling how old it is.
I went online to look at some prices and was very shocked to see how much batteries have gone up since the last one I bought for my mail car a few years back. Okay, maybe it was 5 or 6 years back, but I still couldn't believe that a car battery now costs a cool C-note. I did discover that Advance Auto parts was having a sale, but it ended that day and I was not able to take advantage of that. Would have saved me almost $20, but it was not to be. Hopefully I will be able to find a cheaper alternative at WalMart.
Guess that is enough for this update, will catch everyone up again at a later time...
I was also able to fix a problem that had been bugging me since I got the car. The dash lights which should be green, the turn indicators and COLD light, had faded over the years and were now white. I suppose the filters used to make them glow green were not as good as those used on the red ones for GEN, OIL and HOT lights, as those were still fine. I found replacement type colored LED bulbs, but they were kind of expensive.
So I was ordering something else on Ebay from a supplier in China when I thought perhaps that might be a good source to check for cheaper LED bulbs. Sure enough I found a deal there for 5 LED bulbs for less than the price of one of the more expensive ones, so I ordered and have received those. As you can see from the before and after pictures, makes all the difference in the world!I have since replaced both of the turn indicator lights with the green LED bulbs and those work also, but for some reason, the right one is not as bright as the left one. I will have to investigate that at another time. At least they all work and are the correct color now.
While working with these lights, it quickly became apparent that the small plastic sockets which those lights fit into do not hold up well over time as one of the tabs have broken off on several of them. I did buy a couple of replacements, but now I need a couple more. Of the joys of working on an old car!
On to the floor pan problem. I did have a chance to really get into that with the wire brush and quickly found out the floor is in far worse shape than first expected. I can get away with replacing just half of the pan, but my original plan to just uses patches will no longer work. The entire right side of the pan is pretty much gone, so I'm back to my original idea of ordering one of these replacement pans to repair the area.I also made a slight mistake when working in this area as I left the right side front door open for over a week not realizing that the dome light came on while that door was open. Of course it ran the battery down to a point where it would no longer turn the car over, but a night on the trickle charger fixed that problem.
It also made me wonder why the light doesn't come on if the left door is opened, so more investigation followed. I discovered the door jamb switch for the dome light was hidden behind an access panel which hides the inner fender from view. Removing that allowed me to remove the bad switch in hopes of finding a replacement.After scouring the internet, I did find one (actually a pair), but subsequent discussions with the seller revealed that he wanted $85 plus shipping for them. I understand making an extra profit b/c the part you have is kind of rare, but no $2 part is ever worth that kind of markup. I plan to post a picture or two with a description of the switch in the parts wanted section of the V8 Buick forum in hopes of finding a much cheaper alternative.
As for other items, I went out to get a bite to eat the other evening and didn't get far. Seems the battery on my Monte Carlo decided to go dead. I had just taken a trip to Vevay the week before to visit my mother and it seemed fine then. But as I very well know from years and years of messing with these infernal automobiles, they like to surprise you. Lucky it happened here and not out on the road.
Took awhile, but I finally managed to get it out. Time was you could just unhook the cables and pull out the battery for the most part, but not on this one, I first had to remove a body brace, then the windshield washer pump and bottle, and finally a bar which supports the windshield washer bottle and also holds the battery down. Then I barely had room to remove the cables and wedge the battery out!
I found the side terminals and cables to be clean and free of corrosion, so no problem with a bad connection, but the sides of the battery were bulging so I think it is time for a new one. It was in there when I bought the car, several years ago, so no telling how old it is.
I went online to look at some prices and was very shocked to see how much batteries have gone up since the last one I bought for my mail car a few years back. Okay, maybe it was 5 or 6 years back, but I still couldn't believe that a car battery now costs a cool C-note. I did discover that Advance Auto parts was having a sale, but it ended that day and I was not able to take advantage of that. Would have saved me almost $20, but it was not to be. Hopefully I will be able to find a cheaper alternative at WalMart.
Guess that is enough for this update, will catch everyone up again at a later time...
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Back from Chicago, good trip!
We left about 9:45 AM on Tuesday, on our way to the windy city. Our pilot/tour guide (Randy) for the trip decided we would stay in a small city near Gary called Merrillville, Indiana. Roughly an hour from Chicago, this turned out to be a very good plan as we checked into an inexpensive hotel and then made our way on up to the city.
Having just been there recently, Randy knew the way to the sites and we all just sat back and enjoyed the view of the lake and the tall buildings including Trump's new place, which is the second tallest building in the city. The ride around Chicago was very nice and was dual purpose in nature. One to see the sites, but second, to kill some time before we were able to enter the ball park to see the game.
The White Sox Vs. Yankees game at U.S. Cellular field was the primary reason for the trip as Billy wanted to see the Yankees play and I had not been to a major league ball park since I was a child myself. I forget who the Reds were playing, but I do know where it was at, Crosley field in Cincinnati. Of course it is no longer there, but thankfully I have my memories.
Of course that was not the only ball park we saw while in Chicago, we also went by the home of the Cubs, Wrigley field. The park opened in 1914 and it was the last major league park to get lights, which finally happened in 1988. The reason they finally installed lights was that MLB threatened not to hold any post season activities there until the park was lit.
Once we saw all the sites, we headed for our primary destination as we thought we could get into the park by 5 PM. Turns out it was actually 5:35 PM, but it wasn't too bad of a wait.
Once inside, we found our seats on the top level and at least there were escalators all the way up. We had a pretty good view of the field and I truly enjoyed watching the game. Billy was a bit disappointed b/c the Yankees lost, but all in all it was a very enjoyable time for all of us.
The drive back to the hotel was not too long and we got into bed around 12:30 AM. Got up the next day around 7:00 and started back home about 7:30. Around 3 1/2 hours later we were back in Seymour. While I enjoyed the trip, it's always good to be home again!
The White Sox Vs. Yankees game at U.S. Cellular field was the primary reason for the trip as Billy wanted to see the Yankees play and I had not been to a major league ball park since I was a child myself. I forget who the Reds were playing, but I do know where it was at, Crosley field in Cincinnati. Of course it is no longer there, but thankfully I have my memories.
Once inside, we found our seats on the top level and at least there were escalators all the way up. We had a pretty good view of the field and I truly enjoyed watching the game. Billy was a bit disappointed b/c the Yankees lost, but all in all it was a very enjoyable time for all of us.
The drive back to the hotel was not too long and we got into bed around 12:30 AM. Got up the next day around 7:00 and started back home about 7:30. Around 3 1/2 hours later we were back in Seymour. While I enjoyed the trip, it's always good to be home again!
Monday, August 20, 2012
A good week for the Buick
I got a lot done this past week as I keep getting closer to a time when I can actually drive it around as a regular car. The first thing I tackled was the fuel gauge. I figured it had a wire off from when they put the exhaust on, but turns out the fuel sending unit in the tank is bad. Still might have been caused by the exhaust installation as I'm sure one good blow to the gas tank would be enough to crack the fragile old rheostat, and the muffler is adjacent to the tank.
Believe it or not, I found a place online that sells rebuilt sending units, so now all I need is the money to buy one, ($79 + shipping). Being as I don't have the money at this time, I decided to move on to another troublesome area. Both front door windows have problems going up and down, so I figured they were off the track or something simple like that.
Turns out the window setting channel was very bad on the drivers side and the right side has a broken roller which caused it to come off the track. Of course that window setting channel is not in great shape either, so I'm hoping to find some replacements for those. A guy on the V8 Buick forum says he thinks he has a good pair from a '62 full sized Chevy that will work.
Also got my first good look at the right side front floor pan as I totally removed all of the carpet and padding. It's worse than I originally thought, so right now I'm kind of up in the air about what to do to fix it. A new floor pan can be had ($90 + shipping), but there is a lot of time and effort involved in replacing the complete pan.
I have a POR 15 starter kit ordered which should be enough to do the job if I add metal or fiberglass patches. This product effectively turns the rusty metal into good metal and may do the job if I decide to go that way. Too much to ponder at the moment, so I'll move on.
Next I decided to find out why the COLD light on my dash doesn't light up. When I replaced the fuel pump recently I noticed that both terminals on the temperature sending unit were not hooked up, partially due to the plastic housing for the wires being melted. I broke the wires out of the plastic and hooked them up as they should have been, but the COLD light still would not come on.
I decided to check the bulb in the dash to make sure it was good, but when I started to twist the socket from the circuit board, the socket fell out. Looking at it I found one of the plastic ears which holds it in the circuit board was broke off. So I borrowed the socket and bulb from the HOT light next to it just to test whether or not the COLD light would come on or not. It didn't.
Reading the wiring diagram, I determined that cold side terminal on the sending unit should be a dead ground when the engine is cold, but when I checked with the meter, I found that was not the case. So a new sending unit was required ($11.02 + shipping). I went ahead and ordered that from Rock Auto, along with a couple of sockets for the dash to replace the one bad one and in case another one breaks.
And lastly, yesterday I tore into the wipers as they have not worked since I bought the car. A little troubleshooting to make sure the motor was getting the proper voltage and that the other wire was indeed grounded when the switch was turned on, I found that the trouble had to be in the motor. After some fussing and cussing b/c one screw would not come out, I used my dremel tool to cut a groove so I could remove it with a straight screwdriver, which worked.
Once the motor was out and apart, I found that it was very rusty inside, but that the rust was on the inside of the motor housing and not really a factor in it not running. What was a factor was that corrosion on the armature was not allowing it to turn, so I used my dremel tool with the wire brush to remove all of the corrosion. Once that was done I put some lube in the end cap bearing and reassembled the motor. It ran!
I put new lithium grease in where the worm and plastic ring gear are and buttoned it back up. It is back in, but I still need to find one screw to replace the one I had to bugger up to get out. I'll try to do that sometime today, but I don't plan to do much to the car this week.
For one thing, tomorrow I will be going to Chicago with my son-in-law Randy, grandson Billy and his friend to take in a Yankees Vs. White Sox game. Billy is a huge Yankees fan and since I have not been to a major league ballgame since I was a kid myself, I decided it was time. So look out Chicago, tomorrow I'm gonna have me a beer and a hot dog at the big game!
Believe it or not, I found a place online that sells rebuilt sending units, so now all I need is the money to buy one, ($79 + shipping). Being as I don't have the money at this time, I decided to move on to another troublesome area. Both front door windows have problems going up and down, so I figured they were off the track or something simple like that.
Turns out the window setting channel was very bad on the drivers side and the right side has a broken roller which caused it to come off the track. Of course that window setting channel is not in great shape either, so I'm hoping to find some replacements for those. A guy on the V8 Buick forum says he thinks he has a good pair from a '62 full sized Chevy that will work.
Also got my first good look at the right side front floor pan as I totally removed all of the carpet and padding. It's worse than I originally thought, so right now I'm kind of up in the air about what to do to fix it. A new floor pan can be had ($90 + shipping), but there is a lot of time and effort involved in replacing the complete pan.
I have a POR 15 starter kit ordered which should be enough to do the job if I add metal or fiberglass patches. This product effectively turns the rusty metal into good metal and may do the job if I decide to go that way. Too much to ponder at the moment, so I'll move on.
Next I decided to find out why the COLD light on my dash doesn't light up. When I replaced the fuel pump recently I noticed that both terminals on the temperature sending unit were not hooked up, partially due to the plastic housing for the wires being melted. I broke the wires out of the plastic and hooked them up as they should have been, but the COLD light still would not come on.
I decided to check the bulb in the dash to make sure it was good, but when I started to twist the socket from the circuit board, the socket fell out. Looking at it I found one of the plastic ears which holds it in the circuit board was broke off. So I borrowed the socket and bulb from the HOT light next to it just to test whether or not the COLD light would come on or not. It didn't.
Reading the wiring diagram, I determined that cold side terminal on the sending unit should be a dead ground when the engine is cold, but when I checked with the meter, I found that was not the case. So a new sending unit was required ($11.02 + shipping). I went ahead and ordered that from Rock Auto, along with a couple of sockets for the dash to replace the one bad one and in case another one breaks.
And lastly, yesterday I tore into the wipers as they have not worked since I bought the car. A little troubleshooting to make sure the motor was getting the proper voltage and that the other wire was indeed grounded when the switch was turned on, I found that the trouble had to be in the motor. After some fussing and cussing b/c one screw would not come out, I used my dremel tool to cut a groove so I could remove it with a straight screwdriver, which worked.
Once the motor was out and apart, I found that it was very rusty inside, but that the rust was on the inside of the motor housing and not really a factor in it not running. What was a factor was that corrosion on the armature was not allowing it to turn, so I used my dremel tool with the wire brush to remove all of the corrosion. Once that was done I put some lube in the end cap bearing and reassembled the motor. It ran!
I put new lithium grease in where the worm and plastic ring gear are and buttoned it back up. It is back in, but I still need to find one screw to replace the one I had to bugger up to get out. I'll try to do that sometime today, but I don't plan to do much to the car this week.
For one thing, tomorrow I will be going to Chicago with my son-in-law Randy, grandson Billy and his friend to take in a Yankees Vs. White Sox game. Billy is a huge Yankees fan and since I have not been to a major league ballgame since I was a kid myself, I decided it was time. So look out Chicago, tomorrow I'm gonna have me a beer and a hot dog at the big game!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Buick is back home
Guess I forgot to mention it, but Autumn wanted to use my place over a month ago for a garage sale. So I had to move my Buick out to their place until the stuff was cleaned out so I could put my car back in. The day finally came last week, but when I went to start the car, it wouldn't start!
After running the battery down, I checked the glass fuel bowl on the fiter and saw that it was barely half-full. I'd suspected the fuel pump was weak since the first time I started it after getting it back home originally as we had to use a siphon pump to get the fuel up to the pump from the tank.
A new pump was located and ordered from Auto Parts Warehouse. Doubt that I will ever order anything again from them as it took so long for them to ship the part. I think the website is only a front for other parts sources, why else would it take several days to ship out a part that is supposedly in stock?
In any case, it arrived yesterday about noon, UPS pulled up out front as I was getting tools together to go out and do the job. So in no time at all I found myself headed out to the country to work on the car. As soon as I looked it over, I saw that the new pump output fitting did not match the original setup, so I had to make another trip back to town.
Stopped at the closest place, Autozone, and the guy there didn't have what I needed, so I went to NAPA. Took awhile there to explain what I needed to the young kid behind the counter, but eventually he got the idea and I was on my way back out to the country.
Before I left for town, I did put the battery charger on so I would at least have a good strong battery in case it took some grinding on the starter to pump up the fuel. With the help of my grandson, Billy, we had it back on and ready to start in no time.
About 5 short grinds on the starter and she fired right up! Wow, what a difference. In the past it would take a good while to get the fuel pumped up, but even with the line from the pump to the carb completely dry, it hardly took anytime at all.
Once the mess was cleaned up and the tools put away, Billy followed me home as I now had 2 vehicles out there. The car ran great, got up to 70 in no time flat, gotta love an old car. Left the car in the drive and rode back out with Billy. Drove my other car back home and finished making room in the garage for the Buick. Feels good to have the ol' girl back home again!
After running the battery down, I checked the glass fuel bowl on the fiter and saw that it was barely half-full. I'd suspected the fuel pump was weak since the first time I started it after getting it back home originally as we had to use a siphon pump to get the fuel up to the pump from the tank.
A new pump was located and ordered from Auto Parts Warehouse. Doubt that I will ever order anything again from them as it took so long for them to ship the part. I think the website is only a front for other parts sources, why else would it take several days to ship out a part that is supposedly in stock?
In any case, it arrived yesterday about noon, UPS pulled up out front as I was getting tools together to go out and do the job. So in no time at all I found myself headed out to the country to work on the car. As soon as I looked it over, I saw that the new pump output fitting did not match the original setup, so I had to make another trip back to town.
Stopped at the closest place, Autozone, and the guy there didn't have what I needed, so I went to NAPA. Took awhile there to explain what I needed to the young kid behind the counter, but eventually he got the idea and I was on my way back out to the country.
Before I left for town, I did put the battery charger on so I would at least have a good strong battery in case it took some grinding on the starter to pump up the fuel. With the help of my grandson, Billy, we had it back on and ready to start in no time.
About 5 short grinds on the starter and she fired right up! Wow, what a difference. In the past it would take a good while to get the fuel pumped up, but even with the line from the pump to the carb completely dry, it hardly took anytime at all.
Once the mess was cleaned up and the tools put away, Billy followed me home as I now had 2 vehicles out there. The car ran great, got up to 70 in no time flat, gotta love an old car. Left the car in the drive and rode back out with Billy. Drove my other car back home and finished making room in the garage for the Buick. Feels good to have the ol' girl back home again!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Watching the live coverage
Oops! In my excitement I forgot to hit Publish last night. No time like the present.
Seems the big day is at hand, the Mars rover Curiosity landing. Actually it will be tomorrow here, but still today in California. The actual live coverage starts in about 15 minutes, so I thought I would take this time to write a few lines here.
I know, it's been awhile, but I was wore out from all the stuff I wrote about from the trip. It was a good trip and I do miss the bonding experience I had my sisters and brother-in-law. Hope we can all go on another one soon.
Went to Louisville this morning with the family. Shopped awhile and had lunch at Pizza Hut. Been awhile since I ate there. Pizza was good, so was the company. Nice to get out of this apartment where I've been for way too many days.
All my own doing mind you, I have a car and gas money, but I've just felt like staying home and working on computer projects. Oh well, I pretty much do what I want so I can't complain! All for now...
Seems the big day is at hand, the Mars rover Curiosity landing. Actually it will be tomorrow here, but still today in California. The actual live coverage starts in about 15 minutes, so I thought I would take this time to write a few lines here.
I know, it's been awhile, but I was wore out from all the stuff I wrote about from the trip. It was a good trip and I do miss the bonding experience I had my sisters and brother-in-law. Hope we can all go on another one soon.
Went to Louisville this morning with the family. Shopped awhile and had lunch at Pizza Hut. Been awhile since I ate there. Pizza was good, so was the company. Nice to get out of this apartment where I've been for way too many days.
All my own doing mind you, I have a car and gas money, but I've just felt like staying home and working on computer projects. Oh well, I pretty much do what I want so I can't complain! All for now...
Sunday, July 8, 2012
June Trip-part 9
Day 16 - Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky
As it turned out, this was to be our last day of travel. Kathy was originally going to be off work the day after we got back, but circumstances prevented that from happening and so she wanted to get back to have some time before she went back to work. We planned to visit my son (Chris) and his family in Blytheville, Arkansas and then head back to Lexington, Kentucky.
So we plotted a course southeast from West Plains and headed off cross country. In a hour or two we were there, had a nice visit with them for awhile before starting the 6 hour drive home.
The trip back home was pretty much uneventful. Right before we left I setup the GPS for our destination in Lexington and we took off to find our way. Odd thing is it took us on the back roads that I had never been before and we ended up on I-155, just west of the Mississippi river! That was a major shortcut for sure.
Once we went across the bridge we found ourselves in Tennessee and shortly thereafter the only part of the trip which is not a freeway through the town of Union City, Tennessee. Other than a few traffic lights, this is pretty much like the rest of the trip with a 4 lane highway with slightly slower speed limits. Then before you know it, you are back in Kentucky.
We stopped and had our final trip meal at a Cracker Barrel restaurant near Calvert City on I-24. We had previously tried to find a Cracker Barrel restaurant on the trip, but this was the first time we found one at a time we were wanting to eat. I believe I had the meat loaf dinner, which was excellent, as was the service. Just can't beat this place for a uniform experience each time.
In no time at all, we found ourselves on the Western Kentucky parkway for the long stretch of road with not much to see. As we got closer to Lexington, everyone was quiet for they knew the end of our journey was near. Not much else to tell, we arrived at our destination around midnight.
After winding down from the trip, I spent the night with Jim and Melody, anticipating being picked up in the morning by Randy and Autumn, which I was. We were supposed to go to my grandson Billy's baseball game, but it was rained out. So we had lunch at La Rosa's and then I returned back home to Seymour.
A few final words to my traveling companions, my brother-in-law Jim and sisters Melody and Kathy, I just want to say that I truly enjoyed the experience, even though it may not have seemed so at the time. I love you guys and I really do look forward to doing it again some day. Just give me a chance to rest up from this trip!
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| Grand children Bryce & Alyssa |
As it turned out, this was to be our last day of travel. Kathy was originally going to be off work the day after we got back, but circumstances prevented that from happening and so she wanted to get back to have some time before she went back to work. We planned to visit my son (Chris) and his family in Blytheville, Arkansas and then head back to Lexington, Kentucky.So we plotted a course southeast from West Plains and headed off cross country. In a hour or two we were there, had a nice visit with them for awhile before starting the 6 hour drive home.
The trip back home was pretty much uneventful. Right before we left I setup the GPS for our destination in Lexington and we took off to find our way. Odd thing is it took us on the back roads that I had never been before and we ended up on I-155, just west of the Mississippi river! That was a major shortcut for sure. 
Once we went across the bridge we found ourselves in Tennessee and shortly thereafter the only part of the trip which is not a freeway through the town of Union City, Tennessee. Other than a few traffic lights, this is pretty much like the rest of the trip with a 4 lane highway with slightly slower speed limits. Then before you know it, you are back in Kentucky.
A few final words to my traveling companions, my brother-in-law Jim and sisters Melody and Kathy, I just want to say that I truly enjoyed the experience, even though it may not have seemed so at the time. I love you guys and I really do look forward to doing it again some day. Just give me a chance to rest up from this trip!
Friday, July 6, 2012
June Trip-part 8
Day 14 - New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas
After the morning ritual of showers, packing and a quick breakfast, we were once again on the road headed east. I believe we stopped at a Stuckey's on the way where this picture of the big 66 sign was taken. In no time at all we found ourselves just outside of Amarillo, Texas, where our next stop was to be.
It is visible from I-40, but we exited to get a closer look at the Cadillac Ranch. Quite a sight to see, 10 old Cadillacs buried front down with their tails in the air at a predetermined angle. Primarily an art statement, the creator invites those who stop by to paint a message or two on any or all of the cars.
As you can see in the picture, our names were painted, but I doubt very much they were visible for long as many people stop by to do the same thing. Just another attraction of out trip, which I hope to see again when we do the complete Route 66 discovery tour the next time.
Once on the road again, we turned northeast at Amarillo and headed towards Oklahoma, and then Kansas, and our next stop. We saw a lot of oil wells along the way, but not a lot of anything else. Of course by this time, all of the scenery was pretty much the same as we had been seeing all of our trip, so even the picture takers (Melody), was quiet. A rare occasion for sure!
Our next stop was Dodge City, and despite no sign of Matt, Doc, Festus, Miss Kitty or Chester, Melody did find a steer she tried to milk! It seems the old west portion of this town was destroyed by 2 fires in 1885, so a replica was constructed and maintained, complete with a twice daily gunfight enacted by local characters.
And this replica was not just a facade, you could walk through each store and look at the various old artifacts and photos from the day. Quite interesting to be sure. This included being able to get a drink at the Long Branch saloon or a meal at the restaurant.
Once done here we continued on to Wichita, where we found a suitable hotel to spend the night. We had been watching a storm coming our way while we were in Dodge City, so by the time we stopped and got a room, then went to a nearby Denny's for a meal, the storm had caught up to us. We were drenched when we left the restaurant, but that was really the only time we had a problem with rain the entire trip!
Day 15 - Kansas, Missouri
Our target for this day was Branson, Missouri and in no time at all we found ourselves right in the middle of it. It was decided we would forego the tour of Ripley's Believe It Or Not there and instead just view the sights and have a meal.
Once we left Branson, our primary target was West Plains, Missouri, where we hoped to find accommodations for the night. The initial outlook for our last night on the road was kind of bleak, due to events taking place in this college town and we ended up settling for a less than stelar example of a hotel. At least it was fairly clean and cheap! We managed to get 2 adjoining rooms for less than the price we were used to paying for one! Melody told me the next morning that she spent the night holding on to her switchblade knife. LOL!
After the morning ritual of showers, packing and a quick breakfast, we were once again on the road headed east. I believe we stopped at a Stuckey's on the way where this picture of the big 66 sign was taken. In no time at all we found ourselves just outside of Amarillo, Texas, where our next stop was to be.
It is visible from I-40, but we exited to get a closer look at the Cadillac Ranch. Quite a sight to see, 10 old Cadillacs buried front down with their tails in the air at a predetermined angle. Primarily an art statement, the creator invites those who stop by to paint a message or two on any or all of the cars.
As you can see in the picture, our names were painted, but I doubt very much they were visible for long as many people stop by to do the same thing. Just another attraction of out trip, which I hope to see again when we do the complete Route 66 discovery tour the next time.
Once on the road again, we turned northeast at Amarillo and headed towards Oklahoma, and then Kansas, and our next stop. We saw a lot of oil wells along the way, but not a lot of anything else. Of course by this time, all of the scenery was pretty much the same as we had been seeing all of our trip, so even the picture takers (Melody), was quiet. A rare occasion for sure!
Our next stop was Dodge City, and despite no sign of Matt, Doc, Festus, Miss Kitty or Chester, Melody did find a steer she tried to milk! It seems the old west portion of this town was destroyed by 2 fires in 1885, so a replica was constructed and maintained, complete with a twice daily gunfight enacted by local characters.
And this replica was not just a facade, you could walk through each store and look at the various old artifacts and photos from the day. Quite interesting to be sure. This included being able to get a drink at the Long Branch saloon or a meal at the restaurant.Once done here we continued on to Wichita, where we found a suitable hotel to spend the night. We had been watching a storm coming our way while we were in Dodge City, so by the time we stopped and got a room, then went to a nearby Denny's for a meal, the storm had caught up to us. We were drenched when we left the restaurant, but that was really the only time we had a problem with rain the entire trip!
Day 15 - Kansas, Missouri
Our target for this day was Branson, Missouri and in no time at all we found ourselves right in the middle of it. It was decided we would forego the tour of Ripley's Believe It Or Not there and instead just view the sights and have a meal.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
June Trip-part 7
Day 12 - Nevada, Arizona
We left the lap of luxury in the desert and headed east this morning. Once we were away from the city, we found ourselves at the nearby Hoover dam. With freshly charged cameras the photo opportunities were many and so the girls took off walking across the dam while Jim and I found some shade near the car to wait for them.
Once they had all the pictures they wanted we picked them up and headed towards our next destination, which was the Grand Canyon. We found another place to take some pictures along the route as Jim spotted this old car lot in the middle of nowhere. After many pictures had been taken we were once again on the road towards a very big hole in the ground.
It was getting close to dark by the time we finally got there, but we still managed to get many photos of the canyon and surrounding area. It is difficult to find the words to describe this wonder of nature, but it is indeed Grand, with a capital G!
We were supposed to drive on to Winslow, Arizona, but as late at it was, we decided to find a room in the nearby Flagstaff, Arizona. Unfortunately, we could not locate a suitable place, so we ended up driving on to Winslow and quickly found a room there. Just time for a quick bite to eat and then to bed to get ready for the next day's adventures.
Day 13 - Arizona, New Mexico
Before we left Winslow, we decided to visit the corner made famous by the song, so yet another photo session was found here. The flatbed Ford truck was parked there, along with a statue of the song's author, Jackson Browne. In addition there was a mural on the wall of the nearby building portraying a girl driving the flatbed Ford. A large Route 66 sign was painted on the intersection so I had a have a picture of that.
We weren't the only ones there at the time, a couple from Nova Scotia in the pictured hot rod was doing the whole Route 66 thing. Kind of made Jim and I want to do the same thing some day. Lots of stuff to see on the mother road.
Once we left Winslow, our trip mainly consisted of driving. As we would not able to get to our next attraction before dark, we decided to spend the night in another Route 66 town near the Texas border, Tucumcari, New Mexico. More pictures to take and then a meal and a good night's rest.
We left the lap of luxury in the desert and headed east this morning. Once we were away from the city, we found ourselves at the nearby Hoover dam. With freshly charged cameras the photo opportunities were many and so the girls took off walking across the dam while Jim and I found some shade near the car to wait for them.
Once they had all the pictures they wanted we picked them up and headed towards our next destination, which was the Grand Canyon. We found another place to take some pictures along the route as Jim spotted this old car lot in the middle of nowhere. After many pictures had been taken we were once again on the road towards a very big hole in the ground.
It was getting close to dark by the time we finally got there, but we still managed to get many photos of the canyon and surrounding area. It is difficult to find the words to describe this wonder of nature, but it is indeed Grand, with a capital G! We were supposed to drive on to Winslow, Arizona, but as late at it was, we decided to find a room in the nearby Flagstaff, Arizona. Unfortunately, we could not locate a suitable place, so we ended up driving on to Winslow and quickly found a room there. Just time for a quick bite to eat and then to bed to get ready for the next day's adventures.
Day 13 - Arizona, New Mexico
Before we left Winslow, we decided to visit the corner made famous by the song, so yet another photo session was found here. The flatbed Ford truck was parked there, along with a statue of the song's author, Jackson Browne. In addition there was a mural on the wall of the nearby building portraying a girl driving the flatbed Ford. A large Route 66 sign was painted on the intersection so I had a have a picture of that. 
We weren't the only ones there at the time, a couple from Nova Scotia in the pictured hot rod was doing the whole Route 66 thing. Kind of made Jim and I want to do the same thing some day. Lots of stuff to see on the mother road.
Once we left Winslow, our trip mainly consisted of driving. As we would not able to get to our next attraction before dark, we decided to spend the night in another Route 66 town near the Texas border, Tucumcari, New Mexico. More pictures to take and then a meal and a good night's rest.
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