Cold Weather Maintenance

No, not maintenance for cold weather but in cold weather. There are plenty of things I could be doing to the cars at this moment. It's starting to snow outside and the Broncos are currently losing to the Dolphins. It's blustery out there too. When I was younger the cold weather didn't seem to bother me as much. Now the perfect day for working on the cars is in the 70's and in the garage. The problem with that, is the garage is full of crap and the work needing done has to be done in the driveway. So, my truck sits. I need to rebuild the transmission...again. The one that's in it now was purchased from Monster Transmission just a few years ago. I'm kind of disappointed that it's dead already, but I can't put the blame entirely on them. The poor thing was towed quite a bit when I was having fuel pump problems. Not by a tow truck, but by a strap, flat towing it home. I still have the original trans in the garage. I need to get a rebuild kit and new parking pawl for it and rip into it. Once I get it rebuilt I can get under and swap it out with the unit that's in there. But...it's winter. Well...close enough. It's cold and blustery.

Photo from January While working on my truck.

First Car

Your first car. A special vehicle for all of us. Our first glimpse at freedom and independence. A representation of getting out from under our parents thumbs. Usually our largest responsibility to date. "It's time to grow up."

A 1971 Chevrolet Vega Panel Express was mine.

Photo Courtesy  Bob Kenyon

2300cc l4 engine with the optional 2 barrel carb, giving it 110 hp. Dad even got the optional passenger seat. This was one of Chevy's ugly ducklings. It looked great on paper. Aluminum engine block saved on weight, but when combined with the cast iron head, led to long term problems. This car was designed to be shipped and thrown away without much thought of what happened in the middle.

Photo courtesy Autoblog

Mom and Dad got it new. Then my brother Bob had it in college. It finally made it’s way to me when I was about 14. As I remember the clutch was shot. This is the car that got me into cars. One day Dad came home from work and I had cleaned out the garage and had the Vega up in the air pulling the transmission out. He asked “You know what you’re doing under there?” I responded with “Yep, Got a manual!” That’s not something you’d want to hear from a mechanic, but from a 14 year old, it must have been a treat.

I drove the hell out of that car. It got me through high school and into college. I carried extra head gaskets with me. I could change a head gasket in about 10 minutes on the side of the road.

This photo is me at about 10 years old throwing a snowball at my brother.

Photo courtesy Bob Kenyon

Shortly into college, the engine blew. Not having time I asked Mom and Dad to check and see what a professional rebuild would cost. They got an estimate of $1800. I told them to hold off and I’d see what I could come up with. This is where the story begins of me and VW’s

Tom Magliozzi Dies At 77

photo-Susan Walsh/AP

Ahhh. Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers. What a great listen back in the day. You will be missed Tom. Read more over at NPR.

Winter is Here

Let's be careful out there. Winter is upon us.

Branding

We all know someone that loves Chevys and hates Fords. Name any set of automobile brands and you will find someone that loves one and hates the other. It may come from what our families owned while we were growing up. Perhaps we had no preference until we owned a car that was a lemon.

I grew up a Chevy fan. Which, of course, included the other GM brands. My second was the Chrysler brands and I hated Ford. Shortly after I was born my parents ordered a '69 Chevy wagon and a '69 RS/SS Camaro. These were later traded in for a couple Vegas; a Kamback (wagon) and a panel. The panel eventually became my first car and I loved it, despite the fact I had to carry extra head gaskets with me. Also in the mix of cars I grew up with was a '76 Nova, a '77 Blazer, an '86 Olds Firenza and a '77 Chevy pickup that I still drive.