Thursday, May 27, 2010

Future Plans

I am perfectly happy going with the 5.3 Vortec though.

Sweet Dreams

Thing 1 (we actually call her Bugsy now) sleeping again. That was on Tuesday. She called in sick on Wednesday. 14th sick day since December.

We had a going away lunch today for a guy who is going into the army. She was there, so there shouldn't be any doubt (not there ever was in my, or my other coworkers, minds) how long her lunch break was today. She'll probably still leave at 5:10.

On Monday she got here at 9:30 and when my boss went to a meeting she slipped out at 5:05. She didn't skip on her mandatory trip to Subway for her daily Jared special either.

Tuesday she told our boss she got here early! which was in reality 8:55. She left at 5:10.


Monday, May 24, 2010

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

So you want to own a 20 year old truck?

Got the Jeep registered yesterday morning and I was itching to take it out for a spin all day. After dinner, I grabbed my two youngest kids and headed off to the mall to buy z wife a birthday present.

It was raining pretty hard out, I bought new wipers later by the way, and of course being a man it didn't dawn on me that the kids should have been wearing jackets. We left the store and hustled to the truck, aaand it wouldn't start. Did I flood it? Is the choke not working? Something get wet? Let it sit for a few minutes aaand it didn't start. Rinse and repeat.

Time to call z wife to pick us up (remember the commercial with the dusty guy on a motorcycle and his wife picks him up on the side of the road with the minivan) buuut I left my phone at home.

Run back into the mall, its raining hard remember, to find a phone. Pay phones are extinct. Luckily the Guest Services desk lets me use theirs. I had to call twice. Stupid call waiting.

Anyway, it dawned on me during the embarassing ride home, that it was probably out of gas. Sure enough a half hour later after a gallon of lawnmower gas was added to the tank and the carb primed, it fired right up.

It's been a looong time since I've run out of gas. These things happen with a new vehicle. Just remember, 1/4 tank means E M P T Y.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

My New Ride

A 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

AMC 360 V8
143K Miles
The last American carbureted engine
A collector's item
$800. A steal, but the guy was happy that it was going to a good home.
At the very least, I won't lose money.
It made the drive home. Cruised along the highway at 65 without skipping a beat. My only fear was that it would stall while while in the full serve line at the toll booth. It didn't.















































































































































For sale: 1999 Dodge Dakota 3.9 V6 4x4 147,000 miles. Runs awesome. AC has a leak. Rust hole in one fender. Interior perfect. Back tires almost brand new. New brake pads, rotors on the front. New brake shoes on the back. A bunch of other new parts. $1750 OBO.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Oh yes. You will be mine.

If there is any justice in this world, this baby will be mine by tomorrow evening.


I took a better picture this afternoon with my phone, but unfortunately I left my card reader at work.

It rides nice, like an old truck should. Part solid, part rickety with a big giant hood out in front of you. Loved it. In fact, I may need to pony up the extra 10 bucks and get a personalized plate.
My only fear is that the price is a misprint (I didn't want to ask him, since I didn't have the cash on me, and didn't want him to have all night to rethink his asking price).

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Bronco II Update

I went to look at the Bronco II in yesterday's post. The body and frame are solid. No rust whatsoever other than the surface rust on the hood and roof. It ran rough, but it didn't smoke or knock which leads me to believe it is just in dire need of a tune up.

Unfortunately, there was a deal breaker. It is NOT 4wd as stated in the craigslist ad. Oh well. Maybe I could talk them down to $250, find a donor vehicle (with 4wd), and convert it. It doesn't look hard.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Monday, May 10, 2010

Butterflies and Wheelies: Random Recollections of Hatfield-McCoy 2010 by A. Richard Gagne

Best gallon of milk ever. Ever. Needle nose pliers, vise-grips and mammoth crawdads. I think you have a bad bearing. It's been making that noise all day. Oops. Your tools smell like cat food. Too much fun. What's the code for the door? Rain + Buffalo Mountain. We should leave him behind, but what if he rolled it again? Evil Yamahas. Candy cigarettes? Wow. Candy cigarettes. Ouch, a butterfly to the face at 40 miles an hour. Coal hill completely impossible this year. Not getting shafted at the ATV parts store. You're in my personal space. Extremely dusty. I wish it would rain. Oops. At least its not dusty anymore. It was awesome. If I was 25 and had no kids, I would get one. Maybe I should check my bearings too. You would think a Yamaha would be on its best behavior when surrounded by so many Hondas. Too much fun. I almost had a date tonight. Whatcha got there? A bowl of dirt. A wheelie from Kentucky to West Virginia. Hans broke Todd's machine. He stole two of Howard's beers. Trail 31, a little rough this year, but still my favorite. I always forget, but heading towards Gilbert is the best way. West Virginia tattoos. smiley face. Barbeque chicken pizza. Three times. Puddles. No Entry. Purple Monte Carlo. Sleep talking. Old Milwaukee. Starters closed. Too much fun. Chinese knock-off knock-offs. Big A's hole. Nate's hill. Rob's corner. Zach's curb. I need my own spot.