No work, yet a lot of work

No work today due to MLK day. My employer decided to take away one of our 2 floating holidays and make us take MLK day off. Don't quite agree with that at all! Why don't we have a holiday for JFK, or yet the 9/11 incident?! Anyhow, I started painting some of the garage with primer and put some more mud over the crappy job by the builder, Dan Ryan Homes. Please DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BUILDER! YOU WILL REGRET IT! I also drove the vette to a classic car restoration company to get a quick look of their shop and a slight idea of a cost I might expect for body work and paint. I'll be meeting with him again once I get all the paint and primer off the car down to the glass. THen they'll be able to give me a good estimate of cost and time. I'm also continuing to work on the basement and I am nearing the completion of the bike shop area. Yesterday Julz got a good photo of Thane being goofy (see below). He was chasing his dog while playing his harmonica, then I heard him on his horse. I yelled at Julz to go get the camera...it was too funny!

Resto update

Not much to say. Below are a few picks of my heater core replacement. No problems until I was re-installing the bolt on the bottom inner decided to snap off as I was tightening it down! However, it is in tight enough for now. I'll have to remove it again when I replace everything in the dash, like wiring, and I'll fix it then.

Photo Update

Here are a few photos of the car in the garage with a fresh coat of epoxy floor paint. I'm currently prepping the drywall for paint. I hope to have it done this weekend to sand and apply primer.

I'm also working on the basement for a finished play area for Thane and friends, as well as a bike shop area. I also applied the extra epoxy floor paint to the shop floor area.

Season's Greetings!

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! We hope you all received our X-mas card!?

We hope you all had a nice holiday and were able to take some time off from your work. We were very busy, and being back at work almost feels like a vacation compared to the last 2 weeks. It began with the builder of our new home coming in to fix the problems with our new home that were not finished/fixed prior to our closing. Which they are still not done! We then had our family X-mas prior to leaving home to visit the families. Then it was off to Michigan.

Our 1st stop was across the street from our previous home visiting our good friends Bernie and Nikki. They were kind enough to have us while we were in-town for Julie’s doctor visit and my dentist visit. I had chipped a molar that was previously done with an overlay, similar to a crown, back in September while eating dinner in China. Then about a week before the X-mas break I discovered another piece just fell out. This piece ended up creating a void between the molar and the wisdom tooth for food to compact into. Well Long story short the dentist here wanted to pull the wisdom tooth and re-do it with a crown and the previous dentist fixed it as is and for free!

We then left from there and headed to Ohio to see the in-laws. The 3 of us all came down with a cold, mine was drainage of the sinus’ which caused a caugh. This was bad as every cough made it feel as though my tooth was popping out! It finally subsided by X-mas. We also visited with my sister and family, as Tonya is preparing to head back to Iraq for another tour of duty. This trip is to be at least 6 months. I think she is heading to Tikrit, north of Bagdag. This will be her longest tour yet, and I think it is her 5th, all previous trips have been no more than 2 months. My parents get the joy of watching her 2 kids at her home in Ft. Wayne. They are not happy as they should be in their new home enjoying retirement in SC on the lake. We then left returning home the afternoon of the day after X-mas.

Once home we tried to relax for a day and unpack from the trip. We forgot a fish tank for Thane that Bob and Judy gave to us while we were loading the truck. So, after getting all excited, we had to go to Wal-Mart and buy a small tank for the interim. They plan to visit in a few months and they will bring it with them.

I’ve also started working on finishing the basement. I have a main dividing wall in place and I am nearing completion of the bike shop area in the rear of the basement. I also painted ½ of the garage floor and the bike shop area. I plan to paint the other half of the garage possibly this weekend, since the temps are to be approaching 70 and no lower than 50! I sure don’t miss the MI weather!

Also in the house I have ran the surround sound system and had internet installed. We just need to find something to cover the wires to be able to paint them to match the wall color to have them blend in and not be as noticeable. I also ran a coax cable from the TV into the basement so I can watch the Bowl games while working.

Tonight I’ll be working on the Vette again. Matt will be coming over after work to lend a hand. I have a small leak at the rear of the engine where the intake meats the block. I need to remove the intake and re-install it. This time I will not use the rubber gaskets, only silicone and the crush gaskets. I also still need to get the oil pressure gauge and temp gauge connected to the car’s gauges. This is a top priority before I begin driving it long distances, as I cannot tell how warm the engine is getting.

One final note…After returning from a short 30min road ride last night I discovered that I received an email from the 24Hrs of Adrenalin. I’ve been invited back to the World Championships. My last race with them was 2yrs ago at the US Nat’ls where I let a mechanical end my race. I truly believe I was the best racer, and If I’d finished I would’ve easily won the race, but that’ll never be known. Anyhow, this year’s event is to be held at that same venue at Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. This course is a great flowing course and the climbs will be very manageable for me while competing on a Single Speed this time! Julie and I are still discussing it and plan to make our decision by the end of the month! We’ll be able to fly there on my flyer miles so the cost of the trip will be fairly low. Maybe I’ll be able to solicit an event sponsor to pick up the tab for the rental car or entry fee!? Let me know if you have any interested parties!

I’ll be posting photos again within a few days of things noted in our update. Keep in touch!

08 December 2006 - Recording cancelled

Well the PC called and cancelled on me just as I was preparing to leave Tues night! Apparently they waited until then to review what I sent them for my counter-suit last Fri. They then decided it was too much for them to handle. I guess they can't handle dealing with an actual case with real issues that need resolved that have a detailed list with facts! I imagine, as in most of the reality shows, they are just looking for the rediculous, throw-out cases strictly for entertainment!Oh well, I guess I'll wait and see if I get served. Apparently they find these things in public records in area courts. So, he must've filed with his court in NJ. They sent me a copy of his filing, but it did not have any dates or case numbers. They stated all that they heard was late December.

01 December 2006 - Duuh-da-da…da^-dunt….

SIT DOWN!!! You are about to get a big laugh!

I received a letter in the mail from People’s Court! Yes, seriously, the TV show! Apparently it is claiming that Mr. PJ Vinch III, the person who sold us our Vette, has filed a small claims suit against me. I have no idea what this guy is thinking! This is absurd! I paid him every dollar as per our agreement, and have it all documented. If anyone was to sue someone it would be me against him for failure to supply all the goods promised with the sale, and for the false advertisement in his add about the condition of the vehicle and parts! I actually threatened to take him to court a couple of months ago because of his failure to follow through as promised. My cousin, the officer, was even there to witness his continued promises. I chose not to mainly due to time and hassle since it was the same time I was traveling the world for work. We were also dealing with the house situation. I have all of our email correspondence and the receipts from buying all the parts and work on the engine just to get it to start. He has no legs to stand on!

Anyhow, this letter is a 1 page write-up asking me to call-in and discuss my side of the case. I would definitely do it if they were to pay me up-front and put in writing they would not make me look ridiculous unless of course it was a large amount of money! Last thing I want is to be on world TV and made a fool of like the American Idol contestants. But then maybe this would open up my movie career I always wanted!? Hahaha

The letter claims there is a suit filed. I have yet to be served by a real court. It states that if we do this the People’s Court pays all of the court fees and judgments. Basically if some ridiculous reason if he were to win I would not pay a dime, but if he lost, as he should, I would be given the amount claimed. Julie and mom both think this is ridiculous that I shouldn’t do it…What are your comments?! I have called-in but I had to leave a voicemail. My first question will be “What suit has been filed against me?”, as there is no explanation for his suit on this letter. Then I will ask why he doesn’t do it in a real court. Most-likely because the court would throw it out!!

Anyhow, send me your comments! I’ve not stopped laughing since last night!!! hahahahahahahahaha

13 November 2006 - It was a cold ride

It was a cold ride, but a good one! Yes, I finished the brakes with another late night on Sat at 3AM Sun. All that was left was hooking up the throttle cable. This was no easy task. The only easy part was buying a ball stud, but then I had to attach the cable. The original cable did not have the plastic fitting on the end for a bracket, instead it was clamped. So, I bought a universal bracket, the only one I could find, and found a small bracket to clamp the cable housing onto it. It worked!

The brakes still need some work. I had to go back a few times to re-tighten some fittings that had some small leaks. I also need to have a 2nd helper to help me make sure all air is out of the system, as it is pretty soft still. It was pretty difficult doing it solo, and at 2AM!

I also spent a few hours at the office in the model shop Sat morning to weld the radiator support. I had to manufacture some brackets to be able to mount the correct radiator in the car. The radiator and support that were in the car were for an automatic big block engine. I then painted it up and it actually looks like it belongs!

Anyhow, I took the 1st drive yesterday afternoon. Deffinitely need to get some new shocks as it is like sitting on a board it is so stiff! However, I can tell already that it has a ton of power! This is gonna be one fun ride when it's done!

10 November 2006 - Easy day, Hard night

Last night was spent working on the car again. I'm getting frustrated with getting this thing driving! I was up until 2AM. I did get a lot accomplished. I reinstalled the shifter assembly and mounting plate, the mounting bracket for the transmission, attached the transmission to the bracket, tightened down all the bolts in the drivetrain (new u-joints installed), installed the rear differential mounting bracket, did a lot of cleaning of the underside (as we'll be getting a lift to park Julie's car under it), re-attached the front cable for the parking brake (started installing the rear and the new shoes), installed the clutch assembly, and to top it off I put in about 8 gallons of premium gas which was only $1.47 per gallon!!!! Yup...$1.47 per gallon!!! I filled up the Tahoe and the gas cans. Too bad I was limited to 30 gallons.

Today a co-worker is planning to help me with modifying the radiator support. It is not the correct one (it is for a big block) so the radiator is too small for it. We have 2 mounts welded on already but need 2 more and a clasp. Then I'll need to rig-up the hoses until I get the correct ones. It'll be hard to keep them from interferring with the fan and belts. However, I will not continue using the blocks of wood as we no longer live in WV...Hahaha!

Tonight I'll be doing the rear brake line blocks, parking brakes, installing the new rotors and pads, and filling the brake system with brake fluid. I also need to figure out how to connect the accelerator cable. I bought a universal bracket, but it won't work on its own. I just hope to get it all done. I really want to be able to drive it by the end of the weekend, as I'll be gone for training Tues to Thurs and upon returning we'll be heading to Disney World not returning until after Thanksgiving.

I've been posting things on ebay again, hoping to make some more money to help offset some of the car costs. Selling a lot of bike stuff and other misc things from around the house.

I also need to find time to squeeze in oil changes for our Tahoe and GP. I figured once the Vette is drivable I can remove it from the ramps to use for the changes.

06 November 2006 - Iceman results are in!

A good friend of mine deserves major KUDOS!!! Congrats to Mike "SiMonster" Simonson on winning the Iceman as well as the proclaimed Midwest Triple Crown! Link to the article on VeloNews: http://www.velonews.com/race/mtn/articles/11152.0.html Way to go, Mike!!!

05 November 2006 - Apples or Pumkins?

Thane can't decide which he likes best.

Here he decided to have an apple, or two! We saw the fridge door open, then when we walked over there he was on the floor having a snack! hahaha The 2nd picture is him showing off his new pumkin that he carved with his daddy.