Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[unimogjohn]

Still Thursday, PM. Finished up strapping the car to the trailer. I like to use the X pattern as it tends to stop the side to side movement of the car. But I don't think that she is going to move a bit during the trip. Smelled gas when I went into the trailer and gas was coming out the filler. Expansion and the car is on a downward angle resulted in a spill. So I removed about two gallons to make sure it does not happen again. No harm done. Made sure everything was aired out before I put the battery charger on. Oh, and I got a note that the new Optima 6 volt battery will be here on Tuesday. Too late. We will be long gone. Just going to take the battery charger just in case. But we should be fine.

Now that the McLaughlin out out of the garage, the Jaguar gets to go in. So took the opportunity to take a nice twenty mile drive through the countryside before I put her away. Sure runs good.

Here are a couple of pics.

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, July 12th, early PM. Heading out to put some wax on the fenders of the 23 MB. We had a whopper of a storm last night. Lots of thunder and lightning. We got 2.5 inches of rain out of it and more is suppose to be coming in this afternoon. Sure glad I got everything moved around yesterday.

And we have a report from Greg.

" A request from the peanut gallery. More squirrel pictures!

OK, here's a typical scene on a typical commute home after a typical day's work. A hungry mouth waiting patiently to be fed.

While on that subject, getting in more time with the nighttime flyers. Since I've developed a routine for feeding them, they've starting to anticipate me. Quite often they will fly to the feeder to meet me. They come swooping in like shadows in the night. Holding a flashlight, sometimes you can see them but usually not. They move a lot of air when they fly by. I can't tell if they are playing with me or trying to run me off, but they even buzz me. Last night twice. Once beside me and once, if I had hair he'd have put a part in it. The draft felt is like someone blowing out a candle. The other night one grazed my wrist, it felt like being brushed by a feather.

They make sounds. Sometimes squeaking to each other, but last night there must have been something up in Squirrel City. One chirped like a baby bird.

And like the day grays, they chase each other to maintain a pecking order. Squirrel racing I call it. They're a pleasant diversion from milling metal.

Avanti 5054? I've gotten the universal joints installed and the driveshaft in place. Old wheels on and jack stands out, it's back on the ground, but after all that work the car still looks the same. "Sheesh" as Trimacar would say.

I've a new master cylinder on order, should be in today. That would leave the power brake booster. I've started stripping the paint from it prior to sending it out for overhaul.

Knocked offline by last night's storm, and not having many braincells available first thing in the morning, this installment is on it's way."

=

[avantey]

John- That is either a small car or a very large trailer! Those rear straps go forever even with the front ones looking extended well out there. Kinda looks like the '13 Stude when tied down but that is a very short WB roadster.

I guess I drempt the grease seal sequence of pictures. I have spent the last few nites looking everywhere I usually roam and beyond on the net and can't find it. In the garage time I have the rear brakes all reassembled but the drums won't go on. I will fiddle with the eccentrics but they look fully retracted. I also took a second look at the drums- even though I degreased and scuffed them they still have a grease brown/rust color. I went to three shops around work at lunch and no one has an old enough AAMCO lathe to turn them. All the newer machines have a larger shaft that the drum will not go on. I have one shop at home to try but may end up using a machine shop. It will be more money with setup and all but it may be the only option in this area. I know this is happening with tire machines but now with doing old brakes too? If you have the room buy one of each machine while they are still available, wish I could.

Have a good trip John an enjoy the show,

[unimogjohn]

Bill, the trailer 26 ft. When I bought it I figured that I could put some cabinets in the front for storage, etc. As you can see I have not done that yet. The reason I bought the trailer was that it was too good of a deal to pass up. When I first saw it I immediately thought of the movie I saw a lad. It was titled The Long, Long Trailer with Desi and Lucy in 1953, and I was 7 years old. Here is the movie trailer for it. Go to minute 2 and this is what my usual predicament is.

Still raining off and on here. I did spend some time waxing the 23. Got all the fenders, cowling and hood done. Tomorrow will finish up the rest. Too humid to more.

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, June 14th AM. Spent the day yesterday waxing the 23 McLaughlin Buick in the trailer. She is all done and ready for the Buick Nationals in South Bend, IN. Wheels up is tomorrow about 7 or 8 AM. Going to stop somewhere near Toledo, OH for the night and then roll into South Bend about mid afternoon. It is about a 640 mile trip. Now if we can just get out the pasture. We got a total of 6.2 inches of rain over the past two days. Hope that today is dry.

Will post reports on the show and the hotel is suppose to have access to the internet. I am sure that I will be taking lots of pics too.

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, July 15th, AM. Almost time to head to South Bend and the Buick Nationals. Have to put in a few more things and then see if we can get out of the pasture and onto the road. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive.

But before I sign off, here is a weekend report from Greg.

"Busy weekend, good weekend.

Work on Avanti 5054: Some shop cleanup uncovered a few parts that were on the misplaced category. A few things good to have back.

Today I began cleaning and repairing the underhood wiring harness. Not only is the tape covering in need of renewing, but some of the wire and terminal ends are in need of help. I'm replacing some of the wire and reusing the terminals. Time consuming, but worth the effort."

=

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday, but PM. Made it 465 miles from home. We stopped as planned near Toledo, OH about 6 PM. It was hot, over 90 most of the way. But it was comfortable inside the truck. It liked to run about 58 mph, 2,000 rpm, and we got 10.5 mpg. Not bad for pulling a heavy load. Fueled up once, $103 for 29 gallons. Gas was $3.61 per gallon.

Really no issues except that a check engine light came on for an hour or so and when went off. It kicked off when a sound like a turbine spooling up when we pulled away from a traffic light. It did not sound like it was coming either from the engine or transmission. Could the vicious fan do this? The alternator is reading about 13.8 volts, it usually reads 14.2. I will have to watch both things tomorrow.

We have 133 miles to go to South Bend so we will take our time tomorrow and leave here around 11 AM or so and get into the hotel about 2:30 PM

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, July 16th, early PM. We made it to South Bend and are checked into the hotel. Very nice digs. Just a few cars here so far that we can see. Will be moving the trailer to its special parking area tomorrow. Right now we are in the middle of the show field. Kinda lonely out there right now. Going to take a couple of tours tomorrow, maybe the Studebaker museum. Glad we are at home base and can relax. More tomorrow. Oh, met the show host, Mike, and he said that they expect about 400 cars in total.

[r1lark]

Good to hear you got to SB safely John. Post lots of pictures, including from the Studebaker Musuem

How is the weather up there, as hot and humid as Virginia?

[unimogjohn]

Paul, it seems hotter, but it is about the same, humidity is lower. But it is still hot, 96 degrees hot.

[SeventhSon]

John, I second what Paul said! Have fun - I wish I was there :cool:

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, later in PM. Joe (Packick on this forum) and his bride Kathy rolled into the hotel after flying all day from Seattle, WA. We had a nice dinner at the hotel and decided what we are going to do tomorrow. Will register in the morning and then we will be heading off to the Auburn Cord Dusenberg Museum Home and then to the town of Shipshewana in the afternoon. Shipshewana Home Page - Welcome to the Town of Shipshewana in Indiana Of course there is dinner and Joe found a great recommendation for a place that does great fried chicken so we will head there, wherever that is. Joe just sent me a link to the restaurant. http://www.riegsecker.com/shipshewana/bluegaterestaurant/

Edited July 17, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[SeventhSon]

Hmmm...after checking out the restaurant link I really do wish I was there!

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, July 17th PM. Done for the day, and it was a good one. Spent the morning at the ACD museum. What an outstanding collection and museum. We spent over four hours there and that was quick. Many beautiful cars, and most I have never seen before. Will upload pics tomorrow and post a few. I think I took 160 pictures.

We then headed for lunch and of course had fried chicken and all the fixings. We then decided to go to a huge open air flea market close by that was billed as the biggest in Indiana. Well, it probably was, but the quality of the market items was not worth the effort to walk up and down the isles in about 100 degrees. So we packed it in and headed back to the hotel.

Many more cars came in today. Here are some pics of just some of them. We met up with Larry and Joan. They drove their 37 from PA in two days. Only had a couple of over heating issues, but they made the 500 or so miles. We also heard that Dave made it in his 1928 Buick. Will meet up with him tomorrow. Remember that I bought the engine block for my 28 from Dave. He is from Baltimore, MD.

Tomorrow is another day. We are going to take the 23 through tech inspection and then will head off to the Studebaker Museum. Think that we will hit the pool tomorrow PM.

It has been really hot here, you just cannot be out in the sun for too long. Tomorrow will be hot too, but thunderstorms are expected for Friday. Saturday is suppose to cool off to the low 80s and overcast. Now that sounds great for the show.

[unimogjohn]

Here are a few pics from the ACD Museum. I have tried to up the car information with each pic. Hope that it is readable. The model and year of the car are on the bottom of the placards.

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, July 18th, early PM. Heading off to dinner tonight at the Studebaker home in South Bend. Looking forward to it.

The day started out really nice. Joe and I hit the flea market, and we were able to find some stuff. Joe got a couple of horn buttons for his 55 Century, a rear license plate emblem, carb, and thinking of a NOS air cleaner set up. Me? I got a new spark plug wires and connectors for the 23. Mine are OK, but they are a bit too short and have a habit of popping out of the distributor cap when I use the spark control. Nice new set from Bob's Automobilia.

Then we pulled the 23 McLaughlin Buick out of the trailer and started her up. Actually, she started really well and I stalled it getting it out of the trailer. Of course it flooded and it took most of the battery to get her going again. But we made it to the show field and to pre-inspection. Lights, check, fire extinguisher, check, paperwork, check, turn signals, we all held out our arms, check. Made it through. We got our pictures taken and then headed to a parking stall for the day to let folks take a look at her. Here are a couple of pics.

We then headed to the Studebaker museum for a few hours. It was another great museum. Who knew all the different cars Studebaker produced over the years. I especially like the 30s and early 50s cars in addition to the Avanti. They also had a couple of concept cars from the 60s too. I took lots of pics and will post them tomorrow. But here are a few to keep you interested.

We made it back after lunch and it started to turn dark and sprinkle. So Joe let us off near the car and we ran to the 23. Of course we left the top down. We jumped in and she started right up. Headed up to the trailer about 1/4 of a mile away. By the time we got there it was coming down and we were laughing all the way. What a great time. As I pulled up into the trailer the skies opened up. It stormed it brains out for over thirty minutes. We hid in the Suburban and waited for Joe to come rescue us. We waited, waited, waited. But Joe never came.

We wiped down the car and its interior and then grabbed an umbrella and headed back to the hotel as the rain had let up. About an hour later as we watch from our room window, another huge gusher came with lots of wind. Cars were scrambling. A couple of convertibles had their tops down and were getting drenched. Glad that were were safely inside and the car was in the trailer.

Tomorrow we head off to a tour of Notre Dame University in the morning. In the afternoon we are going to unhook the trailer and fill the truck with gas and then head to the Hudson Museum.

Oh yes, and the we have the Buick pre-war forum breakfast tomorrow morning to meet all the guys.

Edited July 19, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday AM, July 19th. Hot again today and suppose to be heavy thunderstorms so the 23 will stay in the trailer while we are away visiting the Hudson Museum and NDU. Heading down to breakfast to visit with the forum guys soon. But first we have a report from Greg.

"Work goes on. Not much progress to show.

This evening I finished cleaning, repairing and retaping the underhood wiring harness on the black Avanti. Next I'll use the new clips that I made to secure it in place.

Yesterday was a day off the job. Saddled up old Seabiscuit, the maroon Avanti, and met Trimacar Coco. He was trying his luck with a newly rebuilt carburetor on his Pierce Arrow, and I was his wingman. A beautiful day to convoy to Rob Burchill's, the site of a stop of this week's AACA tour. It was a good crowd, well behaved even when provoked.

It was an opportunity for me to get some hands on, a Model A was acting up and I got to change the points, probably the first time I've done that since high school.

While wrenching, I also got some time with my International speed wagon, with assistance from Peter Jakab. It's good to get these museum types out of their usual surroundings and put them to work. Liked to have gotten that on film.

I also got to meet West Peterson and discuss a few things with him. He didn't like my shirt. The tour's evening entertainment was a showing of a silent film with organ accompaniment at the Weinberg Center. That's always a must .

Then an enjoyable drive back to Hyde Manor. Seabiscuit and I both enjoyed the day's run."

Note: Here is a bio of Peter Jakab. I had no idea he was also a Wright Brother's airplane expert. Dr. Peter Jakab | National Air and Space Museum

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, July 19th, PM. Just in from a late lunch at the hotel. The hotel had hot dogs and bratwurst plus the fixings for sale out in the courtyard. Beats heading out in a car to a restaurant.

We headed to the Buick pre-war forum members breakfast at 7 AM. It was fun to finally put some names to the monikers on the forum. Joe and I had a good time talking to a bunch of folks. We had our gift exchange, which is always fun. Joe finally got some GM books that he wanted after exchanging a Buick thermometer he initially won with Larry. I got a jigsaw puzzle of cars. My present was taken, a pair of fender lights from the 30s, and I think appreciated. We all had a fun time.

Then we got on the bus and headed to Notre Dame for a self guided walking tour. So we walked and walked and saw great school buildings and a very nice church. The grounds were beautiful with lots of trees and flowers. The girls enjoyed it. Nice to say that I saw it. Then it was back to the hotel and lunch.

The clouds are starting to roll in now and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon. Not many cars in the show field. Most are just parked around the hotel, but there are lots of Buicks.

Heading off to dinner tonight, think we will try Mexican for a change. Tomorrow morning around 6:30 I plan on getting the 23 out of the trailer and loaded with what we need for the show. About 7 we will head to the show field. Should be a fun day.

On Saturday afternoon we will load up for the trip home and then head to the big dinner at the hotel. On Sunday we will be making a B line for the farm. Will make it in one day so we will be on the road NLT 5 AM.

[SeventhSon]

Wow! That last car is especially nice. Fancy! If I was rich I would have one of those, for sure.

[packick]

John: I did get that air cleaner for my '55 Buick. I made a ridiculous offer and he accepted it. Also, here is a picture I took today:

[unimogjohn]

Joe, great pic.

Well, it is Saturday, July 20th, early AM, like 6 AM. Today is the big day, SHOW DAY.

Joe and I are meeting for breakfast and then heading up the hill to pull the 23 McLaughlin Buick out of the trailer and load her up with the stuff we will need for the day. We hope to be on the show field and in place about 7:30. We have to set up the display, put up the top and give her a quick dust off.

It is always fun to talk to folks about the car so I hope that we have a good turnout. Looks to be in the mid 80s as a cold front of sorts has rolled through last night. Should be a great day.

I am sure that Alice will be at her best inviting the young and old get in the car and have their picture taken. Always a delight to see the look on the faces of folks as they get in a 90 year old car. Such fun.

[trimacar]

Wow, John, sounds like y'all are having quite the adventure! And thanks for posting that about Peter, met him through Greg and helped him sell a Model A, knew he was "high up" at the museum, but wasn't aware of his great credentials!

Have fun and thanks for the pics and the reports (and glad you toured the ACD museum, it's one of the best......)

[Roger Zimmermann]

Last year, I had the pleasure to be invited to the Cadillac GN in Florida. It seems that there were less cars as usual (especially the people from California were not there) which may be an explanation: compared to what I'm seeing here, there were very few Cadillacs built before 1935.

Enjoy your stay and have a safe trip back!

[packick]

I thought I'd post a picture of John's McLaughlin Buick being judged at today's Buick National show. John is the one in the blue hat (and sorry about the blurriness of the picture but I had a smudge on my lens).

[unimogjohn]

Still Saturday, but 4 PM. Done for the day. We had a great time showing the car and talking to lots of folks. We invited lots of folks to get in and sit behind the wheel. Many did and the look on their faces was fantastic.

Joe and I got out to the car in the morning and prepared to pull her out. I went to check the radiator and the fill tube that holds the motometer spun off the radiator itself. The neck had broken loose from the radiator. Joe and I could not get the motometer off to we just had to hope we had enough water left in the radiator to keep the engine cool to the show field about a quarter of a mile away. So I have a repair to do when we get home. The radiator has to go back to the shop. Oh well. On the good side the seven year old battery held up and the car started on the first pull every time. I was very happy about that.

Competition was fierce on the show field. We were surprised at the number of cars in our class, 18 in total, and all were beautiful. There were also four 20's cars in the driven class too, and after judging we went over to their field and told them to come join us to keep all the cars together. They all did and everyone had a great time telling stories about their cars.

I was amazed that Dave drove his 28 the 640 miles from Baltimore, and another drove his 23 260 miles from Michigan. I am impressed.

All in all it was a great day. Hot, yes, but we made it through with lots of water and some shade under our big umbrella.

Here are some pics.

Tonight is the awards banquet. And then we hit the sack for a few hours and then head for home. The 23 is already loaded in the trailer and ready to go. All we have to do about 4 AM is grab our bags and a cup of coffee and we are off for home, which will probably take us twelve hours or so. We may have to stop for a nap and lunch/dinner, but that is about it.

If you ever get the chance to go to one of the big shows, do it. It is lots of fun and you meet great people.

[unimogjohn]

Still Saturday. Well the meet has been concluded, and we are packing and loading up for the trip home tomorrow. Going to be a very long day for sure.

The dinner and ceremonies were very good, and ran as quickly as possible. We got there a little before six and most of the tables were full, and folks were not told to come until 6:30. If we waited any longer we would have not been able to sit together. But we found a half full table and enjoyed meeting new folks and having a very good dinner.

The awards started with the oldest classes first. So if we were going to receive anything it would be soon. I must say I was surprised to hear our name read out. So with five others we headed to the awards platform. They announced the bronze award first, three of them, two silver and then one gold. Our 23 McLaughlin Buick received a Silver Award, so it received somewhere between 370 to 384 points out of 400 total. We were happy. Joe snapped my picture, Alice refused to go up. Here are a couple of pics of the assembled masses, and my receipt of the award, and then the award.

We are heading off to sleepy land and plan to get up about 4 AM for the trip home. So this will be my last report for a day or so. Hope you all enjoyed the adventure and encourages you to attend a show near you. It is a lot of fun.

[Woodfiddler]

Great job John. A proud moment for sure. Thank you for sharing your experiences and I hope you had a safe trip home.

Chuck

[r1lark]

Good deal John! Will you receive a copy of the judging form so you know exactly what your score was?

[unimogjohn]

Thanks everyone. We made it home. 597 miles in 13 hours. We left at 5 AM and arrived home at 6 PM. Of course the check engine light came on half way home, but it did not seem to affect performance. Will put the scan tool on it tomorrow and report.

Joe (packick on the forum) discussed the 2014 show in Portland, OR. Right now he plans to take his two Buicks and have them judged. We will fly back and drive one of them to Portland from their home near the Canadian/US border. It is probably a 6 hour or so trip. I am sure we will be talking more about it. Already looking forward to it.

Oh, and the Optima battery arrived for the 23. Good thing we did not need it. The 23 started just fine every time we asked. Tomorrow I will attempt to take off the motometer. I have a strap that I think should do it.

It is now later, found my oil filter nylon scrap wrench and put it on the neck of the radiator and held it tight. Then I was able to use the other hand to remove a tight motometer. This issue was not the fault of the radiator repair, rather me attempting to make sure the motometer was tight and lined up correctly. My fault totally. I will fill it with water tomorrow and see how bad the leak will be. One good thing is that the neck is at the top of the radiator and the water about two inches below that. But it does have to come out of the car and it shell, and back to the shop. I will have to decide when I am going to do it.

Edited July 21, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday morning, July 22nd. Boy was I rummy last night. I could still feel myself driving down the road five hours later. 600 miles is just about my max limit nowadays.

But today is another day. Got my Actron scanner out and am reading the manual. Will check the engine light codes this morning. I hope that it is something simple like "you are going too slow" rather than "replace engine".

It is good to be home, but we did have lots of fun at the show; and at six days, it was a vacation.

Charged up the Optima battery last nigh with the trickle charger to make sure it was good, it is. Oh, the Optima battery was $125 from Amazon.

And here is a pic of the wire set for the 23 that I bought from Bob's Automobilia. It is the correct color. The ends are on, boots are included too. So it is full kit. Not a bad deal for $50. Now I won't have to keep pushing in the wires into the cap all the time.

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday, AM. Put the code reader on the Suburban. Only one code came up. P0101, MAF or VAF A ckt Rns Perform. It looks like the MAF is dirty or not within spec. So I will get some special MAF cleaner and see if that does the trick. If not I will buy a new MAF for $65. I will give a report when I get it cleaned and have driven it a bit. If it throws the code again I will replace the MAF.

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday, late PM, it is dark! Waiting for a thunderstorm. Sure hope that one comes.

Unhitched the trailer and leveled, and stabilized it. So it is all set as a storage facility. Took off the hold down straps on the 23. Will start her up tomorrow and check the radiator. Then got the truck unpacked and everything put away. Oh no, the garage is full again.

At the car show they took your picture as you rolled to the inspection station. I usually do not buy anything, but Joe and Kathy decided that I should have a big picture. So here is a picture of the picture. The original is much more detailed. But you get the idea. They did a nice job added the reflection on the bottom. It is a very nice memento of the show. Thanks Joe and Kathy!

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, PM, July 24th. Been catching up on farm stuff, but I did have some four hours to work on the 03 Suburban. First I removed the MAF and cleaned it with some special cleaner. We will see if that works.

Then I tackled the thermostatic fan hub. Oh, now that was hard. It was welded by rust to the big hub of the water pump. I saw several Youtube videos on how to remove it. All just put a big wrench on it and hit it with a hammer. It always came off easily. Not mine. No amount of hitting a wrench with a hammer was going to cut it.

So I did some more searching on Youtube. I found one guy that used his air hammer/chisel to get it loose. I have one, and a 150 psi compressor. I gave it a try. After about two minutes of beating the big nut to pieces it finally gave up. Success, but what a job. It was a easy job to replace the fan hub.

I then took a look at the belts. The AC belt was about shot, so decided to replace both of them. Off to NAPA and $27 later I have both in my hot little hands. Got home and took off the old belts. Oh, the tensioner on the AC belt is a little too free. But I am not going to spend another hour going into town and getting a replacement. I will put it on my to do list.

So after a few hours, it is all back together.

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, AM, July 26th. Heading out this morning with the Suburban and horse trailer to pick up a ton of wood pellets for the winter heating. Actually, I have to make two trips as we get two tons. We will see if the engine computer throws the MAF not working code. Oh, and I ordered the tensioner for the AC belt. Should be here tomorrow or Monday.

And Greg is still doing fun stuff on his black Avanti. It is beginning to look like a car again. In one of the pic you will see the underside of the dash. Looks like there was a cat fight in there.

Here is Greg's report.

"Avanti 5054. Remembering how unbearably hot that car got in summer (black paint, black upholstery, automatic transmission) I thought I'd try that Dynamat insulation. Ordered and arrived, tonight I started the installation.

Needing the driver side floor done first, I cut a paper pattern and transferred it to the stuff.

It's like an aluminum foil with butyl rubber for an adhesive. After a good cleaning of the fiberglass body floor, I got it in position and started applying pressure to make it stick, then beat it into submission with a plastic mallet. Made sure that I covered the underside of that shelf in the engine compartment.

The toeboard carpet has also been fitted after some initial trimming. In an effort to reduce the cabin heat as much as possible, I've decided to use some Home Depot double surface aluminum foil insulation as a substitute for the jute usually found backing automotive carpet.

A reasonable amount of progress tonight, I'll do more carpet cut and trim this weekend."

[unimogjohn]

Here are the raw pics from the Studebaker Museum. https://plus.google.com/photos/108456879037339730707/albums/5904544859681757105?authkey=CIfAzqvL29__9gE#photos/108456879037339730707/albums/5904544859681757105?authkey=CIfAzqvL29__9gE

Here are the raw pics from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum.https://plus.google.com/photos/108456879037339730707/albums/5904573620586986625?authkey=CInPgI3SpZWFxQE#photos/108456879037339730707/albums/5904573620586986625?authkey=CInPgI3SpZWFxQE

Here are the raw pics from the 2013 Buick Nationals.

https://plus.google.com/photos/108456879037339730707/albums/5904576842853173169?banner=pwa&authkey=CPGTqa7eqNjnXA

Edited July 27, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, July 27th. Well yesterday we picked up one ton of wood pellets and then stacked them on the back deck. Today we have to do it all over again for our second ton. This will be our main heating supply for the winter.

I did get the Optima sealed battery installed in the 23 McLaughlin Buick. I had to put in a 2x6 piece of wood to raise it up so the cable would not be stretched. It fit fine and looks good. I did not start the car, but I did turn on the ignition and the starter/generator spun like a top. Much faster than with the old battery. I hope to start the car today if I get some time.

I did get the little tensioner for the 03 Suburban. I will put that in next week.

Off to see Steve and his 67 Camaro this morning. Going to help him do some maintenance work for a few hours. Think I will drive the Jaguar over there.

Edited July 27, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, raining hard here today, over one inch in twelve hours. But, cannot complain much, we need it.

Yesterday I was going to take the Jaguar XK 120 out, but I blew a fuse and did not have a replacement. I plugged my cell phone into the cigar lighter socket and it did not like that. Trouble is that fuse also powers the Pertronix distributor. So I got a new fuse last night and put it in. I went to start the engine and it would not start, not even sputter. Well, that is odd. But it was getting dark so left it for the night.

This morning I tried to start it again. No go. I started chasing the electricity, and the new fuse was good, 12.2 volts on both sides; checked the coil, 11.6 volts; and then removed a spark plug boot, put in a spare plug and grounded it, we have a good spark.

So it looks like fuel. Will tackle that tomorrow. I do have another non-standard electric fuel pump so may take out the SU pump and plumb it in. That is what a lot of the 120 owners do. The SU pumps go out just too often and are very expensive to buy new or rebuild. New they are over $400. A rebuild costs at least $220 or more.

Gee, and I was going to play with the Avanti today. Oh well.

[unimogjohn]

Still Sunday, but PM. The heavy rain has calmed down a bit. We are now at one and a half inches, and a bit more is expected tonight. Usually by this time of the year the grass in the pastures is dormant. Not this year, it is nice and green, and still growing like crazy. This rain will help keep it going.

Well, went to the Jaguar parts storage area, actually Brownie the Chev van, and pulled out the fuel pump. I bought it last year when the SU pump left of stranded. Now is the time so replace the pump with a Carter P60504, low volume, electric fuel pump. And it is USA made too. Paid $50 including shipping. Here is a pic of the new pump and the old SU square body pump.

Over the next couple of days will install it. I know I will have to do some line cutting, but a fuel line is easy to run.

I will probably send out the SU pump for a rebuild. But I am hoping that this fixes the fuel delivery issues for good.

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, July 29th. We got almost two inches of rain yesterday, yahoo!

On the Jaguar possible fuel issue. I had a eureka moment, could I be out of gas? The gauge shows 1/4 tank, but who knows. Will put in some fuel and see. I did get a note from the rebuilder. About $160 plus shipping, so about $200. Trouble is he only rebuilds in the winter. So will continue with my plan to replace the pump.

Oh boy, for our morning coffee, we have a weekend report from Greg.

"A good and busy weekend about gone.

Saturday turned into road trip. Peter Jakab's Model A , ready to be released from the Burchill Auto Hospital, so Barb and I rode along with him to help ferry it home. While I was there I was able to install a gauze strainer in the Harvester fuel tank. The last time I'd had the thing functional it was plagued with some stoppages, so this might be the remedy for some loose flaking. Now I'm ready to add some fuel and see if the carburetor gaskets have dried out.

Then it was time to follow the Model A roadster to it's home. Via downtown DC. Getting separated from Peter in the thick of it was cause for concern. Not good to lose the pathfinder.

Today was pleasant. Got in some time on Avanti 5054. Fitting the toeboard carpet to the driver side, holes were cut, insulation applied and that allowed me to put it in place as well as the steering column, brake pedal bracket, speedometer cable, hand brake lever, hood release handle, brake booster bracket and various rubber grommets and boots. With the hand brake and speedo cable hooked up, there's more check marks on the list of things to do.

On the squirrel front, some progress.

The day grays now include a new batch of young ones. They are catching on fast. It hasn't taken them as long to realize that the soup kitchen is always open. If they weren't so interesting, each one developing a personality, they'd be a nuisance. They've taught me to get up from sprawling in the chair, open the door and toss them peanuts.

For them Barb is a tougher nut to crack. While she slaves over a hot stove, they try to get her attention. One found a special method.

It climbs the screen door, making as much noise as he can. Sometimes it works, but the other day Barb just didn't want to be interrupted. So what does it do? Scrambles to the top of the screen and when that doesn't work , it works it 's way over to the metal edge and like a fireman on a brass pole, it starts sliding down. Claws on the door frame screeched like fingernails on a chalkboard. The thing slides halfway down and stops. Totally annoyed, Barb goes over to the door, they look at each other beezer to beezer and she screams "What are you doing?!!!" Then she spins around goes back to the kitchen counter and the squirrel resumes it's slide.

As for the midnight flyers, there's been further progress. At least one of the sneaky (flighty?) little things has taken to snatching a nut from my fingers. Tonight it actually steadied itself with it's paws on my hand. But it only takes a second for the transaction.

That's my story for tonight."

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[packick]

John, what are the odds? Plugging in the phone charger and blowing the fuse AND running out of gas at the same time. Maybe those dark rain clouds that gave you 2" of rain were an omen.