Testosterone Injection
Sunday, 11 p.m., and I'm sitting here in disbelief that this weekend is already over. In spite of the dull start, things kicked into high gear Saturday evening with an impromptu band practice at the church with Jack, Eric, Jeremy, and myself. Was pretty fun, actually... I think the extra rehearsal paid off, because things went well this morning at church musically. At least, once some technical hurdles were overcome, that is.
After the Saturday evening practice, Jack and J-mo came over and we grilled some steaks on the grill and watched Dave Matthews on DVD. Then Jack helped me get my old Mustang started for the first time in over a year. Much to our surprise, it cranked right up once we got the new battery installed. Unfortunately, the car left a strong stench of gasoline in my garage (and house). Therefore, I took the car up to his house today where we spent a few hours replacing a section of fuel line where we discovered a leak. Besides, working on a car helped us avoid the estrogen-fest of a baby shower that our spouses went to.
After about 10 minutes of working with Jack, I had to admit: I'm car-stupid. I'm willing to learn and do what needs to be done, but without someone like Jack helping me, I wouldn't know where to begin. Though over the years I've been able to diagnose and repair some electrical problems on the vehicle and a few other things, doing a more labor-intensive task like replacing a fuel line is way over my head. But he had the know-how and the equipment, and we got it done (and changed the oil while we were at it). So, Jack has a lot of my sincere thanks for helping me.
When driving home, it was nice to NOT smell like the inside of a gas can for the first time since I've owned that car. Guess the leak in the line was always there, but just got worse over the past few years.
Overall, the experience was a great MANLY way to wrap up the weekend...one filled with rockin' music and automotive bliss. Oil and grease under your fingernails... Electric guitars/distortion cranked through a 120Watt cab... Nice male-oriented activities that paint a sharp contrast to the weeklong 'motherhood' experience that is my life staying home with an infant and an 'almost' 3-year-old. Woooo....
...
FYI.
Why do I have a 1968 Mustang with ridiculously oversized tires in my garage? I've wanted one since I was 17. I grew up around car guys. I had a friend with a beautifully restored 1965 Mustang Coupe. I had another friend who was restoring a 1970 Chevelle SS454 with his dad (from the frame up). My neighbors had 2 Mustangs that they kept in vintage condition. It was only natural that I'd develop a taste for old, classic cars.
So, the Mustang in my garage was not an impulse purchase. I bought it about 5 years ago with the intention of taking as many years as were needed to bring it back to life. I've always loved Mustangs, and thought it would be a nice 'hobby' to devote extra time to. However, when our situations (financial and residency) changed, the car became a rather large paperweight that we've lugged around with us over the course of 2 moves, but have hung on to in spite of the prodding of friends to sell the 'beast.'
Finally, though, it seems I might be getting over the big 'mechanical' and financial hurdle that's kept the car from being anything but a big metal hulk just taking up space in my garage. Over the next year or so, I hope to get the vehicle at least to the point that it can function as a viable alternative vehicle should we hope to drive it around. It needs a lot of work - everything from engine work to body work to paint. But I can't wait for the day where I can look at the finished product and say that I was (partly) responsible for its 'rebirth.'
Believe me - getting rid of those stupidly large rear tires is high on my list of things to do quickly.
After the Saturday evening practice, Jack and J-mo came over and we grilled some steaks on the grill and watched Dave Matthews on DVD. Then Jack helped me get my old Mustang started for the first time in over a year. Much to our surprise, it cranked right up once we got the new battery installed. Unfortunately, the car left a strong stench of gasoline in my garage (and house). Therefore, I took the car up to his house today where we spent a few hours replacing a section of fuel line where we discovered a leak. Besides, working on a car helped us avoid the estrogen-fest of a baby shower that our spouses went to.
After about 10 minutes of working with Jack, I had to admit: I'm car-stupid. I'm willing to learn and do what needs to be done, but without someone like Jack helping me, I wouldn't know where to begin. Though over the years I've been able to diagnose and repair some electrical problems on the vehicle and a few other things, doing a more labor-intensive task like replacing a fuel line is way over my head. But he had the know-how and the equipment, and we got it done (and changed the oil while we were at it). So, Jack has a lot of my sincere thanks for helping me.
When driving home, it was nice to NOT smell like the inside of a gas can for the first time since I've owned that car. Guess the leak in the line was always there, but just got worse over the past few years.
Overall, the experience was a great MANLY way to wrap up the weekend...one filled with rockin' music and automotive bliss. Oil and grease under your fingernails... Electric guitars/distortion cranked through a 120Watt cab... Nice male-oriented activities that paint a sharp contrast to the weeklong 'motherhood' experience that is my life staying home with an infant and an 'almost' 3-year-old. Woooo....
...
FYI.
Why do I have a 1968 Mustang with ridiculously oversized tires in my garage? I've wanted one since I was 17. I grew up around car guys. I had a friend with a beautifully restored 1965 Mustang Coupe. I had another friend who was restoring a 1970 Chevelle SS454 with his dad (from the frame up). My neighbors had 2 Mustangs that they kept in vintage condition. It was only natural that I'd develop a taste for old, classic cars.
So, the Mustang in my garage was not an impulse purchase. I bought it about 5 years ago with the intention of taking as many years as were needed to bring it back to life. I've always loved Mustangs, and thought it would be a nice 'hobby' to devote extra time to. However, when our situations (financial and residency) changed, the car became a rather large paperweight that we've lugged around with us over the course of 2 moves, but have hung on to in spite of the prodding of friends to sell the 'beast.'
Finally, though, it seems I might be getting over the big 'mechanical' and financial hurdle that's kept the car from being anything but a big metal hulk just taking up space in my garage. Over the next year or so, I hope to get the vehicle at least to the point that it can function as a viable alternative vehicle should we hope to drive it around. It needs a lot of work - everything from engine work to body work to paint. But I can't wait for the day where I can look at the finished product and say that I was (partly) responsible for its 'rebirth.'
Believe me - getting rid of those stupidly large rear tires is high on my list of things to do quickly.
1 Comments:
Yes, your 'Stang has quite the "bubba" set of tires on the back for sure.
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