From Veeduber@aol.com  Wed Oct 11 23:31:42 1995
msgnum: msg17387
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 1995 00:31:38 -0400
From: Veeduber_at_aol_dot_com
Subject: Grendel, Wednesday III


It rained all day and I was out in it.  Grendel is running.  She carried me
back to the Rain Forest where I obtained a new gear shift and shifter plate.
 Grendel's shifter plate is worn so thin it is deformed and the stop on the
gear shift is completely worn away on one side.  The newer parts were rusty
but cleaned up okay.  I installed them tonight after supper, by which time it
had stopped raining and turned cold.  Took it for a test run.  The gear shift
is now tight and precise enough for me to detect some slop int the
shifter-rod running to the tranny.  I'll check it tomorrow.

I went by the local Jiffy Lube where the boss-boy told me "Your vehicle was
assembled with the transmission too close to the cross-member.  Our tool
doesn't fit."  I showed him how to use the LONG end of his 'tool', a 17mm
Allen wrench.  Then they removed only the differential drain plug.  I pointed
out there were two.  Then they ran the lube in too fast, spilled it all over
the place.  I explained about giving it time to flow into the differential
housing.  A 'jiffy' in this case was forty-two minutes.  Twenty bucks.  For
just the tranny lube.  As I said earlier, competence is not a keen issue in
this area.
  
I want to rig an indicator for the turn signals I've made.  Or install a
horn.  Drove all over with my turn signals on today, feeling belatedly stupid
each time I discovered it only to do it again at the next turning.  

Also rescued a cockpit floor mat from the leaf mold.  It will cut down on the
drafts; there are still several holes in the floor I haven't patched.  The
cargo doors are now a draft/rattle-free fit, thanks to running a bead of foam
around them, covering it with waxed paper and letting it harden.  Custom-fit.

The foamed insulation on the vent pipe has proven to be a good fix, light,
strong and durable.  My double tail lights are bright and water-tight, the
brake and turn brighter still. I've added some reflectors to comply with the
California vehicle code.  I've started loading up.  There's a lot of stuff to
carry away.  

I'll probably leave tomorrow if the wind is from the north.  Tail-winds are
good things.  I still don't have a wiper-blade I can count on.  I need a
'TRICO' 10" replacement blade.  Everyone in town carries 'ARCO' or a house
brand that isn't compatible with the TRICO arm I've gotten to work.  Arm, as
in just one.

I've received a couple of friendly hints that Grendel is in  good enough
shape to survive the trip home.  They're probably right.  Then again, getting
half-way home isn't quite the same as winning half the first prize.  Getting
halfway home is the same as losing.  I don't like losing.  

I'll be on the road three days.  I'm confident the engine will give no
problem, and reasonably certain the suspension, brakes and steering will
handle the run.  What I'm doing now is buying insurance, checking things for
the third time, testing Grendel's ability to stop and climb and shift.  

It's not the fastest car that wins the race, it's the one that finishes
first.  You've got to finish to win.  I may not win but I'll finish the
course.

-Bob