[DeTomaso] Fun Rally Chronicles, Day 10

[Christopher Kimball]

Day 10, June 1st:  Storm clouds on the horizon

 

Today, all the Fun Rally
participants were planning on leaving for home. 
Unfortunately, the City of San Diego had other plans.  Have you ever heard the song “Hotel
California?”  The basic premise is the
Hotel California is similar to a Roach Motel, in that guests check in, but can
never check out.

 

Thanks to the “Rock and
Roll” marathon (jogging and pushing wheelchairs; not music), the main route out
of town was closed.  This meant a number
of us were somewhat bewildered as to what to do.  I was especially concerned because I was
supposed to meet Don Byars at his shop so he could try and stop my car from
making odd, steering-related noises.  

 

I talked with President
Buckman in the parking garage, and I have to say, he is more reliable than
GPS.  He told me exactly how I could get
to Don’s shop while bypassing the closed roads. 
I wrote down his directions and followed them, ignoring the commands
from my GPS which were decidedly different from what John recommended.  John’s directions won that contest!

 

Two hours after leaving the
hotel I arrived at Don’s shop.  I was immediately
impressed to see the quality of the cars there (all Panteras except for one
Mustang), in various states of restoration. 
In fact, while I was there an additional Pantera arrived on a flatbed—another
Fun Rally participant needing help with his car—a transmission problem, I
believe.  Speaking of transmission
problems; remember the storm clouds to which I alluded?  I’ll get to that a bit later.

 

I took a number of pictures
of Don’s projects.  They are, in a word,
amazing.  The level of workmanship is
unexcelled; the cars were so clean I felt I could eat off of them.  You can see examples of this in the first
couple of pictures.  This is the
underside of a beautiful blue Pantera. 
Every part is pristine.  Note the
advanced CV joints used instead of the stock U-joints.  Top-side, the car is just as impressive, if
not more so.  When I see an engine bay
that nice it makes me embarrassed to have my car within 10 miles of it.  

 

But wait, there’s more!

 

On another rack was a
customized, orange beast.  The motor is a
completely polished BOSS 429.  You have
to go to my Facebook page to look at the pictures of this car (I don’t know how
you do that, but if you email cbrady at moneyconcepts.com
she can make it work).  The motor is
going to put out over a thousand horsepower, which I suppose, as Rolls-Royce
used to say, is “adequate.”

 

There was also a mustang
Don is completing which is equally as impressive as the other cars.

 

Going from the sublime to
the ridiculous, let me tell you about my car… 
Actually, I shouldn't be so hard on Pandora.  After all, I drive her a lot and haven’t
spent quite as much money as some do to get their cars looking so great.  Sitting next to what was in Don’s shop,
though, the car that wins trophies at local car shows looks pretty ordinary. 

 

Don took a look at Pandora’s
steering rack and determined it was in need of some grease.  In fact, it was so greaseless there was
absolutely no sign of John Travolta or Olivia Newton John.

 

He also made an adjustment
to free up an arm that was too tight (can you tell how much of a mechanic I am
by my lame descriptions of what occurred?) 
You can see Don in the picture plying his trade as he grabs various
steering parts and wiggles them (remember how valuable it is to wiggle things
when effecting car repairs).  The shot of
my front disc is primarily for comparison purposes—comparing what my car looks
like to the other ones in his shop.  The
next picture shows the rack disconnected prior to being greased and
re-booted.  I rebooted my computer once.  

 

Since he was already doing
work on the steering, he also replaced the steering-rack boots.  It may be that there was once grease in the
boots that were already there, but that original grease leaked out once the
boots sprung leaks.  If you've ever had
leaky boots, you know what a problem that can be.

 

Don also had the insight to
check a few other things, too, while he was there.  This included inspecting the bolts that
attach the U-joints to the rear wheels. 
He spotted some rust around the nuts, which was a red flag.  Now, I know you’re all waiting to see if I’ll
take the bait and make some silly comment about how sometimes old guys need to
be sure they don’t have rust around…ha! 
You thought I was going to stoop that low, didn't you.  No way!

 

You can see Don in one of
the pictures, tightening the bolts.  I
think this is a good thing to do if one wants to avoid having U-joints fall
off.  I was certainly glad he noticed and
fixed the problem.

 

I also mentioned to Don how
I repaired my cruise-control sensor with the spring from a ball-point pen.  I can’t be certain, but I think he was really
impressed.  He immediately set to work
lathing from a single piece of steel rod the exact part I needed.  We took out my Rube Goldberg fix and
installed the piece he made.  My cruise
control works great, and thanks to his precision, will probably continue to do
so for a long time.

 

All-in-all, Don spent three
hours of his time working on my car—during one of the only days off he’s had in
about six weeks.  I guess that means it wasn't a day off.  

 

A big thanks to Don for all
his help; I truly appreciate it.

 

I filled the tank, drank a bottle
of chocolate milk, and hit the road.

 

The traffic was heavy, and
there was a lot of stop-and-go traffic.  This
kind of repeated gear-shifting is very hard on a clutch (note:  that last sentence was more foreshadowing).  The weather became oppressively hot as well;
I think my A/C may have a leak, because even though the little squirrels were
spinning that little squirrel-cage fan as fast as their little squirrel-legs
could muster, the car still felt hot inside.

 

When I got to the hotel in
Santa Barbara, I decided before checking in I’d make another political statement
and go to Chick Filet for dinner.  I
forgot that the owners of Chick Filet make their own statement by closing on
Sundays.  D’oh!  

 

I’d have to settle for
Denny’s.

 

That was OK, though, since
Denny’s is currently offering this special; two chicken wraps with chips for
$4.00.  Better yet, Denny’s makes pretty
good milkshakes.  I started off with a chocolate
milkshake as a kind of appetizer.  I then
enjoyed the wraps, and polished off the meal with a caramel/apple crunch with
vanilla ice cream, and a slice of cheesecake with strawberry topping.  After only having eaten a bowl of Frosted
Mini Wheats (with a little extra sugar, of course), and a chocolate milk all
day, the big Denny’s meal hit the spot.

 

I was feeling pretty good
until I got back in the car and started to drive to the hotel.  As I pushed in the clutch, I heard a sound
one doesn't like to hear when pushing in clutches; a kind of grinding.  The sound was audible only when the clutch
pedal was partially depressed.  When fully
depressed, or when released, there were no weird sounds at all.

 

>From a psychological perspective,
it’s interesting to note how the cars we love can so directly affect us in a
kind of empathetic symbiosis.  This
example is a case in point:  Right now,
when the clutch gets depressed, I get depressed.  I must be especially
empathetic, however, because in this case, the clutch only has to be partially
depressed to make me fully depressed…

 

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times; POCA is a great resource for Pantera owners.  Once settled in my hotel room, I sent out an
email describing my clutch plight. 
Almost immediately I received several helpful replies.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stop at a
fellow-Pantera-owner’s house for a diagnosis (maybe he or she will look at my
car, too), or if I’ll be able to stop at a repair shop someone on the forum recommends.  Perhaps I’ll just do what Asa Jay suggested; re-route
the rest of my trip to a straight shot down I-5 and try to get it done in a
couple of days.

 

I’ll call AAA tomorrow and see
if they can change my hotel reservations to match a more direct route home.  If you don’t receive another one of these
journal updates by 11:30 PM tomorrow, it means either I’m too busy to write
because I’m at someone’s house trying to fix the clutch problem, or I’m sitting
on the side of a road somewhere, out of cell-signal range. 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
   Day 10, June 1st:  Storm clouds on the horizon


   Today, all the Fun Rally participants were planning on leaving for
   home.  Unfortunately, the City of San Diego had other plans.  Have you
   ever heard the song Hotel California?  The basic premise is the Hotel
   California is similar to a Roach Motel, in that guests check in, but
   can never check out.


   Thanks to the Rock and Roll marathon (jogging and pushing wheelchairs;
   not music), the main route out of town was closed.  This meant a number
   of us were somewhat bewildered as to what to do.  I was especially
   concerned because I was supposed to meet Don Byars at his shop so he
   could try and stop my car from making odd, steering-related noises.


   I talked with President Buckman in the parking garage, and I have to
   say, he is more reliable than GPS.  He told me exactly how I could get
   to Dons shop while bypassing the closed roads.  I wrote down his
   directions and followed them, ignoring the commands from my GPS which
   were decidedly different from what John recommended.  Johns directions
   won that contest!


   Two hours after leaving the hotel I arrived at Dons shop.  I was
   immediately impressed to see the quality of the cars there (all
   Panteras except for one Mustang), in various states of restoration.  In
   fact, while I was there an additional Pantera arrived on a
   flatbedanother Fun Rally participant needing help with his cara
   transmission problem, I believe.  Speaking of transmission problems;
   remember the storm clouds to which I alluded?  Ill get to that a bit
   later.


   I took a number of pictures of Dons projects.  They are, in a word,
   amazing.  The level of workmanship is unexcelled; the cars were so
   clean I felt I could eat off of them.  You can see examples of this in
   the first couple of pictures.  This is the underside of a beautiful
   blue Pantera.  Every part is pristine.  Note the advanced CV joints
   used instead of the stock U-joints.  Top-side, the car is just as
   impressive, if not more so.  When I see an engine bay that nice it
   makes me embarrassed to have my car within 10 miles of it.


   But wait, theres more!


   On another rack was a customized, orange beast.  The motor is a
   completely polished BOSS 429.  You have to go to my Facebook page to
   look at the pictures of this car (I dont know how you do that, but if
   you email [1]cbrady at moneyconcepts.com she can make it work).  The motor
   is going to put out over a thousand horsepower, which I suppose, as
   Rolls-Royce used to say, is adequate.


   There was also a mustang Don is completing which is equally as
   impressive as the other cars.


   Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, let me tell you about my car
   Actually, I shouldn't be so hard on Pandora.  After all, I drive her a
   lot and havent spent quite as much money as some do to get their cars
   looking so great.  Sitting next to what was in Dons shop, though, the
   car that wins trophies at local car shows looks pretty ordinary.


   Don took a look at Pandoras steering rack and determined it was in need
   of some grease.  In fact, it was so greaseless there was absolutely no
   sign of John Travolta or Olivia Newton John.


   He also made an adjustment to free up an arm that was too tight (can
   you tell how much of a mechanic I am by my lame descriptions of what
   occurred?)  You can see Don in the picture plying his trade as he grabs
   various steering parts and wiggles them (remember how valuable it is to
   wiggle things when effecting car repairs).  The shot of my front disc
   is primarily for comparison purposescomparing what my car looks like to
   the other ones in his shop.  The next picture shows the rack
   disconnected prior to being greased and re-booted.  I rebooted my
   computer once.


   Since he was already doing work on the steering, he also replaced the
   steering-rack boots.  It may be that there was once grease in the boots
   that were already there, but that original grease leaked out once the
   boots sprung leaks.  If you've ever had leaky boots, you know what a
   problem that can be.


   Don also had the insight to check a few other things, too, while he was
   there.  This included inspecting the bolts that attach the U-joints to
   the rear wheels.  He spotted some rust around the nuts, which was a red
   flag.  Now, I know youre all waiting to see if Ill take the bait and
   make some silly comment about how sometimes old guys need to be sure
   they dont have rust aroundha!  You thought I was going to stoop that
   low, didn't you.  No way!


   You can see Don in one of the pictures, tightening the bolts.  I think
   this is a good thing to do if one wants to avoid having U-joints fall
   off.  I was certainly glad he noticed and fixed the problem.


   I also mentioned to Don how I repaired my cruise-control sensor with
   the spring from a ball-point pen.  I cant be certain, but I think he
   was really impressed.  He immediately set to work lathing from a single
   piece of steel rod the exact part I needed.  We took out my Rube
   Goldberg fix and installed the piece he made.  My cruise control works
   great, and thanks to his precision, will probably continue to do so for
   a long time.


   All-in-all, Don spent three hours of his time working on my carduring
   one of the only days off hes had in about six weeks.  I guess that
   means it wasn't a day off.


   A big thanks to Don for all his help; I truly appreciate it.


   I filled the tank, drank a bottle of chocolate milk, and hit the road.


   The traffic was heavy, and there was a lot of stop-and-go traffic.
   This kind of repeated gear-shifting is very hard on a clutch (note:
   that last sentence was more foreshadowing).  The weather became
   oppressively hot as well; I think my A/C may have a leak, because even
   though the little squirrels were spinning that little squirrel-cage fan
   as fast as their little squirrel-legs could muster, the car still felt
   hot inside.


   When I got to the hotel in Santa Barbara, I decided before checking in
   Id make another political statement and go to Chick Filet for dinner.
   I forgot that the owners of Chick Filet make their own statement by
   closing on Sundays.  Doh!


   Id have to settle for Dennys.


   That was OK, though, since Dennys is currently offering this special;
   two chicken wraps with chips for $4.00.  Better yet, Dennys makes
   pretty good milkshakes.  I started off with a chocolate milkshake as a
   kind of appetizer.  I then enjoyed the wraps, and polished off the meal
   with a caramel/apple crunch with vanilla ice cream, and a slice of
   cheesecake with strawberry topping.  After only having eaten a bowl of
   Frosted Mini Wheats (with a little extra sugar, of course), and a
   chocolate milk all day, the big Dennys meal hit the spot.


   I was feeling pretty good until I got back in the car and started to
   drive to the hotel.  As I pushed in the clutch, I heard a sound
   one doesn't like to hear when pushing in clutches; a kind of grinding.
   The sound was audible only when the clutch pedal was partially
   depressed.  When fully depressed, or when released, there were no weird
   sounds at all.


   From a psychological perspective, its interesting to note how the cars
   we love can so directly affect us in a kind of empathetic symbiosis.
   This example is a case in point:  Right now, when the clutch gets
   depressed, I get depressed.  I must be especially empathetic, however,
   because in this case, the clutch only has to be partially depressed to
   make me fully depressed


   If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times; POCA is a great
   resource for Pantera owners.  Once settled in my hotel room, I sent out
   an email describing my clutch plight.  Almost immediately I received
   several helpful replies.  Im not sure if Ill be able to stop at a
   fellow-Pantera-owners house for a diagnosis (maybe he or she will look
   at my car, too), or if Ill be able to stop at a repair shop someone on
   the forum recommends.  Perhaps Ill just do what Asa Jay suggested;
   re-route the rest of my trip to a straight shot down I-5 and try to get
   it done in a couple of days.


   Ill call AAA tomorrow and see if they can change my hotel reservations
   to match a more direct route home.  If you dont receive another one of
   these journal updates by 11:30 PM tomorrow, it means either Im too busy
   to write because Im at someones house trying to fix the clutch problem,
   or Im sitting on the side of a road somewhere, out of cell-signal
   range.

References

   1. mailto:cbrady at moneyconcepts.com