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Mr Murphy and me,rambling, delete if you like



Well, just an update on my adventures with the headache.
 =

First, let me say that I need to get better tools, so I can injure myself=

properly like Mr Cheapassedness. I only managed to discover that both of =
my
little fingers are about 1/2" too long (I'm sure I'll eventually amputate=

them), that your hand should not be inserted in that little gap between t=
he
jack handle and the jack when you are lifting the car (big pinch, some cu=
ss
words, ouch) and that you should not free a nut from the socket by tappin=
g it
on the ground with your thumb in the way. Also, soldering irons get reall=
y
hot.

So, first on how not to do brake calipers, I'd never done one before, and=
 it
went really well, except half of the caliper paint ended up coming off si=
nce
it wasn't dry, and it was a used caliper, so there was some brake fliud
leaking out, which also removes paint pretty effectively. So as I said, n=
ever
done this before, and the caliper needs Mr Rubber mallet to get back on, =
and
lo and behold, it doesn't open, and the wheel won't turn (a minor problem=
).
Phone tech support, (also reread the Bentley, doh) back the piston off a =
bit,
and it's cake. Slid on, bolted up, bled it all, and go for a test drive (=
I
hate that part) Since I did the proportioning valve too (pressure regulat=
or,
whatever, you know the thing that screws into the MC and costs more than =
your
firstborn is worth, that thing), I had to do the four wheel bleed. Get ba=
ck,
check for leaks, find none!!!!! but the 7 mm box wrench had ridden along
nicely on the last bleeder screw (doh!!)
So it was a sucessful effort, well worth it, the car actually stops half =
ways
as well as it goes forward now, and lately, it's going forward pretty dam=
n
well, thank you very much. You can tell I hate this car eh? hehehe.

So today, it was simple wiring job, the city lights (on the clear corners=
),
how hard can that be? Well, I'd decided on blue, and spliced into the par=
king
lights, but it wasn't really what I wanted. That part went well, except f=
or
the hour long search for anything resembling a working soldering iron, I =
ended
up using my stained glass one which is never supposed to see the garage. =
We
see how that worked out eh? Priorities.
SO on to the more intense "wire hiding" job, I find I spend about two min=
utes
on the actual wiring and about three days figuring out how to make it loo=
k
invisible, or as close as I can get.

So it's all tucked in, headlights back, grille spoiler back on, and flick=
 the
newly installed switch....TADA! Nothing. Not a darn photon. grrr. So the =
kid
steps in to help, tells me it's wired all backwards, and we rip into it,
bypass this and that, still no fire. The fuse was in fact dead, but I'm t=
oo
blind to see the tiny crack (old age eh?). Fix it up, redo to MY wiring  =
plan,
back to flick the switch on what will now be called the "rice panel" (the=

shift light is there too) and we have bigtime blue stuff goin' on. I'm gl=
ad I
can turn it off, but it's kinda cool. Then double check the rest of the
lights, blinkers work, but a dead headlamp. Off comes the grille spoiler,=
 the
headlight assembly, install is reverse of removal...


So, needless to say, off on another test drive <grin>. Still hating this =
car
more and more (hehehe), but I press on regardless. Seriously, it was grea=
t to
get her back on the road, the weather is finally springlike, and the lake=
shore
road beckons.

Now, on another topic, there seems to be an increase in the noise level w=
hich
I think is in direct proportion to the ever growing cracks in the exhaust=

manifold. Is there a temporary fix for this? I can't imagine you could us=
e
that header wrap, could you? When the car turns 20, it'll get headers, so=
 I'd
want four years out of it, but it's getting LOUD! Any suggestions are
welcome.

If you ever want to know how NOT to do stuff, just ask. I'll have done it=
 that
way.
Cathy, resident moron