The animism of the 'Roc(s) [ECONOMY SIZED]

[tim at unrealexpectations.ath.cx (stetson)]

After hearing (well reading actually) all the jealous spats that happen in
the stables amongst the loved ones of the multi-dubbed I would politely
chuckle behind the span of my hand at the misfortune of others.

Until today when the evil fruits of avarice visit home.

It's the weekend, the days earmarked for doing those things usually gifted
by the busy week (not that I have that particular excuse to use anymore)
and I decide it's finally time to un-winter the 16v and move where the
beater 8v sits to mow where it is and not agravate the real estate
company that owns that property.

The flimsy grey shroud from fall is repealed from my horribley mutilated
(but not too far not to be rescued) 16v (mettalic MAROON?!?! I mean
_really_!) and let it drink the waking rays of spring sun.

Or maybe just ride the infra-red goodness to air out a damp hatch area
that I knew would be waiting for me (a very slight leak in the hatch
rubber, but acumulated over a season can do the order of magnitude thing).

It was surprisingly negligible and I was pleased w/ the fall tweaking I
had done even though there WAS a layer of droplets on the beatiful tornado
red (Yup, I like red. Not as much as green, but I don't mind it
is a popular prime Roc pigment.  :P ) of it's original exterior and I left
the hatch open to air out as I went to attend to the other.


The beater gets no love.

I had not been in it for over a month and 1/2 and since the Lexicar was
feeding my jones for the butt launching feel of over 6k accelleration I
hadn't really looked at it except to make sure it hadn't been towed.

The mistreated shoat is farging psychic and could feel the love lavished
on the Lexicar a mere 10' away in the garage. I say this because......

When I got in and prepared to move her I noticed the adult wading pool
in the passenger floor and knew that I had just been awarded another hours
work cleaning out all the heli-dealy seeds from the rain tray due to
the maple it was parked under.

K......not a coronary event. It too, was expected to be damp but not a
POOL. Still.....life progresses. Start the beast up (that's taking a
little longer than usual. Hmmmmmm.....) and move it. Look to pop the hood
by pulling the little lever and find the hood cable is completely slack.
Great.
Broke hood cable.
Glad I have a spare.

Well the grill is already off from a prior hood opening debacle but that
one concerned only the pass. side. This one is affects both of course. So
out comes the drivers side inner headlght and pop the drivers side. Now
it's time to reach in and get that peskuy pass. side. With significant
grunts of effort it relents and I get the hood open to clean, and set the
woman on the pass. side w/ the wet/dry vac to drain the pool.

Well the rain tray is NOT mounted correctly (due to a mounting rail maimed
by a "hood fly up while underway" incident prior to my ownership) so I'll
address that too. I then proceed to clean and am hailed by my renter
who needs to replace a rear auto tranny mount on his Rabbit and needs in
his garage (which I am parked in front of ATM) to get the mount and tools.
So I jump in the beater and have to crank 4-5 times to get it to start and
stay running, then move it back beside it's previous mooring (which has
yet to be mowed) and then come back to talk to said renter to notice a
large wet spot in front of his garage that just isn't the right color for
water. I wipe my fingers accross the weeds there and smell.

Gas.

This is bad as the wet area is 2'x3' @ least. That's a LOT of gas.

So I am significantly jazzed and want to know what makes the
possibility of a carelessly tossed finished smoke into an insurance
liability. I pull the beater onto the concrete entry to garage and look @
the growing puddle underneath it flowing down the it's listing side. Pop
the hood yet again to trace the hard fuel line (had I mentioned
that a Ford Fairmont of mine had stranded me w/ a hole in the hard line
due to rust before) and I see the lines running behind the engine right
above the downpipe are WAY too wet and the exhaust shield is shiny (which
we all know w/ cars the age of ours if ANYTHING under the hood is
unexpectedly shiny it's a VERY bad thing!

And now it's dripping gas from back by the fuel pump!!

Farging iceholes of sultry beeches!

That too is having issues w/ the hardline to the fuel pump who shares
notariety of being the most grossly rusted ensemble that I have ever
witnessed w/ it's companion pressure regulation unit. Cracks in the rust
1/8" deep, but I know NOT to think about touching it until I have a
replacement for the entire she-bang. I just scrape the hardline to be
rewarded w/ tiny piddle streams of petrol from multiple newly born
orfices.

What I don't understand is why this hardline is a total of approx. 10"
bent in a contorted "U" shape to have another clamp/hose splice area
conjoined w/a plastic type block aside the tank (I have never dropped a
gas tank on a Roc yet and hope to never do it until I am replacing the
entire fuel system for alky or propane/hydrogen combustion). Why not just
use hose?
This is from the tank to the main pump and so can't have too much pressure
from just the sending unit.
Can it?

Well I can't do it today as tring to replace the pump hardline means
dropping the pump (absolutely needs to be replaced) and trailing arm to
get up where that block is. The line behind the engine needs to be
replaced and I don't have a spare set of those hanging around, so that
means a yard trip to the one yard w/ a Roc in the area (It's fuel pump has
already been spirited away, I checked last time I was there).

Tomorrow I road trip to Champaign to pick up the GTI so that eats the
entire day.

Monday I have to go to Chicago to fix my sister's PC. Another day eaten.

Tuesday I am promised to help my renter trace down why his parking lights
won't shut off (sound familiar?) on his Rabbit. Possibley after that.

Maybe I can get to the boneyard Thur.?

I can now sympathize w/ the dubling rivalry eluded to by other listers
(Cathy) and attest to the phenomenon.

This brings me to the almost obligatory questions segment:

1.) Anyone have some hardline they'd like to sell @ Cincy? Like a full
set?

2.) What might make a hardline replacement for iron lines that would be
more friendly to higher ratio alcohol mixes? Brass? Copper? I'm thinking
of fabbing something.

3.) Anyone ever pondered the ease w/ which the CIS injection system might
actuate a gas (propane, hydrogen) delivery system?

4.) What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

5.) Have you ever Goggle'd the above question? ;^} )

Well as it weeps, the beater isn't an immediate fire danger until it is
started. If I don't turn the key I should be fine as the system doesn't
drip if dry, so it is still directly behind the garage where it will stay
until I push it out of the way to garage the GTI and swap it's engine.

It's resucitation is not a burning need until it needs to be driven, but
should be taken care of soon.

The GTI is first though! (So I can steal it's lowered suspension at
least!)

I promise when I have the other engine block for the GTI to just spray oil
on the spark plug holes, hand turn 15-20 times after pressurizing the
system w/ the drill/distributor trick, and NOT take off the head. You
know, not succombing to "Well, since it's already out...."

Bleh! The 3A has taught me!

Still searching for the ever elusive sub-$200 83mm 3A piston,

Tim


Well I looked at my watch and it said a quarter to five,
The headline screamed that I was still alive,
I couldn't understand it, I thought I died last night.
I dreamed I'd been in a border town,
In a little cantina that the boys had found,
I was desperate to dance, just to dig the local sounds.
When along came a senorita,
She looked so good that I had to meet her,
I was ready to approach her with my English charm,
When her brass knuckled boyfriend grabbed me by the arm,
And he said, grow some funk of your own, amigo,
Grow some funk of your own.
We no like to with the gringo fight,
But there might be a death in Mexico tonite.
...
Take my advice, take the next flight,
And grow some funk, grow your funk at home.
		-- Elton John, "Grow Some Funk of Your Own"