DISASTER! &@#%£!!

Besides, Al.....    Don't you live in a Northern Rainforest or something?   It's supposed to be raining all the time!

"Last year in Vancouver, 27 people fell off their bicycles......

And Drowned!"

Bob: IM S6 posted:

"PS- And Gordon, I hear you; 35 or 40'F and raining on and off for the last who the h*ll knows how long, and Friday or so we're supposed to get snow..."

Al:  Why do you think there are so many pubs in the British Isles?   Just hunker down and have a pint or two. 

I did go over to a neighbor's last night to watch a movie and we did have 2...

And Gordon, that is really funny!  Yeah, it does rain here a lot, but when the sun comes out it is a wonderful place to live.

PS- I've heard of it happening, but don't actually know anyone that unfortunate

To add to my post above- when I got into the car to drive my first born to work (just started full time end of September and saving for a car) it was just light (and foggy), but coming back the sun is out, there's snow on the local mountains, and it's another beautiful day in paradise!

It's supposed to maybe snow in town on the weekend. There are a lot of new Canadians living in Vancouver that shouldn't be allowed in a car when there's snow on the roads... 

Gordon Nichols posted:

Hey, Cory........   About that "Gorgeous Arizona Driving Weather":

Friggin rain storm of the century hitting the East Coast - But you "Wheddah Guys" already know that, right?  Are you the "Harvey Leonard" of Phoenix?  We pronounce him "Hahvee Lenahd" up heah. - We wouldn't even attempt pronouncing Cory McCloskey.  What part of Ireland is that from?          

Looks like Massachusetts is in recovery mode now, G... 

Ol' Harvey Leonard has been at it for quite a while in Beantown, hasn't he? Everybody loves him!  I'll take the comparison anytime...

By the way, we McCloskeys hail from County Antrim -- we're Belfasters!

Some of my wife's side is from up there (McGee Island) but the rest of us are "Corkmen" and women.  We only drink Murphy's, Smithwicks or Jameson's  

Did you ever read any of Patrick Taylor's work?  His main character, Doctor O'Reilly from Ballybucklebo (just east of Belfast) had a bird dog named "Sir Arthur Guinness" but he would only drink Smithwicks.  

Come to think of Dr. Fingal Flaherty O'Reilly and Ballybucklebo, it's time to re-read "An Irish Country Christmas" to get me in the mood.....   If I can't be with friends in Balincolig and Ovens, Ireland for the Holidays, at least I can read about it.

Happy Holidays, Speedstah Folks!

This thread is like the dialogue you'd experience in a garage setting: one guy with grease on his hands, doing all the work and a bunch of good natured fellas standing around, drinking beer and offering advice and anecdotes. Great group!

Looks like today's the day! Just about to load her in!

Looking good Cory; it'll be running this afternoon! And Terry's right, it does have that feel. Btw, Terry, since you're closer to the fridge, I need another beer please...

HAR: One guy doing all the actual work while four other guys stand around drinking beer, trying to distract him. That's it exactly. Except when it's two guys taking turns doing work and razzing the other guy.

Small anecdote: Last Saturday a co-worker brought his 1986 Mercedes 300 diesel to my garage to see about replacing the glow plugs. You have to pull the intake to get to them, and he was not confident of doing this in the street in front of his apartment.

So he comes over and sets up behind Bridget (and I apologize for all the fiberglass dust), and we proceed to spend the next 10 hours taking turns swearing at this car and contorting ourselves, trying to get at the 12 allen-head bolts that hold the intake manifold on it, trying to make a credible glow plug port reamer, trying to find a good angle to replace the glow plugs, etc., amid two trips—one to Harbor Freight for more/different allens and some wobble sockets, and one back to his house for the forgotten gasket, which turned out to be the exhaust gasket anyway and so no good to us.

We get her all buttoned-up about 8 p.m. and the s.o.b. won't start. Turns out we blew the 80 amp fuse that lives in its own box away from all the other fuses—a thing we were able to discover rather quickly because of Google and YouTube; without them the car would certainly still be in my front bay. Back out to the parts store. No correct 80-ampers but one I can modify to work, which I do, and which blows immediately upon installation.

It's 10 p.m. now and I got out the beers while he called his girlfriend to come pick him up. We're 12 hours into a two-hour job and the car is dead. Miller time!

Anyway I fixed it the next morning in a half hour while my friend was out rustling-up the correct fuse: one of us—probably him—had cranked the wire on one of the glow plugs such that it shorted to the head, something that was well-nigh invisible once the manifold was wrestled back into place on top of it. 

It's just the sort of thing that I would have been attuned to, and avoided, if I had been working on the car alone without distraction.

OK that was a long anecdote...

You're a very brave soul Ed..... :~)

All, true, but in this "garage",  I don't hear the wife, "Honey, take the trash out"

Okay...

Just posting pics and video as we go. Some longer than others...

It's seated!

Heroes here are Paul, his son Aaron, and his nephew Ryan...

edsnova posted:

...12 hours into a two-hour job... 

Ed, I'm writing my memoirs. Can I use that for a title?

Heroes here are Paul, his son Aaron, and his nephew Ryan...

ED!   Well, at least you guys didn't drop a stainless steel nut down a glo-plug hole...   

Makes an almost-finished job turn into another 6 weeks!

And what is it about Mercedes engines that make them such a PITA to work on?  

'Course, now that I think of it, my 6-liter Ford Diesel wasn't a picnic, either.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH...

Cory, so glad for you, my friend! I had the same feeling a couple months ago when, after a year of building my engine, it fired...bliss!

a warning though, you should run the engine at 2,000 (or so) rpms for about 20 minutes to set/wear-in the lifters and cam before you just start driving the car. It's a very important part of the break-in procedure. (if you have solid lifters)

Will

Woo hoo!

I like how you turned it over for a few seconds without the coil wire at the beginning to build oil pressure (remember, that's your story and you're sticking to it!). Great to hear it's running, guys. A little carb adjusting and it'll be purring like a cat!

And now........  

You can start a new thread called.......

REDEMPTION!!!!!

Man, I hope not. This thing's got "brass-thingy" written all over it. I'm aiming for at least 20 pages here.

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:

Man, I hope not. This thing's got "brass-thingy" written all over it. I'm aiming for at least 20 pages here.

LOL

We didn't replace the cam or lifters.

PaulEllis posted:

We didn't replace the cam or lifters.

I had made a mental note of that, Paul. You know what you're doing, and I understood the nature of the rebuild: fix what's broken, make it all work reliably. Someday I hope to meet you-- what you did for Cory was solid.

You sir, are the man.

"Someday I hope to meet you-- what you did for Cory was solid"

I'll 2nd that.

Stan

That means more to me than you know. Cory has been a lot of fun. Yesterday my wife and I took the speedster across town to Scottsdale. It was a little cloudy and chilly but my wife said she was up for it. Just before arriving at our destination, I get a text from Cory with pictures of us in the speedster taken minutes ago buy a news guy Cory works with. He saw us in traffic and took a hand full of pictures knowing Cory had a speedster too. It's a small world. I told Cory that I hoped my wife didn't see these pics because it was my girlfriend in the car with me. I'm not sure if he believed me or not, but he reassured me that he wouldn't get me into trouble.

I have followed this from beginning to end because the world could use more men like Paul Ellis.  I want to be as good of an example to my sons and friends.  

Hear, hear !!!!

Wow, I'm speechless. Really guys, I'd like to think that everyone here on SOC would do the same.

Rebirth 12/3/2016 ~

Hey Paul. whatchya doing next weekend?

Sacto Mitch posted:

 

edsnova posted:

...12 hours into a two-hour job... 

 

Ed, I'm writing my memoirs. Can I use that for a title?

 

I have had jobs like that..,,,

 Fellas, I can't tell you what a pleasure this "disaster" has been!

To make a good friend is a wonderful thing, and of course, none of us ever seems to make enough of them.

Paul would never seek them, but he surely deserves the very kind things you've been saying about him.  Though I've been about as useful as a third nipple, Paul has endeavored to educate me in every step along the way.  His patience is boundless, and his knowledge is both deep and wide. 

 I'm looking forward very much to getting out on the road with him, and to making people doubly-happy as they see two of the world's most beautiful automobile silhouettes pass them by… 

 And thanks to all of you who have laughed and helped and cheered along the way! Gosh, I appreciate this group so much! Car guys are good guys, and you guys prove it… 

 I must get to bed… I would have posted this earlier, but I'm in the midst of playing Ebenezer Scrooge in a production of A Christmas Carol, and it was a two-show day. 

 Good night, all! In spite of this face, you've all helped to make it a very merry Christmas here in Phoenix! 

Well that is one engine job done .... great you two, sounds good from here. 

Hey Cory, this is Kat; Pauls' other half. You are a spectacular human being! Paul has been and will continue to enjoy your kindness and friendship! Great pic!! Break a leg buddy! I'm sure you are wonderful in the production. Fantastic makeup BTW!