Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The long road to recovery begins...

     After getting the Camaro back, it was then time to start the long road to getting her all fixed up.  I'm starting with a good base in that there doesn't appear to be much in the way of body work that needs to be done.  I've seen pictures of the car during it's mini-restoration and am comfortable knowing that it is at least 95% complete.  I'm sure there are some body issues that will need to be addressed, but that will be later.  If I'm going to spend money on fixing the car, I would like it to be noticeable.  I've heard of body repairs costing a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars and there doesn't look like anything was done.  It removes some cancerous rust, but I would rather that money go into other areas if possible.  First things first though!  I needed to get the car down to Hot Rods & Custom Stuff in Escondido, a premier hot rod shop, and have them inspect the vehicle to let us know what needs to be done.
     Before I could do that, I was off to Wyoming with my Mom and sister to spend a week with family.  My grandma who is 95 is still a hoot and telling stories of how my mom and aunt were as kids.  I got to see my cousins Madrone and Lara whom I haven't seen in many years.  There was a trip to the lake just about a mile from my Aunt's house where we were staying.  Getting towed behind Lara's boat in a tube was a blast and I recommend it to anyone.  I got to show my sister Yellowstone and did a great disservice to her as she only really got to see the road in from the south, Old Faithful, and then the road out to the east.  Part of our little road trip included going to Cody.  I wanted to see an old west town and although Cody is no where near what it used to be, it still had some buildings in a museum type arrangement that made the trip there worth it.  I was gathering information and ambiance for the newly acquired Deadlands game and there was plenty of it up there.  Although I didn't get to crack the spine on the books too often while I was there, the books did make the trip.  I'd like to think that they were gathering the essence of the Old West while we were on our loop around the state.  The visit could have lasted a few more days were it my choice, but we all had work to get back to so we bid a "see you later" to the relatives and headed out.  My sister, Mom, and brother-in-law would be back in October.  I would not as I had the albatross that is school hanging from my neck.  That weight will be lifted in May 2011 though.
     Back in California in early July I wasted little time in getting the car into Hot Rods & Custom Stuff and I knew they would be taking good care of the car.  A few anxious days were spent wondering what would be found and how much it may end up costing to fix.  The word finally came in and Todd from the shop sent me their findings and we talked it over.  There were indeed some big safety issues to be dealt with.  She needed new brakes all around including the drums; new suspension in the front, oh and the fuel line was resting on the exhaust (umm... that could be bad, you think?).  There were various other items with wiring, alignment, etc.  One major item was the transmission.  Yeah, it's shot.  As long as you calmly accelerate it won't feel like it's going to fall apart.  Where the heck is the fun in that!?  I did end up getting a spare 4-speed (a 700-R4) and would be putting that in.  All-in-all not a bad prognosis considering she's a 42-year old car and I got it for the same price as others that are in horrible condition.  I told Hot Rods to get to work on the safety issues and I would attack the other items later.  Ultimately the car would be in the shop about a month.  Kari said she was getting an extensive mani-pedi.  I had a great distraction at this point, but you'll have to wait until next posting for those juicy details...