Sunday, October 31, 2004

Spencer's Halloween



Spence and his goulish gals pose momentarily in the light.

Friday, October 29, 2004

Pre-School Halloween Party



Ain't they cute... what kingdom wouldn't love to have these Princesses. From the left is Emma, Delaney, Lauren and Bailey.



Jeanette does a great job with the kids. Lauren adores her!

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Spence



This that look I get when I get him up too early and ask him if he wants to come to work and make twenty bucks. He can't resist the money, but his metabolism can't cope with the time change. He really can be a great help when he kicks into gear. Guess I wasn't any different, but its been so long I guess I've forgotten!

1967 Checker Update



Here's my lovely headache. I have been slowly making progress on the removal of this trailer hitch for about a week. I thought I had it licked only to discover two well hidden bolts. I can't get the gas tank off to access them and I can't reach them because of the gas tank. Catch-22. If that ain't enough salt in the wound, as I work around the rear bumper I am discovering how bad it's condition really is. You can see in the picture the holes, but feeling underneath the backside, much of what you see is just chrome...the steel rusted away.



Here's "Plan C". I have given those nuts the last epedermis I have to offer, I went to Harbor Freight and got the infamous Nut Slitter Package for a mere $6.99. I am waiting for my moment and when that hitch isn't looking I'm gonna slap that Nut Slitter on and sliiiiiittt my problems away!



Hey looky here! The front end put up a bit of resistance but has relinquished her chrome. I am cataloging and drawing figures of the disassembly and bagging all the little stuff and putting it neatly away. And I only punched one hole in the radiator. (so far) I want to blow off that silvery piece in the front, get out the radiator and that front housing. Why you ask? So I can have a full open front when I pop the motor out.


Friday, October 15, 2004

What! Another Checker



Jerry snapped this shot of me barrelling down I-5 corridor at about 72 MPH. Yes, I got another Checker. I must be mad, but this 1976 Checker has got a lot to offer. It's a daily driver, got a powerful 350 chevy engine and the famous Hydromatic 400 tranny. How could I say no? We drove up from Salem leaving at about 9:00 am Thursday. We arrived at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library where we introduced ourselves to Jon and Joyce Garner. After a close inspection I was thrilled at the test drive and cinched the deal by the time we arrived back at the library. This car purrs and can lay a long track of rubber, too.



Jerry and I decided to stop off at Mission Mill and show the gang the new acquisition. Poor David wasn't around at the time and later in the afternoon barrelled into the drive at home and wanted to see and hear it. His prelimenary inspection was one of approval and he said he would help me troubleshoot the idle problem with the car. (recirculating pre-heater tubes, etc.)



Here I am doting over the little darling. Later I gave the family a drive around South Salem. I think they like it, too. Later, later about 45 minutes before "Survivor" (one of my gotta watch shows) I took her out for a solo spin around town. She turns heads... did I mention... she turns heads!

Sunday, October 10, 2004

It must be late...



Showed this to my sister (the one on the left). She cracked up.

Oh My God!



Erik this is for you. You wanted to see my new thinner physique. I told you I would not show my true turkey white so out comes photoshop and ..well I guess after giving my self a deep tan I just couldn't stop. Hey, what do you think of the makeover? I swear I did not take off any of the outline. I am now 34 pounds lighter. Tonight I had a large sprout salad with grilled chicken and a large delicious glass of chilled water.

Checker Trunk Day



Today I tackled the trunk. I only broke 3 of the the 4 bolts holding it to the car. Other than a test strip with the stripper it was covered in this rhino skinned grey paint under which lay yet another grey , a robbins egg blue and a base of red primer.In spite of the nuts breaking the piece came off relatively easy.



Here's a shot of the trunk with the mat removed. The mat just needs a little repair and a good cleaning. The walls of the trunk are great. The bottom of the trunk is a troubled area, but not impossible. From the picture you can see the tire well has rusted completely through. I will get to use the Rust-Mort and recapture all the rusted areas. The hole will have to be patched with sheet metal shaped and then welded into place. I will learn to weld right here. Maybe I will take off the gas tank...heh?



These are my friends...the guy on the left likes to boil paint off metal. After 2 to 3 applications and much elbow grease paint gives way to bare metal. The guy on the right makes rust tremble at the sound of his name...Rust-Mort. This is a winning team.



I did the deed at the top of the driveway on a couple of sawhorses. Usually, I will apply the stripper and let it set for about 30 minutes. Then I get the putty knife or another scraper and lift the paint away. It is tediuos and a process that can eat a day right up. It will be cool if I can disassemble most of the fenders and hood and work them flat on the sawhorses.



Here I am with the trunk lid down to bare metal. There wasn't a gram of paint on the piece. I finished it with a good sanding. Then I layed out the tarp and put on my first application of grey primer. Yes, I really felt I had taken a big step forward and admired the painted trunk lid for some time. the reality of the situation is that this piece may be only 8 square feet of some 148 square feet I have to do. God help me!