Just about finished.

I stopped by the Radio Shack and got some shrink tube then stopped at NAPA and got an air filter for the El Camino. I put the interior light in and it wouldn't work. I removed the bulb and put a flashlight in the glove box. I took the lug wrench from the hot rod and put that in the car also. Spare tire pressure is still good.
The wind died down by noon so I packed two planes and headed for the dog track. I've been having strange runs with the Fox .40's that have the new venturi and needle valve. The OS .40's just chug along nicely. I measured the venturi on the fox and the carb. opening on the OS. I measured the needle valve dia. and figured the area of the venturi opening that was left. The Fox is a lot less than the OS. I did some figuring and drilled the venturi to bring it closer to the OS area. Not quite the same but closer. I ran the engine and it held the setting pretty good but they all run good on the ground. It gets one lap and leans out to 4.5 sec. laps. We will see what this mod. does to the runs.
Someone stopped by and asked about the dog track for flying. I gave him what I know and maybe he will be back. He used to fly c/l but an operation on his ears makes him dizzy real easy. He is into r/c now.
One of the c/l forums has started stunt blogs. I signed up and can't get to do anything. Something is amiss.

Interior light to go.

I went right to work on the car this morning. I got the sail panels installed first as I figured they would be the hardest. I was right. I had punched holes for the shoulder belt bolts and they were right on but the screw holes for the belt clip were not to be found. I diddled with it for a while then, with the panel in place I drilled new holes and finished the job. The original mirror went in without a hitch. The visors can't be switched side to side. They droop when retracted if not in the right place. The 'A' pillar covers gave me a bit of trouble but I found the proper holes and after banging them into position they got installed. I figured on installing a port for the GPS by putting it into the cigar lighter hole. The port is bigger and wouldn't fit. After putting that back together I mounted it under the dash using the supplied bracket and a screw from the ash tray. I had a wire going to the battery and tapped into it for the power. I removed the bow tie emblem from the grill and installed the SS emblem in it's place. I got a piece of gas hose from NAPA and put the tank filler neck back together. I siphoned the gas back into the tank while I was working on the interior. I need to get some small shrink tube before installing the dome light.
I went for a ride and made some abnormal right hand turns to test the tank repair. I didn't smell gas and couldn't see any leaks when I got home.
I washed the car and dried it and put another coat of wax on it.Were ready for the car show.
I read over the instructions for the GPS and can't seem to be able to get the speed to read while it's navigating. There must be a way to go between pages and not loose the route but I can't figure it out.

On schedule.

We went to the dog track yesterday morning and I got in two flights. The sun was bright and the wind light. The sun was heating the asphalt and creating thermals and the breeze carried other thermals through the circle making for some loose line moments.
I went to the local plumbing store to buy a tubing cutter. I checked on line and saw prices in the $40.00 range for a 2 inch cutter. The store had one on the shelf up to 2 1/2 inches. A Lenox brand. I knew I was in trouble. After tax $89.30. I had mentioned that I was only making one cut so the clerk gave me a loaner. I have to return it shortly.
Around 4 pm I got the call that the car was ready. We hurried to Niantic and hurried back so I could start on the gas tank. I drained the gas and unhooked the tank and dropped it to the floor. Not without getting some gas on me. I went in to eat and the UPS truck pulled in with the SS emblem. After eating I cut the end off the tank and put it back up. I have to get a piece of hose to connect the old to the new and put the gas back in. I also found a vent line I had blocked was leaking so I put another clamp on it. I'm going to start on the last items soon. The visors, mirror, sail panels, dome light. That should finish it.

Hopefully tomorrow.

After coffee and after the dog track and after calls to the VA and the insurance co. I called the upholsterer. We brought the El Camino to Niantic. I put gas in it for the trip and when I would go around a right hand turn gas would come out of the filler neck. The seal part of the neck is damaged and will leak in right turns. I have a partial neck and can use it to repair the old one. I have to get a plumbers pipe cutter to trim the tank neck as it wont make sparks and a big boom. I've had the tank out before so that shouldn't be a problem. Anyway the car should be ready tomorrow. Then drain the tank and make the fix.

More rain.

I did get to the NAPA store for my refund on Thurs. When I got home I headed for Benny's. I pass within 1/4 mile of the local NAPA store and almost went there instead. At Benny's they had two covers, one Yankees and one Patriots. I went to the NAPA store and they had a black plain one on the shelf. End of search.
It rained Thurs.,Fri. and ,Sat. windy too. Today, Sun., it's quite nice and I went to the dog track and got in six flights. The humidity is climbing fast making it miserable.
My mother's house isn't selling because of the dug well so we are having one drilled. They are supposed to start last week but didn't.
The headliner installer didn't call with a date either. I'll give him a call Mon. to see what his schedule is.

Windy today.

The seasonal change and it's wind hit today. 15 to 25 mph. I got in some short trimming flights on two planes. I removed the Fox and installed an OS .40 on one and it had never flown successfully before. It was given to me attached to parts of an old Dura-Plane. I put a venturi on as the carb. was broken off. I set it up like the other OS and it ran perfectly on the first flight. The other one had a BB Fox .40 on it and will take more flights to get it working properly.
UPS came this afternoon and brought the replacement heater control panel. I got it installed quicker than I thought. Everything works like it should so I'm happy. There is still an SS emblem and the headliner to go.
I stopped at the NAPA store in Coventry RI to check on the tire cover. It wasn't in. They will call when it comes in. I got home and they had called to say they can't get the cover. Now I have to go back and get the refund.

Second cousin Henry.

Long ago and not far away enough there was and still is a small town in eastern CT named Oneco. You can google earth it and see for your self, if your stomach is strong enough. Any way in the center of town near the bridge,is a fire house and behind that is a mill that produced pressed paper for note book covers and stuff. Across the driveway, from the firehouse, that led to the mill was a duplex house that Henry and his family resided in. Henry's wife was a skinny thing that did unusual things from time to time. She could also scare a hungry dog off a meat wagon. Henry worked at the paper mill which was 100 yards from his door. Every morning he would walk to work and most mornings the third shift workers would be driving out to go home. Henry would wave to some of them as they passed. This went on for years, or so it seemed to Henry. One fateful morning Henry forgot his lunch. Being Henry he didn't realize this until he got to work and it was too late to go back and get it. He figured that he would get it at coffee break in a few hours. Coffee break came and Henry walked back home to get his lunch. He noticed something odd as he approached his house. A car belonging to one of the third shift workers he waved to every morning was parked at his door. He thought nothing about it and proceded to enter the house to get his lunch. Nobody home, that's odd he thought. He looked around and found no one so he went upstairs and looked around too. Needless to say the owner of the car parked in front of his door and Henrys' wife were parked in his bed. Not at all motionless. Henry was quite taken aback at what he was witnessing. (Henry later relayed this story to the locals at Red Doors (his real name was Irving but he had red hair) garage and this is his quote.) " I told him I will give you exactly twenty minutes to finish what your doing and get the Hell out of here. And He knew I was mad too because I slammed the door on my way out".
I would have much appreciated it if Henry had not gone to the garage and told his story to the people gathered there. But he did. Henry didn't say whether he remembered to take his lunch with him or not.

Getting ready for labor day.

I was watching an SS emblem on ebay and it ended. I guess in a buy it now. I figured that the seller would put up another one as he is a store. Sure enough another popped up today. I did a buy it now and should have it by next friday.
Today we cleaned the garage and moved the tables in. It took all afternoon. Still need to re ice the drinks in the morning. I will go and pick up the food. That will make it cheaper by a bunch. When we bring the dishes back on Tuesday we will stop by NAPA and check on the tire cover.

Found a spare tire.

After finding out that the new spare wouldn't fit I looked at the supply in back of the garage. Another of the red rim tires still had air. I looked it over and it was in better shape than the one I've been using. I cleaned it up and filled it up with air and marked the info on the rim for reference on how big the leak is. I checked it today and it's still at 30 psi so that's good. The new heater panel hasn't arrived yet and NAPA hasn't called about the spare tire cover. The upholsterer wont be calling for a week or two yet.
The hot rod was dry this morning and we took it to Lizzy B's for breakfast.
The new paving is all the way but looks like a second layer is in the offing. Maybe in a few weeks.

So far so good.

The state is paving Rte. 14 from the RI line to the Plainfield/Sterling line. I guess it's easier or costlier to re pave a portion of a smooth road than a portion of a rough broken up road. My stimulus at work, accomplishing nothing. As W.C Fields said "there's an Ethiopian in the fuel supply".
I brought the twister to the dog track with the Snow Fox. The Fox is flying pretty good and doing a recognizable pattern. The twister is still having engine break in pains but is flying better each time. It really cuts a sharp corner and is quite stable in level flight. Once the engine settles down it should be the best of the pair.
I mowed the lawn while waiting for the hot rod radiator to settle in after putting on a new bottom hose. The person at NAPA said that if you tighten the clamp too much the rubber will harden and start leaking when cold. I didn't over tighten the new hose and so far it hasn't leaked. I soaked it in hot water to make it more flexible before putting it on the car. I also coated both pieces with some rubber lube that followed me home after scrapping it from work.. It's some kind of silicone Mil-Spec stuff.

Wrong bolt pattern.

I took the spare out of the car and gunked it down and put Super Clean on the rubber. I saw many cracks in the tire and figured to get another,better one. I called Richard's and he has one from an Astro. I went and got it and before cleaning it I tried to put it on the El Camino. 5 on 5 bolt circle. The car is 5 on 4-3/4. Fidden dit. Any way I got to use the sissor jack and got the tire off the ground after a fashion. I drained the hot rod radiator and removed the lower hose. NAPA ordered one for tomorrow. I used a mirror and couldn't see any cracks in the lower neck.