Hoo boy.
This week is shaping up to be a *real* winner...
Laurie broke the car.
I think our cavalier hates my wife.
She claims that the car has stalled dead a couple of times whilst on a steep slope...and she GUNNED THE HELL OUT OF IT in order to "make sure it didn't stall again".
My wife's been a little stressed out lately. She's broken the upstairs toilet...twice.
Later in the day (rode my bike to and from work) I drove the car to Grant and Kathy's place to have a look at their van. They've got a leaking heater core line that can't be repaired at the moment because doing so would require removing the engine from their van.
No, I'm not kidding. That has *got* to be the dumbest design I've seen in awhile.
Anyways...I happened to notice, after I started the car (it had cooled down by then)a pronounced..."clicking/tapping/grinding"???? noise coming from the driver's side, around the wheel well. The noise seemed to occur only when the car was in gear, and in motion.
I know what you're thinking...'cause I was thinking it too: busted driveaxle.
The cavalier is going on 13 years old, after all.
So, throwing caution to the wind, I decided to drive the car to work next morning.
And the noise started up immediately.
"What the...?"
Hmmm...not only is the car not moving, it ain't even in gear yet. Must be something else...
I pop open the hood...and the noise stops. Close the hood, the noise starts again. Open the hood...this got old after only a few moments.
Finally, as I turn to grab the trouble light, the noise starts again...and I FOUND IT!
Spotted the drivebelt "skipping" against the flange on the power steering pump. Obvious cause: the drivebelt tension pulley was broken.
Whew.
A major automotive disaster turns out to be only a minor catastrophe. Pay 150$ to your local Canuck Tire, and pass go. Brought the parts home, and started to work immediately, as L started her night course this week and HAD to be gone by 5 PM. No pressure, eh?
Surprise: the old tensioner had not, as I expected, broken its tension spring.
The bracket that holds the pulley to the engine broke in two.
Happier news:
The renovation of the basement is under way. We've got wallboard up in the hallway and new subfloor laid in the Kitchen/Livingroom area on the west side of the basement suite. It ought to be ready for occupation middle of next month.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Once upon a time...a young man had more money than sense...
This young man had been raised in a close-knit family. His father had been an officer with the Canadian armed forces overseas. His father brought home to Canada a souvenir of his tour of duty in Europe.
An Alfa Romeo GT 1300 jr.
Dad's was dark blue. He kept it until I was 12. There's a small shelf behind the back seat where as toddlers my sisters and I would sleep on long car trips. This was before mandatory seat belt laws, of course.
At age 22, I returned home to Canada from a church mission in the US. I was young, single, newly employed and had received a substantial tax refund...like I said in the beginning...more money than sense.
So I bought this:
Mine was red. Also, that's a 1973 GT 2000. Mine was a 1974 GTV 2000 "Inezione" It rusted out completely within 2 years. I finally had to let it go to the wreckers, but only after stripping the rusting hulk for every saleable part I could persuade my parents to let me keep in the crawlspace of their house. Had some fun with it: a long and interesting roadtrip back to alberta...a long and involved clutch job...engine fire...lost a wheel on highway 99 in Richmond. Sometimes I wonder WHY I ever gave it up.
Except I didn't. A house I moved into with KWY, Bob W and Mark T had...a 1750 GT in the garage. For Sale.
Again, without so much money but STILL without much sense...I bought another alfa.
This one died without even so much as a whimper: sold the hulk and all parts to an Euro-car dealership in Vancouver. Never drove it.
So...what's the point of this trip down memory lane?
Well, in part because for the first time in about 14 years, I'm going to be owning my own car again. Also in part because I found something lost that now is found.
Not my alfa.
THE alfa.
The most beautiful Alfa Romeo ever made.
The 1964 Alfa Romeo Canguro...yes, the name means "Kangaroo" in Italian.
In keeping with the romance and occaisional tragedy of Alfa's history; the one-of-a-kind Canguro has a story:
"Alfa Romeo had made a successful return to motorsport with the TZ (Tubular chassis and Zagato body) model, and in 1964 explored the opportunity to make a road going version of the lightweight racer. Although the Zagato version was highly competitive, it was also very expensive, so Alfa Romeo offered a TZ chassis to both Bertone and Pininfarina to turn into a road car. At Bertone the project was headed by a young Giorgietto Giugiaro, who had penned the Giulia Sprint body for Alfa Romeo a year earlier.
One of the TZ chassis greatest advantages was the exceptionally low construction, which allowed for a small frontal area. Giugiaro made the most of that and designed a highly aerodynamic fiberglass body, which was even lower than the aluminum Zagato body. To smooth out the airflow the car featured a glued-in front window, which was an industry first. Another interesting design element was the incorporation of the Alfa Romeo's competition cloverleaf as cockpit vents. Launched at the 1964 Paris show, the car was dubbed Canguro, Italian for kangaroo.
Giugiaro's Canguro received universal acclaim, but Alfa Romeo was not convinced and abandoned the idea of the TZ based road car. One of the reasons was the incapability of Autodelta, the marque's racing department, to build enough chassis. The project ended on a sad note when a journalist crashed the unique car in a test drive. The Canguro's remains were eventually bought in 1971 by Gary Schmidt, a German journalist. He intended to reconstruct the car, but he failed to do so, and the car was considered lost.
Fortunately this was not the end of the story; a Japanese collector tracked down the remains in the 1990s, and continued in secrecy where Schmidt had left off. It made a glorious debut at the 2005 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance, where it was voted best of show. For many it was quite a shock to see one of the automotive world's finest designs in person, after it was believed to be lost for ever.
Although the Canguro was never produced, it has made a lasting impression on the industry. Some of the design cues were found on later Alfa Romeos, and other Bertone designed vehicles. Created at a time when Italian automotive design was at its peak, it is considered by many as one of the most balanced designs ever executed.
The Canguro is pictured at its second debut, the 2005 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, where it was the centre of attention of press and public alike."
To give you some idea of what a milestone in automotive styling the Canguro was; here's a "side by side" with the latest Alfa Romeo model to be released on the North American market (as featured in the January, 2008 issue of Road & Track magazine). I give you the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione:
And the Canguro...see any similarities? Both cars have impressive performance numbers; in fact the 8C could be more exactly classified as a Supercar. The Canguro, however, turns in its performance stats while being equipped with a four cylinder engine.
Not bad for a design over 40 years old, eh?
This young man had been raised in a close-knit family. His father had been an officer with the Canadian armed forces overseas. His father brought home to Canada a souvenir of his tour of duty in Europe.
An Alfa Romeo GT 1300 jr.
Dad's was dark blue. He kept it until I was 12. There's a small shelf behind the back seat where as toddlers my sisters and I would sleep on long car trips. This was before mandatory seat belt laws, of course.
At age 22, I returned home to Canada from a church mission in the US. I was young, single, newly employed and had received a substantial tax refund...like I said in the beginning...more money than sense.
So I bought this:
Mine was red. Also, that's a 1973 GT 2000. Mine was a 1974 GTV 2000 "Inezione" It rusted out completely within 2 years. I finally had to let it go to the wreckers, but only after stripping the rusting hulk for every saleable part I could persuade my parents to let me keep in the crawlspace of their house. Had some fun with it: a long and interesting roadtrip back to alberta...a long and involved clutch job...engine fire...lost a wheel on highway 99 in Richmond. Sometimes I wonder WHY I ever gave it up.
Except I didn't. A house I moved into with KWY, Bob W and Mark T had...a 1750 GT in the garage. For Sale.
Again, without so much money but STILL without much sense...I bought another alfa.
This one died without even so much as a whimper: sold the hulk and all parts to an Euro-car dealership in Vancouver. Never drove it.
So...what's the point of this trip down memory lane?
Well, in part because for the first time in about 14 years, I'm going to be owning my own car again. Also in part because I found something lost that now is found.
Not my alfa.
THE alfa.
The most beautiful Alfa Romeo ever made.
The 1964 Alfa Romeo Canguro...yes, the name means "Kangaroo" in Italian.
In keeping with the romance and occaisional tragedy of Alfa's history; the one-of-a-kind Canguro has a story:
"Alfa Romeo had made a successful return to motorsport with the TZ (Tubular chassis and Zagato body) model, and in 1964 explored the opportunity to make a road going version of the lightweight racer. Although the Zagato version was highly competitive, it was also very expensive, so Alfa Romeo offered a TZ chassis to both Bertone and Pininfarina to turn into a road car. At Bertone the project was headed by a young Giorgietto Giugiaro, who had penned the Giulia Sprint body for Alfa Romeo a year earlier.
One of the TZ chassis greatest advantages was the exceptionally low construction, which allowed for a small frontal area. Giugiaro made the most of that and designed a highly aerodynamic fiberglass body, which was even lower than the aluminum Zagato body. To smooth out the airflow the car featured a glued-in front window, which was an industry first. Another interesting design element was the incorporation of the Alfa Romeo's competition cloverleaf as cockpit vents. Launched at the 1964 Paris show, the car was dubbed Canguro, Italian for kangaroo.
Giugiaro's Canguro received universal acclaim, but Alfa Romeo was not convinced and abandoned the idea of the TZ based road car. One of the reasons was the incapability of Autodelta, the marque's racing department, to build enough chassis. The project ended on a sad note when a journalist crashed the unique car in a test drive. The Canguro's remains were eventually bought in 1971 by Gary Schmidt, a German journalist. He intended to reconstruct the car, but he failed to do so, and the car was considered lost.
Fortunately this was not the end of the story; a Japanese collector tracked down the remains in the 1990s, and continued in secrecy where Schmidt had left off. It made a glorious debut at the 2005 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance, where it was voted best of show. For many it was quite a shock to see one of the automotive world's finest designs in person, after it was believed to be lost for ever.
Although the Canguro was never produced, it has made a lasting impression on the industry. Some of the design cues were found on later Alfa Romeos, and other Bertone designed vehicles. Created at a time when Italian automotive design was at its peak, it is considered by many as one of the most balanced designs ever executed.
The Canguro is pictured at its second debut, the 2005 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, where it was the centre of attention of press and public alike."
To give you some idea of what a milestone in automotive styling the Canguro was; here's a "side by side" with the latest Alfa Romeo model to be released on the North American market (as featured in the January, 2008 issue of Road & Track magazine). I give you the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione:
And the Canguro...see any similarities? Both cars have impressive performance numbers; in fact the 8C could be more exactly classified as a Supercar. The Canguro, however, turns in its performance stats while being equipped with a four cylinder engine.
Not bad for a design over 40 years old, eh?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Things I learned today:
The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all.
That's the right way to express it.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"
That's the wrong way to express it.
Won't say any more than that.
Something else I learned today: we often end up right where we need to be. Sometimes it's even where we want to be. It's just very seldom that the path we took was the one we would have preferred to take. Does that make any sense? My life will be changing soon, and while this opens the path to living my life more in accord with the way I wish to live it (but so far haven't), this is not how I expected to get here. More on that later. Possibly MUCH later. We'll see.
Coral is sick, but recovering. Colin was sick, but has already recovered. I am feeling a little under the weather and rather hoping that I can give this "bug that's going around" a miss this time. Coral's birthday tomorrow. The Grrl-age is officially a TEENAGER.
Oy.
The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all.
That's the right way to express it.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"
That's the wrong way to express it.
Won't say any more than that.
Something else I learned today: we often end up right where we need to be. Sometimes it's even where we want to be. It's just very seldom that the path we took was the one we would have preferred to take. Does that make any sense? My life will be changing soon, and while this opens the path to living my life more in accord with the way I wish to live it (but so far haven't), this is not how I expected to get here. More on that later. Possibly MUCH later. We'll see.
Coral is sick, but recovering. Colin was sick, but has already recovered. I am feeling a little under the weather and rather hoping that I can give this "bug that's going around" a miss this time. Coral's birthday tomorrow. The Grrl-age is officially a TEENAGER.
Oy.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Happy 2008.
Feh.
What's up?
The Basement isn't finished yet.
It's not even started yet. We've begun making strategic phone calls to various individuals: our insurance agent, our "restoration specialist", our plumbing contractor...
...Ok, I haven't actually called our plumbing contractor yet. Our insurance agent is talking to the Claims Department at the city of Delta and wishes a statement from the plumbing contractor just to get all of the details of the claim organized. This might explain why the basement reno hasn't started yet: the principals in the case haven't decided who is going to pay for what. All I can say is; the city was negligent, at the very least.
The basement, despite torrential seasonal rains (and the occasional snowstorm) has remained dry. There was one minor incursion at the end of last month, but owing as how our floor drain actually works now, the water left immediately. I can live with that.
May still have to dig up the foundation tile in that corner come spring, tho'.
Work:
We finally got those new standup forklifts the company promised us in November. Our dock lifts are Hyster model 40. The old "tall" lifts are model 30. The "new" are model 35. They combine a model 40 chassis with a lift similar to the model 30, save that the lift height is greater and was actually planned to be able to reach the top of the racking easily without striking the roof trusswork or piping. Oh, and the mod. 35's are equipped with an optical laser sight and a digital height counter. Chief complaints about the new machines: lack of workspace. I myself had to retrofit a "clipboard" of sorts to hold picking orders and labels. Actually, I'm pleased with the way these are working out; but the cockpit is a lot more cramped, and yet still comfortable.
I'm going back to church. Very soon will be paying tithes, doing home teaching, perhaps even holding a calling! May also take the Vancouver Community Choir up on their offer to join the men's section. Life is shaking up. I am not sleeping well. More later.
Feh.
What's up?
The Basement isn't finished yet.
It's not even started yet. We've begun making strategic phone calls to various individuals: our insurance agent, our "restoration specialist", our plumbing contractor...
...Ok, I haven't actually called our plumbing contractor yet. Our insurance agent is talking to the Claims Department at the city of Delta and wishes a statement from the plumbing contractor just to get all of the details of the claim organized. This might explain why the basement reno hasn't started yet: the principals in the case haven't decided who is going to pay for what. All I can say is; the city was negligent, at the very least.
The basement, despite torrential seasonal rains (and the occasional snowstorm) has remained dry. There was one minor incursion at the end of last month, but owing as how our floor drain actually works now, the water left immediately. I can live with that.
May still have to dig up the foundation tile in that corner come spring, tho'.
Work:
We finally got those new standup forklifts the company promised us in November. Our dock lifts are Hyster model 40. The old "tall" lifts are model 30. The "new" are model 35. They combine a model 40 chassis with a lift similar to the model 30, save that the lift height is greater and was actually planned to be able to reach the top of the racking easily without striking the roof trusswork or piping. Oh, and the mod. 35's are equipped with an optical laser sight and a digital height counter. Chief complaints about the new machines: lack of workspace. I myself had to retrofit a "clipboard" of sorts to hold picking orders and labels. Actually, I'm pleased with the way these are working out; but the cockpit is a lot more cramped, and yet still comfortable.
I'm going back to church. Very soon will be paying tithes, doing home teaching, perhaps even holding a calling! May also take the Vancouver Community Choir up on their offer to join the men's section. Life is shaking up. I am not sleeping well. More later.