First things first. The Dakota’s dead. Engine blew and my buddy scrapped it. Both of us have been pretty bummed since it happened, literally one day after I posted about it being black.
Also, I did a magnet test on the Chevelle tonight. While the front fenders, rocker panels, and most of the rear quarters are solid, the magnet didn’t stick too well behind/above the wheel well. That sucks, but the car looks decent enough, is undercoated, and I’m too broke to blow it apart to care.
Speaking of the Chevelle, I tried to reset the rockers last summer without a clue as to what I was doing. Called my grandfather before trying to fire it, he told me that was a no-no and they had to be retorqued... so Dad and I did it. And forger to set the engine to top dead center on each piston. Which means we bent the shit out of the rods. Thankfully, the engine still has compression and I only jacked with the driver’s side cylinders. New pushrods are in the garage, we’re just waiting for Pap to be able to walk us through it and watch over us.
The Camaro has had no updates. Not one. Hasn’t been touched. Except the valve seals are bad now. Shocking. And I’m fairly worried about sticking a magnet on it if I’m honest. Both it and the Chevelle were restored by the same person.
The Grand National’s carbon/charcoal/whatever canister is bad and it’s not running right. And the alternator took a dump while Pap and I were diagnosing it.
The Mustang soldiered on, with only the passenger window motor failing this year, and then last week it came off the track and wouldn’t go up. I yanked it up and took it home and parked it, irritated at the abhorrent luck I’ve had with all of them this year.
But the Ranger is still truckin’ fine (knock on wood)