#RivieraGS

[rivs72rivgs]

Show what?!

$95.  Oof.  I’m going to just leave that there for a moment…

She’s worth it.

After the gas binge and dollar purge, I drive Sacrebleu over to the parking lot adjacent to the Drive-In.  This is where the actual show will take place, and aside from the DJ already there setting up, I’m first, the first to show up for the show.  It’s probably 6:30am, I park next to a walkway.  After a few minutes thought, I move my car to another spot, backing in, close up on a curb, a ding prevention technique offering maximum space to the passenger side.  I sit in the car for a few minutes, reading before getting out to give Sacrebleu one last wipe down.  Pulling a microfiber towel from the trunk, I give the wheels a bit more attention, then clean the glass, inside and out, along with dusting the dash.  There’s nothing to be done about the little bit of fir needles and such in the footwells, so I leave it be.  Pulling the manuals from the glove box, I arrange them on the passenger seat, for show attendees’ viewing pleasure.  

Preparations complete, it’s 7am, before long another car shows up.  It’s a ‘65 Pontiac GTO, also blue.  I find out later that the owner is a true built-not-bought bucks down guy, he describes how he built a fuel injection setup for it using a Megasquirt controller, selling off the Tri-Power setup it came with to fund it.  He also installed a 5 speed manual transmission.  I come away from the conversation impressed, these are the kinds of people whose understated creativity always astounds me.  A little while later, a gnarly 3rd Gen Firebird Trans Am shows up, parks, and immediately begins puking coolant.  Oh, that girl got HOT.  It’s an Indy Anniversary Edition Pace car, very personalized with side pipes, and such.  The owner pops the hood, and I spot the leak coming from the water outlet at the block.  It’s not the worst, but it’s not great.  The owner of that Firebird is a Character, with a capital C.  He’s fun to talk with, after taking a few minutes to admire his car and commiserate about the car’s cooling woes, I wander off.  

The show was posted online as starting at 8am, but doesn’t start until 9am.  More people arrive, and around 9am, registration begins.  We all casually wander over to the registration table set up, keeping at least 6 feet between us.  I can’t tell you if the distance was because of the ‘Rona or the Seattle Chill, 50/50, pick ‘em.  $20 later, I have a goodie bag with a coupon for $5 off at XXX, a voting slip for the three Marques holding the show, and my first (!) dash plaque!  Wow.  This is SO cool.  I’M IN A SHOW!  

A later arrival catches my attention, so I follow the car to where the owner decides to park it.  Helping guide him into the spot, I ask him about the car.  It’s a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Brougham, with 61,000 miles on it.  That works out to about…1500 miles per year.  Wow.  What attracted me to the car was it is the last of the A-Body platform cars, before GM switched to the G-Body in 1978.  It represented the end of an era, and the 1973-1977 cars, which have gone for so long without much love or appreciation, are finally starting to get some.  Malaise era cars are maligned by a lot of enthusiasts, as the Domestic Car Manufacturers struggled to comply with Federal Emissions Requirements, resulting in cars that were way down on power and performance.  It’s good to see a preserved survivor of the era being shown.  

More cars roll in, a lot of Firebirds, turns out the local Firebird club wanted to really represent.  There was a magnificent 1979 Firebird, a survivor with immaculate paint, fully loaded, sitting on the iconic Snowflake Wheels.  So good, with a 403 Olds in it.  I take multiple laps of the parking lot, chatting with other owners, taking time to stand near my own car, soaking in the appreciation.  

A 1972 Olds 442 W-30 car showed up early, and the paint color was GORGEOUS.  See for yourself!

I also came across this magnificent boat, a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville.  It was a 4 speed car, and had either a Tri-Power, or a dual quad carburetor setup on it.  The air cleaner was ENORMOUS.  No photos of the air cleaner, but see the car here…

My favorite Pontiac of the show was a 1970 Firebird, a survivor that looked like it had been daily driven for most of the 51 years it has lived.  The car was rough, and battle scarred, but that was part of the appeal. Under the scuffs and dings and flawed paint and poor repairs, still a car with beautiful lines.  That twin snorkel hood, genuine ram air!

Finally, the votes were tallied, and awards announced.  Sacrebleu didn’t win.  A 1956 Roadmaster that had been given as a birthday gift 42 years earlier, in 1979 and then lovingly restored, won best Buick.  That’s okay, a trophy would have been nice, it was a great experience regardless.  Oh!  I did win a raffle, for a free Triple X Burger!

[nilstinnemeyer]

About Last Weekend… #weddingguest #weddingguestdress #wedding #gent #belgium #gentbelgium #rivieragent #1889thepost #suit #tuxedo #smoking #blacktie #hochzeit #anzug #suitup #rolex #nilstinnemeyer #tinnemeyer #beard #greyhair #blacksuit #dress #bart #grauehaare #weekend #potd #travel #hotel #thepostgent #picoftheday (hier: Gent, Belgium) https://www.instagram.com/p/CheZFzGKBwF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[slickedbackartisan]

Day 4- Mexico, based on La Llorona Cerrado Dex ??? Rivierage (Riviera + Rage) The Riverside Pokemon

Water/Ghost

Cursed Body/Storm Drain/Torrent Said to be looking for their lost children, Rivierage will often grab unattended children back to the water with them. It is said that the wisps that it keeps tucked under its cloak are the victims that never returned. Rivierage © slickedbackArtisan Do not copy, steal, or use.

[rivs72rivgs]

A Bum Steer

Parts arrived!  Time to put the steering in order on Sacrebleu!  First, let’s get all the equipment out.  Hydraulic jack, jack stands, tool cart.  Pull Sacrebleu in front of the garage, line the jack up on the underside of the engine cradle and begin lifting the front end into the air.  Oops, I don’t have the jack centered well enough, Sacrebleu is rocking a little three wheel motion.  That’s not going to work.  I lower the jack slowly, and try again.  Ok, even with the mechanical advantage of the long lever, AND the hydraulic advantage, Sacrebleu is HEAVY!  This time goes better, and both wheels slowly leave the ground.  The jack shifts, rolling forward further under the car, as the pad of the jack pulls the frame along with each pump raising the car.  Finally there’s enough clearance to get jack stands under the A arms, carefully positioning, then lowering the weight onto the stands.  I leave the jack in place with some tension on it, as a safety measure.  Now’s the time to capture video of the slop between the center link and the pitman arm, after a few false starts, I get enough video to create a gif with.

  A quick examination of the fasteners leads me to go back in the garage and come out with the tools I didn’t grab before.  A pair of needle nose pliers for the cotter pins through the castle nuts, a set of 3/8″ drive semi-deep impact sockets, and an electric 3/8″ drive ratchet.  I start with the pitman arm, using the pliers to pry the cotter pin off the nut before straightening the pin and pulling it back through the nut.  I try to get the ratchet on the nut, but there’s not enough room.  I go to the tool cart, and grab a flex head 3/8″ drive ratchet, and with a bit of oomph, the nut comes loose.  I repeat the process three more times, at the idler arm, and both inner tie rod ends.  All the fasteners are off, the only thing holding the center link in now is the friction of the press fit of the tapered shafts for the link itself and the inner tie rod ends. I experimentally give the ends of the tie rod end a few taps with a maul, with little success.  I hit it a little harder, and think I’m getting somewhere.  I go after the end of it with a will, and end up having made no progress, and my muscles are exhausted.  I experiment on the other tie rod end, with a similar lack of success.  I pause, think for a moment, and with a bit of dread, try to thread a castle nut onto the inner tie rod…nope.  Ain’t happenin’, bro.  I’ve mushroomed them, and am going to have to replace the tie rod ends on both sides.  Greaaaaat.  This still doesn’t solve how I’m going to get the center link loose from the pitman arm, idler arm, and inner tie rod ends.  The only thing that comes to mind is buying a pickle fork.  It’s a heavy, drop-forged tool that splits the press fit pieces together with judicious application of a maul.  Ok, fine.  Off to the auto parts store I go, it’s a mile up the road.  First, I wash up and dust off, brushing as much of the dirt and dust from my clothes before hopping in the car.  That chore finished, I find myself standing in the parts store, facing the counter, being helped by an associate.  Oh!  The gas cap on Sacrebleu needs to be replaced, I can order one while I’m here.  While doing that, I notice that the parts store has a tool rental program, where you “buy” the tool, and if you return it within 48 hours, they refund the money.  The pickle fork is part of their tool loan program, so I buy/borrow it and head home.  Once I’m home, I waste no time crawling back under Sacrebleu, and in less than 5 minutes, I have the center link freed from both the pitman and idler arms.  That just leaves the inner tie rod ends.  I position the pickle fork, but there’s no room to get any real force on the end of the fork.  I suppose it would be fair to say I’m in a bit of a pickle.  A few moments of consideration, and I’m carefully lowering the jack, bringing all the weight of the front end of the car onto the jack stands.  The stands take the load, I take the jack and position the lifting pad under the pickle fork end.  Then, I start pumping the jack, slowly pressing it against the end of the fork, letting the weight of the front end bear on the fork and the joint.  Suddenly, the parts come loose, with a bit of a jump and a jerk.  Success!  Triumph!  Only one more inner tie rod end remains to be separated, and the center link will be free!  I manhandle the jack over to the other side, line up the fork, and repeat the process.  Oho, this one isn’t going as smoothly as the first, and I end up lifting the front end of the car BY the fork AT the joint, OFF the jack stand.  Yeah, that’s not safe.  I reposition, and try again, with the same result, but with the added bonus of Sacrebleu trying to shift off the jack stand laterally!  Ok, what about hitting the joint while it’s under tension?  Sure, why not?  What could go wrong with hitting the end of the tie rod end with a thousand or more pounds bearing on it.  Um….yeah, no.  I lower the jack, free the fork, and give the tie rod end stud a few good whacks.  When I get everything repositioned, the stud pops free of the center link, and the link is now loose at all four points.  I pull the tie rod end studs free, leaving the center link held in place by the idler and pitman arms.  A bit more wrangling, a bit of persuasion with the maul, and the center link is free!  

Installation is the reverse of removal.  (Again, iykyk)

Hanging the new center link from the pitman and idler arm is easy, I run the castle nuts down just to hold it in place.  I’m done for the evening, because I need inner tie rod ends.  This is a good time to take the pickle fork back to the parts store, and see about ordering parts.  Checking their online portal, it shows the value line (Read: Cheap) steering components available next day, and the quality ones not available next day.  Driving back to the parts store with the tool and receipt, I work with the person at the counter, order a new locking gas cap, and the value line inner tie rod ends.  That’s it for the day, there’s nothing more to be done.

*12 hours later*

I call the shop doing the work and speak with H, he recommends replacing the rest of the steering components, adjusting sleeves and outer tie rod ends.  I decide to get the adjusting sleeves and leave the outer tie rod ends alone, that way I don’t have to borrow the pickle fork again.  Midday, I pick up the parts from a store near work, top quality stuff from my preferred parts company.  The company discount saves me $45, about 35% off retail.  Nice.  The remainder of the work day passes, soon I find myself home, new parts ready to be installed.  I still need to remove the old inner tie rod ends and adjusting sleeves, and the passenger side seems a bit resistant to coming free, but with a bit of leverage, working smarter, not harder, I free the inner tie rod end and adjusting sleeve all as one assembly.  The new hardware is laid out, ready to be installed, I take a minute to get some anti-seize lubricant on the threads of the sleeves, to help prevent galling.  By some miracle, anti-seize ends up only on the threads.  I run the new tie rod end to the sleeve, match it up for approximate length to the one I just removed, tighten the clamp nut, and begin installing it in the car, threading the adjusting sleeve onto the outer tie rod end, down to where the previous sleeve had been threaded.  A little bit of fiddling gets the tie rod end stud lined up with the center link, and the castle nut is threaded on loosely.  Repeat for the driver’s side, and it’s time to torque to spec.  Climbing from under the car, I go in the house, wash up, and grab the factory chassis service manual for the car. A few minutes later, I have the torque specs for the fasteners.  30-50lb-ft for all but the pitman arm, 30-40lb-ft for the pitman arm.  I decide to go 35lb-ft for the pitman arm and 40lb-ft for the rest.  Applying the torque wrench, I go around and tighten everything to spec, then check it.  Once everything is torqued, I only have to tighten one castle nut to line up the groove for the cotter pin, sweet!  I decide to check the steering, but this time, there’s NO movement.  I can’t shift anything, everything is right and tight!  For the last time, I climb out from under the car, clear all the tools, and position the jack on the engine cradle/crossmember, this time to lift it off the jack stands.  The front end rises, I snag the jack stands, pulling them clear.  Carefully, watching the car closely, I open the pressure relief valve on the jack, slowly.  Sacrebleu returns to all 4 wheels on the ground, and with relief, I pull the jack away.  All that’s left is putting away the tools and equipment, and washing up.  A non-event, a necessity nonetheless.

The following morning, driving Sacrebleu to the shop, I’m thrilled with the change in steering.  Sacrebleu no longer darts as though she’s trying to kill me.  Once I arrive at the repair shop, H puts it up on the alignment rack, lubricates all the fittings I forgot to do, sets the steering wheel straight, and pronounces my work good.

[rivs72rivgs]

“Upgrade”

I’ve always liked the Buick Sport/Rally Steering Wheel.  So much that I bought one for another car, a 1969 Buick California GS, but I never got around to installing it, there were other things needing to be addressed that took priority.  Now, the California GS is de-prioritized, Sacrebleu is the priority.

Before:

After:

Replacing the steering wheel was straightforward.  The front arms of the original steering wheel are held in by three Philips head screws, one for each arm.  Unscrewing those, the front arms are still connected by a wire riveted to the arm, connected to a spring mounted plunger that is connected to the horn contact ring. Depressing the plunger, rotating it 90 degrees counterclockwise releases it from the steering column and frees the front arms altogether.  A 7/8″ nut holds the steering wheel on and comes off easily.  I install the steering wheel puller, and press the steering wheel off the splines on the steering column.  I pop the horn button cap off the Sport steering wheel, index the wheel with the horn fitting, and use the 7/8″ nut to press the wheel on to the splines of the steering column.  Stage 1 Restorations has a kit with the spring and plunger needed to make the horn button work, installing it with a 90 degree clockwise twist, fitting the cap, and it all works perfectly.  Purists will lose their minds over this deviation from originality.  That’s why they’re purists.  This car is MINE, and the changes I make to MY car, I make to make it MORE mine.  :-)

[rivs72rivgs]

Twitchy Twitchy Boattail Ya-Yas

Sacrebleu is flighty.  Well, maybe that isn’t the best way to put it.  Easily led?  Ehhhhhh, closer.  Difficult to control? Eeeeeyah?  Sometimes like herding cats? Yeah, like that.  

Rolling down the highway, cruising along in the slow lane, enjoying the experience of the sound of the car, the rumble of the exhaust I can feel through the seat, the feather-light steering (One finger steering, it’s a thing, people.), Sacrebleu decided “Turn!”, and darted for the lane adjacent.  Whoa!  Catching the change in direction before the lane change happens, I’m startled.  Nothing like a shot of adrenaline to get your senses keyed up, due to the unexpected nature of the car trying to have an accident!  Uhh...this isn’t good.  Two hands on the steering wheel, hyper alert for any steering unpleasantness, and my vigilance is rewarded, again and again, Sacrebleu tries to change lanes, with seemingly no warning.  The direction changes aren’t consistent, sometimes left, sometimes right.  None of which gives me any comfort or confidence that I’ll manage to drive her home.  On high alert, I begin noting what’s going on when she darts, shifts, whatever you want to call it.  Bumps.  Bumps that unsettle the steering.  Tramlining, where the tire catches a groove in the roadway and wants to follow it.  Anytime there’s an event like that, the car decides to change direction.  Except.  In a corner, on a turn.  Then, there’s no issue, the car rides over the road, soaks up the jounce without upsetting the steering.  Hm.  Mm.  Ok, this is enough to take it to the shop, and let the experts, the professionals take a look at it.

I drive to my usual shop, get checked in, and provide the most detailed description of what’s going on to the best of my ability.  The more information I can give the technician, the easier they’ll be able to verify the problem, and figure out what’s going on.  This time, the tech invites me to ride along, while they drive it.  It’s SOOO weird getting in the passenger side, buckling the seatbelt, seeing someone else sitting behind the wheel.  I’m anticipating a 15 minute or more drive, up at highway speeds, where I noted the problem, but 5 minutes on the local roadways, and we’re pulling back into the shop.  The tech, H, says “I don’t know how you keep this thing on the road, she’s really hard to control.” Oh, brother.  Sacrebleu gets driven on to the alignment rack, and put in the air.  H invites me to take a look at the undercarriage, and I do, pleased to see how clean the underside is, free of leaks, but not completely dry.  My lips quirk when I see my exhaust, that tasty, tasty note comes from a pair of TINY Flowmaster mufflers welded to the apparently original exhaust pipes.  No resonators, but that’s not a surprise, I’ve yet to own a Riviera that had the resonators intact.  After getting clear of the car, I watch H put the jacks in position to lift the front end of the car.  H connects the air line to the jack, voila, the front wheels are off the ground soon after.  H uses a pry bar under the wheel to check the ball joints, there’s no evidence of looseness or clunking.  Then, H grabs a wheel, and begins dragging the steering back and forth, cycling it almost from full lock to full lock.  That’s when the change in direction is noticed.  H asks me to watch the pitman arm off the steering gear box, and begins shifting direction on the wheels.  Oh, damn!  The stud between the pitman arm and the center link has about a half-inch play, which is more than enough to cause Sacrebleu to shift direction without any steering input on my part.  H advises me to not drive the car until I can get that repaired, getting the part coming, and waiting.  In fact, H advises me to not return with the car until I’ve repaired it.  Wow, a technician turning down work?  That’s...super generous.  

I ordered the center link this weekend.  It should be here later this week.  I’ll see if I can get a GIF of the slack in the steering when I update the blog with the repair.  Thanks Sacrebleu, just when I thought I was running out of things to write about...

[rivs72rivgs]

Can’t Start Won’t Start

Monday, Sacrebleu went to the shop, to replace the Bluetooth battery cable.  Today’s technician, M, decided to replace both cables, and who can blame him?  I went by the shop on a break, and M told me some of the challenges he had run into changing the ground cable, he had to remove the air conditioning compressor to get access to the lug on the block, along with a ground strap between the passenger side cylinder head and the firewall not being attached.  I took it in stride, as I accept that things may take a bit longer with it being an unfamiliar car to the various technicians, who get paid for their time, costing me a bit more.  It’s a hobby though, right?

After work, I picked up the car.  Well, I went to the shop and found it in the air.  M was just about to let the car down, and invited me to inspect his work.  He’s a thoughtful guy, and with his droplight in hand, I took a look at the underside of the car.  The replacement cable to the starter was not a factory replacement, so he exercised some zip-tie skills to secure the cable.  It looked really good.  I checked where the ground cable mounts to the block, and began to chuckle.  M, who was comfortably ensconced on his stool watching me climbed off the stool, ambled over to me with a quizzical look on his face.  I pointed up to the ground cable lug on the block. “Gee M, it doesn’t really look like you have to take the A/C compressor off to replace the ground cable.” The lug end is clearly in sight, and easily accessible from the underside of the car, and he saw exactly what I saw.  He chuckled, shrugged his shoulders and said something about it being a learning experience.  It sure is, M.  It sure is.  

Once we completed contemplating the work he’d done on Sacrebleu, we walked over to his work bench, where he had saved the starter cable, for my viewing pleasure:

Sacrebleu had her original starter cable, 49 years old, with multiple “repairs” made to it over the intervening years.  I’d say the cable had given good service far beyond the designed service period.  

Here, the exposed conductor and the plastic shield the cable runs through is shown, with the shield being brittle and broken from heat and age.  The shield actually is fastened to the block, but the plastic portion to fasten it is long gone.  

Definitely scungy, the terminal end is designed to fit specifically and securely to the main power lug on the starter.  The replacement is a standard style lug, without even the 90 degree bend in it.  I found a “correct” replacement battery cable, with the plastic encasement and terminal end like this.  I may buy it later, as it’s a bit better fit and more “correct” to the car.  For now, Sacrebleu starts, runs, drives, and stops, and most importantly, re-starts just fine.

[rivs72rivgs]

The Good, the Bad, and the Stranding...

It was ugly.  More “ugh” than ugly, honestly.  I woke up this morning, drove Sacrebleu to get coffee then headed to the gas station to top Sacrebleu off, as I had plans to get together with a friend and take him out to an informal cruise-in.  I pull up to the pump, fill Sacrebleu up, and slip back into the driver’s seat to head home.  

The whole time I’ve owned her, she’s always started hard when hot, and I had it on the to-do list to replace the positive cable, as it’s grody and corroded, and rocking a temporary “repair” battery clamp on it.  The kind where you cut the old clamp off, strip back some of the insulation from the cable, and clamp the cable like the meat in a sandwich.  Those are not supposed to be long term solutions, but people (including myself, obviously) are lazy.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!  Riiiiiiight.  About that.

Key in the ignition switch, twist, and the customary painfully slow crank...then nothing.  Um.  Ok....roll the window down, and listen carefully as I try cranking it again.  This time, it cranks and almost fires, then nothing.  I turn the key a third time, and there’s nothing.  No click, no sound, no noise, no...just, no.  My heart sank, and I pull the hood release.  Once I lever the massive hood up, I look immediately at the battery.  

Oh look!  Bluetooth battery cable.  That little piece of slag between what’s left the clamp and the two bolts running through that fitting MELTED.  Lots of current multiplied by resistance due to heat and corrosion equals MORE HEAT.  Enough heat to melt the repair clamp.  Oh, brother!  A guy at the pumps asks if I need a jump start, I decline, as I have a super duper booster pack.  This thing has all the power, and is rated to start big block gasoline engines and even medium/heavy duty 12V power Diesel engines.  I clamp the negative clamp to the battery clamp, and the positive clamp to the cable end.  I turn the booster pack on, and put it in “forced jump” mode, which basically means ALL THE VOLTAGE is active at the clamps, bypassing any microprocessor safeties built into it.  I get back in the car, turn the key and Sacrebleu cranks slowly, then stops cranking.  The booster pack doesn’t have enough oomph to overcome the resistance and corrosion in the cable.  I’m stuck.  It’s 7:20am, the gas station has a store that opens at 8am, I’m left waiting, hoping that they’ll sell me another repair clamp and perhaps an adjustable wrench to make the repair.  

Mental note: I guess I need to keep a small tool kit in Sacrebleu.  :-( 

The guy from the pumps that offered me a jump start helps me push Sacrebleu sort of into a parking spot away from the gas pumps, and a couple minutes later, we’re both puffing hard from exertion.  He drives off, I settle behind the steering wheel to wait for the store to open.  Eventually it opens, I ask where the batteries are, and find the repair clamp.  Then I ask if they sell tools, the cashier regretfully shakes her head no.  Ok, so I have the part I need to make the repair, but I don’t have the tool.  Great. Just...great.  Awesome.  Ok, breathe.  Center yourself.  Think.  Sacrebleu has been sitting for 40 minutes, cooling down.  Maybe try the booster pack again.  I’m a bit dubious, but it’s not like there are a lot of other options.  The other option is to walk a mile plus to the nearest auto parts store to buy an adjustable wrench, so why not give it a shot and maybe save myself a two mile jaunt?  

Repeating the process with the super duper booster pack, albeit with a little less faith, hallelujah!, she starts and idles.  Disconnecting everything, putting it back in the car, taking my place behind the steering wheel, she stops.  Engine turns off again.  Really?  Really Sacrebleu, you’re trying me, here.  Testing me.  Once more, grab the booster, hook up the clamps, set the jump pack to maximum overdrive, and she starts once again.  This time, I rev the engine, suspecting that the alternator hadn’t had enough excitation in the windings to make power at idle.  Again, I disconnect the booster pack, put it in the car, and hold the idle a little higher than usual.  With trepidation, I drop the car into gear, and the idle drops as the transmission engages the engine via the torque converter, putting some load on the engine.  She remains running, and with a bit of a high idle, I nurse Sacrebleu home.  

That’s enough excitement, I decide, and go in for a nap, leaving her parked.  I’ll finish the interim repair once I wake up.  I message my friend, along with the photo, explaining that I won’t be able to meet up with him to take him to the informal cruise-in.  I’m treating the temporary repair as though that’s exactly what it is, not taking any extra chances.  Having been stranded once, I’m wary of being stranded again AND having him along.

After the nap, I take care of a few chores, then go out to the garage and gather the tools I’ll need to install the temporary battery repair clamp.  I decide that since I’m replacing the clamp, this would be a good time to replace the battery with an upgraded battery I bought some time back for one of my other cars, a yellow top Optima from @optimabatteries​. The old battery comes out, the new yellow top goes in, gets clamped down into place, the repair clamp is installed on the positive cable, but there’s a fair bit of tension/strain on it, then put on the battery post, followed by reinstalling the negative cable on the other battery post.

Moment of truth.  The buzzer sounds when I put the key in the ignition as I have the door open, that’s encouraging.  Twist the ignition, Sacrebleu fires to life!  I leave her to idle until the engine comes up to operating temperature, as measured by the upper radiator hose getting hot once the thermostat opens.  I turn the car off, and put away tools.  Once everything is put away again, I go back out to Sacrebleu, to see if the hot hard start condition is still there.  Nope, Sacrebleu fires right up, no issues, no problems.  She starts fine when cold, and I think that bringing the engine up to operating temperature isn’t the same as having the engine nice and toasty hot after a drive to get, say...coffee.  I plan on taking her out tomorrow morning to get coffee.  Monday, she’ll be back at the shop, AGAIN...this time to have the rest of the starting system replaced, both battery cables and the starter.

[rivs72rivgs]

French Supermodel Endorsement

Seattle Cinnamon Roll Co reached out and wants to use Sacrebleu to advertise! I drove over there to get some photos on a nice morning and some tasty, tasty pastry goodness.  The store wasn’t open yet, but there were people getting ready for the day, baking and such.  I thought that the building itself is picturesque, and so is Sacrebleu.  Two great things that go great together, yes?

After I took the photos, the owner (I assume) visited with me for a few minutes, and asked if I’d be willing to have Sacrebleu featured in some advertising online.  He offered me a dozen pastries of my choice, at my convenience, meaning I could come in and get one or two at a time, on a tab, until they were all squared up.  I said yes!  We’re in the process of figuring out when we’ll get together, to get the photos.  How exciting!!  

“Yeah, my car has been featured in advertising.”  HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?!

Oh, she looks goood.

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Do you wanna see a (car) show, man?

It’s my first time.  Be gentle.  Lots of firsts with Sacrebleu, including entering my first car show!  It’s held at Triple X Root Beer Drive-In, which is in Issaquah, Washington.  I woke up at way-y early o’clock in the morning to be there early, hours before the show starts, JUST TO GET A GOOD PARKING SPOT!  (iykyk). I’ve a quarter tank of gas, which I figure is enough to get me the 25 or so miles to the gas station near the show location.  Remember, it has to be ethanol free for Sacrebleu, her fuel system wasn’t designed for ethanol fuels, and I haven’t replaced the vulnerable parts with ethanol resistant materials yet.  I’m also kind of craving a Coke from McDonald's, as I’m watching the fuel gauge drop on the drive, I’m thinking that might be a secondary goal.  Finally around 6:10 am I lose my nerve and pull into a regular gas station.  I’m maybe 6 miles from my destination, but I CAN’T TAKE THE STRESS ANYMORE!  Two gallons later, I’m sitting in Sacrebleu, and she is cranking over HARD.  Like, slowly, with lots of angry pixies (electrons) buzzing.  That heat soak issue again, after a sustained highway run, everything is nice and hot under the hood.  I’m gonna have to do something about that.  Finally, Sacrebleu starts, and with a couple of gallons of gas in the tank, I feel fine about stopping at McDonald’s to pick up a drink for me.  I drive across the highway overpass to a nearby McDonald’s, headed for the drive through.  I pull up, idling quietly and wait 30 seconds to be acknowledged.  Nothing.  “Hello?”, I say...still nothing.  Shrugging internally, I wheel the car through to the windows, no one at the first window, hours of operation on the second window...7am is when this store opens.  Whaaaa?  7am?  7am?!  It’s...6:23 in the am.  BRUH.  Ok, I can see a lady in there working, but if they’re not open, they’re not open.  I wheel the car back onto the interstate, toward my destination when I see a highway sign showing a McDonald’s at the coming exit on the way to my goal.  So, optimist that I am, I pull off the interstate AGAIN and follow the signs.  Lo and behold, angels are singing, this store is OPEN!  WOOOOOOOT!  They open at 5am!  I collect my Coke, and follow the side road to the gas station that sells ethanol free gas.  I pull up to the forward pump, and decide to leave Sacrebleu running while I fill up.  Considering how hard she started last time, I don’t want to take the chance of her being too hot to crank over and stranding me within sight of my final destination.  Squatting at the fuel filler pipe, a car pulls in behind me, some sort of import SUV/CUV.  I pay it no mind, then the driver gets out.  Uh.  Um, Issaquah police officer, in uniform.  Cringing, I decide to stay the course and keep pumping with the engine running.  He fills up and leaves without saying a word to me, whew!  The gas pump clicks off for me, prematurely by my estimation, “No way!” I actually say aloud.  Continuing to squeeze the pump handle, the pump stops exactly on $75.  Uh-huh.  Yeah, capped out by the station.  I KNOW there’s more room left in the gas tank, so I return the pump handle to the pump, and start it up again.  $10 more goes in the tank, a little more than 2 gallons.  All told, filling Sacrebleu has cost $95 this morning.  Oh, my heart!  Oh, my wallet!

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The (Drag) Strip Club

Time to run her at the track, see what she’ll do!  Which means “Take Your Car to Work” Day, again.  People who weren’t there the first time I brought Sacrebleu to work got to see her, and she collected some more compliments.  One of my coworkers took a more than cursory interest, and knowing my plans for the evening included running at the track, noticed the battery wasn’t bolted down.  That’s a no-no at the strip, so with a quick trip to the local parts store, a hold down was installed.  A pry bar may have been used as part of the work.  

*shrugs*

Sacrebleu is a thirsty girl, after driving to work, there was only a quarter tank of gas left, making it a good idea to put a little more fuel in it before showing up at the track.  Finding ethanol free gas isn’t easy, but with the help of the internet, I found a gas station that sells ethanol free gas.  Not only is the ethanol free gas not easy to find, it’s never cheap.  It’s about a seventy cents per gallon premium over gas with ethanol in it.  I don’t want to fill her up, weight is the enemy on the track.  7 gallons later, she has nearly three-quarters of a tank, more than enough to make all the runs at the track and drive home.  Time to head to the track!

Prior to showing up, I had purchased my tech card online.  The tech card is basically the racer’s entrance fee, I bought one to be sure I would be able to run, as sometimes, tech cards sell out, and wouldn’t that just be a shame for me to be unable to run.  When I arrive at the facility, I show my receipt for the purchase of the tech card to the cashier and she hands me a tech card to fill out.  Damn, I don’t have a pen!  Uggggh, way to go, newb!  I drive slowly over to the tech inspection lanes, where one of the workers walks up to me, and tells me “You’re not racing that!  You can’t race that!”  I’m alarmed and confused, am I not going to be able to run tonight?!  Oh, no!  “It’s too NICE!  That’s a SHOW car, not a race car!” the worker says to me.  Relieved, I reply “Today, she’s a race car!”, the worker laughs and asks for my tech card, and I shamefacedly explain that I don’t have a pen.  The car ahead of me loans me a pen, I fill out the tech card, hand it to the worker.  I’m then quizzed on the car, “Is it stock?”  I answer “To the best of my knowledge, I just bought it a few weeks ago!” I’m waved through without even popping the hood, and a shoe polish number is applied to the windshield, the driver’s rear window, and the back glass.  I’ve cleared tech, I’m ready to race!  

I roll my window down to listen to the announcements over the PA system, the car clubs are out tonight, and get called up to run first, followed by the class/group I’ll be running Sacrebleu in, Test ‘N Tune.  I pull into the lanes and turn the car off, first in line to run, a small triumph.  The car club guys finish running, and the announcer calls the Test ‘N Tune cars, I’m up!  I start my car up, Sacrebleu cranks over hard.  Oh, right.  Heat soak, either the starter or the battery cables are causing it to be slow to turn over.  She starts, and I pull forward.  There are two lanes, one for cars running street tires like me, the other lane for cars running drag tires.  The crew direct us from the staging lanes through to the water box.  I drive around the water box, the other car drives through and does a burnout, cleaning the tires and heating them up for additional traction.  I know enough how to stage, so we are lined up, the other car breaks the first light, then I break the first and second lights, and then the other car breaks the second light.  We’re running on a Sportsman Tree, a half-second from each light to the next, three yellow lights then the green.  It’s not a real race, being Test ‘N Tune, everyone just gets to run and see what the cars do.  Still, it’s practice, so everyone takes it seriously.  The first yellow light comes on, and I remember to leave on the last of the three yellow lights, ensuring a reasonable reaction time.  “If you see the green, you’ve lost the race” is a saying, so I’m not sticking around around to see the green.  The other guy is GONE, but Sacrebleu runs through the gears and out the back, first run completed.  Whew, what a RUSH!  I collect my time slip, 16.087 @ 85.10mph, WHEW!  That’s the car’s time though the quarter mile, with the top speed at the end of the track.  Not bad, the old girl picked up her skirts and really ran down the track!  Good job!

I drive down the return lane, and line back up.  The line is moving, but during a brief pause I pop the hood, engine running, hop out of the car and flip the air cleaner lid upside down.  This allows an air gap all the way around the air cleaner, while still filtering the air before going into the engine.  On the first run, all the air came through the air cleaner horn, that might be 3 square inches in area.  Flipping the lid gives the air a much larger area to flow through, so there’s no restriction.  If there’s more power in the car, this trick will help.  Staging again, I give the engine a little throttle, holding the car with the brakes.  The lights flash, I leave and find myself collecting another time slip at the top of the track.  15.78 @ 86.92mph.  Oh, YEAH!  Three-tenths of a second quicker and almost 2mph? I’ll take THAT, thank you very much!  

I run twice more that evening, both times blowing the tires off the starting line, spinning out, and ruining the drive.  Sacrebleu is a real trooper, she runs without complaint, despite my carelessness, leaving the car in drive, and heating the transmission fluid ridiculously in between runs.  This is pretty much the hardest worst thing to do when racing, the engine gets hot, doesn’t cool off, and the transmission fluid gets hot too, all of which works against going fast.  I leave the track with a bit over a quarter tank of gas, satisfied with myself and the car.

The car’s trap speed can be used with the weight of the vehicle to calculate an estimate of how much power the engine made.  According to the weight and trap speed, Sacrebleu made 244hp!  That’s pretty good, considering the engine was rated at 250hp when it was new.  

Thanks for tuning in, race fans!

[rivs72rivgs]

Newsflash!

The Riviera has a name!  “Sacrebleu!”  French Riviera, naturally.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrebleu

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Sacreblew

Feeling frisky last weekend, I turned left onto the main road under acceleration. Harder than usual, kind of pushing Sacrebleu.  For funsies, you know?  Well, I suppose it would help to understand.  I’m turning onto a 6% incline from a slight incline.  After getting onto the main road, she was pulling HARD to the right.  Tf?  I thought I took care of the steering woes already!  *eyes narrow* Ok, some quick driving diagnosis, it pulls at any speed, under acceleration or deceleration, or at steady speed.  Hm.  I pull into the shopping center about 2 miles up the road, get out and walk around the car.  Oh.  Damn.  Ze passenger front tire, she ees flat.  *sigh* Brought that on myself, didn’t I?  My guess is that the hard cornering loads pulled the tire off the wheel bead and let the air out.  I’m in a parking lot, with a flat tire, no nearby service station, and the tire rubber is pretty toasty warm, like it would get from say, driving on a flat tire?  There’s an auto parts store in the shopping center, I buy their cheapest 12V powered tire inflator and return to Sacrebleu.  The booster pack is still handy, I grab that, and settle on the ground in front of the tire.  Pull the inflator from the box, it’s pretty small and chintzy, but if it works once, that’s all I need from it.  The inflator is designed to be plugged into a 12V power outlet, the booster pack doesn’t have a 12V power outlet, it has big honkin’ clamps to attach to battery terminals.  Attaching the tire inflator to the tire, I notice these tires were built in 2005.  They’re 16 years old!  Cripes, that’s way-y too old for the driving I’ve been doing, especially the “spirited” driving I’ve been doing.  Oops.  Damn. (again). Taking a moment to think, I attach the negative battery clamp to the metal terminals on the barrel of the inflator’s power plug, the positive is attached to the tip end.  Turning the booster pack on, I activate the “ALL THE POWER” mode, turning it into a indiscriminate power supply.  Flipping the rocker switch on the inflator, it makes small air compressor noises.  I monitor the pressure gage, with no small relief watch the needle on the gage begin to move.  The tire begins to hold air, I’ve once again dodged another self-inflicted cartastrophe. (Yes, I spelled it that way on purpose, seemed more appropriate.)

Once the gage reads 35psi, I turn it off, replace the valve stem cap, and continue on my merry way.  Which included taking the car to a friend’s to see it, and leaving 11′s on the road in front of his house.  (The ones I’d left with my truck had faded, they needed to be renewed.) Driving home is a non-event, I park Sacrebleu, and walk in the house without a backward glance.

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Sacrebleu brake woes. (Whoa woes)

Sacrebleu has been getting caught up on maintenance, both with encouragement from friends, and from my own sense of what’s needful.  Way-y back in the mists of the earliest posts, there was a mention of her pulling under hard braking.  That, along with wanting to get all the fluids changed out led me to taking it to the shop to have a brake flush done.  The shop got me in with little trouble, and the tech began the process.  He was nice enough to let me stand with him when he opened the master cylinder, and at first glance, it didn’t look TOO bad.  I went back the waiting room, before long, I was back in the shop, under Sacrebleu, with the tech showing me bad news.  *sigh*. I suppose I’m still waiting for the first time a tech brings me out to the car to show me GOOD news.  *eyeroll* Sacrebleu’s passenger rear wheel cylinder has a broken bleeder screw.  There’s no bleeding it.  I suggested replacing the bleeder screw, but the tech nixed that idea.  Probably gave him the willies that happen with potential broken fasteners, and he was already looking at it broken.  He countered with a suggestion to replace the wheel cylinders, to which I was unimpressed.  A quick poll of the shop sided with the tech, that wheel cylinder replacement was the solution.  I was reluctant, and even grudging to accept the consensus, but hey, that’s how these guys make a living, in effect, it’s what I’m paying them for.  You’d follow a lawyer’s advice, right?  Same thing applies.

The brake flush is (sorta) completed, noting that it wasn’t possible to fully bleed it, and that the tech actually had to ream out the bleeders to get them to flow.  I guess the brake fluid was actually pretty cruddy, so it was a good thing to get what was in there out, even to a limited degree.  I paid for the service, and drove Sacrebleu home.  That night, I ordered wheel cylinders for Sacrebleu, and returned the following week to the shop.  Surprise!  They couldn’t work me in right away, to my frustration, but the tech managed to slip me in between big jobs.  Both wheel cylinders were replaced, the system was re-bled, and the brakes are in good condition.  The tech did note that the front calipers looked new, so the bleeder screws up front were no problem at all.  Sacrebleu now has new hydraulic-mechanical actuators (wheel cylinders) at the back, and newer ones (calipers) up front.  I feel pretty good about the brake system’s condition now.  I’ll probably bleed the brakes again in the spring, just to make sure.

[rivs72rivgs]

SacrebleuTube!

Recently, I was invited to attend a cruise-in.  I’ve been to cruise-ins before, and it would be a chance for me to catch up with friends.  Since I make a habit of driving Sacrebleu to work on Fridays it seemed like a natural fit.  Work, cruise-in, let the fun ensue.  Friday ends up being gorgeous, temps reach the upper 70s, it’s going to be a great afternoon/evening for a cruise-in.  I meet up with my friend at his house, where he owns a gorgeous Monte Carlo SS tribute car.  This thing is SHARP, much cleaner and nicer than mine, like, pristine.  It really suits him.  Once we’re all ready to go, we pile into our respective cars and head to the spot.  Part of the trip seemed to take place in Mexico, where the speed limits are different.  Two classic American Big Block V8 engines gulping air through spreadbore carburetors, turning gas into GLORIOUS noise, and accelerating, WOOOOOO!  There was some serious ‘MURICA going on there, YEAH BROTHER!  We approach the cruise-in, and I start looking for parking, as I’m used to cruising IN to the spot, parking, and then checking out cars.  I find a suitable place right off the main drag, lock the doors, hop out and start walking.  

Whoa.  It’s...not what I thought it was.  It’s...a Cruise-In.  As in, people are CRUISIN’.  WHAT?!  Mind BLOWN.  Man, do I hop back in my ride, or what?!  After giving it a moment’s thought, I end up leaving Sacrebleu parked, and walk along the Main Street.  Parked cars line the street, and the road itself is filled with classics, bumper to bumper, bumping along, snorting, making noise and fumes, and IT’S SO GOOD.  I’ve lost track of my friend, but I’m not too concerned.  We both have phones and know how to use them.  I walk a few blocks up the main drag, and find a good spot to watch the cars go by.  

Three OLD Big Rigs come rolling through, blocking the intersection as traffic is moving so slowly.  One of the rigs was a 2 stroke diesel, the driver was making the most of the stop and go, with awesome diesel clatter sounds on acceleration and deceleration.  I kinda feel badly for ordinary commuters trying to escape the retro auto madness, the mood is super good, people are having a good time, and laid back.  It’s a family thing, multi-generational.  Moms, Dads, Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Grandchildren!  I see one Dad driving an older station wagon with 4 kids hanging out the window, waving peace signs at everybody, none of those kids looked like they’d had their 10th birthday yet.  I saw older couples in Modern Muscle, teens in lifted trucks of all brands, Chevy, Ford, Toyota, whatever, standing in the beds of the trucks, hootin’ and hollerin’, even trying to trade T-shirts!  HOW FUN IS THAT?!  There’s a grandmother next to me with her 6-7 year old grandson, when a new C8 Corvette comes rolling by.  It’s debadged, so unless you know what you’re looking at, you can’t read the badging to find out.  The kid’s jaw dropped.  It was quite a scene.  

I catch up with my friend, and see him driving toward me.  I get some great photos of his car, and video as he drives past, which I immediately send via message.  Shortly after passing where I was standing, he pulls into a parking spot and we meet up.  Turns out the Monte was getting a wee bit toasty hot, and wasn't doing well in the stop and go traffic.  We make our way to find another spot to watch the cars cruise by, as the day dims with the sun setting, and headlights begin to illuminate the scene.  It’s beautiful, the shiny cars, the works in progress, the beaters, the barely street legal cars, just a good time.  

Oh.  SacrebleuTube.  Yeah, she’s featured in the opening scene of a video, in the background as the YouTube content creator begins his video.  She’s a looker, even in the background.  

[rivs72rivgs]

“Take Your Car to Work” Day

It’s time to take Sacrebleu to work.  Test drives have gone well, 5, 10, 12 miles, short jaunts, even 20+ miles.  30 miles to work, and there’s a bit of trepidation.  The last time I took my classic car to work, it broke down EVERY day on the way in, one of the times it even caused the largest traffic jam in the area of the 21st Century.  I made the news for that one, yep.  When the end of the week came, it made it to work fine, and on the way home, the car developed a rod knock.  $10k rebuild later, I have driven that car TWICE since then.  So it’s not completely unfounded for me to have...concerns.

As with any carbureted car, it’s a good idea to warm the engine up from the first start of the day.  Slipping into the driver’s seat, I give the gas pedal one firm pump to the floor, and then turn the key.  She cranks, she fires, she’s ALLLLLIVE, immediately settling into a high idle.  Whoever set this carburetor/engine up did a GOOD job.  I give the car a couple minutes before jabbing the gas pedal again, releasing the thermostatic choke and the car settles down to it’s usual idle speed, a LOVELY rumble coming from the car, beckoning me to give it a little more gas, IT SOUNDS SO GOOD.  Pulling the column shift, dropping the car in gear, I leave the house, headed for work.  A couple minutes later, I’m on the main roads, in light traffic.  Sacrebleu rolls along docilely, with only the wheel and tire combination taking away from the pleasure of the drive.  Tires with a 35 profile really don’t offer a lot of cushioning/comfort from the road, that’s on the to-do list.  I roll into my usual parking spot at work, and with a bit of jockeying, have it parked.  As Sacrebleu is about 3-4ft longer than my usual commuter, I needed different reference points to get the car parked in the spot correctly/safely.  I walk in to work, and go about my day, periodically receiving compliments from my coworkers about the car, them striking up conversations about my car, not gonna lie, it was kinda nice.  

The drive home was equally uneventful, but much warmer on the drive in.  The a/c doesn’t work, or so I’ve been told, and in a 49 year old car, I believe it, I didn’t even try it.  I just rolled the window down and took it easy on the way home, in heavier traffic.  The car made the trip as uneventful as my commuter, but MUCH cooler in the sense I was driving a cool car.  Sacrebleu didn’t overheat, she didn’t do anything but carry me to and from work in style, with beautiful engine sounds.