Behind the 8 ball .......

-

318willrun

Utube channel 318willrun
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2013
Messages
21,485
Reaction score
27,768
Location
I'm here
Early in the year I asked for what our plans for our Mopars in 2020 and I made a list. That was before Covid and every other unpleasant thing 2020 brought. Needless to say, I'm behind the 8 ball. Here is my list of just "car" items that the year is closing in on and I've not finished. The short list.....
  1. Drag Truck - should have had the rear end and tranny swapped and 5.9 mag in it and should have made a pass at the track. 3 frownies here :( :( :(
  2. '89 Van - I'm actually currently working on this. It's not that far away from firing up! :)
  3. '85 RC - Actually working with a guy on trading for a car trailer. We'll see soon :)
  4. I'm on Q with the Dusters at least!
What you behind on ??????
 
As above, everything, but mostly my own fault. If only laziness was a virtue! I was gonna make the first passes in my 62 in a decade, but missed the "one race a month" for two months in a row, one my fault, the other the weekend was 115°. Would have been a lot easier when they were running every Thursday night, and a couple Saturdays each month. Tnt was $30 then, $100 now.
I was gonna have my opel strip ready, but I can't even get it out of the garage, an 800lb bike stuck in gear in the way.
We won't talk about the dually motor I was supposed to yank, and redo, or the camaro that needs a starter, or the......, or the......
 
Get the new motor in the car, along with the rear end and rebuilt suspension, steering, etc. I was going to put in a A833OD but now I'm thinking about swapping the A903 for an A230 and staying with the column shift for a bit. Going floor shift would be a lot of monkey business.



Haha, the joke's on me. As usual. I wrote the above on JAN 9, and it was a solid plan. Then I bought the Dart (Start of a Dart) in February which became my top priority to get running. The Valiant was a solid driving car so working on the Dart made better sense. My goal was driving it on the streets by Memorial Day. Then by the 4th of July. I kind of eyeballed Labor Day as it slid past, and now I'm just plugging along focusing on forward progress.

I will cut myself some slack in a number of areas. The COVID crap caused me the same problems as we all experienced. I wildly underestimated how much time and effort the Dart would need. The fires and smoke stalled me out for weeks, and then I spent a couple of weeks doing some badly needed structural repairs on the shop while the weather was still dry. However, some of this is bloviating - I could have been a fair bit further ahead had I applied myself. Of course, it doesn't help matters any that the cat would often make me have a beer with lunch, then tackle me, knock me down so I landed on the couch, and sit on my chest for an hour or so pinning me in place. :rolleyes:

I give myself two frownies here, one for abandoning the Valiant, and another for having the Dart drag out so badly. :(:( I give myself one smiley for getting the back half of the Dart wrapped up and getting started on the front end. :D
 
Early in the year I asked for what our plans for our Mopars in 2020 and I made a list. That was before Covid and every other unpleasant thing 2020 brought. Needless to say, I'm behind the 8 ball. Here is my list of just "car" items that the year is closing in on and I've not finished. The short list.....
  1. Drag Truck - should have had the rear end and tranny swapped and 5.9 mag in it and should have made a pass at the track. 3 frownies here :( :( :(
  2. '89 Van - I'm actually currently working on this. It's not that far away from firing up! :)
  3. '85 RC - Actually working with a guy on trading for a car trailer. We'll see soon :)
  4. I'm on Q with the Dusters at least!
What you behind on ??????

....and you say you wish you had my dough.
 
I am behind on driving. I haven't been to many car shows or cruises this year yet. One thing good about that, I won't be behind on my Spring oil changes. I bet I don't have 100 miles on either car. :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
 
Damn Coronavirus really took a toll on me watching Norwalk close for the year. Keystone as many other tracks lost weeks of racing then when it did open was test n tune by reservation and very expensive. My car was race ready from years past so I wasn’t spending big bucks just to make some hits. Mentally was the biggest toll as I had work to do but couldn’t find the get up and go to do it. Finally tracks opened for racing and I did hit some very nice big dollar races but with the 90 degree plus temps missed a few I shouldn’t have. Jobs are still taking 10 times what it should to finish. One or two more races and it will be time to rebuild my 422. Goodbye 2020 race season. Don’t let the door hit you on the azz on the way out.
 
I’ve been busy but there’s project cars 4 deep plus customer stuff... so..

Imperial was supposed to be painted and sold. While it is running and driving with new everything it’s behind and there’s money tied up in it.

Engine in my plow truck is replaced... done but the engines been ready for a year.

‘65 should have had the engine ready but the parts are (still) at the machinist.

Customers 390 sitting on a stand should have been apart 3weeks ago.

Customers 383 parts also still at machine shop.

My to-be-sold 440 (u guessed it) pieces still at machine shop.

My garage re-do is in process. Reduced scale and a couple years behind but moving.

It’s just one of a series of more work than time for me and others... lol
 
I'm close actually. The coronavirus has actually helped me out. Since everything was shut down and we couldnt go anywhere but work and home I spent alot of time working on my car this year. I have to make a summit order probably today and get my ring compressor, and valve seat cutter but the only thing I have left on the short block is gap the rings and install the pistons and degree the cam of course. The body is ready for the engine I just need rear tires and I have to get my e brake cables straighten out but that can wait. My goal was to get it running by the end of fall I may just make it this year!
 
I wanted to get the ole Charger up and going this Summer (didn't happen), I am still working on an '03 2500 that should have been done, still working on my Mighty Max and getting headers/manifolds figured out for it, and I just looked at the A bodies the other day thinking "I really don't know when you all we get any love."
 
I am not behind the 8 ball, I am UNDER it, In the side pocket and I can't crawl out.....
 
I am not behind the 8 ball, I am UNDER it, In the side pocket and I can't crawl out.....
Made up for some lost time these past 2 weeks. I put the stock '89 360 roller cam with a fuel pump eccentric with the gear/intermediate shaft that was with it in the artesian 360. Also turned all the lifters the right direction, installed a new oil pump because the previous oil pump stuck due to bronze shavings. The pick up tube screen had a bunch of old gaskets in it as well. Tomorrow I'll drop the points distributor in it. Should run tomorrow.
 
Made up for some lost time these past 2 weeks. I put the stock '89 360 roller cam with a fuel pump eccentric with the gear/intermediate shaft that was with it in the artesian 360. Also turned all the lifters the right direction, installed a new oil pump because the previous oil pump stuck due to bronze shavings. The pick up tube screen had a bunch of old gaskets in it as well. Tomorrow I'll drop the points distributor in it. Should run tomorrow.

I have actually got a few things done, despite not being able to buy any decent parts. Like Summit brand floats for a holley 3310 that would not clear the rear metering plate in the carb. That cost me half a day trying to find one locally. A friend let me take one out of a carb he had on the shelf. That made me put off a first fire on a 360 mag until the next day.

Lost a week on it this summer when one of the KB 107s was .007 smaller than the rest in the set. Summit made it good, but it took me a few calls.

Just spent parts of the last 2 days getting brake lights to work on my son's valiant. Had to take parts out of another one we have sitting for parts. I should have done that first instead of trying to diagnose the non-working one...

Tomorrow will be working on my middle son's truck, the one with the R/T headed 360. Its blower motor quit, and the fuse is good. He will be needing heat/ defrost soon.

Also tomorrow will be putting a thermostat in my 03 Ram, it stuck in the summer heat, so I just took it out instead of replacing it then.

It is funny, and tells a lot about me that my friend that I got the float from made fun of me when I pulled up in the 03, because he has never seen me drive anything so new...
He implied that I am getting old and soft.

Hoping to get back to Old Yeller, maybe I can drive it again some day, maybe....
 
-
Back
Top