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Spring has sprung in PA

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B

Bruce74B

Jedi Knight
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A feak day yesterday in central PA...the sun came out after two days of rains and the afternoon temps hit 73 degrees on the way home from work early. Everybody was out with kids when I got home. Sat down and had a gin and tonic, put on the jeans and had another drink a saw a Beetle convertible go by, then a Jag XJ ragtop go buy and said to the wife "let's get the MG out?" A "go ahead" response was enough to send me to the basement garage to open the "winter door", disconnect the trickle charger (man am I glad I hooked up that quick disconnect), checked the oil, added a little brake fluid and grabbed the cell phone. Wife was standing there by then and seeing I was going, tied her hair back and was ready by the time I opened the doors got in and she fired right up. I little popping from the tail pipe, but she was ready to go...and off we went. I checked the brakes a couple of times to make sure the left caliper was not leaking too much and they we firm. Just a quick trip around the block :thumbsup:

It was great...after a couple of blocks, the gum was out on the carbs and she was running great. Then the reality of the old girl took over...no speedometer action and my feet we slipping in brake fluid on the floor. Oh well, a quck trip around town and back to the garage. but I have spring fever now and had a great ride.

It is forty degrees this morning, windy and dark...but I had the first ride of the season...topless of course! Life is good!

:driving:
 
Lessee... spring fever an' leaky hydraulics. Hmmm...

Bad combo there, Bruce. Today may be a good day to rebuild a master cylinder or two... :wink:
 
And going topless on public thoroughfares can get ya 'rrested!! :smile: Besides that sounded like a great afternoon to me!!!
 
Almost hit 40 yesterday and it might go up to 45 today. The 73 is finally street legal and is getting some serious use today.
 
Sounds like you had fun. I would have done the same thing . I did that the outher day with my honda motercycle. The weather was nice and drove to work. and the temp droped to 34 at night on my way home . I had leathers it was still good cold.


its all worth it
we olny live once
enjoy the ride.
 
Working on my '69 MGB today.

It was nice in the day yesterday, but we had severe weather here last night.
It's nice (though windy) today.

I commute in an '00 Miata and yesteday was the first time in '08 that I took the top down in it....I have missed it!
 
aeronca65t said:
It was nice in the day yesterday, but we had severe weather here last night. It's nice (though windy) today.
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We had a club tour to a Bugatti shop two weeks ago. Clear, sunny, top down weather--nice drive, great shop tour (Jay Leno's Bugatti racer was there with a rod through the alloy block), and a very good lunch.

Following morning--cloudy, 3 inches of snow, 35 for a high.

Isn't spring wonderful! :wall:
 
Steve said:
great shop tour (Jay Leno's Bugatti racer was there with a rod through the alloy block)
Click to expand...

Gee, wonder how THAT happened!?! :devilgrin:
 
DrEntropy said:
Steve said:
great shop tour (Jay Leno's Bugatti racer was there with a rod through the alloy block)
Click to expand...

Gee, wonder how THAT happened!?! :devilgrin:
Click to expand...

Yea, me too! The entire end of the rod, sans cap, was sticking out of the block below the header. And he had to ship it to Colorado because his four full-time mechanics don't work on Bugatti's.
:nopity:
 
:blush:

Doc;
You know that it's spring and everything gets an urge to get outside.

Dave
 
Bustin' out all over, Dave.

Four full-time fellas and not a Bugatti wrench among 'em?!?

...I'm ~STUNNED~! :smirk:
 
Was there myself actually, The shop manager asked me not to publish pics of anybodys car with their names associated to them in. Respecting that so I can go back again someday.

As far as Jay's car, he "heard a noise and tried to get back to the shop". Evidently, the rules for driving a Bugatti include, "if you hear a funny noise there are two steps that must be followed immediately. First, check your oil pressure. If there is still oil pressure, then pull to the side of the road, turn off the engine and investigate the noise. If there is zero oil pressure, immediately turn off the engine and then pull to the side of the road." Remeber that there are no steering locks or power steering on these cars. :wink:

Along with the Bugatti's in the shop, there were Delage's, Delehaye's, a Voison and a Rolls. Oh and the chassis to a fwd Miller race car. Neat shop. Been there a few times now and want to go back later.
 
<-- needs a job like the Tonight Show.....!! :smile: I want to have problems like THAT!
 
How come he's not a member here. He'd be fun.
 
So he had oil pressure then?!?!

He's more savvy than that. I figger he just made a "field command" decision that he could bear the financial consequence of continuing on, regardless.

I'd shoulder the burden of fixin' that Bug. Better'n futzin' with a new "fly by wire" Ferrari wot don't SHIFT anymore, IMO.

..I can be soooo analog sometimes... :jester:


Not that I can't LEARN, I just choose NOT to!

Weber'd up V-12 Ferrari engines were a pinnacle in my estimation. And I've rebuilt my share. :thumbsup:
 
DrEntropy said:
Bustin' out all over, Dave.

Four full-time fellas and not a Bugatti wrench among 'em?!?

...I'm ~STUNNED~! :smirk:
Click to expand...

It's not that his mechanics don't have the skills. They don't have the time. Evidently Bugatti repair can't be rushed and they are plenty busy keeping the rest of his toys up and running. Evidently he breaks alot of them fairly often. :wink:

The aluminum block will actually be welded back up and when its finished, you won't be able to tell that it ever had a hole in it. Not the first time they have made that type of repair. Actually, it seemed like it was a common Bugatti failure.
 
That's what I was thinkin' Shawn.

"Don't throw me in that briar patch!!!"


meh.
 
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