On Sat, 2 May 2009 10:35:55 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


"Vic Smith" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 2 May 2009 07:51:31 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...

I had a 57 Volvo that had been painted flat black with a brush, and
had a channel iron front bumper. City busses were scared of it,

Casady


Reminds me of another adventure raising kids.

When my daughter was about 12 years old I had an old Chevy "Luv" pickup
truck that we kept in the backyard. Painted it black with a paintbrush
and
used it as a motorized wheelbarrow while clearing some land area. It was
a
wreck, but it ran.

Anyway, the yard was big and I let my daughter drive it around once in a
while figuring it was a good way for her to learn how to drive a manual
transmission. Problem was the engine had a leaky head gasket and the
radiator was always slowly losing water. I told my daughter that before
she used it to make sure she could see water in the radiator.

A few days later she announced that the truck wouldn't start anymore. We
went out to check it out. When I turned the key to start it, the engine
didn't budge. Meanwhile my daughter is yapping away telling me that she
had
checked the water, didn't see any, so she filled it up.

I asked her *where* she put the water. Sure enough, she had removed the
air filter and filled the carburetor to the top.

One Chevy Luv off to the junkyard.

Thata'll teach ya.
One of my sons is an engineer. General Engineer, University of
Illinois. Don't ask me what that is. I never could get it out of
him. But he's doing well with it.
He worked at Chicago Dryer doing summer factory work while in college
and made enough money to buy a used Hyundai.
He was real happy with the car, and that he paid for it himself.
About 6 months later the oil light was going on and we talked about it
on the phone.
He told me the oil level was fine, and I told him either the sender
was bad, the oil pump was bad, or the mains were shot.
I offered to have my mechanic check it out, but as usual he didn't
have the time, what with school and his socializing.
A few days later my daughter came over to visit, driving the son's car
because her car was down.
I walked her to driveway, chatting as she got in the car to leave.
Car sounded ok. Nice looking car. Oil light was going on and off.
Daughter was in a hurry to get the car back so son could take off for
Champagne and school, so I didn't check the car out.
Next day I heard the car stops halfway to Champagne, and the tow truck
driver pulls the dipstick and finds it's out of oil. Engine shot.
Son watches tow truck driver do this and realizes he's been pulling
the trans dipstick to check the oil.
My son, the Engineer.
Damn, did my heart sink when I thought about how I should have checked
that oil when my daughter was there.
I was so sorry for him losing that car for something so stupid.
And a bit sorry for myself in helping him get another car too (-:
But I trusted my son when he said the oil level was fine.
He stills know squat about cars.
Easier to excuse your 12 year old daughter.
We can call that one "cute." (-:

--Vic

Good reminder.
Our 07 Charger has a few years of warranty left and regular (3x per year)
oil/lube visits, but I'm going to show him the basics...or at least find a
good basic book on routine maintenance.

Routine maintainance on a late model car? Our Lincoln needed nothing
but oil changes every 5000 miles and spark plugs at 100 000.. New
glycol every two years. Brakes, tires, wiper blades last 50 000 or
so, but that is not routine maintainance, they are as needed items, no
brainers that announce themselves.
The complicated four cam 32 valve motor developed a leaking valve
guide at 175 000 miles so I put in an overhauled motor. If it hadn't
had a check engine light it probably would have gone at least another
25 000.

Casady