on the off chance: 2010

Thinking at the moment. Got a lot of things to think about. Went through my discs the other night and played memory while finding the right case for the right disc. Thinking about the coming week of traveling and fond farewells along with gypsy ways in the city near the bay.

I've got some ideas of how to survive the moment but the uncertainty is strangely familiar to my last visit gone so terribly wrong. This time my survival will be based on my skills as a mechanic. Hopefully I count my clothing to last the trip. I've got a day to get a car running good enough to make it to a show in the City. If it all works out I should be spending my time hopping from the Oakland pic n' pull to the GAMH in the Tenderloin. If I can land in the City in time for fridays show then the BART will get me into Oakland for parts if needs be.

The time it takes to plan a trip such as this parachute ride is a bit daunting. When I don't have plans to spend money the options get interesting. I've always said I'd like to travel in a Volvo 245 truck stop style. I'll be attempting it and seeing how it fares. I've got a couple hotels but I think a gap of car camping in the City rather than the desert will be an adventure. Definitely has its survival plans. I mean I'm no Bear Grylls but one must do what they need to do in the wild.

If the method of staying safe works out then I may have a new approach to traveling to the City. "the city is expensive today"

Its been 6 years since my last visit. I'm hoping to shoot some shots like the way I did in the old times. Not really all that keen on seeing the sights. I've got to prepare for a journey across the great desert to deseret. My real confidence booster comes from my experience the last time I made it to California.

Driving a solid piece of technology and design across that expanse will be far from that old Van that I rode in to Folsom late summer of 2005. Hot and not really bolted down to the frame. The Sierras never felt so much like an airplane as the Van careened down through the road construction. Maybe like a bobsled coming out of a corner wobbly. White knuckles and prayers as traffic stayed back to allow for both lanes to be travelled in by 3 musicians and a photographer.

The driver awoke not too far outside Reno after being a sleep for the past 9 hours across Nevada. Hung over and ready to fly the plane. The curves into Reno where pretty crazy. But nothing like the decent to Auburn. I told him upon safe arrival, " I didn't realize you had a pilots license?" with his response, "I'm actually in the process of getting my pilots license." I told him how the ride felt more like an airplane because the suspension was so bad that it was always swaying and moving in all directions.

That night after the show I drove the van being the only sober one. I didn't make it a few blocks before I had to pull over. The steering was not responding and the play was 45 degrees out both directions. Nothing felt right. I understood then why it would sway and fish tale when being passed by semi trucks and busses.

Thinking back on that puts my future at ease some. I mean it should be a bit better than when I drove out there and back without zero mechanical abilities. I'll be flying in with a tool box and essential spare parts.

Oh ya, the Neil Young vid was inspired by finding my Silver and Gold album. I played it non stop for some time back in late 2000 and early 2001. Also found re~ac~tor. (no mash potatoes)

My purchase of a 1990 White Volvo 245 wagon in late July was made in the spur of the moment with the pressure of knowing the car would be crushed in a matter of hours. If I didn't act then another 240 would forever be gone. No salvage yard first just straight to destruction.

I had strangely met a Texan at the local Salvage Yard while he worked on removing a strut tower from a small bodied pick-up truck. I took a different route coming back from trying to find any Volvos to pick parts from. Kind of wandered and ran into this conversation. He asked what kind of car I liked and he told me right there that he knew of a White Volvo Wagon 4 blocks up the street at a towing companies lot. I headed straight for it.

First inspections of the straight rust free body gave me an overwhelming feeling of luck. Looked at the engine compartment which looked like a black tar pit. Interior alright other than the front two seats loosing its fake leather and showing foam. Yellow paint on the windows showed the price of $700 along with a phone number.

The man on the phone instructed me to knock on the door of a small red bricked house next to the fenced lot. I was met by a young man in his 20's. Laid off from construction as a framer he was now just doing odds and ends for a friends family business. I went and looked it over with his access to the key. He fired it right up to a high pitched scream from 2 of the 4 accessory belts. The engine kind of smoked from burning the caked on dust and oil around the entire engine body. Exhaust was rusty but maintaining sound and a rattle free experience.

I told the guy to tell his boss I'll pay $450 for the car as is. The exhaust had an original CAT which would be worth at least $50 at the recycler's. One tire was flat and another one worn out. Brake light would come on and the pedal was easily going to the floor.

I received a phone number to call in the next couple hours if I wanted to save the car from the crusher. It was a friday morning when I first saw the car and by 3 pm that same day I was having to make a decision. We agreed that on Monday I'd have cash for him and if I didn't show up Monday morning the car would be crushed. Come to find out he also had a drywall business.

I made it out to the red bricked house Monday morning to secure the car. Called the insurance agent and had it added and began the slow back road trip home. Stopped at the most immediate run down gas station and put air in one of the tires. Drove the first mile on a nearly flat tire. The brakes where not working too well even after I swapped out the brake Master Cylinder before leaving the yard. I used the hand pulled emergency brake which was under adjusted so even pulling all the way up wouldn't slow the car entirely right away. A little pumping of the pedal and keeping speeds down as I cut from West Orem to North East Provo.

Since that time I've had it sitting and waiting for me to do something with it. My 1983 Wagon has had a few bad things happen over the past couple weeks. My clutch is going thats a sure thing. Rebuilt the Over Drive (18 hrs) on the manual M46 transmission. Replaced a bunch of rubber seals and o-rings. The bottom gasket on the screen cover won't stop leaking since the rebuild. Should of been the one thing that would hold. Luckily its not the most difficult gasket to replace. Holding off any more transmission work until the I drop it for a new clutch. Its just that I'm leaking expensive racing AT Fluid.

From inside with clutch pedal removed.

I got a clutch kit with the wrong throw out bearing from an ebay bid. Save about $60 to $100 on the kit. Ordered a throw out bearing for under $30. Getting everything ready for the big day that hopefully would come in the next couple weeks.

Then this past week my firewall split and bent from my clutch cable's pressure. This slow change of bending as I continually had to adjust the clutch was unnoticed until my 4 month old Gemo clutch cable snapped clean nearest to the pedal. The firewall had caused it to stress the wire from one side as the opening shifted due to the bending. Like pealing open a tin can.

I had hoped to replace the starter with a used one this week. Instead I've had to get a second temporary permit for the white wagon and drive it gently around town. Went to the Pick n Pull yesterday and got a new intake hose for it. Found an original Volvo hose without any oil in it. The aftermarket hoses crack in less than a year. Pulled a side mirror for the wagon and scored a decent wagon tail light. Pulled a distributor that ended up being bad.

Now I've got this list of about 20 things to do. I've done 3 of them so far. Today I've got to bleed the brakes. Even though I got the pressure to work pretty good there is still some sponge and delayed slowing on hard braking. Then the intake manifold comes off and the entire drivers side of the engine gets cleaned especially the Oil trap that looks caked in residue and plugging up the PVC system. Timing belt, front seals, PS and AIR bushings replaced along with all 4 accessory belts. Spark plugs, oil pressure switch, intake hose, front tire, tachometer, transmission flush, exhaust, emergency brake adjustment, tailgate wiring harnesses, rear hatch exterior door opening mechanism replacement and noisy vacuum leak in the console.

These are just the very first prelude items to any suspension or steering components needed. That list alone is over $500. But the white wagon is idling near perfect with plenty of power. The transmission is shifting hard with a few things to do before resorting to a swap or partial rebuild that is suppose to take a couple days worth of work.