The hardest thing I have to do each week is stop. Not press on, not forge ahead. And that can apply to you too. If you are doing a car, enjoy the craft of putting the parts on. I know, it is kind of like Christmas, unwrapping all those boxes, taking out all those clean parts and installing them on an un-greasy car can lend a sense of accomplishment--and a need for speed. But remember to enjoy the assembly process as much as you enjoy the final project.
I'll try and remember that too....
Micah and Jeff prep the location for shooting.
Yeah, it's been a few days. Sorry.
On Friday last our good friend and supporter, Micah Nehring dropped by for a visit...and we promptly put him to work. Hey, we're cool like that. Saturday we went down to Mustang Central in Byron, Georgia (where the temps were in the cool and happy seventies) to get our next look at the Coyote and the '72 Mustang convertible that will be its new home. Allan already has the Mustang II suspension from Rod and Custom Motorsports in and we wanted to do an interview (last time we didn't have time due to Allan's busy schedule). Micah ran camera (thanks dude!) and that allowed me to interview and relax a bit. We can't wait to pop the footage on this one. Sad that Micah lives in Seattle, he did really well.
Sunday we took the morning off and I mulled (and loathed) over whether to attack the back glass. Honestly I was still somewhat scared by the experience with the front glass. But finally my fear and loathing passed like gas after a Walmart pizza and Micah and I attacked it. Slowly. What stunned and frankly still stuns me, is that it went in record time. No injuries, no broken strings, only a little more goo to clean up (we used another method as a test on this one). So, we have now deemed that glass should be installed with Micah at least in the room. He rents out at $1,500 an hour plus expenses. Cheap at twice the price.
Last night I watched a documentary short by Matt Morris on PBS called Pickin' and Trimmin' which chronicled a day in the lives of Laurence Anthony and David Shirley. The two old fellows ran a barber shop in small-town Drexel, North Carolina. But they also had (Anthony passed away in 2009) and have a wonderful throwback...pickin' sessions featuring bluegrass and western swing. At the time of the filming, the sessions were ad hoc--pickers just showed up.
And, you ask, what has THAT got to do with cars? Well, Laurence had an old easy chair in the shop that he lounged in while waiting for customers. That easy chair faced the back room where the pickin' usually happened (hang on, I'm getting there). On the right arm rest of the old lounger was an old, round outside car mirror So Lawrence could keep an eye on the door for customers. Bloody brilliant. I want one. Nope, I have no use for it at all. But I want one for my lounge chair.
Seriously. We've done several cars and are always amazed at how few people, well, put their nuts in a bag. OK the bolts should go in there too. While your memory may be photographic with total recall, my memory of what you did AFTER I bought your basket case is not.
At least our '67 Mustang Fastback wasn't too bad. The former owner did bag and tag a lot of the stuff that he took off. But we've had basket case cars (a '71 Comet GT comes to mind) where an associate took every bolt and nut out of the original interior (and undercarriage) and literally threw them all in a couple of coffee cans--then left for parts unknown...
It makes me stomping mad when that happens. Especially when it is completely avoidable! OK. So let this be our rallying cry from now on BAG YOUR NUTS!
OK, I'm better now.
9.11.01
I remember my rage that any group can hate that much. I still feel it.
I remember my heart swelling with pride for the men and women who rushed into the towers and the Pentagon to save lives knowing the risks. I still feel it.
I remember equal pride at hearing of the heros of flight 93. I still feel it.
Some say we should move on, forgive and forget. I've heard that said before. I say no. They have not forgiven, they have not forgotten. To forget the lives lost on that day belittles the sacrifice, the families and the loss of innocents and innocence.
A nation cannot be taken down by three jumbo jets. Hitler couldn't do it with all Goring's airplanes, Japan couldn't do it at Pearl Harbor with six aircraft carriers full of bombers and torpedo planes. Nor could three planeloads of innocent people terrorized by a small band of misguided extremist.
We are a great nation, filled with hard working people who, though disparate in views and ideology have one common thread under threat--we are Americans. And as long as we can come together under that flag to advance our common good we will stay strong.
Remember.
Well yesterday was a holiday. That is what I was told. Me? I worked on the 1967 Mustang fastback. Wednesday night we're supposed to install the back glass (we will film it) so I needed to get that area ready to receive it's cargo of Factory tinted FoMoCo tempered goodness. I also dithered around elsewhere on the car, tying up some loose ends.
The problem? I see filming potential everywhere. For instance, the cover plate for the A/C and heater hoses. I shot film on that in the midst of installing it. The info was just too good to pass up. Then Carla told me I should film the front sheet metal going on (we hadn't planned to). I was against it...then I realized she was right...Sigh. That will have to wait for another evening.
Believe me when I say that having to film all this tough. Not because of the actual filming, no, because when I get rolling I don't like to stop. Were I doing this on my own and had no desire to help you fine folks out, I'd be done already...and poorer for not having shared this experience with you and yours.
When I like something...I like it. Today we were doing some tool gathering at Harbor Freight for out glass install video that will be coming in the next few weeks and some other stuff gathering from the auto parts store for the video shoot tomorrow. I am loath to go to most of the large "department store" style parts houses because they tend to be lacking in knowledgeable counter staff...well, unless you want to, like, know how to, like, work your phones text messenger or something...like, you know?
Well today I was in need of something a bit more than texting help so I went to NAPA and met Steve and Mike; both of which were over 30 and interested in the problem and how to fix it. When presented with the problem (which would not have been in the computer), Steve was awesome, but got stumped. So Mike, who was OFF TODAY stepped in and got what I needed. So, a shout out to the folks at NAPA and particularly Mike and Steve.
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