Lord of the Castle

About two weeks ago, Lane, the guy who is going to do the paint and body work on my project car, gave me an ultimatum…
“Am I going to start working on your car or are you going to move it out of my driveway?”
I don’t want to paint him (pun unintended but it is a good [...]

[Read more →]

I picked the Toyota up from the mechanic today.
The smell of fear is in the air…the fear of having made the wrong decision in rebuilding it.
My senses are working overtime.
“Was that noise there before?”
How should I know?
I wasn’t listening! I bought this car for $1,150! If it was there, it was NOT a problem!
However, now that I have [...]

[Read more →]

Although I am getting better, I frequently suffer from missing tile syndrome. I first read about this psychological defect in “Happiness is a Serious Problem” by Dennis Prager.
Imagine looking at a beautifully tiled ceiling. Now picture realizing that one tile is missing. My instinctive response is to find it and fix it! However, if I am not careful, that missing tile can [...]

[Read more →]

I called the North Hollywood company to get the tracking number for my Toyota engine. It will be delivered to my work address next Monday.
My mechanic is going to charge me $800 to replace the engine. However, he will charge the same amount to put in both and engine AND a transmission.
With each passing day, the [...]

[Read more →]

I have needed an engine for a car that I owned only two times in my life. Both times, I bought a book and learned how to rebuild them.
Tonight, I picked up the phone and bought a JDM engine from a company in my old stomping ground, the San Fernando Valley in California, without having ever [...]

[Read more →]

I finally made it over to my mechanic’s to get the master cylinder fixed. I asked him to change the oil and oil filter while he was at it.
Everything went pretty much like he predicted. He then asked for the key to start the engine up just to give the car the once over before [...]

[Read more →]

I knew what I was doing all along…
When I started driving the Nissan last Monday, I noticed that it needed brake fluid.  I stopped by my mechanic the next day and he determined that the master cylinder was leaking. He called and ordered the part while I was there and told me to come by after work on Friday since [...]

[Read more →]

The Toyota’s engine is toast…
I can’t say that I am surprised. I thought there might be real trouble when I first heard the knock.
The thing that is really trying to eat away at me is the cause…
I didn’t check the oil! How basic can you get?
I have replayed it over and over again in my mind.
The [...]

[Read more →]

Life never ceases to amaze me. Change happens so quickly, so unexpectedly.
This morning, I drove Cakes to her SAT test. She can drive herself but I just wanted to get a little time with her.
I chose to take the Toyota Paseo because it gets great mileage and she has only ridden in it once before. I [...]

[Read more →]

As you probably know, it has been snowing quite a bit here in Kansas City. When I went out to the car this morning, I learned that another several inches fell last night.
Needless to say, driving in this weather is a challenge. It is not uncommon to see cars completely off the side of the [...]

[Read more →]