Adventures I've had since getting Gandalf a month after my sweet 16:
+ Learned to shift a 3speed manual with no synchro on 1st gear.
Discovered a year later that the trans was broken, after learning enough
about stickshifts that I can now drive just about anything -- even an
MGB with a bad clutch and worn synchros :)
+ Shorted out the ammeter while working inside the dash (which is
metal on this car), melting insulation along the entire length of the
wiring harness. This really freaked Mom out when she saw the smoke!
+ Heard about a thunderstorm in progress while in a computer
cluster half a mile away from the car... whose top was at home. Nothing
to do but drive home, completely soaked, with a big grin on my face!
+ Seized the engine 70 miles from home. Doh!
+ Went on a blind date, and offered to pick her up. Gandalf made it
50 feet before overheating and stalling out. She helped me push him into
a parking space... this is a good test for your date :)
+ Discovered that transmission fluid is a very unique stench, and
can't be removed by, say, taking a shower. Oops.
+ Discovered that the $15 "75 piece ratchet set" from Home Depot
is not a good idea, as the ratchet will blow up when your knuckles are
next to a nice hard part of your car.
+ Learned how to pop-start the car, after the battery went up 200
miles from home.
+ Tried bashing through a snow drift in an empty parking lot, only
to discover that there was a ditch under it. Took 12 drive wheels to
extract me -- a 4x4 Kubota tractor pushing, a Bronco II pulling, and me
spinning my tires. That was after we dug the snow out from under the
truck.
+ Fell in love for the first time.
+ Got pushed into a gas station by a friendly cop in a Ford Explorer,
after stalling out on an 85 degree day.
+ Got a good story for my college applications ;)
Do you want a car, or an adventure?
Charles.
'73 FJ40 Landcruiser 'till death do us part!
'80 MGB??? offered $500, haven't heard back from the owner yet
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