My day with my 81 C3
04-17-2007, 12:38 AM
#22
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Jun 2000
Location: NW Burbs IL
Posts: 951
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I know your frustration. I've had days like that were it should be an easy job, but then small things keep going wrong to complicate it.
Just to make you feel a little better, I'll tell you the rotten luck I had yesterday with my '81. I fired up the Vette for the first time this year a couple weeks ago when it was about 75°. Everything started up with no issues and I took it for a spin... no problems. Then the weather changes for a two week span where it snows heavily and is regularly below freezing. Bummer, but what happens yesterday was an evern bigger bummer.
Yesterday was the first nice warm day in the last two weeks (with no snow), so I decide to run some errands with the Vette. I'm about 7 miles down the road and punch it to get around a car when I start to see a lot smoke out the back of my car. At first, I thought it was just dust or something in the mufflers blowing out since I punched it, but then the smoke intensifies, and I think to myself "OH NO!" I pull over and smoke steam is trickling form under my hood. I open it up and there's splatters of radiator fluid everywhere and I'm miles from home and it's getting dark. The fluid was gushing out the bottom of the car from the water pump area. Not sure what it was, but have no time to mess around with it any time soon.
Long story short, I was fortunate that I happened to be a couple blocks from my old mechanic's house who has since sold his old business to work at a dealership. I call him and he's home and was supposed to look at it tonight.
Glass half full or half empty? I think it's half full that I was where I was when it happened. He should have it fixed in a couple of days and I'll be good to go... until something else goes wrong!!! That's the great thing about our classics, right? There's always something to work on... a labor of love.
Just to make you feel a little better, I'll tell you the rotten luck I had yesterday with my '81. I fired up the Vette for the first time this year a couple weeks ago when it was about 75°. Everything started up with no issues and I took it for a spin... no problems. Then the weather changes for a two week span where it snows heavily and is regularly below freezing. Bummer, but what happens yesterday was an evern bigger bummer.
Yesterday was the first nice warm day in the last two weeks (with no snow), so I decide to run some errands with the Vette. I'm about 7 miles down the road and punch it to get around a car when I start to see a lot smoke out the back of my car. At first, I thought it was just dust or something in the mufflers blowing out since I punched it, but then the smoke intensifies, and I think to myself "OH NO!" I pull over and smoke steam is trickling form under my hood. I open it up and there's splatters of radiator fluid everywhere and I'm miles from home and it's getting dark. The fluid was gushing out the bottom of the car from the water pump area. Not sure what it was, but have no time to mess around with it any time soon.
Long story short, I was fortunate that I happened to be a couple blocks from my old mechanic's house who has since sold his old business to work at a dealership. I call him and he's home and was supposed to look at it tonight.
Glass half full or half empty? I think it's half full that I was where I was when it happened. He should have it fixed in a couple of days and I'll be good to go... until something else goes wrong!!! That's the great thing about our classics, right? There's always something to work on... a labor of love.