Wednesday, February 3, 2010

X-11 marks 6 (mostly) trouble-free months in a row

Apparently I'm a passable Car Guy. Giving the computer stuff the boot was a good idea.

Yeah, I want to keep the little beast as close to original as possible, but I want to be able to DRIVE it, too. In the 6 months since the last breakdown (where I replaced the fuel pump and had to redo the engine end of the exhaust system...all because of a pair of deteriorated fuel hoses), the only real problems have been in getting the distributor dialed in, getting the mechanical and vacuum advance to work properly.

There aren't many mechanical issues, now; the power steering pump needs to be replaced and the rack & pinion needs rebuilding (if you've got an X-11, good luck finding the correct rack anywhere! Whatever you do, don't give your original one away as a core!). I'm planning on getting a stock rack and using it to refurbish the X-11 item. Core charge is a dollar.

It still needs motor mounts, a new windshield-wiper motor, and an A/C blower motor. And all that body work.

I had a flattering moment yesterday; on the way out of a store parking lot, I stopped to let a guy walk from the gas pumps to the store. He waved at me and said, "No, man, I wanna see your car!"

I made it out of the lot without grinding any gears: a few times I've 'missed' a gear, letting the clutch out before I got the shifter settled. Takes all the piss out of you, thinking you're smooth, car's looking good, and *GRAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK*

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