Michelle’s Birthday was last week, so we had a party for Friday nite, with lots of her friends from school. All the parents were amazingly prompt, dropping the kids off at 6:00 sharp and picking them up at 9:00 exactly. It was a fun time and Michelle was thrilled. Plus she got a betta fish, her first pet. On Sunday was a party for Ella’s confirmation, with all the Blick people. My friend Bob is getting heavy into photography, and agreed to help me take pictures for my book. In between we finished up the spring cycle of yardwork. Garden planted, hedges and edges trimmed, and everything. So it’s good to have that done with. And, Jeannie’s started working out again after a long hiatus. She’s been at it a few weeks now.
But the main news is: every springtime I say to myself this is the year I’m gonna restore the Mustang. But then every year something big and/or expensive comes up that takes priority. For example, last spring I had to replace the Jeep, and find a new school for the kids. Well this year it looks like it’s happening. I sometimes feel hesitant about doing this, but Jeannie calls the car a national treasure. It still runs great, but the main thing is it needs a new paint job. Before I make that investment, however, I want to make sure it’s mechanically sound. I took it to the garage last week to get new shocks and a general inspection. I haven’t gotten shocks on it in the 15 years I’ve had the car, and figured it was time. The car checked out and all major systems are sound. The only thing is there was a rattle when the car was idling low. It turns out one of the hood bumpers was loose, and after I tightened it the car has never been quieter (at low RPM).
The only other thing is the car tends to hesitate when you stomp on the gas from a dead stop when the engine is cold, rather than instantly deliver that iconic roar of power. I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do about this other than let the engine warm up, but I’ll be I can adjust the carburetor to improve things. Once that’s dealt with, it’s off to the body shop to get an estimate. We found a good local body shop last year after Jeannie got in a fender bender (or a bumper thumper?) In addition to getting the body painted, I’m gonna see about getting and undercoating, and getting the air filter painted too. Plus I’m gonna replace the horn button in the center of the steering wheel.