Fitzy

Hey Kiwi - I tried to send you a message but it says that you 'cannot receive messages.' I was just wondering if you (and/or) Ringo were aware.

Today our local waste transfer station had a 'Free Green Waste Day.' I had been planning for this, so took 3 ute & trailer loads of greenery. We've had so much rain that when I parked the ute & trailer in my backyard, I had to use 4WD to get out! After all that, I looked at the GP and thought I'd have a go at the speedo cable. I undid the knurled knob at the back of the speedo and simply pulled the entire cable & housing into the engine bay - easy. I could then pull the actual cable out of the housing. It was absolutely clean. I wouldn't say it was dry, but I ran a rag over it and inspected the rag - spotless. I then inserted a length of fencing wire into the housing and pulled it out expecting it to be gunked up. Nada. I lightly greased the cable whilst inserting it back into the housing and buttoned everything up again. I'll test drive it tomorrow - I'm hoping that was all that was needed. I really need the odometer to work: every 100 miles, I chuck 25 litres into it. Then I know I'll have enough until it ticks over to the next 100 increment. Not just a pretty face, you know. Okay - reasonably good looking...how about not quite as horribly disfigured that I scare small children when in public.

Excellent! I like the Irish sunblock one - 100% true, although actually seeing the sun in Ireland is a pretty rare occurrence. When we were there a few years ago, we climbed into the airport shuttle bus and I asked the driver if the sun was coming out today (it was cold, wet & windy.) He said they'd be turning it on for 10 mins at 3 o'clock. Gold. Turns out someone must have forgotten to flick the switch - I don't recall seeing it for 7 days.

Nothing Pontiac related (see the recurring theme here?) but I took my mountain bike into the shop for some long overdue repairs. Then I jacked up the back of the Yaris and readjusted the rear drum brakes. Whilst there I checked the oil & coolant. Bloody Toyotas - nothing to fiddle with! Next, I added some engine flush to the ute and took it for a decent run, changed the oil & filter expecting molasses to blob out - nowhere near as bad as I imagined. Ute runs so well with functioning thermostat. Looked at GP each time I passed it on my way to do something else. Will take her for a spin over the weekend and will book it in for it's brake upgrade sometime in September. Then I suppose I'd better put it on stands and have a go at the speedo cable. I'm sure the clack clack clack of the cable is the reason why the odometer has stopped. Do I really have to pull the dash apart again and dismantle the speedo? Stay tuned!

Great responses - thanks. Because of my small acreage, there will always be something to do, but also because we live out in the sticks, social interactions are largely absent. Believe me, I can do without humans but in order to maintain functionality, one must mix on occasion. This is where working part time not only provides a trickle of income but allows me to maintain some form of social contact. I intend to keep working either part time or as a casual and thereby I will be happy that I 'earnt' my leisure time. I guess we all have to find our own path. Also, the global economic outlook is looking pretty grim these days, so a little extra income might be handy. I'd better bite the bullet and join a local car club so I can get the GP out and about more often too. There is an All American Car Club, but I've been told they're a bunch of wankers! As a bona fide wanker, I'll make my own judgement. Speaking of the GP, the speedo cable is making a racket and now the odometer has stopped working - it's my only reliable indicator of tank range since the fuel gauge is WAY out. Looks like I'll be rolling under the car pretty soon...once it gets a bit warmer.

I noticed that and wondered if I was seeing things. How do you balance the weight of the entire hood on one pivot? Anyway, great pics.

Have another one! The leader must have more friends than you, JustA. Just sayin'...

Flew home today. After we unpacked and did a few domestics, I immediately chucked on my work clothes and got out into the 'garden ' aka uncontrolled bush and went to town trimming & pulling out weeds and cleaning up. In short - I couldn't wait to get out and actually DO something. This doesn't bode well for the spectre they call 'retirement.' I can now admit it - I'm not ready. So, I have a question for the greater FP audience: is anybody reading this actually retired? I mean, has actively withdrawn completely from paid employment? It's a scenario which I never thought I'd struggle with, but here we are. I'm not sure if I mentioned this already, but just the other day I had a minor epiphany re you have to earn your time off. You need to have earnt a cold beer, or a holiday or a vanilla slice. You can't just saunter through life having whatever you want. You know how mega wealthy rock stars top themselves? They do it because they can have whatever they want - there's nothing life can offer them that they can't have...except for purpose & fulfillment, I guess. Much to consider. Too many brain cells still functioning - where's my drink? THERE it is! Cheers. Damn you brain cells - take that!

Another vote - she's so hot... What? Are we still voting for your car? Oh, here you go then. Ringo keeps sending me all this soft porn - I thought we were voting for that. Soz.

I also fitted new carpet liners along the bottom of my door trims. From memory, the chrome strip above them holds the top in place and they are actually screwed at the bottom, along with good quality adhesive. I used new screws and CAREFULLY painted them black after installation. I like your fuel funnel idea. My car has a central filler at the rear behind the licence plate flap - I have no issue with blowback but wish I could say the same with my ute, which I have to trickle in otherwise most of it goes on the ground. I know this is obvious, but the vent tube I see in the pics is nice & clear of any obstruction, isn't it? I modified the venting arrangement in my car because I could smell fumes as I drove. The factory vent is insufficient for the task I felt, so I added some fuel line and extended the venting to just behind the rear wheel and covered the end with insect mesh. That way, as the car moves forward, it effectively draws the vapours out of the tank and into the atmosphere...sorry Greta.

These are screenshots from the Ames Fullsize Pontiac catalogue (that I always keep on my tablet, in case I have too much money and need to spend some on trinkets.) You'll see trim rings and what they refer to as 'poverty wheel caps.' I was also going to do what you're considering but when I did a mockup of what Torq Thrusts would look like, I couldn't resist - they transformed the look, I feel. We all talked about Cragars which are still the sexiest looking wheel for a 60s car, but they are expensive and apparently the quality isn't there anymore. They (& the Torq Thrusts) are made in China these days.

Thanks Everyone - 61 now. When do I have to start acting like an adult - is it anytime soon? I hope not. Weather is pretty grim - a few showers, bit gloomy but not too cold. Took the hire car up through the mountains just south of Brisbane today. Am now sitting with a pint of Guinness to keep me company and am contemplating what we'll have for dinner this time. What a treat it is to be surrounded by a selection of cuisines all within walking distance - one of the few benefits to city life.

We had a tremendous meal at a Middle Eastern restaurant - just fabulous. Anyway, whilst walking back to our hotel, I saw this sign. Now, I don't care what sort of trouble Wrongway has gotten himself into, but don't listen to them, mate. You stay right where you are - we're all behind you and shall stand with you. You're not going anywhere. Your friends at FP will fight to keep you where you are.

Yeah, yeah - here - have another vote. We'll be converting these into beers when Kiwi & I come over there.

Yeah, yeah I get it. 'Wood' doesn't carry the same connotation here as in the US. If I was going to, ahem 'touch wood' I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting it here! I did however drag my knuckles across some timber so as to maintain my current run of luck. My birthday today, so got taken to Brisbane (1500km south of home) and we will fluff about here for a few days, eating & drinking too much. Surely, that's what birthdays are for?

Fun fact: PBR stands for Paton's Brake Replacements - we're talking Dark Ages here, prolly 60s & 70s. Good, solid dependable components. The rain stopped today. I test drove the ute and what a difference. Temp gauge shows about 1/3 and doesn't waver - it's never gotten anywhere neaar that in the past. I will add some engine flush to the oil and give it a long high speed run to get it thoroughly loosened up and then will change the oil & filter. Cold engines produce sludge because they can't burn off combustion byproducts. There could be years worth of crap in there. GT Mow runs like a train. All I did was blow out the air filter, wash the prefilter, clean & gapped the plugs and adjusted the air gap on the coil packs AND sanded the surface rust off their faces where they pass the magnet on the flywheel. I gotta admit, they were pretty rusty. I will adjust the valves and change the oil next time I get bored. Blew the dust off the GP and took it for a decent run, so it's happy too. A day of mechanical harmony. Should I be touching some wood?

Clearly the weather isn't the reliable phenomenon that we all once knew. I remember breaking the ice on puddles as a kid growing up in Melbourne. Try that now and all you'll get is a wet, sore foot. Greece & Italy are in flames - they're not used to it but that's an annual occurrence here. The government's reaction will be to exclude certain areas where you can drive your ICE vehicle - there will be 'electric only' zones. I believe that in certain European cities, diesel vehicles are now excluded from inner urban centres. Interesting times ahead. Hey Kiwi, when you plumb the dual master in, do they split the braking into 2 triangles like a factory system, so that in the event of failure, you'll always have 3 braked wheels, or do they split it fore & aft? Your comment makes me think that the fronts & rears become separate.

I also voted again. It's a bit unfair if everyone can just chuck a vote in multiple times. Oh well - good luck with it.

Bloody rain! This is supposed to be the dry part of the year in these parts - today the rain was almost biblical. As a result the GP keeps looking at me wondering when we're going to go somewhere. We're not - not in the rain, anyway. The GT Mow was playing up so I got it into the workshop, put some music on and gave it a birthday and adjusted a few things, a squirt of oil here, a little emery there and now it goes like a stock car. Happy wet days.

We have lots of 'suggestion signs' in Australia, like speed limits, keep left unless overtaking, school zone, stop & give way and so on. I'm no fuddy duddy and I like to drive briskly but if the damn sign says something, at least consider the implications of not doing what it says. Standards are dropping. No need for any skill to get your Australian driver's licence - I see people playing with their phones at red lights, music loud enough to vibrate the glass on surrounding cars, etc and then I see cars that have speared off into the bush, on their roof because nobody knows how to control a slide. Idiot government needs to mandate a nominal skill level before you are allowed to drive - like a defensive driving course. It'll never happen. Let's make sure the gays can get married and that your kids can change gender whenever they want instead. Stop the planet - I wanna get off! Mumble, grumble, bitch, moan....

That's good to hear but I have always driven in a manner that requires very little use of brakes - scanning the road ahead as far as you can see, maintaining a safe distance from the car in front and easing up to a red light or stopped traffic. Down a hill - keep it in a lower gear. I know we all know this but I have so many jerks right up my clacker who can't wait to get to the next red light. Brakes perform a negative function and should be considered that way. But...you're right - when you need brakes you want the best to be under your foot. I am looking forward to the upgrade.

I'll never get over the discovery of factory 'blocked' coolant passages when I tore my engine down. It must have made the engine run hot because someone had removed the thermostat altogether in an attempt to help it run cooler. Since the unblocking of those passages, an engine rebuild, a FlowKooler water pump, 7 blade clutch fan and rebuilt heavy duty crossflow radiator, car runs bang on 180 where it's supposed to be. Is it worth having someone professionally clean the coolant passages? I found LOTS of crud in mine.

Once again, nothing Pontiac related to talk about but I found something interesting today which may be of benefit to the wider audience. My Isuzu Rodeo pickup never seemed to get to proper operating temperature (according to the temp gauge.) I always suspected a dud thermostat but assumed that the gauge might be out - the vehicle is 32 years old after all. Curiosity got the better of me so I bought a new thermostat & gasket. Today I got around to actually doing the change out and when I withdrew the old thermostat I could see immediately that it looked 'wonky.' Upon closer inspection it is actually stuck open and is skewed in it's housing. Seems I was right after all. But of course, it's never plain sailing, is it? They sold me the wrong gasket. Fortunately I'm off to Cairns tomorrow to see my accountant so shall drop in and get the correct gasket whilst simultaneously shoving the incorrect parts up the salesperson's clacker. One job. See the pic - the arrows point to my workbench surface which is clearly visible through the opening. Now I wonder for how long has the car been running and never being at correct temp? Cold engines wear quickly. Fortunately, I've hardly driven it since purchase and the old owner died so I may have gotten away with it. I am looking forward to test driving it and seeing how she runs at proper temp. I guess the takeaway from this is if you suspect your car isn't getting warm enough, check the thermostat. They are a reliable little thing but nothing lasts forever. I have heard of people living in hot climates who simply remove the thermostat altogether - not a good idea. Not only does the thermostat allow your engine to warm up quickly, it also helps keep it cool by restricting the coolant flow allowing the coolant to pass through the radiator more slowly and thereby dissipating more heat.

I went for a job interview today... I don't think I was successful.

Good ol' Rockauto. It's like I put the credit card away and the parcel turns up almost immediately. One dual curcuit master cylinder. The brake specialist can't do the job 'til September, so I'll book it in this week. I'll get them to go over all the brakes just for absolute peace of mind.