Every time I turn around I find something else

In the last few weeks I've not done too much more than drive my toy. I fitted a new (used) door seal I won on ebay for $8 (which highlights that I need the other side and don't want to pay $40 for the not quite right one :( ) That led to installing the trim pieces on the door sills which hold the carpet down and look much more finished.

I figured out why my steering wheel would flop around in my hand by 1/4" (thanks to the internet) and fixed that with a nice little cheap replacement bushing, it's great when something isn't ungodly expensive on a car like this.

My biggest issue at the moment continues to be starting the car, it's a LOT better when it gets driven regularly but is still nowhere near right. Thanks to hours worth of reading how-to articles I think I've pinpointed it to one or 2 parts. My lovely bride offered up her little bonus check last week and I have a set of gauges coming that will formally identify what it is and aid me in my quest to become proficient in speaking fuel injection.

So, we are to the downside of being a person who works for a living and who's income is a moving target. I've put on everything worth re-installing that came with the car and I'm out of $ to keep buying parts for a bit. Really this car doesn't "need" much more huge investment but the more I work on it the more I find small bits and baubles that need to be sourced. I'd guess $700-$800 more and this will be a lovely 5' driver quality car. It won't ever be a concours car in my care but that's not what I wanted.

I've not decided yet whether it's prudent to talk $ on an open diatribe such as this, for the good of others that are watching the value of their toys sink in today's economic times I think I'll leave it to speculation. They say that every 911 is a $20k car, I'm sure sooner or later an engine rebuild or upgrades I can't resist will meet that but lets say for the moment I've got a small fraction of that invested. I mention this for those like me who might otherwise think a car like this is unobtainable, it's not if you do all the labor :)

The good news is I've got a thrilling little barn-stormer, the sound of it at 6k through the back roads sends a chill up your spine and somehow pins the corners of your mouth to your ear-lobes. Its wonderful and you don't care that you look like an 8 year old opening a Red Rider BB gun at Christmas. My former vintage car comparisons don't hold a candle to the way this one moves. I'm inclined to agree, "Porsche, there is no substitute".

It's not the destination.....

I discovered shortly before the aforementioned date-night that outside of the nicely flat surface of my garage my toy refused to sit stationary. For this I introduced a highly technical device intended to keep my car where I last left it....a Brick. (This BTW did not add to the lovely Mrs' comfort level about our mode of transporation...note to self, wife assumes cars that need bricks are not functioning properly. Must adjust her expectations).

Also not lending to wifey trusting-ness was a car that wouldn't stay running at a stop light without my o' so skillful heel-toe demonstration (we weren't on a race-track, she was unimpressed).

What's funny about these niggling annoyances is that I was reminded that sometimes a good ole' fashioned book (manual) can be better than the internet. Will wonders ever cease? I searched for a good half an hour on the computer for hints on how to adjust the e-brake and then the idle, but then I smacked myself in the head and pulled out the shop manual. In about 2 minutes I had pictures showing just what I needed to fiddle with.

So, moral of the story is......I'll tell you how to do these things now that I know via the world wide web but it's guaranteed to be much faster just to look it up on paper.