Yesterday, poor old Mrs. Blueberry, my estimable 1958 4 door Southampton,
failed to start. The solenoid finally quit. maybe it was all the abuse
from slow starts when warm, a problem rectified, somehow, by changing the
timing. Who knows? The starter was weak, and the solenoid gave out. I had
to get the car taken by wrecker to the museum. I had been using the car as
a daily driver while the repairs to my 1992 Chrysler, recently totaled out
by the insurance company, crawl along. It was supposed to be returned last
Friday. It wasn't and tomorrow is no longer a reasonable prospect either.
Well, not to the repair company, anyway.
So, I went out to the museum, getting a lift from a friend, and, with a
little over an hour's work, managed to remove the starter. The confined
space is a huge factor here, plus the design of the unit which prevents
using a ratchet wrench on the main nuts. I got it to the rebuild shop by
11:00 AM. I was told if they made it a rush job I just might get it back
tomorrow afternoon. They recognized it as a Chrysler Corp starter but did
not have a 392 Hemi starter on their shelves to swap out, strangely enough.
So, I thought I had run out of options. I informed my work I would not be
in tomorrow. I also ruefully contemplated not being able to take part, yet
again, in my favourite automotive event of the year, which is on Saturday.
Two years ago, my drive shaft broke. Last year, I cracked a head. And this
year the starter had quit on me. Sigh!
But, enormous changes at the last minute! I got a call from the rebuilder a
few minutes ago. The starter is done. Good as new. Unfortunately, I am
now in the wrong place to pick it up, having been brought home again. A
friend of mine is going to pick it up, however, and I have just paid the
very reasonable fee of $170 approximately, for the work. Once my wife comes
home, I will borrow her car and go out to the museum again and try to
reinstall it. On paper, It's easy. In practice, it will be a tough job. I
think I am up for it. I just hope I have not damaged any of the other
electrics when I was trying, repeatedly, to get it going yesterday. there
was a faint smell of burning and the wires at the back of the substitute
start button installed long ago under the key were too hot to touch.
If I can get it started, I am back in business. I can go to work tomorrow
and to the cruise on Saturday. I can stop worrying about the Chrysler, too,
if the Imperial is more reliable. Isn't life grand and exciting?
Hugh
PS. Have you noticed that in theory, practice and theory are always the
same but in practice they never are?
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