Barn find.... today

The memories Bill left me with will be cherished, reviewing them over the last week has brought back many a smile, he was a special man to many. Jen and I have been working hand in hand together for the last few weeks, finishing up a few complex engine builds, when all of a sudden I would start chuckling to myself and then share a moment in time story with her. Such is life, we should all be so fortunate to be able to leave someone with so many fond memories!

Yesterday was the evening set aside to take on some maintenance issues on Joe's Lexus. Nothing difficult but.... those that think the CEL's on Ferrari's are a pain.... best stay clear of a Lexus once the mileage gets up there a bit! Top up the tire pressures, polish up the headlight lenses and mooch it for a quite carefree ride home last evening for a check out drive.... the Man IS riding in style now, compared to that Damn Jeep of Kris' that we drive daily..... a BMW Isetta would be high style for me!

While wrapping up final assembly on a Daytona Competition engine, Jen and I were discussing the best direction on the 330 engine. Given we have a few months ahead of us before the next proposed "Joe Drive", we have decided that pulling that engine down and doing the freshen up now would be the best plan. I believe it to be quite sound the way it sits now but.... there is no reason to run all the accumulated sludge through it before it is pulled apart for a check over. There were enough questions brought up by the removal of the one head to justify a tear down prior to it 'needing' it done. "Preventative' always being the least expensive course..... it does throw a curve ball into Jen's "Cost be Damned" restoration plans! Maybe an inspection of the engine as a whole will answer some of the many questions that still remain about its numbering sequence and the update of the heads.

One of the 12 cylinder engine stands will free up as the Daytona engine moves to the run in stand.... as soon as the 348 engine comes off it.... It's looking like the time is right to follow that direction and pull it down. Things are somewhat quite in town now, remember its Boulder, if there is a Holiday somewhere in the week.... the entire flippin week is a Holiday! I am already dealing with the obvious drama with Kris and Jen back together again, "Hey, we are 2 of the 11 people that showed up for work in all of Boulder this week.... why don't WE get the week off?" Be sure, I will not get a Gold Star on this week's report card when I suggest that Friday might be a nice quite day to head on in and pull the lump out of the 330!

Joe is improving by the day now, stress free life has had a positive effect on him. What I once thought would be a problem, the delay of the drive from this fall to next spring, now I believe will actually be a net positive.

 

A very real possibility.

We have had numerous discussions regarding the performance of the Ferrari...... and the Lexus. He is quite impressed with the Lexus and has stated many times that it is quicker than the 330. As much as I would like to argue the point..... Joe is right, that 6 cylinder is pretty spunky and would stand its ground against the 330, at least up to 130, while driving along with a Diet Coke clenched between your knees.... eating a Cheese Burger.

I drove his Lexus for a weekend before giving it to him just to make sure all was in order. Kris and I took it to a barn party out to Hell and Gone on the eastern plains (you would have to know our Farrier Jamie, when that RedHead throws a Barn Party.... you go!) I just set the cruise at 100 and pointed it East. He would call in the Marines if anyone tried to take his Lexus...... we will see how the memories rekindle when he gets in the Ferrari. Now with the shifter rebuilt...... gears should at least be where they are expected to be.

Joe made mention that he found some more papers on the Ferrari when I spoke with him on the phone yesterday. I am in awe he has found anything but he must have had some type of filing system up at the house that made sense to him... and Only him. Problems with valve setup on the Daytone engine yesterday demanded I stick with it all day and I didnt get a chance to deliver the Lexus back to him. This AM.... he gets his car back and gets presented with a new cell phone a good friend and fellow FC'er, donated to him. Given he took two plus weeks to memorize the Lexus drivers handbook.... that cell phone manual should have him tied up well into next week. Damn sure I will be no help there.... I have no clue how to even answer a call on Kris' phone.

 

Jen pretended she didn't read that suggestion of a Friday Lump Lift.... I know she did but, those two are still twanged they were of the handful in Boulder that had to work this week.... go figure!

One must remember, at this shop females out number males.... we have in play the 'Woman's Scorn' argument, the science of gravity.... and where I am standing RE the perceived pecking order when in a minority. Having not yet discussed how exact and acute a females selective long term memory is.... and my dislike of having to constantly look over my shoulder.... Maybe over Thanksgiving dinner I will suggest Saturday.... that oughta add a half dozen pages to the HoneyDO novel!

Four days off work in a row and these two will start to develop an allergy to work! They are burdened with a distorted thought process where they feel it right to PAY money a night or two a week after work, to have someone teach them how to exercise. Graciously I offered to charge them FAR less to go out and mend the mile of fence that doorknob "Faaabio" managed to tear down while Kris was away on "vacation", rest assured that is Great exercise lugging a 80 spool of twisted double strand fence wire around and then stretching it! What do I get but a blank stare from both.... you would think I was speaking Martian to them. Looks like that evening or two a week is when the 330 will get worked on.... sans any "Management Oversight"!

 

A stranger no more, Joe joined us for Thanksgiving Dinner at our house, and I have to say it was enjoyed by all!

Following on a new found tradition I was taught this summer by Mark (MWR4440) and his Wonderful wife Sylvia (make no mistake, that man married UP!), we broke out the German Beer's while the bird was finishing up on the Weber. Joe, now a devoted fan of this tradition, was not to be left on the sidelines in the sampling. I was once concerned about him not eating enough.... yesterday proved this concern to be now unfounded, the man can eat! Faced with the difficult choice of what desert to choose, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bars or Pecan Pie..... "well, lets have a stab at all 3, there's still room after the bird and all the fixin's"!

Late morning I drove into town to pick up Joe so he wouldnt be burdened with making the drive home in the dark. This time of year driving in the dark, in the foothills along the Front Range of the Rockies becomes a full contact sport. The Bull Elk are hell bent on fighting off any new comers threatening their herd of Cow's grazing on the roadside. They damn sure dont care if that threat comes with headlights, pedals or horns, everything is fair game! Arrogant to an extreme, they will stand in the middle of the road and just lower their head to take on any challenger that happens to come along! The Lexus was not to fall victim to such a struggle.... one doesn't mess with Joe's new pride and joy!

The whole afternoon was spent making sure a couple of comfortable chairs had no chance of floating away and just enjoying the day. The drive home some 10 hours later was a treat in itself. Going through our little town of Lyons on the way back to the apartment, we stopped to make an extra pass through town as it was all decked out with Christmas lights and decorations, quite a sight that Joe genuinely enjoyed taking in. It really is magical how such a sight can bring back a look of total awe, unchanged from what it looked like some 3/4 of a century earlier.

The day ended with 3 pages of notes I hastily took down from Joe's stories of the past. Wonderful stories, many of which involved the 330, and many that just gave an in site to the man behind the car, the later being as important to me as the prior. What started out about an old car..... soon we will get back to that, but until then..... the Smile HAS changed from the first post of this thread until the current one!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I am not certain who has given the most to whom! It can be very difficult to deal with if you are in a hurry and your tolerance level is down. My Fathers support and his assurance to just follow my gut feelings has given me the ability to see this through the difficult times with a focus on the future. Credit for finding a wonderful place in town and making all of the arrangements to bring that about, all goes to J, his efforts to that end were monumental. Its all a team effort, now its Kris, Jenni and myself's time to take over the daily chores and give J a well earned rest.

An aged mind doesnt always keep on track and can veer off topic about a half dozen times a minute! Joe has given me something very special that I am eternally grateful for, the ability to slow down and take in the moment. When I do, I can find the true meaning of the jumbled and seemingly senseless discussion. It isnt senseless, its actually incredibly articulate and accurate, it is just missing bits and pieces. These 'missing pieces', when recalled from prior discussions and inserted into the current topic....... it makes all the sense in the world. It's Joe's version of short hand abbreviation, there is just too much to tell and not enough time to tell it to a willing listener. Earlier someone here stated something that has stuck with me and I now understand the true importance of, "When the Student is ready..........". The given topic may have little importance but the gift given to me by Joe is learning to slow for the moment and absorb that message.

I have now recognized with near certainty that Joe has a low blood sugar problem. A number of times I have noticed irritability, confusion and an abrasive demeanor that just comes on out of no where. Burger King is the short term answer ("McDonalds cheats you, they dont give you all the 'stuff' on your burger"). A Wopper Jr. and a cup of coffee and within minutes everything is rosy again. Too much to get done and just not enough time to eat? Either that or just the slow down of the moment is just enough to clear the mind and set things back on track. What ever the reason, Turkey Day saw Joe at a whole new high with the conversations being a give and take and all in a very relaxed, comfortable and completely understandable manner. Dogs barking, children screaming, young, middle and old adults laughing with a dozen conversations going on at once.... Joe ate it up! Goodness knows, he ate twice what I did and Kris sent him home fully stocked with left overs. I was exhausted...... but Joe...... he was just coming into full stride.... the Tortoise and the Hare!

All this time I have been asking him about memories of the car when we were both completely exhausted and taking a break to catch our breath. Joe and I share the trait of both looking like we went through a food fight after downing our Wopper's.... we wear as much as goes in! "Hey... you have a hole in your lip"? "Talk it up youngster... look at yourself!".... the clash of the Titans throwing jabs back and forth while laughing hysterically! Knowing what I do now..... I will wait until we both look like something the Cat drug in before I bring back up the topic of the 330.... that should assure a successful, fact filled conversation.

 

BIG time, lost that battle! Upper management has a selective memory, forgetting how much progress was made an the H-DO Novel while she was on her 'vacation' to the Norwegian Rivera a month or so back. Remind her of these advances and a another page is written, dont say a word and another is added due to a looming concern of moss starting to grow on me.... all justified and falling under the heading of "A Woman's Prerogative".

I have been remiss in keeping up with updates, and will do my best to give a quick overview. A systemic problem on the Ferrari's, one I was certain I had resolved this summer, proved I was a little optimistic at the time, showing more focused effort was required. It's been better than a dozen years now of patch fixes, enough is enough, this will be fixed once and far all before this effort is completed! A follow up QC system to that problem was drawn up and is now being fabricated. Two Vintage engines are in the final stages of wrap up at this point, and I wanted those done and on their Merry Way prior to pulling down a few more..... the 330 lump inclusive in the later group.

Joe:
We have unleashed on Boulder something they thought they had seen the last of a number of years back.... a mobile Joe! Kris has spent enough time at the DMV office over the past few months, trying to get the Lexus in Joe's name, she is now talking with the counter gal about her kids playtime activities! Signature missing here or there, Joe lost his wallet and his DL..... having no other picture ID, down to the DL office to get another and then wait for that...... forgot his insurance card so I get pulled off a car to have another meeting with 'Flo' x 5. Joe didnt want some paper temp tag, he wanted to display his U.S. Marines plates.... yet another series of forms and visits.....
Joe now has a Girlfriend, he even brought her down to the shop to introduce us. He cant remember her name, so he just call's her his "Little Dear"..... I have a planned private conversation with him RE: how that little oversight might have an effect the advancement of said relationship. The next day's visit, after a critique on how little progress we are making on the 330, "we are taking some time off".... "hell Joe, you have only dated for 2 weeks.... no reason to rush into these things I guess". I was able to find a private moment and throw in "Joe, lets remember 'Safe Sex'.........DAMN!, he thought I was serious, leaving me fighting HARD to back pedal and remove myself from that conversation!
Lexus thought they had a good group of Quality Control testers.... obviously they have not met Joe! Creature Comfort items in a fancy car.... lets just say Joe figures if it doesn't have a handle with a button... there is no emergency brake, its just a 'springy dead pedal'. Four knobs on the wiper stalk, that also moves vertically.... just a bit too much to deal with, its easier to drive around town with the front and back wipers doing their thing on a sunny day. Joe absolutely LOVES the Lexus... and he just found the "Power" button to boot. What once I thought would make a replacement for the Shoe makers kid Special Saturn that Kris is blessed with...... this will be a Parts Car before Joe is done driving!

The 330:
Our son Bill is back working with us at the shop now. To see if he was still on his game as an excellent machinist/fabricator that he was when he worked with us last, I put him on finishing up the carb throttle shaft reaming/replacement and pinning. I was quite pleased with my accomplishments re the shaft fit of the first carb..... Geeez how I hate when some dweeb comes along and does the next in 1/2 the time with even better results!!! Insult to injury, that stupid little smirk while stating... "dont concern yourself with the little details, your getting older... it's OK". Brilliant workmanship while turning the tables on me.... he now has lived long enough to embarrass his father all over again! Honestly I am excited to get the lump out and on a stand for a freshen up..... as soon as The Project Manager finds, and can pencil in, spare time in her Social Calendar. With the other two Vintage engines within a few weeks of making Stink again... I think we are near now. The focus on Joe's 330 remains unchanged to the best of my knowledge. The PM has not called a meeting on it in some time now, but we have been tied up working for free on the afore mentioned problems in the recent past. I suspect once those are resolved in their entirety, and the other cars put on hold waiting for those results to prove themselves, get finished.... we will once again make daily progress with 3 pairs of hands involved. Until that time, Bill is making very nice progress on the carbs and is near to starting on the other two insulator block fabrication. I will take some photo's the coming week, of that progress.

Fun Stuff:
J and Joe had an enjoyable get together the other day...... J rolling me under the bus by giving the apartment front desk MY contact numbers as an alternate to His alone.... Hey, HEY!....
Our own FC Futureman stopped by the shop to discuss some 328 product designs he is helping me with, and got to meet J when he stopped in. As it turns out, both of their kids are together in school.... small world! Misery Loving Company.... Futureman moved his Texas Native family from AL to the top of a Mountain in CO, while equipping his Wife with a 2WD Kid Hauler on summer tires! At this point I will predict an upcoming futures market in D-4 Cats.... I am going in deep and picking one up with BIG profit's in mind. The misery-company thing..... happiness is knowing someone else has a future Honey DO! Novel, sure to be thicker than my own, as soon as the snow piles up where one cant look out his windows! Install an 8 Track player and a gun rack on the Cat...... and then dangle that carrot. OH to be a fly on the wall when HE tries to sell the idea of the D-4 as lawn art! Like the makings of a hit Country Song.... "Throw another page in theee' Novel....."