Zombie Walking!!!

A few months I reported my starter became possessed by poltergeists and was activating itself with the key in the off position. So. No big deal, disconnect the battery, buy another NAPA starter [perhaps still under warranty from two years ago] and be done with it after a quick-tow to my nearby Local Wrench.

The resultant epic story would do any of the longer winded Russian authors proud! [I am on Solzhenitsyn's second of three volumes and I believe one of the smaller gulag humorous anecdotes would be my own contribution. Much of Solzhenitsyn is not just comic. He is hilariously comic.]

My problem was a simple one. The poltergeists attacked me - not just with my pants down but both windows down. At the time I did not understand the malevolence and cunning these wicked spirits can bring to bear upon the unwary pilgrim! With these orifices open to intrusion by whatever malefactorum might happen upon my Prugna Metallica it seemed simple prudence on my part to close these two windows so that my dear beloved Contessa would be protected from the elements should the tow-and-park encounter inclement weather.

Read that long sentence once again and I assure you it is as too "Dick and Jane" as a mechanical window crank is to obtaining a window crank for a 1986 Mondial. Or is it the reverse? It might be either or and both at the same time for all that matters!. First of all, my owners manual clearly, Very Clearly SHOWS a window crank, where to insert it should the Italian electrics ever fail [not that such a thing would actually happen in the first place] and thus be done with it.

Stupid stupid be EYE. These several years now I have been smug smug smug in my certain knowledge that should my good-as-dead passenger window fail I had, at my instant disposal, the glorious auxiliary window crank from my very own and original tool kit! How much more satisfying could you get? So out goes EYE to my tool kit for the purpose of smugly closing the windows for the anticipated short tow.

To understand the consternation that eventually swept over me like a 1,000 year tsunami you really really need to read one of those long winded Russian authors. Was it not such an author who wrote 'War and Peace'? Not only was there no window crank there was not even an empty space where such a window crank should have been found. What!

Quick call to Ferrari independent parts supplier. "Oh. THOSE things. Yes, there are such things, or so we have been led to believer, but never ever have we been aware that one single one was ever delivered with a Ferrari in this market. Perhaps in Europe?"

ME: "I wand to buy one." One what. "Window crank." Never seen one. "Can you get one?" I don't know.

Several interment searches later I encounter a the exact beveled crank I need and it was offered for sale. "I want to buy the window crank displayed in your internet add." Sure thing, I will send it two day delivery. "Thank you." Six days later no crank. "I did not get the crank." Oh let me look up the order. Oh! It was on back order and is scheduled for delivery TODAY. I will ship it out Right Away."

A few days letter said package arrives and I set it proudly aside for the holidays after which I will haughtily delivered The Contessa for her early Spring wake up call. I think of it as a sort of botox for my lovely lady. WHAT? The TSAR has sent me WHAT! Perhaps a crank for a Pinto!?" Where is Dostoevsky when you really need him!

But that is all for the moment. There is more. Much much more. But out of the need for comfort I am returning to my reading of Gulag Archipelago.

 

.

:-(

 

Window crank issues do nothing but make me a bit cranky. When the car simply started up after sitting there for a couple of months I said: Well. I want to drive my favorite mountain road Right Now! Twelve mountain miles with 65 turns and then back again! Probably could have done it because my starter problem seems to be a hot issue, and it was about 45F and sunny today. MIGHT have gotten away with it as well. However, even though I have never been towed in off the road even after 12,000 miles this would have been simply tempting fate.

On the other hand, I have had my fun with my Ferrari and I keep saying its time for it to take up semi-retirement in my garage. However, every time I get in it and it just starts up and I just drive away, the very next thing that happens is it takes up residence in my front car port and becomes, once again, my daily driver till it needs some thing or other. This time it was a starter. Last year I replaced all four CV joints since they all had developed cracked and open boot covers.

So who knows. One thing is certain is my Mark VII project [a near show room 1988 Lincoln Mark VII] is a total bust and so it needs an entire rethink. I was simply going to do all the normal steering, suspension mods plus 7psi positive displacement supercharger on top of a normal 5.0 HO Mustang type engine. I have done it twice in the past with perfect results each time. That car simply got long of tooth at 190,000 miles. The new car simply would not run at all properly. BADLY in fact. So I had my local wrench put it back to stock.

I have some contacts to explore for more exotic possibilities. One is this: I have rumors the modern vvt twin cam Ford may be available in a 'kit' version to install in Fox Bodied Fords of that era. Believe it or not the Lincoln MK VII IS a Fox body. Thats why all the mods were available for me. Sub-frame connectors, stabilizer bar selection, etc etc etc. So I might still do something with that MK VII.

Till then? For an interesting ride I still have my 1965 Corvair convertible and the Ferrari. Spring is almost in the air here in the mild N. Georgia Mountains. Could have done a top down drive today in the Corvair!

Dreaming on......

 

I had a 73 MGB that did that I can remember holding the ignition key in my hand in the air and the starter was just a cranking away.

 

Hey rob! Good to hear from you. Yeah, what a starter problem that was! For both of us. And the starter only 18 months rebuilt on my part. But I am glad to know its not an actual hallucination on my part really DID happen. In fact it burned out the battery disconnect switch! Now that I have you on the party-line do you off-handedly remember when the accessory belts were last replaced? The reason I ask is that from time to time I get a banshee belt scream. At first this only happened after a car wash. The other day it was cold outside and got the same thing. Only at low rpm, and goes away.

And today it was cold out and NO banshee wail. A buddy of mine is coming over to morrow to check out the belts. Every time the car is in the shop, like this time for a new starter, I ALWAYS forget to ask him to check the belts! Of course the first thing to do is simply cut off the A/C belt. By the way. The car simply runs like a dream these days. I hardly ever drive it below 3,000 rpms and shift at 4k or 5k. And often times scamper up to 6,500. After the clutch scattered at 7700 I don't do THAT any more!

Of course the heater is possessed of gremlins. Sometimes the fan works sometimes not. Sometimes the heater knob actually supplies heat (knob by Matell!) but today not. Having driven a Corvair for thirty years cool weather driving without heat is not much of a hardship.

 

Sounds like you are back in action Rap! That starter issue is puzzling. I checked and I still had the e-mail Steve sent me with the invoice when he did the major just as I bought the car you should have a hard copy of it to in the file that came with the car. He did replace both the alt. belt and waterpump belt during the service which was done on 3/29/12 and he recorded the mileage as 44123. So the belts are close to 4 years old. Can't believe how fast time goes by!

 

Thanks again Rob. I put the receipts envelope in a safe place such that I can not find it. It WILL show up again. No sure which decade that might be. I have been taking care of the lady. We discovered the CV Joints boots were cracked, some of them badly so replaced all the joints. Some people only replace the boots over regreased joints but frankly, my local wrench told me he would rather do my clutch again do unscrew all those half shafts again. Thirty years of self welding! I also replaced the front rotors. The old ones were working but had a lot of wear.

The only irritating things are both the heater fan and the heater temperature control. These both work intermittently. I got the wire diagram and may and will try to track down the bad connection. Not a big thing really; having driven a heater deprived Corvair for so long!

 

Put a drop of engine oil on the running part of the belt. Squeeling stops after some seconds...

Guido

 

I'll hold onto the e-mail I have with the invoice on it feel free to ask anytime. I don't think I ever even tried the heater I must of when I first looked at the car but I never used it that I can remember. The old girl is going to be 30 this year can't believe it.

 

Guido & Rob

The fan belt was a bit loose and was a bit glazed from slipping so we went to the local auto shop and simply bought a $15 belt. The one that was on the car did not look like a special Ferrari belt and so we just got a good Gates.

The Water pump belt is like nothing else I have ever seen! I was tempted to remove the A/C belt and probably should have done so. Nothing wrong with it but it does nothing.