I was supposed to be an intructor at the W.E.T. Intro to Windsurfing today but my car broke down on the way to Fort Monroe. The tow cost $125, which is small change compared to what it's probably going to cost to fix the exploded radiator. Sigh...
Sam Lake cheered me up when I got back by giving me and my gear a lift to York River Seafood for a late-afternoon windsurfing / kiting session. Thanks, dude.
Man, that sucks. If you can make it a DIY project it will be much less expensive and you will be on the road sooner. I have changed a 93 Ford Taurus radiator. It took a little finesse and @ 2 hours time. The fit was a little tight but nothing that made me want to throw a bunch of money at an ASE certified mechanic.
ReplyDeleteDang. Good luck getting rolling again as soon and as economically as possible
ReplyDeletebummer, bro... at least you can always walk to the water, right?
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, that's a sweet JP, but who the hell taught you how to repair a nose?
now now us undereducated mechanics have to make a living ,too. like I always say "anybody can work it"
ReplyDeleteGood luck James a friend of mine had Ford Escorts and when the radiator blew it was cause the head gasket blew first and the cylinder compression went into the water jacket which over pressured the radiator.
Thanks for the moral support guys. The local mechanic says he'll replace the radiator for $263, which I am capable of, albeit not excited about, paying.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I don't have the brains, tools, or alternative transportation to attempt a DIY job this time. Plus I'm in a hurry, because in the last 24 hours I have coincidentally run out of clean clothes, toilet paper, and garbage-can space. Gotta get to the laundromat, grocery store, and dump ASAP! :P
At least you did the right thing: you called the tow truck.
ReplyDeleteNot like that friend of mine that, since he was almost arrived at the surfing spot of his destination, kept driving a few more miles to go surf after a radiator hose blew, clearly overheating and cracking the head of the engine...
Oh well, I never really liked that Escort anyway, since it had automatic transmission...
ReplyDeleteI like my manual shift one much better now! ;-)
Cammar- Well, I was definitely tempted to keep driving to the windsurf spot, but a voice inside told me "no", thank goodness. My escort actually is a manual, which I like, so hopefully they'll be able to fix it good and give it a second chance at life. :)
ReplyDeleteHow's the car coming?
ReplyDeleteHey James, you of all people I thought I'd get a comment from on this discussion. Would love to hear from you...maybe some advanced theory can be applied?
Puffin- The car's back on the road, re-loaded with tons of windsurf gear as usual. Yes!
ReplyDeleteI read and admired your dissertation on mast bases, but hadn't had time for a proper reply. I just now added my 2 cents. :)