Living in NYC has been surreal, and I have been able to seek solace in working on my car. Putting a day of work is a welcome distraction from the grim news that awaits me on my return. I hope reading this journal helps you to escape the reality of our world, if not for just a few moments.

I finished bolting the headers and starter heat shield onto the engine. Decisions will soon need to be made on the exhaust system. I'm considering either a "Time Valve" exhaust which is a stainless steel replica exhaust, or a cheaper fabricated exhaust using a local muffler shop. I'm open to suggestions. Finances, unfortunately, play a big role in this decision!

I needed to fit new radiator hoses for my engine, so I made some cardboard templates of what I would need. I cut the exact diameters on the ends of the templates so it would be easier to try them on for size at the parts store. I chose a local Napa Parts store because they are usually more cooperative in special requests like this. The parts guy brought me back to their storeroom where all the various hoses hung on the wall, and I began looking for the right shape and size. It felt like a waste of hose, but the hose on the bottom was the only hose I could find that had the right bend, and diameter that would work. The hose on the top of the picture would have to be bent a little to match the contour of the thinner hose.

The large top hose fit perfectly once it was cut to size.

The bottom hose just fit, barely clearing one of the pulleys and the steering center link, which you can't see from this picture. Working on the radiator hoses, I noticed another clearance problem I didn't catch before. You can just make out the brake proportioning valve mounted behind the lower radiator hose. The brake lines feeding into it were interfering with the front pulley of the engine. This would not be good, so I spent the next hour or so re-bending the lines to clear the engine. It was not a lot of fun.

Several months ago I mentioned buying some bicycle cable to replace some old heater control cables. I cut the new lengths of cable using the old cables as guides, but today, as I ran the new cables the the heater control valve, I realized the new cable would be too short. So much for assuming the old stuff was the right length! I drove back to the bicycle shop and bought some more control cable, but this time, I won't cut the cable until I am absolutely sure of its length!

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