Search This Blog

Friday, August 31, 2007

314 Days, and counting...


740 Miles
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

From Mike:

"Here is the game plan at this point.
 
Anyone that wants to tag along for part or all of the journey, I am organizing a cruise leaving Coldwater, Michigan on Thursday morning…departing at 8 a.m.  We will leisurely drive two lane roads to somewhere near Erie Pennsylvania and stop for the night around 5 p.m.  Note, that leaves a lotta time for goofing around on the way, or once we get there; the group will get to decide that before we depart.
 
Friday morning we will pack up and leave by 8 a.m. for the POCONO resort, yet to be named.  We can, as the group decides take our time getting there, or rush there and have lots of time Friday afternoon with the accumulating folk from around the globe.  Again, Friday’s trip will be exclusively two lane roads.
 
I am designating myself as route creator.  I will eventually choose the midway stopping point.  Other than the 8 a.m. departure times, and the maps prepared and handed out, everyone is on their own for costs, adherence to the schedule (or not).  If you see something you wanna do, feel free to do so, with or without the group.
 
If I work things out correctly, we will probably pick up a sports car club somewhere after 9 a.m. Friday.  And, about 10 a.m. we will start to see other FLUsters join our ranks, as there is a huge contingency of FLU folk living in Pennsylvania.
 
I will widely publicize our route, and plans beginning in February ’08, for maximum participation.
 
HAPPY MOTORING !!"

Mike Bouse
Secretary/Treasurer
WEST MICHIGAN FLU
a Chapter of Fiat Lancia Unlimited

http://flumichigan.italiancarclub.com/

Fiat Freak Out - 2008


Pocono Manor
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.


Woo-Hoo!

The date and location have been chosen!

Pocono Manor - July 11th - 13th, 2008

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Oh, By the way....


Mutual Support
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

You mean I didn't say anything?


Yeah...well...you know....

Most people who own an old Fiat Spider are a bit nuts.

Crazy. Bats in the bell tower...

Two months ago I bought the FOURTH (4th) Spider I've ever owned. Sadly, my 3rd one subcummed to bone cancer, and is now an organ donor. When I'd tell people it was my 4th Spider, they'd pause, and then ask for clarification "You mean you owned FOUR, but not ALL AT ONE TIME, right?"

Well, no, of course not. What sort of FOOL would own more than one Fiat Spider at a time?

Hello, my name is Lee Putman, and I just bought my FIFTH (5th) Spider, and I now have TWO (2) ...

AT THE SAME TIME.

Yes, internet, you may now loose your mind. I'm a crazy-man, and it you cannot understand why I'd do such an insane thing, it makes no sense.

...until you climb in and go for a ride...

Part Two


Token Shot at the GCN
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

(Saturday Evening - 11pm-ish)

...things are re-installed on the car...

...feel ready to try it out...

...the hell with sleepy neighbors...

So, with the turn of the key, the car burps, coughs, spits, and dies.

On the second try, a spume of air/gas mixture pops straight up out of carb.

My assistant holding the fire extinguisher becomes visibly more nervous.

"Is it...supposed...to do that", she asks in a tone of voice clearly conveying SHE DOESN'T THINK SO.

The only thing I can think of to adjust is the mixture screw. I'd set it where I'd "heard" you should try it - 2.5 turns backed out after fully seating.

I turned it one more full turn in.

No change.

Another full turn.

Pop...stutter...chugga, chugga...

She runs!

At idle she's a bit rough...which at first concerned me, until I remembered the Previous Owner talking about the "radical cam" in the car.

Apply just a tad of gas...VROOOOM!

The car sounds GREAT. Of course, it has an exhaust leak and sounds WIDE OPEN, making it sound like an old 60's rally racer...but it makes me smile.

Immature? Yes!

Must...

Drive...

Car...

It's dark outside, overcast, nearly midnight, and the car is still largely unknown to me. I toss a few tools in the car, and attempt to figure out the lights.

There are two light switches: one three position switch on the dash, and a three position lever on the steering column. Apparently, the older models "should" have had a two position switch on the dash - "on" and "off" - using the "stalk" lever on the column to switch between "parking" (up), "driving" (middle), and "brights" (lower).

Now, first of all, who would think to LOWER a switch for HIGH beams?

After fiddling, I realize that dash switch is from a "later" model designed to be up "off", middle "parking", lower "driving".

The two switches would contradict each other - if the stalk is in the "up" position, the dash switch all the way down will NOT engage the lights!

So, with the lights figured out, we tear off down the road...and I mean TEAR! This car SOUNDS like it's ripping the road - the tuned exhaust is LOUD, and the "note" changes dramatically with the higher RPM's. This car is MUCH happier in the higher RPM's than my blue Spider. Blue Spider coughs above 4k...Red Spider SCREAMS with happiness!

SCREAMS....!

With the rain chasing us, we return home about an hour later. I can't wipe the smile off my face. This car...Man, it's...GREAT!

Sure, the interior is a bit rough, and the brakes rub, and the tires are bit questionable...but for a paltry 2k...this car is a RUNNER!

Sure it's 38 years old...BUT IT'S AWESOME!

Wheeeee!

Part One


Work Begins
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

It's late Saturday evening, and it's been a cold, dreary, wet August day. Awful fro driving convertibles, great for wrenching on them.

I'm loosening a complicated bit of something I can't quite see, and it's jabbing me painfully in the wrist, and suddenly a bit of it flings off with slight metallic pings as it bounces throughout the engine compartment. It immediately goes through my brain that it's a clip on the accelerator linkage, a part painfully difficult to locate, practically on back-order since the car was made - as it's machined from unobtainium by a blind craftsman in the old country whose family holds the exclusive rights to that particular design of clip which no other automotive manufacturer has ever had the madness to use.

My EYEBALL would be easier to replace...Hmmm...where ARE the safety goggles...?

Nevertheless, I get the linkage disconnected, and actually figure out how to remove the entire carburetor. (By the way, at least one of the four retaining nuts CLEARLY cannot be removed without disassembling the entire engine) To the horror of women everywhere, I take the carburetor, walk inside, and sit at the dining room table.

I spread out newspaper, and paying VERY CLOSE ATTENTION, I slowly disassemble the complicated bit of machinery. Unlike the last time I did this (circa 1987), I now have to wear glasses. The bit of paper with the exploded mechanical view is sometimes more clearly understood when viewed upside down, yet this does not seem to instill confidence in my audience. Once down into the guts, and after I've spilled a bit of gasoline onto my rag, the carb is split in two halves, and the brass jets are exposed. These need to be swapped with other jets, kindly sent to me by the same parts guy who copied the instructions for me. He'd a assured me the swap was "no big deal", yet now the car was dysfunctional, with it's vital bits disassembled into a thousand parts on the dining room table. It reminds me of a scene from an old 80's movie where the mechanic gleefully exclaims "I always wanted an excuse to buy me a METRIC set of tools!".

However, the little brass jets unscrew just fine, and the replacements are marked clearly, even if it does take a jeweler's eyepiece to see the markings.

I get the whole thing back together, and the method to my madness pays off. As I took the thing apart, I carefully laid out the bits one-by-one - taking up a good bit of the real estate on the table. Re-assembly is then just the opposite, and I have a map to follow. I also now know which two screws are the main adjustments.

This is a BIG development.

An hour later it's back in the car, all assembled. It's 11pm. Do I wait for daylight to fire it up and check?

Hell No!

I hand the fire extinguisher to my startled assistant who clearly now has more reservations than she did a short moment ago. I dash around with excitement, clearing tools, prepping like a mad crew chief in an island revetment who's ready to yell "CONTACT" and pull the prop of his newly repaired fighter plane.

Insert key...

Pull choke...

Tap gas pedal twice...

Turn key...

(To Be Continued....)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Thank You, Tim Beeble


Tim Beeble's '74 Spider
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.


I believe I mentioned in a previous post about my trip to The Pocono's in the late 90's, and how after seeing all the Fiat Spiders there, I was inspired to go find my '74, and become a Fiat owner after too long an absence.

That happened because of this guy here - Tim Beeble. I never knew his name until I met him at Fiat Freak Out '07.

Here is what happened...

The summer of '98 I got a job at an Ad Agency as a rookie Mac Support guy. Gary Cecil was the senior Mac Support guy, and he and I ended up becoming friends. When I found out he had a Motto Guzzi motorcycle, I told him I'd owned various Fiat and Alfa Spiders in the past. He suggested I tag along to the Italian Concourse d'Elegance.

Of course, I made a beeline for the Fiats. Yeah, sure there were a few X - 1/9's, and I'm sure an odd 500 or two. But the Spiders are what I remember. One guy had a VERY pretty metallic smoke grey Spider. It had a fantastic clear-coating job done on the aluminum head and cam covers, but the guy I will always remember showed up with just his front bumper.

Seriously.

Most of the Fiat people there seemed to know him, and had a fun time ribbing him, but the thing was – I totally understood. I realized these were my people. They were crazy just like me!

I got to talking to this guy about his car, and he extolled the virtues of the ‘74. He explained that it was The One Spider that was far and above the best model Fiat Spider EVER produced. Not that he was biased or anything...but the crux of the matter made sense. He explained the ‘74 was the last year with the old-style bumpers, yet it was the first year of the bigger engine. In ‘75, Fiat knew they’d be held to different emissions and safety standards, so the new, larger engine was brought out in ‘74 - but it didn’t yet have the whole gamut of emissions equipment holding it back.

It took me a year to find my ‘74. I never remembered the guy’s name, and I was SO proud of finding my own ‘74, I’d always wanted to show it off. I never even made it to any Fiat events. Then, earlier this year, my beloved ‘74 was declared structurally unsafe, and I was heartbroken.

All too quickly I jumped at an ‘83 Spider, and I made it to this year’s Freak Out by the skin of my teeth. I had a fantastic time. At the afternoon car show I was wandering around, and as I like the older models, I spent a good bit of time back in that section remembering my old ‘74 & ‘72 Spiders.

Then I see this nearly immaculate ‘74. The owner looks somewhat vaguely familiar to me, but I can’t place him within my mental Rolodex. Then I hear him telling someone how the ‘74 Fiat Spider was The Best Year Ever...

Lightening bolts went off in my head.

This was the guy!

In a torrent of babbling I told him about meeting him when he brought just his bumper to the Pocono’s, and he leaned back and laughed, and called out to another owner who’d been there, and would remember that.

THAT guy turned out to be John Montgomery, the cool guy who’d followed me on the previous day’s cruise, and was no less than THE PRESIDENT of the damn club!

What a small world.

It only took me 9 years to figure out who he was...but I shook Tim Beeble’s hand, and thanked him for inspiring me to get back into the world of Fiats.

What a great group of people, and I can’t even express how glad I am to be back amongst them.

They’re crazy just like me!

Call me "Jefe"


Chicagoland FLU
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.


While I was at Fiat Freak Out '07, one of many people I got to meet was John Montgomery, the President of Fiat - Lancia Unlimited (FLU). He encouraged my enthusiasim for a Chicago Fiat club, and gave me some great ideas and insight.

Which of course, I took full advantage of.

Earlier this week, he gave me the offical word that I have been granted "Chapter Forming" status.

Check it out:
http://italiancar.meetup.com/46/

I started the MeetUp site to attract non-FLU members, as I "know" there are a TON of Fiat owners in the Chicago area who never signed up with a club that didn't even have a local area chapter. I also got lists of active and expired FLU memberships for the extended area.

Emails went out. Replies were recieved. The MeetUp site was tweaked. More emails went out.

Our first "meet & greet" BBQ was scheduled.

...and we have 15 RSVP's - about 12 people and 7 Fiats scheduled to get together.

...and that's just our FIRST event!

Monday, August 06, 2007

So...that next project? MY FAT ASS.


The New Breakfast Plan
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.


Project: "Lee's Fat Ass" begins today.

Or I should say - it resumes.

Version 304 of the plan.

Things have to be adjusted from time to time, you know...and I've been wrestling with this issue for well over a decade. I have been achieving some minor successes for about 4 years now. Much like minor skirmishes won in wartime, I have gained little ground, but these small victories are good for troop morale.

Keep up the good fight, and so forth.

My current plan focuses more on "The Process". Firstly, I place Peapod and Dinner By Design orders well ahead of time, so that I always have supplies on-hand, and need not fight the unwashed masses at the local grocery emporium. After all, if I have stuff ready to cook - that is damn near easier than calling my friends at Dominoes - and THAT is where this battle is fought every day.

Secondly, begining Sunday night, I prep for the following day. The gym bag gets prepped and loaded in the car. Breakfast is assembled, the shake made, and lunchbox is placed in fridge. Next day's Dinner By Design meal is chosen from the freezer, and also placed in the fridge.

It works like this:

I get up, shower and dress for work, grab lunch box, head to office. While checking new emails and sipping first cup of coffee, I have my breakfast from the lunchbox.

Cereal - 200
Milk - 130
OJ Smoothie - 300
V-8 - 30
Bagel - 230

Breakfast Total - 890 calories. I know I have way too many calories in the OJ smoothie - but it's GOOD, and the vitamins are good for me too. Something to tweak later.

Lunch is with friends. I try as much as possible to eliminate eating alone, and the social time is good for me. At this point, I strive only to have a "reasonable" lunch - more like a soup and sandwich combo, less like burger and fries. No fast food. Easily tweakable in the future.

Mid Afternoon - 4pm-ish

The Shake - 2 cups of skim milk, 2 scoops chocolate protien mix, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 packet oatmeal - blended into yummy goodness. I dropped the protien mix to 2 scoops from 4 to help reduce the total calories, and have added the berries permanently for thier OUTSTANDING antioxidant qualities. Also convinced the oatmeal helps the blood counts.

About 5pm I leave work, and since the gym bag is already in the car, and I feel good for having thusly followed an all too easy plan - I actually go to the gym. The trick, with me, is to just get my fat butt in the door. Once there I really don't mind it so much. of course, it helps if there are chickies to look at, but we each find our own motivation. The shake provides fuel for the workout, and keeps me from turning into Starvin' Marvin.

Leave gym, come home, pop my Dinner By Design meal into the oven. While waiting on it to cook, I re-load the gym bag, and immediately put it back in the car. I pack breakfast, and make the next day's shake. Load the lunchbox, place in fridge for next day.

Eat dinner.

Sleep...

Get up...

Rinse and repeat as needed.