Hi All,
My name is Jon Rider. I'm a 49 year old kid with a fantastic Wife, 3 great
kids (9, 14 and 18) - two boys and a girl, a dog, 3 cats (one with 3 legs) and
- well, I think that it.
I've got a grad degree in Mechanical Eng (from NMSU) and an undergrad degree
in Microbiology from the U of W. Sorry Brad, I don't have any answers to the
questions raised about the top or flat dash other than to say, it would take a
fair amount of time to redesign a soft top that gives you what you want
without changing the rag top as well. The flat dash, on the other hand, does
seem doable but not without more time than I've got. Now, if I had the time
to get someone to model it in CATIA.....
I live north of Seattle, in Bothell and work for Boeing in Everett. I'm a
senior manager and am responsible for the design of the wiring on the 767.
I've actually managed all models except the 747. I've worked there for about
15 years. Before that I worked a the Borg Warner Research Center in Des
Plaines IL. a month after I left for a job at Boeing, the place was torn
down. Lived in Vernon Hills, IL for about 3 years after graduating from NMSU.
My wife is a 1st grade teacher. Moved back to Seattle to get back home to
family and to the country I love. Maggie, my wife, has reluctantly accepted
my 2nd purchase of a roadster. She has dubbed it "That Little Car" - hence I
give it TLC.
I owned a '69 2000 roadster in high school and through my 1st 4 years of
college. However, I had to sell it to afford grad school. Purchased my 2nd
about 3 weeks ago. Thus, I am a new face to this forum. As I mentioned on my
first note to 'the list' - the roadster is the only car I ever had a love
affair with. We did, however, have our bumps - I was never without a full
toolbox in the truck. I often get a smile when I read the experiences of 'the
list' because many I have experienced - the discussions bring back those
memories. Ya know, headlights (in fact all lights) going out (overcharging
voltage regulator - burn out every light in the car that was on - including
the clock); crushing the oil pan with a rock; broken crank (mine was the cam);
3 warped heads (once, my car drank so much water on the way to Sun Valley
Idaho, it was amazing, I filled bottles at ever ditch I could find and
produced a cload of steam going down the road). I repaired it in a parking
lot of an apartment in Hailey over the next 3 days (that tool box again). I
still remember clearly the 1st time I removed the stock exhaust manifold. By
the time I sold it, I swear I could pull the engine in 2 hours and once did it
in my parent's garage in Yakima in 5 degree weather to replace the clutch.
Also had a short in the underdash wiring harness that melted wires - the
outcome of that one is too long of a story to tell. Lets just say the it
wasn't immediately apparent that the problem was as bad as it was. But,
driving over the pass in the summer time with the top down at night made it
all worth it. Has anyone seen that commercial on TV with the kids cruising on
a hot summer night with the top down - well, that's what I love! The
responsiveness, the steering , the size - I like it all.
Hobbies: I'm an avid snow skier (try for 30 plus times a season) and an avid
boater - I own a 21 foot Bayliner Trophy (with Alaskan Bulkhead) and do a fair
amount of cruising in the San Juans and Gulf islands. The boat has truly
satisfied my need to work on engines. The rest on my time is spent at my kids
sports events - soccer, football, basketball and baseball - all three of them.
Coach or support coaches for the last 8 or 10 years in baseball. Beats the
Huskies or the Mariners any day (at least in my opinion).
I've got a lot of history with the roadster but I'm rusty and times have
changed. the LIST is a great resource. Ah, the information age....
You All take care
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