A hysterical thing happened to me the other day that
I've been debating whether or not to post about it.
Well, I decided to, but please forgive, as the LBC
content is only that I was toting around Redcar parts
in the back of the featured car.
Awhile back I saw an oppourtunity to pick up a few
$$ by turning over a good cheap car, so I bought an old
Pinto wagon for $75. Running, but needing a bit of
fiddling, I figured to fix a few things & dump it. Well, one
of the things to fix was a shifter so loose that it
was anyone's guess as to which gear you were ever in. A
junkyard car offered up the no longer available shifter
bushing and all was well.
Funny part- The other day I was madly scrambling
about getting the car smogged so it can go to it's new
owner, and I guess I was driving a bit, well,
vigorously, or as vigorously as one can drive a Pinto
wagon, when THE SHIFTER BROKE OFF IN MY HAND !. I
downshifted into 1st as I entered a gas station and the
shifter just kept going, right up to the dashboard.
Luckily the car was in first so I pulled up to the pump
and pondered the dilemma.
Now, one has to laugh when the shifter breaks off
in your hand, and that I did. The only thing that was
holding it to the car was the boot, and no matter how
hard I tried I could not get it to fit back in. Pardon
the analogy, but it reminded me of, um, an uninspired portion
of the male anatomy, and this thought made me laugh
even harder. The people around me thought I was
absolutely crazy, sitting in an Pinto, holding up
the shifter, and convulsing with laughter.
Thankfully the fix was easier than you'd think.
While waiting for the next pump, I took off the shift
boot and noticed that the shifter had indeed broken,
about 1" out of the tranny. With the boot off the
shifter was offered up (!), and a pair of vise grips
clamped onto the remaining stub got me home. And to
work the next day.
Later that day another junkyard car donated it's shifter
(for $12 !), and all was well again.
We now resume to your normal (LBC) programming.
cheers-
dstone@sc9.intel.com
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