I feel like I need to write. This week has been a mix of incredible and overwhelming anxiety.
This week was my first week of 4 day workweeks, something I asked for to help with these trying times. I was given approval by my manager and center director to do so. I don’t know how long I will be doing this, but for the time being I need it.
I have been putting off some much needed maintenance on my Jeep. I need to change the spark plugs badly. It seems like every time I psych myself up to do it I chicken out however. I don’t get it. I did get around to changing the differential fluid on both rear ends today. I don’t know if it was a fluke or what but the front would only take 1 quart. The rear 1 1/2 quarts. They should take much more.
I love the fill and drain plugs of the Dana axles.
One day while at work I received a call from my mortgage company. I’m thankful they were able to help me keep my home at a time when all the odds were against me. They have called me many times with offers that were of no benefit to me, just another sale for them. This time it was different.
With the economy in dire straits, and my credit card debts only increasing, this changes the ballgame for me. It rolls all of my credit card debt into a refinance, lowers my interest rate by 1.26% AND my payments with escrow stay essentially the same. This is a financial grand slam as far as I’m concerned.
This will relieve me of over $500 in credit card payments a month alone. It’s not that I couldn’t pay them, but the removal of those stressors is a welcome sign. The only downside to this is resetting the 30 year countdown on paying the debt off, and increasing that particular principal owed.
The elimination of the other higher interest debts really balances it out however, at least to me. With my paycheck not getting any larger anytime soon I need to make some strategic financial moves to ensure I stay in the green and actually build a savings holdings.
Last year my neighbor bought a fishing boat. It’s nice and similar to what I would choose to buy if I had those funds. He’s in his late 70’s and most of the time takes his wife out for cruises on the lake in it. She often takes selfies of them and it’s adorable.
After talking with him the other day, he seemed a little sad that people of his age are dying off, he’s losing friends. He wanted to go fishing, something his wife doesn’t exactly like. I told him to let me know – and I’d be happy to go with him. He asked, and today we went for an early morning fishing session at Lake Monroe. As soon as he asked, I sent an email to my boss stating that I would be taking the day off, and while I monitored goings on I was able to be care free.
The weather has been cooling off in the last few days, which has made it nice for me. I wish I would have gotten a picture but the lake was covered in fog when we got there, it was absolutely beautiful.
You can sort of see the effect here.
I haven’t even been on a boat since I was young, let alone went fishing on one. With my trusty Zebco Bullet .22 fishing pole that I’ve had since I was about 13 we got to work and eventually found a cove where the fish were biting, and hard. Every time I tried to set the hook however, nothing. Then surprisingly, my hook was gone! That dang fish took my hook!
The scene of the crime
We then trolled up the shoreline (he had never used his trolling motor) for a while. I kept casting, but wasn’t getting any bites. Then we both decided we needed a bite of our own, and decided to pack up and grab some grub. Deciding to go to Cloverleaf and we both decided on a full order of biscuits and gravy.
When I first moved into my home in 2006, he came off as the kind of person you try to avoid. Over that time, he’s seen the highs and lows that have come with my life which I believe has led to a softness he doesn’t show everyone. Thank you Bill. Today probably meant as much to you as it did to me.
Yesterday was the July meet of the Indiana Chapter of the VCCA. Thankfully all of my ducks were in a row to finally bring the Camaro, and my youngest wanted to come along too.
We had a great drive up to Cicero, where we met at Red Bridge Park. It was during this drive that I learned the cruise control is now working in the car!
The Three Amigos
We were also visited by a member in a C4 Corvette that was red as well. While having our meeting someone arrived in a 1957 Corvette too!
We then cruised over to Anderson to have lunch at a golf club, where four members of the VCCA who are not members of the Indiana Region were invited. Amelia and I sat to ourselves, and had fun. She kept going on about a YouTube video, speaking in a french accent.
After lunch, we had a pleasant surprise, as one of our invited guests had brought a 1941 Chevrolet convertible with only 12k original miles on it. It was truly a beautiful car that you really don’t see anymore.
While we all were “oooohing” and “awwwwing” over this car, Amelia decided to sit in the car. With the air conditioning not working, she got hot. With the assistance of the wives in the group, I relented to take the t-tops off.
She’s my little model
The director talked to me about how most of the members of the Indiana region have been officers multiple times, and are now getting to a point where they just want to come and enjoy themselves. Our official meeting was led by Joe, who appears to be the next closest in age to me. I definitely see and feel a urgency for a new guard to take the helms. Being so new to the club, it’s a little scary to me. This was important to my father however, and I will stand up to whatever task or challenge that is given to me regarding this club. I want it to continue.
We then cruised back to whence we came, but went to an ice cream shop. While there, cooling off from the day the sky turned dark and the weather became nasty. We all parted ways.
The trip home was full of concern and strife, as this car isn’t known for its wet weather capabilities. There were times when we had to slow to 20mph or less, as I could barely see the vehicles around me or their lights. It took us less than two hours to make it there, it took us around three to make it home.
We also drove the entire day on less than a tank of gas, which has been another concern. This makes the possibility of driving to Oklahoma a real thing. I think I still have some tweaking to do, but I am on the right path.
I really had fun, my company really knows how to make my mood be in tip top shape. I also think she really loves her papaw’s car now. That makes my heart happy.
In the past week the world has been reminded of my hometown, Bloomington Indiana. Sadly, for the same reasons it has many times in the past. A racial attack on another human took place.
It’s a little personal this time however, as the person who was attacked is someone I know of. Someone I have interacted with, and someone I equivocally believe and stand by.
At this point, the videos have went viral, the stories have been told. I am not going to regurgitate what has already been said. I’m going to explain to you how someone I first thought of as a troublemaker, an instigator, is someone I always believed.
Vauhxx Booker came to prominence (to me) as a member of Black Lives Matter. At the time, they were primarily making noise by interrupting city and county council meetings, and essentially ending a “state of the city” address. This was how I saw this man for a very long time.
I didn’t understand, nor appreciate the actions of the group at the time. I felt this was not a “proper” or “just” way to cause any meaningful change. That was of course because I hadn’t really opened my mind to the struggle the African American community has faced for hundreds of years.
After these events, Vauhxx ran for a position on the City Council. I couldn’t vote for him, but that was a move I appreciated – and wanted to see him win. The city council is full of people with ties to the university and lacking people of color.
This is when I came to know Vauhxx, as he was brought on board of a Facebook group I co-moderate. He was a loud voice for positions and issues most of us would have never thought about. He was unapologetic and brash in calling out people on their inherent biases and racial points of view. He added friction in a space that previously did not, but we all respected his voice and did not deny his right to speak his mind.
Over a few months, it was decided that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, and he was removed as a moderator. Our collective still respected the man however, the split was not made out of anger or haste.
At some point, he also joined one of the many commissions in the county, sitting on the Human Rights Commission. That actually inspired me, as I have reached out multiple times about joining local commissions and boards, to be more actively involved in my own community.
Vauhxx may be a well known person in my community, but he isn’t well liked by all. As witness to my previous words, I wasn’t exactly his biggest fan. He has a slight criminal record, as do I. None of us are perfect, and I don’t expect him to be either. As far as I’m concerned, all of the slanderous things being said of him at this point are just that, slander, victim blaming or apologist on behalf of white supremacy.
When I saw his facebook post that went viral, I did not doubt any facts. Nor did I doubt any of his narrative. I am sure he wrote it as soon as he could to provide a narrative in the moment. As soon as friends created a gofundme for him, I gave $500 as well as offering to cover any and all costs he might need help with for mental health services.
While I’ve never personally witnessed such behavior, I do not deny them happening. I never have. Our community has came out to support him in ways that have made me proud to be a Bloomingtonian. At the same point, there are many on the periphery of my life who have made statements that make me question their place in my life.
My mind processes things slowly. This however, I do not question. There have been too many lives lost for reasons that are without cause. There are too many lives that have been ruined by the judicial system that has imposed undue fines and even heavier prison sentences. I am proud to see society, during the middle of a pandemic, fight for this. While my physical restrictions make it unable for me to protest in the heat – I am there in spirit with you, by your side.
The speedometer in the IROC has been a Pandora’s box. The first parts of it, were logical and lineal, the last parts have been anything but.
My second attempt, which resolved one problem but presented another.
The original problem was simple, it seemed. It was constantly reading a lower speed than it should, while the odometer was reading significantly faster than it should.
I first verified and replaced all mechanical gears to ensure those systems were proper for the setup of the physical car. This removes all of the problems up to the speedometer itself.
38 Tooth Speedometer Driven Gear with New Aluminum Housing
Originally, I assumed I could just adjust the needle and resolve the problem, resulting in me breaking the needle. Little did I know then, but that was a fatal mistake. Breaking the needle, broke the shaft the whole assembly connects to, which includes a clip that holds that shaft in the correct place, a clock spring to take the needle back to zero and lower the speed when slowing down, and a “black dish” that caps the assembly. The black dish butts up to but does not connect to the actual assembly that connects to the speedometer cable. This works through an eddy current system to display speed and record distance traveled.
Speedometer Carriage, take note of the springBackside of carriage, take note of the teeth on the needleBlack Dish piece. This attaches to the shaft on the image above in this orientation.Eddy Current / Speedometer cable assembly. The part in the middle rotates. The black dish fits within it but operates without touching it.
My original fix was to replace the needle and shaft. To keep as many original to the car as parts as possible, which has been my charge on the restoration. Over a couple of test drives with only the speedometer in the car, I learned that the “black dish” was not staying in the same position on the shaft, causing it to then make contact with the eddy current system.
I had purchased 2 complete clusters out of other Camaros to use as parts to rebuild this speedometer. Because these parts are rare and ever expensive (a 145mph speedometer alone on eBay is $254), I only used one of these clusters initially. Yesterday is when I made the realization about the black dish and eddy current system touching. The only logical reason why that black dish refuses to stay in position is due to the cheap and thin material it is made from. The removal of it from the shaft, changes it’s ability to keep it’s position on the shaft.
Last night, I grabbed that 2nd cluster and found some pleasant surprises. It was an 85mph speedometer, from a base model car. The only gauges it has are the speedometer and the fuel gauge. The rest of the items are warning or “idiot” lights as they are known. I decided to transplant the odometer reels, face plate and needle I want to use to this one.
The pleasant surprise was that the 85mph speedometer did not have a trip odometer. The clips that hold the trip odometer in place on the other two speedometers I have been using had broken “J clips” which hold the axles of the trip odometer assembly in place. Since the frame of this speedometer had never housed a trip odometer, these clips were in place and never used. The only thing I had to do was move a simple gear that operates the trip odometer with the regular odometer, which was easy. I didn’t have to make any repairs to the assembly for the trip odometer to function. I had used zip ties on the one I was using.
The last two evenings I have been up until past 2am working on this speedometer. I have not had an opportunity to test the functionality of this as of yet, but it has the best hope of all of the things I have done so far. The largest question on this attempt is that spring shown at the beginning of this post. In each one of the speedometers I have, the collar on the spring is a different color. I’m unsure if these springs have different rates, this could play in the accuracy of the speedometer. Especially at higher speeds.
I have learned a lot on this journey. There isn’t much documentation I can find on the speedometers of these cars. The largest thing is the Trip Odometer fix from the 3rd Gen Forums. With my faithful girlfriend by my side, often having serious, heated debate on the issues with different points of view on how to resolve each problem that was faced, I think we did it. I’m so happy I have someone who stands beside me and is always up for helping me on things neither of us fully understand. That itself is worth it’s weight in gold.
Independence Day cruise with the Bloomington Auto Club
The test drives I have taken have brought up two issues that I need to remedy however. The air conditioning is not working. I will need to convert it to 134-a refrigerant. There seems to be a significant gas smell from driving, I believe this to be the charcoal canister needing rebuilt/refreshed. The car also died on me several times out of the blue with no warning, which could be associated with the charcoal canister.
UPDATE
This attempt did not give the results I were going for. Speed would not be indicated until I was going about 20mph, but would be accurate through about 40mph. Once I would reach highway speeds however, the speedometer would read much higher than I really was traveling. I’m leaving this image for evidence.
Speed recorded via GPS, 60mph
That said, I did finally reach indicator nirvana and the fix was quite easy. I changed the clock spring (pictured near the top of this post) to the one that was in the car originally. I had to make 2 slight adjustments to the needle position, and voila!
I have reinstalled the speedometer into the cluster. I just have to reinstall the entire assembly back into the car now and this wormhole will have been traversed. It’s been an adventure in learning about a subject I had no real knowledge on.
Yesterday, I ceremoniously broke ground on a monument to be unveiled this fall, along with the rest of the Janeway Collective. The event was covered by our local newspaper and an award winning photojournalist who runs his own operation, aptly named The Bloomingtonian.
Roughly one year and three months ago two groups of people working on the same goal merged, forming the Janeway Collective.
What is this monument? It’s a future birthplace monument for captain Kathryn Janeway, from the Star Trek Series Voyager. The creator of her character Jeri Taylor, grew up in Bloomington and graduated from IU. She in kind, made the good captain’s birthplace the same.
James T. Kirk has one, why can’t she? Personally I think all of the Star Trek captains should have monuments. This seems to be a huge subject these days.
If you have not watched Voyager, it’s an inspiring piece of small screen cinema. Stuck in the delta quadrant, so far away from home that it would be impossible to make it back home in their lifetime. Through her strength in leadership and courage to think outside the box, they made it back.
An inspiration to scientists and astronauts, Janeway deserves this honor. In a world where women still make less than men on average. Where what they do with their bodies are often controlled and legislated by men, Janeway deserves this honor.
This monument is a dedication to women everywhere. Through the ages, you have been the giver of life but treated as less than. I am proud to be a member of a group who publicly states this is not the case. As a father of two daughters, these subjects are important to me. They should not be valued based on their biological functions but on their contributions to our world.
In this time where our country is seemingly divided on any issue there is, this is the singular thing that makes me happy to be a part of society. It is the only thing that reinforces that there are people who celebrate the good parts of life, instead of focusing on the bad.
After the ground breaking, the collective went to the secret location where the bronze bust is being held to view it. For most of us, this was the first time. It’s absolutely beautiful. However, we are keeping images of it a secret until the official unveiling on October 24th, 2020. It’s the most excellent birthday present I could ever receive.
I cannot end this post without giving thanks to other members of the Janeway Collective. Peter & Mary, for their undying love and passion for “making this so.” Mary M. (MAM), for your spiritual guidance and wisdom through all of this, always coming to the table with mindfulness. Adam, for your connections in the artist community that brought thoughts to reality. Melissa, for your abilities in helping us plan and reach out to the hospitality trades. Josh, for your wicked abilities in web building, marketing and showing me a different way to do things. And to all other members of the Janeway Collective, who much like me pitch in and do what we can to help this come to light.
After making several mistakes during the process of trying to re-upholster the headliner and sail panels on the Camaro, I made a mistake that couldn’t be repaired. Even my uncle (who has my drivers seat) said, “Your screwed.”
My first mistake? Choosing the wrong color.
I thought it was darker than it should but also thought it would lighten out. I covered the sail panels and decided it was too dark. Removing the material and foam ended up being quite painful.
Once I got the new material, which ended up being about halfway between the original color and faded color, I cut a piece to match what I had pre-cut using the old color.
When I tried to put it on a combination of wind and elements caused me to rush myself. This caused ripples in the finish. When I tried to adjust – it ripped the fiber board backer. Causing deep gouges that would obviously be noticeable. I felt defeated, but at least I tried. I had spent $150 on the fabrics and adhesives. I ended by ceremoniously cutting up the failed attempt and throwing the remnants in the trash.
So I went for the hail mary, I went on Hawk’s Motorsports website, and ordered a full kit. Including a completely new headliner, backed by ABS and covered in fabric, new sail panels and visors. All in “Medium Dark Grey.” The interior color of the car.
I’m not sure how much I’ve mentioned Hawk’s on my blog, but they are a lifesaver for the restoration and repair on these cars. There are some parts that they have reproduced and can only be found through them. I’ve purchased a few of these items. They are not always the cheapest – but they are the big name when it comes to 3rd Generation Camaro’s and Firebirds.
I was disappointed to see when ordering this kit, the website saying, 5-6 weeks for delivery. I accepted it however, as there wasn’t much else I could really do. That disappointment turned around when I received a call from them today. The guy told me that they’ve had issues with their supplier due to COVID-19 but should have my order ready to be shipped out in a week.
That’s incredible! Now my Camaro won’t be so bare on the inside as it is now. With all of this gear and speedometer drama, I really needed some good news.
I took the Camaro into a shop this week. I’m planning on taking it on it’s first real cruise this weekend, to Evansville. A friend is working on quilts for me that are made from dad’s clothes. We need to catch up, and talk about this, make sure it’s going as originally planned. Then I will make a stop at Taco John’s – which is a requirement. We miss our Taco John’s.
I came out of the shop with more questions than answers. I took it there for two specific reasons, to install new struts in the front and to change the speedometer gears in the transmission.
There were no issues with the strut installation. The car rides much better now, having new shocks and struts all around has made a world of difference.
Those gears however? The mystery just seems to deepen like the story my stepmother told me.
The top gear is the gear I wanted installed, the bottom is the one that was in the car.
My buddy Dave works at the shop, and sent me the photo above. He and the mechanic were a little confused. I sure was too. These gears are different, I had never seen such mention of them, and all of the literature I had read on the subject stated Camaro’s didn’t get VSS (vehicle speed sensor) gearing until 1990, this is a 1988. From the color coded way these gears are, this tells me that is a 44 tooth gear.
The other gear they replaced goes on the tail shaft of the transmission. The one in the car is red. I had them place a grey one in it. The red has 17 teeth, the grey one, 15 teeth.
According to every calculator and forum post I can find, the car should have had a 39 tooth driven, 18 tooth drive speedometer gears from the factory. I’m currently trying to wrap my head around why it had a 44, and 17 instead. When doing the calculations for the changed final drive ratio, all signs point to 1 of two options, 38, 15 or 43, 17. Each option provides the same results.
After typing that out, the pattern is clear. They tried to go the 2nd route when the ring and pinion gears were replaced.
This is where the issue lies, with the information I have now. Those preferred gear combinations are not available for this particular variety of 700R-4 installation. The driven gear can only be purchased new in 37 or 44 tooth varieties.
This means I will continuously reading a wrong MPH and the odometer will be wrong unless I find a way to convert the driven gear system/setup.
I got lucky and found an auction on eBay that has a single used one. So I bought it. Before I install, I am going to see if there is any way I can replicate it through my friends who have 3D printers.
The one in the middle is the one I need.
When and if I get it, I’m going to give it to my amazing friend who has a 3D printer. He’s an outright genius in my book. A lot of people call me smart, I call him smart. If we can successfully 3D print it, I want to make sure I have enough backups to last a lifetime or more.
On Saturday, I went to my first meeting as a member of the Indiana Chapter of the VCCA. What is the VCCA you ask? It’s the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America. Why did I join? My father was a member for well over 25 years. I went with him to many meetings over the years, tapering off my attendance as I got older.
Since I am getting to a point where the Camaro is now drive-able, I felt it proper to join in honor of this club that meant so much to him. I was sure at least some would remember him, and possibly remember me. Boy was I surprised.
The Indiana chapter is based out of Lafayette, but events happen all around the state to be inclusive of those who don’t live in the northwest portion of the state.
Where we met and held our meeting.
At first I was confused, as I thought we were meeting outside. There were several old Chevrolets in the parking lot – but I didn’t see anyone who I suspected were part of the club.
A Pair of Chevelles
That’s when “John” if I remember his name correctly walked out the side door. I sat with him and his girlfriend and we chatted up a storm. It was nice.
A 50 Chevrolet
The director of the chapter walked up to me not too long after we started talking, and said, “Yep, you’re definitely your fathers son.” He remembered my dad! Score. I also talked with a man who got along well with my father, named Gordon. He has a nice 70 Chevelle convertible.
61-64 Impala
We then went for ice cream at a place just down the road, based on the name alone, The Frigid Frog. They had some pretty good ice cream, it definitely lifted the old folks spirits, ha.
After ice cream, we then went to Hunter’s Honey Farm in Martinsville. Taking long and winding county roads in a cruise. While there, the owner gave us a tour of the place, and explained many things about bees that I didn’t know. He explained the whole process of making honey and candles from wax.
We then ended our tour and everyone was checking out the store. My back was really hurting, so I told everyone that I had a wonderful day and I couldn’t wait to see them again and drove home.
I then mentally crashed, it was a long day. A good one however. I finally understood fully why it was so important to my dad.
Interestingly enough, while they were all interested in the Camaro there were many questions about dad’s truck. I hope to show it all to them one day. I’ve been working hard on getting the Camaro into presentable shape for them. I hope to bring it to the next meet in Anderson.
I replaced the Rubicon stickers that adorned the hood of my Jeep. The originals were in sad shape when I bought it. My uncle, a man who makes vinyl signs and even stickers police cars took a rubbing of the original stickers but never made me new ones.
So sad
At some point, I got a steal on some new ones that are a different design than what I had. They emulate what the new “JL” wrangler has. I have the previous model, designated “JK”.
As a man who used to professionally detail vehicles, sticker removal is part of the job. I was in for a surprise though. I can only assume that the adhesives used have changed in the last 20 years. I first used a sticker squeegee, but it didn’t work at all. So I moved to a razor blade in combination with Goo Gone. I was able to get the sticker removed, but that adhesive did not want to leave the paint. Nevertheless, I persisted.
Far from perfect, but It’ll do
I was so exhausted from the removal that I rushed the installation. While not visible in this image, there are many bubbles in the stickers.
It definitely makes a difference however. I now have 100k maintenance to do, and I need to change the hinges on the doors as they are corroding.
This Jeep has been good to me, with not many issues. I’m appreciative of that.
