Last night, we headed out to the western burbs to attend a cruise night. The initial show we went to seems to no longer exist. Fortunately, we passed another show in Livonia at the American Legion Post 34. There weren't but a few dozen cars at the show, only a few that really caught my interest, but it was a night out at a car show none the less. Here are a few of the nicer rides.
1969 Mustang
Chevy Corvair
Plymouth Sport Fury
Ford Galaxy 500
All stock and all original just never does it for me. Street Rod that thing already!
I believe this is a 1969, Chevelle SS
1971 Vette with a 454
After the show, I decided we'd head on up to Woodward, just to see if there were any classics out yet. While there were, they were far and few, perhaps a few dozen at best. There was a parking lot with a handful of cars parked, though nothing much worth stopping for in my opinion.
As we started back towards home, trouble hit. My car began to stumble, then stalled altogether. After many failed attempts to get it started, I knew it was time to call for help. Fortunately, I had a friend who lived very nearby. As I sat there with my flashing hazards, I already had began to troubleshoot what could be wrong. I knew that my battery was on it's last leg this past winter, and that it is probably due for replacement. Until recently, i always thought batteries usually die during the coldest of days. Recently, it has been brought to my attention that extremely hot days, like what we've had lately, are often just as responsible. So, the battery was one thought.
My second guess was the fuel pump, which I had replaced already about 1 1/2 years ago. I had heard that aftermarket fuel pumps are a piece of shit, but at the time, one of the local auto parts stores were the only places that were open, so a Carter pump is what it was going to be. I remember being shocked at the cost, I'm thinking around the $50 range or so, and with a lifetime warranty to boot I believe. Well, seems that warranty was there for good reason, you'd be needing it.
As I sat there waiting, I turned the key forward and listened carefully, nothing. What I should have heard was the fuel pump building pressure in the system. I did consider that I couldn't hear it over the sound of the traffic going by, but this aftermarket piece of shit had always been a lot louder than the stock unit.
After my friend showed with a tow strap, we headed to his place. After parking it, we charged the battery for a bit. I checked the relief valve on the fuel rail, nothing, not even a little squirt of fuel. After a short time, I tried turning the key forward, nothing. So, without much effort it was narrowed down to the fuel pump.
The AC Delco replacement is going to set me back $160 or so, but the 100,000 or so miles and 17 years the first one gave will be worth the extra money. I'll be sure to take pictures of this project, as it entails quite a bit considering you have to drop the whole rear end out of the car in order to drop the gas tank. At least it happened while it was warm out, like 95 degrees, which will make it that much nicer working in my sweat box of a garage. Fun fun!
