My work is never complete, but I am much more prepared than last cruise. Many of my biggest issues are now resolved. A remanufactured power steering pump fixed my leak, a 160 amp alternator seems to have resolved my charging and gauge problems, and with a higher quality brake line flare kit, my brakes are now leak free.
My last...or I should say next, nagging issue is an engine miss crusing down the freeway as well as the occasional backfire at idle. I've tuned the idle mixture screws more times than I care to recall, and am almost convinced the issue is most likely a gasket. It could possibly be an intake manifold vacuum leak from either the gasket, or the gasket matching I did over a decade ago. More likely, I'd guess it's either the header gaskets or collector gasket. None of these possible fixes will be attempted prior to this weekend's cruise.
While the miss is somewhat of an annoyance, the car still drives fine, idles fine, and poses no serious concerns. My biggest complaint by far is the fact that I still smell like gas, oil, and other fumes every time I drive the car. This issue is not a new one, and goes back to last season, and in addition to the possible problems listed above causing the engine miss, I have a few other thoughts and solutions.
Tomorrow I will give the brakes one last bleed out, as they are still a little soft, give the body a nice shine, and I'll be good to go for Saturday. Plan is to get down there early, perhaps 10am or so, find a good spot to park, and hit the show on foot. I'm sure my car could survive a bit of cruising, or even all day cruising for that matter, but I'm not looking to smell like the Marathon Oil refinery all day, nor the headache and irritated eyes that would likely come with it.
Downriver Cruise
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