Hot Rod Power Tour, here I come! (weather permitting) Today I did some more fine tuning, got my demon carb idling better than it probably ever has. I did discover I had pinched an alternator wire under my valve cover while re-installing it. Luckily, the wire I burned up was the jumper wire that goes from the power terminal to the plug, and was easily shortened and repaired.
I headed to the gas station, filled'er up with $52 worth of premium, then decided to hit the freeway and head to my buddy Jody's (The Mechanic). Shortly after hopping on I-94, a serious shimmy came back that I had experience only briefly the other day. A tap of my brakes answered my question of what it was. Seems that the proportioning valve/lines that got bent up during loading onto the trailer were causing problems after all. With pressure getting trapped from the partially crimped lines, the rear drums were hanging up, heating up, then grabbing. So, I took a detour, stopping into my precinct instead.
I crawled under the car, adjusted the proportioning valve so as to hopefully completely disable the rear brakes, and probably against my better judgement, decided to head on to Jody's. What kind of automotive enthusiast are you if you don't roll the dice from time to time, and say "Screw it!," and just go for a cruise. I am happy to say that it seems I minimized the problem. While I had no issues enroute, while on my way back home the chatter returned for a short minute. I tapped the brakes a few times, and it went away.
The brakes have obviously gone to the top of my list of repairs, though they are gonna have to wait until next week, as I plan on going to a the car show tomorrow! I think it would be wise to simply replace the proportioning valve, in case it was damaged, and also relocate it from the frame under the car to a more practical location under the hood.
Also on my high priority list is a relay or two for my fans, and a bigger alternator. The relay should have been installed long ago, after realizing my mistake of not having one. Believe it or not, I've never had a relay, and I'm running 4 electric fans pulling some MAJOR air. The alternator is a no brainer, as those fans pull tons of power, and I believe all I have is a 65 am alternator, which struggles to keep the charging system at a status quo.
In the morning, after my parents arrive, I will head up to the auto parts store to stock up on some cleaning supplies, give the car a quickie wash and sprucing up, and head to Metro Beach well before it opens, as the last thing I wish to do is sit in traffic, as I'm afraid I may encounter cooling issues. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed, hoping for a trouble free adventure tomorrow. Thankfully, if I do have troubles, I'll have my dad along with me with his truck, as well as a friend or two at the show.
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