4/18/05 UPDATE:Maxi is finally out of the back yard! We were all expecting a big muddy mess, but while we were blinking, Todd drove the thing right over the lawn and into the driveway. But he cheated... he took most of the air out of the rear tires...
Something else has happened. I finally got the nerve to look into transmission shops. As I type, Maxi is sitting in Woburn MA, awaiting a transmission rebuild. I saved up enough cash in the past year to cover the price that was quoted, and more in case they were a bit off with their numbers. I am hoping that this will stop all the nasty leaks and overheating.
Which brings me to another topic. Todd asked his favorite parts store what they suggest to use to clean out deposits in the engine's water jackets. In other words, how can we get the sludge out of where the coolant goes? They gave him a bottle of stuff we hope to try very soon. If we can solve the overheating problems with the car, I will be more than happy. That will mean I can drive the car longer distances and not worry, like I do now.
4/23/05 UPDATE:Two days ago I picked up Maxi Blue from the transmission shop. They sent out the torque converter and had to replace the flexplate (which was all chewed). I asked them not to paint the case, since they didn't come painted from the factory.
The car drives a lot differently now. The gas pedal is a lot harder, for one thing. We may have to adjust the kickdown linkage a bit, but when it shifts, it just plain shifts! And so far no leaks! All new seals!! Woooohooooo!! They added a spring to the kickdown, as it was not returning to certain locations as intended. Not sure if this is why the gas pedal is harder or not. Maybe the thing was just plain worn before!
Sooooo, a major improvement has been made to the car. Next will hopefully be the suspension, then tires. Todd is in the hospital again, but I hope we can still do the work when he gets better. I miss him..
5/27/05 UPDATE:Maxi has been sitting for a month now. It hasn't stopped raining all month. Very depressing... But the rain is only one reason not to drive the beast to work. The tach and turn signals suddenly stopped working at once. I have a new speedo cable on order, so soon we will finally have to take the dash apart and look around. The things I put up with with this car! Simple things stop working due to age, rot and rust... If only I had the cash to save it the way it SHOULD be saved... (sigh)...
6/4/05 UPDATE:Today we finally worked on getting my new front shocks and springs installed. Talk about a hassle... Well, it wasn't THAT bad... but he old springs are still in the car because Todd's special, rather antique looking, AMC compatible MOOG spring compressor didn't work. It came close, but not close enough. He seems to think if he can buy one type of tool, he can use it along with the device and get things to work. But for now, the old springs are there to stay.
Todd's extra special tool... didn't work...
The old shocks were nasty looking! Thing is, the Edelbrock replacements look a lot different. The piston is on the opposite end, and the tube itself is beefier. I got to spray a quick coat of black on the upper shock mounts, which had been painted body color. They should have been stripped, primed, and sprayed with a satin black, but there wasn't time to do it right. Still looks better than Maxi Blue... We hope to get the rear shocks installed soon, because the car isn't balanced anymore. The front is tighter, the rear is swimmy. At least that is what I am told... I didn't get to drive the thing!! More later on the shocks...
Oh, Todd worked on my blinker issue yesterday. All fuses blown. Fuse box falling off car. All fixed. Today, fuses blown again. Not happy...
11/12/05 UPDATE:Long time no type! Maxi took it easy this summer. Todd and I took our cars to the Larz Anderson Transportation Museum's "American Muscle" day again, and I won an award! Yes, I won second place in AMC... Todd won first... again... because there were only the two of us there!! So that's how to win an award, folks. Be the only two cars at the show in your class! Other than the show, the car's been sitting a bit. Really needs a tune up and the set of new tires never got onto the car this year. Typical...
Oh, the blinker issue was solved by yours truely. Turned out the cause was a simple one: a wire hot-glued itself to an exhaust manifold. It cause a short, and blew the fuses! I thankfully found this problem right before we started the process of taking the steering column apart.
4/9/06 UPDATE:Maxi got to go for a ride last week! The weather was almost perfect for a Spring airing. It started right up after being in storage all winter, this time in a garage. Driving it to work was like always. I forgot how fun it is! Sure wish the speedometer worked. MUST fix that soon, as I think my insurance company will start to wonder why the miles don't change each year! HA! But Maxi needs a lot of work. Sometimes I wonder if I should sell it so someone who can do it justice... Time will tell. For now, I am going to drive it and enjoy it!
