“I’ve wanted to own a DeLorean since I was 10 years old, but it always seemed like a silly daydream. Like owning the ‘A-Team’ van or something.”
Ernest Cline
Taking care of the old girl. I should really give her a name, she has carried me to many grocery trips, doctors appointments and many other things. We have travelled together for a hundred thousand kilometres 250,000 for her total.
She has carried unknown tons of freight before I started filtering my own water, every month she would carry over a ton of food, water, cat food, and wood pellets.
I just gave her my favorite name, Gracie.
Gracie the day I brought her home
Gracie needs her oil changed, brakes need doing, she needs a new muffler, a new fuel filter, also needs sheet metal cut away from the front fenders. I had my tire dealer check the fit. I stood by when they checked it. The tires are too big they rub, when the snow and ice arrive, in the next few days or weeks, that will be a big problem.
I could just lift her up, but that costs money and time, the most expensive time, mine. I would have to learn how to do that, and I would have to pay for the parts to be shipped up from the states. And finally, I would want to lift that girl four inches not the easy two-inch kit. We get a lot of snow here.
Really what I would love is to do a full 4wd conversion not that AWD drive stuff but full-on manual 4×4. Why do that to a soccer mom van. I hope to have a soccer mom in my life again. I am not the only one to do that. I wouldn’t be blazing a new trail but following the insanity of others who have done the conversion.
First few steps are done Gracie is in the garage, I just lifted her up, put her on jack stands, left the jack upfront as a safety, Used my engine hoist hooked to the back bumper as a second safety. I don’t want to be the guy who is under his vehicle when jack stands fail.
Since I have to wait till next Friday to order the brake parts. All I can get done now is oil change and fuel filter change. I am not looking forward to that, it involves fuel spraying and rust heading for my eyes. Yes, I will be wearing goggles.
Gracie levitating
Still doesn’t look safe
The oil filter and a lot of rust. Rusty but trusty, most of the time 😀
Engine hoist safety
Technically she is a GMC means I have a different grill, but I see her as a Chevy.
Time to go out there today is the oil change. If that goes well then the fuel filter.
Well 2 hours later to do a 20-minute job, I got the oil and oil filter changed. I spilled so much oil on my shop floor that Greenpeace called and revoked my membership. That oil spill also caused the stock to go up in the Scott shop towel company, as I tried to clean the mess. I had three different types of oil filter wrenches none worked, one tore a hole in the oil filter, that caused a secondary oil spill.
Some days it’s just not your day. I persisted after trying 10 ten different methods with various tools, I found one that worked.
I can’t take credit cause I asked God ” well what should I use ?”
The answer was to use the pipe wrench. I immediately said, “that probably won’t work I will take the big c clamp just to be sure.” I said in my conversation with God. I could almost hear him saying okay, try it your way.
The c clamp didn’t work and the pipe wrench didn’t seem to work either, then a thought popped up in my head that said try it from the other side.
So I did and guess what, ya you guessed, it worked easily wish I could have asked for the inspiration a little sooner. If you are still listening thank you and thanks for not saying I told you so.
I think I will leave the tools out till tomorrow when I attempt the fuel filter. Oh BTW the oil change was the easy job.
Update I have leaky oil lines going to a cooler upfront. I just found out I can delete those. But it will have to wait until next oil change. It involves removing the oil filter and the block for the oil lines above them. Had I known sooner I would have done it.
Take care and be safe
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