She's Back in the Game!

At long last, and like a Phoenix, she has finally risen from the ashes! After spending nearly a full year under the knife in Southern CA, she awoke with a belch of blue smoke and the characteristic gutteral growl that soon morphed into the low gurgling rumble that is her way of breathing in this world. She was scheduled to make a desert run to Phoeniz with me, but alas, purging the injectors and fuel pump proved a bit trickier than expected for Gabriel the mechanic at Mega Motors who had never before officially brought one of her ilk back to life. So I ended up collecting her on the return trip denying her the pleasure of accompanying me on my Joshua Tree jaunt.

 

 But now she's pretty good to go. Essentially a totally rebuilt engine; pistons, sleaves, valves, re-ground and hardened camshaft (optimized just a bit for highway speeds), rebuilt injectors, new thermostat, new glow plugs, new water pump, motor mounts, belts, etc etc. Most parts had to be imported from Australia courtesy of www.roodogs4wd.com.au

 

 

So I ran her up from Southern CA and have been taking her out on weekly jaunts. Nice little trek out to Tomales Bay on Thanksgiving weekend to meet with a friend and injest some oysters. Seen above near Bolinas. She's about due to have her valves adjusted and head re-torked. Then good lord willing and even if the creek does rise (given snorkel) she should be good for many years to come!

Cruiser is finally scheduled to be done by Mid May. Will likely be after solstice by the time I have the leisure to go rescue her. And yet the big world keeps spinning round on her axis. Some CA time has warmed my bones and given me time to reconnect with both clients and friends alike. New office space just secured in Portland should "precipitate" some wetter adventures in Risk Management.
The adventure continues. And as Robert Earl Keen would say, "the road goes on forever and the party never ends."

Curses! Foiled Again!

It's never easy to write about defeat... That the mighty landcruiser blew-up just hours prior to heading south across the border was a disappointment substantial enough that it's been tough to even write about. Few years ago I had the engine re-done by someone who botched the job pretty good and never made it right. Result was that she let loose again, blowing a head gasket most likely due to the fact that the valve sleeve clearance at the top of the head was too much which was holding the head up and keeping the gasket from being compressed properly. That it's a diesel engine, never officially imported into the states (Japanese domestic model only) has meant that shopping for parts had to be done in Japan and Australia. So months later now, those parts have yet to even leave the land down-under.  So we're likely still 3-4 weeks away from a rebuilt engine even now.

So it's satisfaction delayed. No escape to old Mexico anytime soon and a big repair bill to pay in order to free her from her unhappy current residence in Simi Valley. Happily, Gabriel and Mega Motors seems exceptionally competent and accomplished. I feel certain he'll do a great job piecing the black beast back together. The cruiser will rise again. As they say in Mexico however...."Manana". And as a good friend once told to me, when they tell you "Manana, it doesn't actually mean it will happen tomorrow, it just means that it WON'T happen today....."

Peace.