THE LAST(?) MARCH OF THE FIERO

The Fiero will be making a trip to Republican City, NE on Friday, with stops in Neligh, St. Paul, and Ord. A cat may be accompanying the car on the trip.

The Fiero story started in 2003, when a friend and I were driving through Norfolk. I was living in Wayne at the time, working at Great Dane for the summer. Long story as short as possible: I bought the Fiero, my friend drove it home, and when I went to take it to the car wash that same day, the clutch wouldn't engage. After sticking something under the tires to keep the car from rolling, I called it a day. After I purchased it, it was over a year before I got to drive the thing.

I PUNCH THE CLOCK

Time to punch in.

I punch in because that's what working people do. And I'm the working person's working person. If there were some way to have a third level to that equation, I'd be that, too.

I'm just like my co-workers. They drive Chevy’s, I drive a Cadillac. All GM parts, bro. This isn't a competition. Some people are like that, but I am above such petty things. When I travel, I stay at a hotel just like everyone else. No difference. A hotel is a hotel, just like a jacuzzi is just a soaking tub with holes. Besides, I'd stay at the Wynn if their valet drivers would dress a little better.

SUCCEEDING VIA THE SMALL BALL

You know how to play small ball. So you do it. Quiet success is yours.

You can't control much when you're living in a hurry, and your schemes have always reflected it. When other people were dating, you were lighting fireworks with your best friend down the street. When you were dating, everyone else was getting engaged. When everyone else was getting married and you were yet to get engaged, it was more of the same. When you got married, everyone else was busy winning the kid race. They'll be grandparents, and you'll still have kids at home.

Maybe you'll die first. That's a possibility.

CLAMPS AND CRIMPS: WHEN IN DOUBT, JUST USE BOTH

That seems to be what Jeep was thinking when it came to the heater hoses on the '89 Cherokees.

It is what it looks like: a mess.

It seems that heater hoses don't get replaced often on these vehicles due to the crimps--I don't know if they seem intimidating or what the reason is, but you'll generally see a lot of original heater hoses if you open the hood of a Cherokee. The two that may get replaced are the two hoses that have clamps at both ends--the hose which runs from the thermostat housing back to one of the tee's, and the hose that runs from the coolant "valve" to the lower pipe on the heater core. The hoses with the crimps, on the other hand, seem to be treated like lifetime items.

But it doesn't need to be that way. Removing the crimps is pretty easy. First, remove all hose clamps and remove the hoses from the vehicle:

3/21/13: THIS TIME LAST YEAR

Progress makes looking back fun. It sounds like a joke, but this time last year, the mudroom was getting mudded.

Current picture after the jump...

3/21/12 pics:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM A CS-130 ALTERNATOR REBUILD

Last night I had a few minutes to try something new: rebuilding a CS-130 alternator. I've rebuilt GM's SI alternators before, but never a CS alternator. Due to an excess of reading internet forums where guys say that "the CS alternator can't be rebuilt unless you like welding," I almost didn't do it. Is it as easy as an SI alternator? No. Is it that hard? I guess I'll find out if it works when I install it, but it sure didn't seem overly difficult.

DRAG AND DRILL: GO AHEAD. THAT LOOKS RIGHT. WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Continued from Part 1.

Now that that the tub has been refinished, it is time to drag it back into the bathroom. Claw tubs don't seem to have been designed for ease of handling, so a dolly is recommended. And a few extra hands.

Note the dolly--it's under the moving blanket.

Once the tub is in place—close enough is good enough at this point—it is time to determine where the plumbing will go through the floor. The easiest way to do this is to attach the drain plumbing to the tub, which involves loosely installing both the drain and the overflow fittings. Just snug them up hand-tight, and then install the drain plumbing which connects them. In the case of our plumbing, it had to be cut to fit, which is another case of loosely installing the pipes, marking them with a marker, and cutting after muttering the words, “close enough.”