Author Archive
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Manifold Woes with my Model A Ford
Every maintenance saga starts off the same way: someone says something like, “Oh yeah, that should be an easy fix.” This time at least it wasn’t me who said it.
When I first got the engine running on my 1930 Model A Ford Sport Coupe I noticed that there was an imperfect seal between the [...]
5 Comments » - Posted in Model A Ford by mark
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Fun Gig For Sheetz Inc.
I got a call as we were driving home to Pittsburgh from the Midwest for a last-minute gig for the Sheetz Company. They have a big meeting coming up and the CEO wanted to have a fun video as an introduction to his big speech. Since the theme is “road trips”, he is [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Performance Stories by mark
Monday, August 11th, 2008
I Guess That Wasn’t It
Three days after the giant fur wad, I brushed this pile out of my dog. I could’ve gotten more too if he hadn’t been so interested in those stupid squirrels. Also in the picture is the rake that I use to brush him.
No Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Vader is Finally Losing His Winter Coat
This is from just one brushing. No trick photography or fur-fluffing here either. That wad of fur really is bigger than his head. I am astonished at how much fur came out of my dog in the course of an hour. Normally he takes several days to lose his coat, but [...]
4 Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
My First Night With Three Dogs
Zephyr, Wylie, and Vader
This week I’m house-sitting and dog-sitting while I’m in Milwaukee performing at the WI State Fair. I always stay with my mother-in-law for Milwaukee gigs. It’s awesome. Partly because I can bring my dog (he gets along really well with Lynn’s dog), but also because it’s so much nicer [...]
No Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Monday, July 28th, 2008
Flying Has Become Very Unpleasant
Maybe I’m just getting bitter, but I used to really enjoy flying. Admittedly I have flown a lot, and anything loses its luster when you do it too much, but I really think something has changed with the whole experience of getting on an airplane.
I recently took a trip to Denver for a two-day [...]
No Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
Super-Special Parking for my Prius on the Pennsylvania Turnpike
There is a new Service Plaza (and maybe several) on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Hwy 76), and on my recent trip from Pittsburgh to New York I noticed the sign pictured above. Not only is there extra-special parking reserved for “Low-Emitting Fuel-Efficient Vehicles” but it is also right up front, next to the Handicap spaces. [...]
No Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
I Had A Great Birthday At Kennywood
My birthday was a few days ago, and it was a great one. I met the 3 Rivers Model A Ford Restorers Club at Kennywood (the local amusement park) early in the morning, and we all drove our antique cars onto the park grounds so that the patrons could see them. We were [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Monday, June 16th, 2008
Happy Quarterly Tax Day!
For those of us who have to pay quarterly estimated taxes, this is a big day. Well, really it’s big only if you forget. I didn’t. So it’s cool.
No Comments » - Posted in General by mark
Monday, June 9th, 2008
Replacing the Head Gasket on a Model A Ford
This week I replaced the head gasket on my 1930 Model A Ford Sport Coupe using the instructions from page 1-123 of The Model A Ford Mechanics Handbook Volume 1, by Les Andrews. I thought this would be an easy job, and while it wasn’t easy, it is definitely manageable. Just be sure [...]
