The same day as this big eclipse thing.
Thankfully we just head across the river to Edgefield in Troutdale every year so we shouldn't have to deal with the traffic.
Actually, she is already there and has been since Friday hanging out with one of her sisters who's birthday is today.
We were there last year too but I had to work so when I went to go over there, I took the little Sprite on it's maiden voyage out of town.
Here it is sitting in front of the joint.The first time in 20 some odd years the thing actually got me somewhere and back without breaking down.
That was all well and good until it was time to come home.
She had the kid drop her off and didn't have her car.
There is no passenger side seat in the Sprite.
So she had to call the kid to come get her. There was a certain amount of grief received over this.
Fast forward to this year, she has been over there since Friday again and it was the same deal, she had the kid drop her off.
There still isn't a passenger side seat in the Sprite either.
So she sends me a text message telling me not to bring the Sprite because she don't have a car.
The conversation via text went like this,
Ding, I get a message.
Her, Don't drive the Sprite down here, I don't have a car.
A couple minutes of fucking around on the internet and I sent her this,
Her, ?
Me. It's a milk crate.
Her, Why?
Me, For you to sit on in the Sprite.
Her, No.
Me, It's clean.
Her, No.
Me, OK, I'll put a cushion on it, Geez.
Her, No.
Me,
OK, Ok, damn you are hard to please woman but I am all over it.
Her, Whatever. ( She is plenty annoyed now)
Me, I'll even bolt it down just for you.
Should I put the top up?
Her, Dead silence.
Me, Alright, I'll be there later today with your little hoopty.
Her, K, I don't really know what you're talking about but whatever.
Me, Your car.
Lighten up, I'm just fucking with you.Smooch.
Her, Kinda figured anyway, bite me.
So she does have a bit of a sense of humor but no sense of adventure.
One of these days I'll tell you guys about the "Electric Van" I had back in the day and the time me and the old man got drunker than piss boiled owls at a family Christmas party and I had to take him home in the fucker.
It had a milk crate for a seat on the passenger side.
It's hilarious.
So posting might be a bit light, we shall see.
Oh, and BTW, I am getting the floor pans cleaned up and painted in the little POS so I can glue down some carpet.
The seats are going to be expensive no matter which way I go.
Over $2,000 plus freight to buy new ones and probably close to that to have mine redone.
$500 just for the seat skins but at over 50 years old, the frames are rusted and all the guts inside are shot.
I am going to throw that duct taped motherfucker in on the drivers side because that one is so far gone I am basically sitting in a bowl.
8 comments:
You should be able to get some boneyard seats from another car for way less than $2k.
Unless you insist on having genuine BLMC seats.
Then you're on your own....
It's not so easy finding seats with adjustable frames that sit so low.
Plus as you can see that tunnel there?
The original seats are right and left only to squeeze around that fucking thing too. One side sticks out farther than the other so the seat cushions are custom fit for that.
Ain't nothing ever easy when it comes to this little fucker.
Ahhhhh...didn't know they were such a custom fit.
The only Sprite I ever really worked on was a bugeye that a buddy of mine had.
With a bored out 1275 Copper "S" engine in it.
Went like stink and handled like a go kart...
my dad had a Bugeye when I was born and raced it in the 60's. virtually 95% of the parts will swap out to the later ones like mine.
When I left san jose in 86 or 87, I had a 65 Midget with the 1275 and I pulled the engine out and store it at a friends house. Two years later I drove from Portland down there and back just to retrieve it.
I had it bored .020 over and rebuilt it myself.
that is what is the thing right now after i totally rebuilt it again.
As you say, goes like stink and I regularly call it a Street Legal Go Kart.
Back in the mid 80's you could buy one and drive it off for $100, I saw it happen. Now they want $1,000 just for a new hood. That 1275 engine will now set you back $5,000 if you buy one already built off the shelf.
I couldn't get five grand out of the whole damn car and have at least that much into it so I am just going to drive the shit out of it and not care too much what it looks like.
My Supra is the same. 10 years ago you could get one for $1200~$1500 in decent shape. Now they're going for $3000~$5000.
I paid $3000 for mine, and have about that much more in it for the suspension rebuild, wheels and tires, hoses, belts, etc.
I *might* be able to get $5000 for it if I found the right person who knew how much it would cost to duplicate it. It's a California car, and until it came to Long Beach 3 years ago, lived it's entire life in Riverside, which is high desert, and VERY dry, which means it's essentially rust-free.
Early 1980's Jap cars would get rust holes of you looked at them sideways, so I'm really luck to have found it. One of the English car magazines a buddy sent me says they'll "dissolve before your eyes if they get wet"!
Sweet ride, Phil. Love the milk carton --- that's a good one. I gotta remember that!
Head for the junkyard and find some VW Jetta seats, modify to fit, quick and no where near that expense.
Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely look into that.
Post a Comment