Why do the Studebaker gods....

[Lou Van Anne]

One more problem and you might have a deal......

I have a solution... I will come pick it up and take it off of your hands. I won't even charge you. I am in the bay area so it isn't a problem!

[jclary]

This has been a pretty entertaining conversation. Proof, once again, that while we may occasionally finish a long-running restoration project...they are truly never ever really finished. Even before our large family got their first car (a 1950 Pontiac Station Wagon in 1953), I recall overhearing adults who had new cars talking about having to take their new cars back to have things adjusted and repaired. Then, when I bought my first new car, the turn signal module in my 1971 Super Beetle VW had to be replaced the first month.

So, here we are over a half century later, complaining about having to tinker, tweak, and fiddle with our vintage cars. For reasons I won't bore you with now, I didn't get to play with my Studebakers much this past summer. Now the holiday season is upon us. I always try to get some special Studebaker local highway exposure during the holidays. So I have pulled my trusty 1955 E5 truck from the barn, dusted it off, changed the oil, and gave all the grease fittings a little shot of lube. Only to discover a new oil leak coming from the fuel pump to block gasket.

It's cold weather now, and I have no heated garage. My fingers are developing arthritis, and my back is not what it used to be. So, I'm hoping to get a warmer dry day to do the job. While I'm using my infirmities as an excuse to delay actually doing the repair...I'm trying to think of the easiest way to approach the job. Do I put a fender protector over the fender, lean in from the top to remove the pump?...or do I crawl under the truck and try to do it from underneath? Then, there's the issue of a full gas tank. On the trucks, if you remove the flex fuel line from the pump with a full tank, lots of gas will come rushing out. So now I gotta either siphon out some of the gas or come up with a quick cap for a flared line fitting.

Lots of little things to consider even when doing some pretty simple tasks. So...the key is...ATTITUDE! I could work myself into a bitter complaining self-pity-party... Or, take each step as a challenge to problem solve, overcome each difficulty, and have pride in accomplishing the tasks and enjoy the results. Then...take a few moments to meditate and give a prayer of thanks that I retain enough physical ability to do such things, even if I'm no longer as young, flexible, and pain-free as I once was.

I have more than one hobby. One is die-cast cars. That is a somewhat static "collector" hobby. For me, having my vintage cars is a "participation" hobby. If I didn't enjoy participating in keeping them running, then to me, they would be just a collection of old used cars prone to breakdowns.