Drum Roll please........

 It's been so long...SO LONG!....I almost for get how to do a new blog post.
The day finally arrived and it was time for me to pick up Fillmore from PET Autobody. I must say the last few weeks and by a few weeks I mean a month, or two... I have been beside myself with color selection. Being at this stage is nerve racking because all the work you have done coming to this point can all be flushed down the toidie if things don't look good to the eye. There were doubters, some of the guys at the paint shop wondered what the heck I was smokin' when I chose the colors I (we) did. But as I pointed out before we were looking for period colors and paint. I wanted a fairly monochromatic look to the paint, not an opalescent pearled look, or a metallic fleck paint. And I love the result. FIllmore fridays have thankfully returned and now we are on to the next stage of the project. Randy drove all the way to Bragg Creek just to pick me up and take me to the shop so I could drive the old boy home.

 When we showed up everything looked great, there was Fillmore, all warmed up and waiting for us, just sparkling in the sun. After we snapped a few pics, Randy bid me fairwell and I went and settled up the paperwork.

Then it was time to head home and simply enjoy the ride....with nothing to worry about....right?

 

Wrong!

We still haven't figured out exactly how this happened but, I got maybe 10 kms away from the shop and I start to notice my engine temp is on the rise. I pulled over and investigated. In the engine bay I found that my cooling fan was not running. Thinking that it was electrical I pulled apart the wiring , then the dash, making sure all the wires were intact and connected. Finding nothing I had a choice to make, turn back or march on home. I opted for home. Plus the body shop isn't a licensed mechanic. I would go for 15-20kms, then stop and shut down and let things cool. Not ideal but I figured it was the best bet I had. After the third stop, I thought maybe there is something underneath that I hadn't seen yet. The wires to the thermal switch could be severed or disconnected!? Well they were all fine, but I quickly saw my problem. I don't know how, but I was 'missing' my hydraulic filter. I hit nothing, I felt nothing, I heard nothing. But there is was...or wasn't. If you take a closer look you can actually see the threaded shaft or spout that the filter screws in to is broken. The filter simply busted right off.
On one hand I was glad to know what the problem was, on the other I still needed to limp home. And that I did.

There are many possibilities of what could have caused the failure but being that it was running and functional for 3 years just makes us all scratch our head and wonder. The good news is that I know exactly what I need and where to get it.  With Fillmore tucked in to his cozy little shed it was time to move on to the rest of the weekend.
I knew that this weekend I likely would have an opportunity to get the parts but I certainly wouldn't have the chance to work on Fillmore. I had more important things on my agenda, taking my boy to his first provincial volleyball tournament!

They placed 5th overall and I lost a few buttons from the chest of my shirt. It was great to be there and be a part of, and I couldn't be prouder of him.