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You run out of coolant? You toast the headgasket and smoke the rings. That’s a LOT more expensive than just checking the coolant level. AND, it turns out, the bearings are also shot.  Because why not.

Took about 12 hours not including breaks and parts runs.  Engine shows S.I.G.N.I.F.I.C.A.N.T. evidence of neglect from previous owners.  Might as well add “CHANGE YOUR OIL FREQUENTLY” in that too.

I did have a gravity yeet:

But I’m very glad I still had the original engine from this car in a bin at work so I could yoink the cam.

Pendozi Machine milled the head, and we got it all back together and running that evening.

At any rate, the engine is back together and runs MUCH better than it did before!  Yay!

My son and I road tripped up north for him to buy this Catalina.  This is a US car; Canada never got the Catalina.

California car, zero rust, never seen winter, always parked inside, indoor and outdoor car covers, 56 years of Waxoyl.  We’ll be heading up again when winter is over to bring it back.

 

Testing it out to see how it performs.

“Dimarra” (from the now defunct Locost Yahoo Group) used to save all my old tag lines. He shared them recently on the Grassroots Motorsports forum. I am deeply DEEPLY honoured. These go back to about 2004-2008, and include the build, inspection, driving, and modifications to the Lethal Locost. This is also around the time of the birth of my kids.

Greg “squeezing a nickel till the beaver farts” Wellwood
Greg “If you can’t do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly” Wellwood
Greg “my cranium has its own gravitational pull” Wellwood
Greg “naked to the invisible eye” Wellwood

Continue reading “Taglines” →

Just trying to work fast. Three times as fast.

A student bought me a patch of land in Scotland as a thank you for teaching him all these years. Owning land in Scotland makes me a Lord. Lord Wellwood. I like it!

Read More: The Lethal Locost

Right side: “Optimism.”  Left side: “Regret.”

Adapted from Carroll Shelby’s recipe.

2.6Kg lean ground beef (2 family packs), fat strained off
3 large can Tomato sauce
3 cans “cool-sounding-name” Beer
1-1/2 cup crushed Chilies, hot
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Onions, small, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Oregano
1-1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1-1/2 tablespoon Cumin, ground
1 teaspoon Salt
5 tablespoons Cayenne pepper
900g Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Brown the meat evenly. Strain off the fat.

Add the tomato sauce, beer, crushed chilies, garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, 1 tablespoon of the cumin, and the salt. Stir to blend. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Taste and adjust seasonings, adding the cayenne pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour longer.

Stir in the cheese and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of the cumin. Simmer 1/2 hour longer, stirring often to keep the cheese from burning.

I usually pick a cool sounding beer name, and name the chili that, “on fire.” This year is “Trash Panda On Fire.”