Parky

OMG. Dunno what the second jab hangover was like for the AstraZeneca but the Pfizer ain’t much fun. Today we jabbed 1199 people with batch FF4222. I have written that number at least 300 times today on peoples vaccine cards. I don’t know why it stuck but I think it looks like the Product code for a Ferguson four wheel drive unit for a Jensen Interceptor. Two collapses, both pre jab from people who are scared of needles. That is far more common than negative reactions. Car wise I bump started a nurses Yaris which had a flat in the car park. Why does nobody know how to do a bump start any more? Can’t be a bad idea to add it to the driving test? The Mitsi also had its belt nipped up a tad and the squeal is gone which is nice. Ran it’s first full tank of fuel through it and managed 633 kilometres. Light wasn’t on but imminent so maybe we can say 660 kms maximum range on. Oddly the web suggests the tank is 47 litres but mine seems to be 35l. Maybe different for Japan? Or smaller for the 1300? Seems odd. Anyway, it did 410 miles on 7.7 gallons making 53mpg. That seems uncommonly good. If it has got a 47l tank, that means 10.1 gallons of fuel lasted 410 miles giving a whisker over 40 mpg. Low traffic and a maximum speed of 62mpg undoubtedly helping there but still perfectly acceptable figures for a 23 year old car.

I AM DOUBLED JABBED. JUST CALL ME THE PFIZER CHIEF Bit of a bonus working at the Covid shop. We get free samples. No headache, body aches or anything and my vaccinator was fit Rachael. Good day today, very smooth from start to finish and 1200 more Kiwis now enjoy a little more protection now. I also got asked to interview for the site manager job there and then with no prep or job spec and it was alright. About as alright as it could have been for no notice. Shame it’s only a six month gig, I really like it there. I was on departures tonight which involves shouting out lots of names to get them out. Quite good fun getting around Korean, Samoan, Maori, Sri Lankan and Balkan names in the same breath. I got the Samoan bang on but my Maori needs work....

Bloody belt screaming it’s tits off tonight in the Covid car park. Bad enough having the most embarrassing car yet alone he one that also draws attention to itself. It’s obviously just stretched a little as it settled in so a couple of turns on the adjuster tomorrow methinks. The Director there asked me to apply for the site manager role running the place day to day. Might give it a shot. Tonight we immunised another 1200 folk with Soros juice and I get jab number two tomorrow making me about as protected as I can be. I seem to be quite good at reassuring people and dealing with twunts. Just the right degree of empathy with an undercurrent of confirming I have their residential address should I or my friend Danny need to discuss this further..... Latest Repco bargains - 73c rotor arm $3.50 oil filter $11 air filter $22 rocker cover gasket $24 CV joint The filters and rotor are unobtanium but I reckon they will be back. Those cheap sparks I got for 93c have just reappeared for 64c. Gah, I got ripped off!!! I paid 45p for a Champion plug when I could have paid 32p. Bloody rip off... All I want now is new discs, pads, rear shoes, dizzy cap, rotor arm, rear shocks, 14” wheels with brand new rubber and upgraded speakers on clearance for $33 all in. Or less if possible Will review Supercheap too in case they have owt worth buying.

What fuel are you using? Another member had vaporisation issues with his SD1 and they seemed to improve by changing from premium unleaded to regular. The reason for this is super unleaded has acetone in it and is more inclined to evaporate in hot temperatures. Maybe try some regular stuff while it’s hot, you never know it might save having to strip things down. EDIT - just read previous page which suggested Esso super has no ethanol in it so maybe that ones ok. Either way try and find out which ones have ethanol / acetone in them, and avoid those that do

Mine are making a howling noise. I think it’s dust build up but haven’t got the heart to open them up in case I uncover something i didn’t want to find. I generally don’t mind drums too much but always find that self adjusters just won’t self adjust any more.

There were activities.... Number One. I couldn’t resist it. I like a bargain and when presented by Repco clearing out old stock, the prospect of new brake cylinders for five bucks was irresistible. I don’t need them of course, There were also two slightly differing types for my car so rather than run the risk of getting the wrong type I bought both. Number Two. The fan belt was also replaced at last. All week I have been enduring steadily worsening belt slippage and it was a mere matter of time before it went pop. Generally straightforward enough apart from the inevitable inaccessible bolt which became much more accessible once the correct tool was found. Just in time too, bits of it were fraying off and with it split in two it’s days were numbered and short. A nice new Mitsuboshi one went on. It was cheap, rubbery, and one piece. Choice bro. Sounds much quieter and I look forward to using my heated rear window without waking the whole street.

Genuine wheels are unobtanium but Mini R50 wheels are a perfect fit! Just need to get some minilight lookalike ones of the bay, some 50mm Mitsubishi wheel stickers and a can of silver paint and we can set off on our quest to Modarc. “Yeah alright Dad.....no, fine.....no all good......anyway I know you are shit with computers but can you just set up an ebay account, buy these wheels yeah, have them delivered to you, make up a crate, arrange for a shipping agent to collect and sort out all the duties and shit. Actually you might as well chuck in some discs, pads, oil filters, a passenger door in Iris Blue.....oh and some green tractor paint. Come on, chop chop, Modarcs to replicate. Yeah see ya, cheers”

Of course the Prednisone driven bipolar upswing has kicked in.... must.......buy........... https://www.ebay.com/itm/324625327132 https://www.instagram.com/p/Beg95ViFt1x/?hl=en https://www.megazip.net/zapchasti-dlya-avtomobilej/mitsubishi/mirage-4378/cl2a-20203/mrjm3-627691/ornament-mark-emblem-7927341

Saw one of these today in Rangiora, a Mirage Modarc. It’s like a Japan market Clio Baccara or Mirage Vanden Plas if you will. Needless to say I want it. Or at least a second hand Rover 25 grille, some nails, wood effect vinyl wrap and a gallon of BRG tractor paint. Bizarrely the girl in this looks exactly like my ex and that Cat looks very much like my current cat. The kid at the end looks like my son. It’s like 30 seconds of Kanji based Parky Parallel Universe and is in no way related to having finished work at midnight while off my noggin on Prednisone. What’s the Cat doing in some out of town designer village? Picking up some cheap Jeans or something? Normally he shops online. Why is my son smiling at my ex nicking our cat? And what is that awful music?

Anyhoo, this thread is nothing without pics so here is Mitzi Kaput as she sits today. I have attached a vid too, not because I want to do a walk around but because there was an excellent bird singing and I liked it, that’s all. Passenger door badly let’s it down. Some DIY paintless dent removal YouTubing is called for IMG_1908.MOV

Washed it and applied some strategic polish (I.e couldn’t be arsed to do all of it) And pulled a little of the oil out. Still over a bit. Might have another try Friday. One thing I have noted is the squealy fan belt when cold with ancillaries switched on. Today I realised this might be because the belt is split in two lengthways and it’s right at the end of its adjustment. It was obviously on its way out before I bought it and the seller whacked it up as tight as they could and wanted some silicon on it or something. Seriously I half expected Howard Carter to emerge from behind the crank pulley it’s so crusty. Easy enough job - Repco list a Dayco part at $48 (!!!!) whereas Supercheap have a no name brand at $14. Interestingly two different lengths apparently fit mine - 865 or 870mm. I went with the longer one. Sometimes buying bits is like choosing which holy grail to drink from. I half expect a wizened man to emerge from behind the Wheeltrims to say “He chose........poorly” Should do the power steering belt as well but two options for that are 940mm or 1070mm. Pretty sure it’s the shorter option but it’s in OK shape and I can change it separately later if it looks shonky. Also enjoyed the haunted tyre again. Didn’t mention it but one day I fitted trims and half an hour later had a flat. Pumped the tyre up and it never happened again. Today the same tyre was 6psi higher than it was last week. I wonder if it’s something to do with the old man who owns the deserted amusement arcade???

I don’t need them but a trawl around Repco revealed these Note use of the words “This product fits your vehicle”. At the equivalent of 50p each I wasn’t saying no. So as I was going to Rangiora I thought I would take $4 in coins and visit the nice man at Repco. And he was nice. Nice enough to tell me they only had one in stock but Northlands had three on the shelves and so he is arranging for the other branch to ship them over to Rangiora for Tuesday morning. Of course I don’t have a plug spanner anywhere so I will probably have to make him feel better by getting one at the same time. Or at least a plug socket. They also have rear wheel cylinders for $5. Silverline branded so Budget options and I would have done except again I don’t need them and there are two types for my car and i don’t know which I need. In all honesty for something like that I prefer an actual brake part maker so should I actually need them in future i think I would rather go with TRW or similar. Experience so far suggests that Supercheap is like Halfords In that the prices and range are good. Repco is a little more expensive but the staff there tend to be car people. I would never expect to have a chat about ATF Brands with a 19 year old girl in Thurrock Halfords

Do androids dream of electric sheep? This very question was posed by Philip K.Dick, a literary genius who never got taken seriously on account of his name. I mean Philip, come on..... I on the other hand dreamed of electric paint. We started with some graphite powder and some acrylic paint. As the rear window heater bars are grey in colour I thought I would try to get a near match. So I made a grey acrylic mix rammed full of graphite powder. Next up it was time to mask up the heated rear window and slap my patented electric paint on. A brief dry and off with the masking tape. And the result? Disaster. It didn’t stick! I think it was too dry so I might have another go but this time try a “reasonable” amount of graphite powder as opposed to the “insane” amount I tried this time. There could also have been contaminants on the glass, or maybe heated rear window elements just don’t like being painted? It does work though, I saw a guy on the web make electric paint and acrylic/graphite is the way to go. Also nice to relive “Chernobyl” by spilling a bit and trying to convince your wife that she didn’t see graphite on the ground

Has it really arrived? Bloody hell! And to think just four months ago I was knackering my back loading it up outside Turners and now it’s made it to Blighty!!!

Zuke done. Apart from catastrophic spillage of half a litre of filthy oil on the garage floor it was basically the same as last time. Cleaned up with newspaper, scrubbed with acetone, then sprinkled with washing powder and scrubbed it again with a brush to lather it up. Hosed it out and hopefully once it’s dried it won’t be too noticeable. Tell you what, kudos to the folk who have to clean up massive scale oil spills. A pint was enough of a pain in the arse, just where would you start with thousands of barrels spread across a coastline? Bloody nightmare