Cold night last night...

[81pumagtc]

I went to informal GTG at the Coney restaurant last night, and had a great time. Hope everybody had as good a time as I did!

The issue was that I stopped and dropped the top on the Puma in Grand Rapids because it was pretty nice, and may be the last time I could drop the top this year. I found a phantom washer on my parcel shelf, and noticed when I dropped the top, it felt a little different. Well, the washer was from one of the primary convertible frame pivots, and without the pivot, the top won't go up. How hard can a 6mm nut be?

The short answer, pretty darn hard, when the nut in question has to be a 6mm thin jam nut (about 1/2 the thickness of a regular 6mm nut) that is also metric fine thread.

I ended up having to drive home all the way back to East Lansing well after dark with the top down. I was dressed as appropriately as I get for sudden things like that...nothing but a good sweater, no had, no gloves.

I found if I kept the car to 55 to about 60 miles per hour with the windows rolled up, it was livable. The wind buffeted my hair a bit, and swirled around to the back of my neck when the road was clear. I had the heater on, and kept my hands whenever possible to the bottom of the steering wheel, where it was a little bit warmer because of the heater, but then again, it may have just been my imagination. :-)

It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes...brrrrrrr.

Thanks Rudy, Kenn and AJ for looking, but in the end it would have just frustrated us.

I have had worse drives...



Dave

[Ruffuss]

Oct 30, 2009 18:50:03 GMT -5 81pumagtc said:

I went to informal GTG at the Coney restaurant last night, and had a great time. Hope everybody had as good a time as I did!

The issue was that I stopped and dropped the top on the Puma in Grand Rapids because it was pretty nice, and may be the last time I could drop the top this year. I found a phantom washer on my parcel shelf, and noticed when I dropped the top, it felt a little different. Well, the washer was from one of the primary convertible frame pivots, and without the pivot, the top won't go up. How hard can a 6mm nut be?

The short answer, pretty darn hard, when the nut in question has to be a 6mm thin jam nut (about 1/2 the thickness of a regular 6mm nut) that is also metric fine thread.

I ended up having to drive home all the way back to East Lansing well after dark with the top down. I was dressed as appropriately as I get for sudden things like that...nothing but a good sweater, no had, no gloves.

I found if I kept the car to 55 to about 60 miles per hour with the windows rolled up, it was livable. The wind buffeted my hair a bit, and swirled around to the back of my neck when the road was clear. I had the heater on, and kept my hands whenever possible to the bottom of the steering wheel, where it was a little bit warmer because of the heater, but then again, it may have just been my imagination. :-)

It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes...brrrrrrr.

Thanks Rudy, Kenn and AJ for looking, but in the end it would have just frustrated us.

I have had worse drives...



Dave

Dave, at least yours ran and you could drive home. I had to wait for tow. Driving a convert I always carry extra hat, gloves and a sweatshirt or two. I've learned from past experiences, anyway glad you made it home not frozen into one BIG blob and didn't effect brain function to much.. Kenn

[dansam]

Heater? Whats a heater? I always thought those side boxes on the engine were designed to just rain rust on you while working on the starter?

[81pumagtc]

Kenn:

Sorry to hear abut your trip. What failed?

Dave

[Ruffuss]

Dave,
Haven't really checked it out yet, just no power and now it will barely turn over. Too many other things going on and I don't really need it or want it until spring Got plenty of time may just wait until it's warmer. Don't know??

[81pumagtc]

Kenn:

That really stinks. Hope it is something very minor.


Dave