More on the car...

Car has been driving well this year, this spring, but I have had a couple of problems. Had been driving every weekend, and occasional days to work. Took a trip to a british car show in Williamsburg, VA in April. Had seen some smoke from underneath the middle, before I left home, but all seemed fine the whole way down.

I still don't know what the smoke is about, but I suspect that a tiny leak of oil had been getting on the tailpipe. The tailpipe has since rusted through at a spot that looks discolored and is in just the right location to have had oil dripping on it. I'm sure that wouldn't be good...Having replaced the cam covers, the oil leak is gone, but I think the damage is done.

June 8. Had a flat today. Ugh. Same tire as last time, so I suspect this wheel has more pointy stickouts inside and needs attention. Easy enough to fix the flat, the spare was good. Took maybe ten minutes, but it was hot out. Well, at least not expensive to get *that* fixed.

The tailpipe is annoying, though. Thought I had found a nifty fix, this apparently heat-activated bandage/wrap thing that you'd use like an arm bandage, it's wet in a pouch, and it dries/hardens in place. That seems to have half-worked, because I was out in the car shortly after applying it, had the flat, and seem to have ripped off part of the bandage. Well, back to the beer-can patch; using soda cans, plenty around, they flex adequately, and I got U-bolts for it. Did this patch before, about 1979 or so, on the Comet. Worked fine. [later: although this time, not so much]

I'd like to replace the entire tailpipe, headers on back, with stainless steel equivalents. That appears that it will cost $2000+ installed. Headers are nicely rusted, so that part is not easy. I need to take it over to London Auto and let them look. I've seen the stainless parts on ebay, just not right now; I forget the pricing. I need to start recording some of that stuff for later reuse.

Later: stainless headers are $325. Seller offers $75 rebate if I get a good set of installation photos for him. LA agrees to do this, so we'll see. the mounting flange is not as straight as I think it should be, hope that doesn't become an issue. I'll want LA to test-install that solo, before anything else, so I can return them if need be.