Date: January 29, 2009. Woooooohooooooooooooooooo! Just called Don the mechanic. He was busy yesterday so he kept Bluey overnight. However, he did get a chance to check it over before close of biz. Verdict? No worries.

There was a rattle each time I started the motor (which starts easily and first time). I thought it might be bearings. So did Don at first, but he says it's the power steering pump which will need to be replaced along with a few other steering components, one of which causes steering wobble at speed. The exhaust is another thing that needs replacing, as well as two rear tires and the spare. Pretty cool, huh?

As to the rust, that's confined pretty much to the gutter area of the roof and is not structural. There's more around the lower reaches of the windshield. But I knew that anyway, and am prepared to have that repaired. Otherwise, the body is straight and in good condition.

So all in all, Bluey is a pretty good buy, and Don thinks I did well... even with the extra $550 to truck her from Brisbane to Taree. It could have been a Pandora's Box, so it's a relief to know that Bluey is well worth the bucks to restore. One of these days, you'll see it parked near Uluru. Er... under the Harbor Bridge? Outside Parliament House? Take your pick.

So the next step is to register and insure Bluey and sell Tough Titties. I'm not sure which comes first. I can't afford to own two cars at the same time, so it'll be a bit of a juggle. A few people have advised me that selling TT will be a piece of cake. I hope so. And one says I'll get considerably more than the $1500 I anticipated. Hmmm.

LATER: "Oh, Gawd," Don said as I entered his workshop, "here comes Gary." Thanks for the welcome. So I told him I was sensitive. "Oh, really? Well, that's just too bad." Hehe. What a cheeky bugger. Anyway, he hasn't repaired anything... yet. First, he wanted my okay to order the parts, etc. Secondly, he suggests I get the rust done first. He recommended a bloke he knows who's just set himself up in biz, but who has years of experience as a panel beater, spray painter, etc. Sounds cool. So Don wants me to come back tomorrow... he'll give me a list of to-dos. In the meantime, he'll speak to the panel beater.

AND I just made an appointment to get two new tires fitted, plus a used spare... tomorrow at 11am. If I have an appointment, I'm allowed to drive an unregistered vehicle to and from the place of repair. I'll sneak a quick visit to the petrol station on the way... Bluey is almost on empty.

NEXT DAY: Strange morning... started Bluey (only just) and drove it to the service station for petrol. No wukkers. But when I tried to leave... zip. So, with the help of the attendant (because I left my cell phone at home), I phoned NRMA roadside assistance. Wrong car, unregistered, and me in a total tizz. The NRMA bloke arrived within minutes - same bloke who replaced TT's radiator hose the other week. What an angel. "I'm not really supposed to be doing this..." but he did... despite Bluey being unregistered and not the car nominated by my membership. So I just signed his docket and he asked me NOT to say anything to anyone (at the NRMA). Am I blessed or what? And I'm not even a hot looker!

The problem is that the previous owner had the WRONG fanbelt installed when the old one broke. So the battery wasn't being charged. It died. At the bowser? With customers queuing? Hello? Once running, I wasn't about to turn it off, so I drove to Don's and told him the story. Dammit, he was supposed to check the fanbelt yesterday! Anyway, he's going to replace it this afternoon. Obviously I had to forego my appointment with the tire bloke, so that will happen on Sunday.

Jeez... I'm too bloody old for this kinda stress!

I must say, if you ignore all the extraneous noise made by the power steering pump, the engine does sound pretty sweet, and it's a willing revver. I also noticed that the body is pretty tight... no squeaks or rattles of any consequence. Oregon Richie asked if the engine is quiet in the cabin. Well, considering it's right next to my left butt cheek, yeah... it's reasonably quiet. No Bentley Continental, but okay. AND... today marks a special occasion. I actually went fast enough to use third gear.

Florida Josh, the worry wart, wrote: Didn't the previous owners say something about Bluey shaking at speed, which might indicate something like worn ball joints. As far as I know, Kim doesn't have balls. Hehe. No... Don reckons it's something to do with the steering... he said some "thing" is worn out. Don't ask me... I can't remember what he said, but at the time I visualized some sort of horizontal torsion bar... maybe a stablizer or something. I presume you are going to have the rust cut out and new metal welded in rather than using plastic filler. I'm not sure what the repairer will recommend... and, remember, I'm on a budget. The rust is confined to the roof, so it's not structural. There's no other rust as far as I know... none in the doors, chassis, floor or wherever else I've looked. Obviously, I'd like Bluey to last a good while but I don't intend it to become an heirloom. Did Don do a compression test on the engine? No, the lazy bugger... he didn't even check the bloody fan belt. But compression tests and tune-ups and those kinda things can wait a while. I just wanna get the thing running, registered, insured and on the road. How were the brake pads/shoes? Don says they're cool... just need a bit of adjustment.

LATER: Okies, Bluey is back home. The thing that caused wobble at speed is called the drag link. Don also found a couple of bolts missing from whatever houses the fanbelt thingy (I'm getting terribly technical here) and replaced them. Not a major job but not a small one either. His hands were covered in grease when I arrived. "It wouldn't matter what fan belt it was, the thing wouldn't have worked anyway." So that's all fixed, and I've got a new fan belt, which means the alternator is charging the battery. While Bluey was on the hoist, I had a good look underneath - clean and tidy, no rust and no oil leaks. "I think I did pretty well," I said. And Don agreed, "I think you did too."

I mentioned Bluey's mileage and the prospect of an engine overhaul. "Nah... you don't need it. If you take it easy and change the oil and filter regularly, this kind of engine shouldn't give you any trouble." However, he did suggest that before I depart for the Odyssey, I should give Bluey a thorough service and tune up. So there ya go... outside of fixing the rust and fitting out the van as a camper, there's really not a helluva lot to do. How cool is that?

"If I were traveling around Oz," he said, "I'd do no more than 250 kms a day, stop at about 3pm and have my first beer." Well, I won't be doing anything like 250 kms a day, and I CERTAINLY won't be waiting until 3pm for my first beer!