![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_front.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSummer called. “Dad, have you run the van?” Her van has been sitting in the driveway van-spot for some time now, waiting for better days.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Uh. Do I have the keys?”<\/p>\n
“Yeah! On the hook.”<\/p>\n
“OK,” I lied, “I’ll try to start it later. Busy now.”, I lied.<\/p>\n
Later came. The danged key was<\/b> on the ring. So I trudged out to a mild, winter day and played find-a-way-in-to-the-van.<\/p>\n
First try:<\/p>\n
![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_front_door_lock.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Well, the door looked locked. The key fit. The key did not turn.<\/p>\n
OK. Other side. Not locked. Doh. … But, remember that, reader. It will come up later.<\/p>\n
Sit in the driver’s seat. Look down:<\/p>\n
![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_pedals.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Blast from the past!<\/p>\n
A floor button to kick on the hi-beams. Cool.<\/p>\n
Then I looked around. All of the controls were out of a time warp. Sure, this van is from the, what? 70’s, early 80’s? But it could have been from the 50’s, by the look of the controls.<\/p>\n
![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_steering_wheel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It screamed, “Road trip.” Of the lowest budget kind.<\/p>\n
It was time to fire this baby up.<\/p>\n
Battery? Check. Starter motor? Check. Ignition? Uh.<\/p>\n
Wrrrr. Wrrrr. Wrrrr.<\/p>\n
Well, the beast had<\/b> been sitting for some months. What can you expect?<\/p>\n
I popped the hood. Yep. Another blast from the past. Black cavern. Oil? OK. (Worried, I was, that the gas had water in it, and now the engine did. Rust city, going forward.)<\/p>\n
Thinking, “Well, that’s about all I can do. I am not going to go mechanic on this thing.”<\/p>\n
“Hmmm. This big thing ‘tween the front seats looks like an old-van engine cover. … Wait! This is<\/b> an old van!”<\/p>\n
![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_engine_cover.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Struggle. Jimmy. Struggle. Jimmy.<\/p>\n
Air cleaner? Hmmmm. Not exactly pristine. But there’s a carburetor. The little pushy, buttony, cably, add-on thingee appears to ineffectually attempt to be a choke as I had guessed and tried. Let’s apply some real manual choking action, here.<\/p>\n
Mess with the butterfly.<\/p>\n
‘Nother crank: Cough.<\/p>\n
‘Nother crank: Cough.<\/p>\n
Diddle with butterfly.<\/p>\n
‘Nother crank: Fooom. Rumble, bumble, rumble, bumble. Yep. That’s the sound of good, old, missing-1-spark, Deeetroit iron, my friend.<\/p>\n
Let it smoke for a while. Wait for the roughness to mellow out.<\/p>\n
Look around.<\/p>\n
They don’t make sound systems like this any more!<\/p>\n
![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_radio.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Put the cover back on the engine. Make the engine stuttering less dramatic.<\/p>\n
Drive it in and out of the driveway a couple of times to wind the gears and wheels.<\/p>\n
What a boat.<\/p>\n
You’d wanna hold this barge under about 15 MPH on curvy mountain roads. Jeez, it’s so easy to forget how bad power steering was in those days.<\/p>\n
OK. Shut ‘er down. Time to go back inside the house.<\/p>\n
Ooops. Memo to self: Don’t drive this thing in to a lake. The other front door – the one you can open from the outside – doesn’t open from the inside<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Yep. Now this<\/b> is your vehicle, baby.<\/p>\n
![\"Summer's](\"http:\/\/www.tranzoa.net\/alex\/blog\/images\/sum_van_back.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summer called. “Dad, have you run the van?” Her van has been sitting in the driveway van-spot for some time now, waiting for better days. “Uh. Do I have the keys?” “Yeah! On the hook.” “OK,” I lied, “I’ll try … Continue reading