Now that I’m just a bike ride away from work, I no longer depend on Studie for daily driving obligations. The transition from a 25-mile to a 2-mile commute has been a very welcome one, but at the same time it doesn’t come without certain sadness. I loved being woken up by her rumble on the drive to work and welcomed into home for my long journey back each day. I liked seeing her smiling at me from the parking structure at work. What I didn’t like were the pricey gasoline bills, daily time wasted, and inability to pay heed to nagging issues getting worse over time.
It’s been a year now since I compression tested Studie’s 383 Chevy engine, and it was no bueno. Cylinders 1 and 2 were way below what they should be (I think the intake gasket may be the culprit). She gets overheated very quickly in traffic – making getting any sort of distance in Los Angeles a harrowing outing. Although I now have the freedom to put her in the garage and do my first real engine-work on her – money, other projects, being a newlywed, and increased responsibilities at work have all kept her in a less-than-ideal state. (Did I also mention that my writing duties at work have also kept me from posting as much as I’d like here at GreaseGirl? Again, a welcome change of a career writing within the automotive realm…but an unwelcome one of not having the steam to come home and write for myself!)
Hopefully it won’t be much longer before Studie gets some good garage- lovin’ – but in the meantime, I recently pulled her in for some basic maintenance I’d been putting off. While maintenance is usually a “have-to” sort of thing, I was surprised by the enjoyable evening I had climbing under and around her. Continue reading ‘A Little Maintenance Lovin’’
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