Flash Departs

Quick post today. Unrelated to the usual car stuff, my older son, T, reported to the fire line this morning, starting his forest fire-fighting season almost a month earlier this year than last. Currently, the Bootleg fire on the Oregon-California border is 0% contained, has doubled in size over the last 48 hours, and threatens the main electricity transmission lines from Oregon power suppliers to California power consumers. That is just one of 8 fires south of Eugene, where he deploys. I feel both pride and concern for his well-being, knowing that he will be among the hundreds of fire fighters dedicated to containing the threat this summer. On to cars...

Zed Update

I do continue the body work on Zed, but there is little to highlight about it that I haven't already mentioned. My last post was about re-shooting the high-build primer. Since then, I sanded the shell and all of the various body parts with 320-grit. Once completed, I shop-vacuum'd all of the dust and then felt for wobbles for more another round of body filler. This time, I tried something a little different that I hadn't read online: chalk. I took a bar of chalk the kids used to use on the sidewalks and slide the flat edge along the body panels. Wherever the chalk would disappear, there was a small dent or crease/scratch that I had not found before. After going over all of the body panels, I found a couple dozen small imperfections. Considering how much I've worked on this car, I had hoped for better. Still, I persist. I expect I will get these fixed in a few Bondo cycles (read: until I'm satisfied) and then I will set up for urethane primer to seal everything. The body kit has still not arrived, so this saga has still a few chapters left in it.

When a Friend Asks for Help

The highlight around the Zed bodywork was the unexpected departure of Flash, my 2001 TDI Jetta. Since the pandemic started, Flash hasn't really seen much use. I work from home now (driving much less), and with the now mostly-operable fleet, he hasn't seen much action, sitting still while I go for spins in the bus or Nemo or Boo's new-to-her 2009 A4. A few weeks ago, Boo and I were at a family event. Our niece and significant other were detailing a hit-and-run incident they were subjected to, resulting in their commuter car getting totaled. Their other "car" is a big diesel truck needed for their construction business. While it is a great truck, the mileage sucks and it is a poor match for longer drives or A-to-B runs that do not include hauling stuff. So, Boo and I offered up Flash to them. They are familiar with and like diesels. They have a project VW Beetle, so understand VW's. In preparation, I re-installed the Panzer-plate (5 17mm bolts) that I had removed when I was planning to install it onto K'Lack, which is also on long-term loan / rent-to-buy to a family member. Turned out, K'Lack rides higher than Flash, and our niece's place has rougher roads, so Flash is the right place for the plate, since I only had one.

You Help Them

They were recently local, visiting in their big hauler pickup truck, and dropped by to collect Flash with a U-Haul flatbed car-hauler. Flash could absolutely have made the drive to their place, but they like riding together, and have the ability to tow, so why not? In classic Flash form, he pulled onto the trailer without incident. Because of the low front bumper, we needed to remove it so it would not get hung-up on the front of the trailer when Flash was backed off. There are 4 Torx bolts that hold it on at the nose, and, if your car is all in one piece, there are a few screws from the wheel wells. The front bumper cover went into the bed of the pickup, and we inched Flash forward the last little bit. The U-Haul flatbed car-hauler have straps to cinch the front wheels down, and they secured Flash into place. With the ramps set back into their respective slots, Flash was ready for his next adventure. He arrived at his new home without incident.

Actual ownership is blurry; this is a try-before exercise. Also, Flash will need to have his timing belt replaced in the next few months so he will be visiting our friend Justin before the rains return. Net-net, Flash is not completely gone, but it sure felt like it when I watched him trailer away.

The Zed body work continues, but it is not terribly photogenic nor are there any really new learnings coming from it. It is just a lot of hours of work. Accordingly, posts will continue to be sporadic until I shoot the urethane primer and get into the base color or the body kit shows up. Thanks, as always, for following along.