'68 318 to carbed Magnum 5.2: Check my checklist

What an evening.

I decided to try my hand again at soldering the ends back onto the old radiator for eBay. After failing a few times, I realized that I simply wasn't letting the solder cool. Once I figured that out, I had instant success - but first I had to clean it all up again to re-solder it correctly.

Then I hooked a bike tube up to the hose nipples and pressure tested the radiator; just to make sure I hadn't caused any leaks. I hadn't, but it turns out the lower radiator hose nipple is whistling air just a bit, right in the tightest spot to fix. After fighting with it for 15 minutes, I finally get it clean - and another 15 minutes later, I'm able to get solder on the joint.

So I pressure test it again, and it's leaking out one small pinhole in what I just soldered. Damn. Fire up the prop torch again and the bottom half of the radiator lit up like a broiler oven, nice even flame and all. Turns out I had spilled a bit of rubbing alcohol in there when I was cleaning up the joint. So I smothered it away...and two seconds later, it lights up again on it's own.

At that point, I say F it, and bring out the can of ABC and let it have it. I spend the next 15 minutes trying to get the damn extinguisher foam out of my mouth, and an hour cleaning the work area up of that same lousy yellow dust. Oh well, at least it didn't go down in flames.

Good thing that radiator is just for eBay.

Now, if that wasn't bad enough, my distributor from eBay has been waiting to be installed since I got home from work, but by now, it's too dark (and I'm too pissed) to start dragging tools out to find TDC and time it just right. Nope, not in the mood for that sort of accuracy. So I decide to just open the box and stare at my newfound purchase.

Bad idea.

I thought tasting the fire extinguisher $hit was bad enough. THE FOAM INSIDE THIS BOX SMELLED 10 TIMES WORSE. I took one whiff, reeled back, and proceeded to run outside, unpack that dizzy, and throw out that box faster than I put out the radiator fire. Then I realized the damn distributor has taken on the smell too, and was proceeding to take over the fire extinguisher stench for sheer stinky machismo.

For a moment, this irritated me - until I realized the distributor shaft was jamming when I turned it. "F*!)(#)#*$(@#*$!!!!!. More crap from FleaBay!" was my first inclination. Then I realized the distributor was rattling. Sure enough, on top of the mechanical advance weights was a small rock dancing the rumba. Four pebbles later, the problem was solved. But it still STINKS.

I threw it in the engine for now. Who knows where it is timed - all I care is that the distributor is not within the confines of the house. Hell, I'll consider myself lucky if a rat slithers into the engine bay this evening and takes a piss on it.

-Kurt