Goodbye 2011--the Year I Found Stella

It's New Year's Eve, and I find myself sadly reflecting back on what a very difficult year it has been.  I learned a great deal about myself this year--I persevered through trials as I never thought I could, but I never want to put myself to that test again.  Even with all the unfortunate or painful memories that have haunted me today, there is one 2011 event that always brings the smile back to my face--finding Stella.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  that little red corvette found me, changed me, saved me.  I could not think of a time in my life when I could ever have needed it more.  It's just another reminder that there is some kind of great plan for us all.  That the good things (and yes, even the bad) happen to us for a reason.  That you're meant to be tested and loved and hurt, and when it's all said and done you couldn't be who you are without all these experiences.

2011 was a year of difficult change, but each and every time I drive around wrapped in the warmth of Stella's engine, she reminds me that together we weathered the storm.  The days that I wanted to cry I rolled down her window and the wind blew my tears dry.  Mike and I laughed together sitting behind her sun-bleached wheel as she put miles between us and the worries of our world.

And even when she brought us back home again, we were stronger each time.

Merry Christmas!

Ironically, it's Christmas Eve and we have absolutely no snow!  It's a beautiful, sunny day outside and I find myself thinking that it would be great weather for driving the Vette around if only it weren't in STORAGE! ;)

Stella's doing great--our buddy Steve is kindly keeping her in his one-car garage which she shares with Steve's motorcycle (hopefully they're good friends by now :P).  Mike starts her up occasionally to keep her belts and other moving parts from getting too cold and stiff, and checks her fluid levels to be sure they aren't dropping too low.  One month of winter down and it hasn't even been cold enough for us to consider putting her up onto blocks to keep her tires off the ground!  I'm sure winter will make up for lost time--it always does!

To prevent another summer of repairs like the one we just endured, Mike and I have done a better job (so far) of financial planning to fit Stella in alongside our other lofty plans.  For now we have no major repairs in the works, although I would like to replace the seat belts next if possible.  As a special treat, we're contemplating getting a personalized license plate for her in the spring, but only if I can get her name in some combination of letters/numbers.  Otherwise I think I'll just bide my time and save my money.

Merry Christmas Stella!

Absence

Now there's snow on the ground, which is strange.  It seems like just days ago that Stella was driving us around in 90 degree heat, the engine so hot that our legs sweat through the fabric of our pants against her leather seats.

I miss her and think about her all the time. :)

First Season

Yesterday was the day Mike and I chose to park Stella into long term winter storage, where she will wait out the long, cold and dark months of winter protected from snow, ice and salty roads.  Spring will never seem so sweet as it will next year when she rolls out of that garage again for the first time!  

And now that I've made it through the first 'driving season' with my Corvette, I find myself reflecting on the memories it gave me in just the short handful of months I've been lucky enough to call it mine.  I distinctly remember seeing it for the first time, stopping to get a closer look, and falling hook, line and sinker.  It wasn't the first time I'd seen an old '70s Corvette, but it was the first time one made me feel this way.  It wasn't just any antique car--it was mine.  

I remember spending a week struggling with the decision to buy it or let it pass me by.  I felt crazy--I couldn't even believe I was considering it.  It meant not buying a house, not having that new wardrobe I'd been talking about.  It meant financial sacrifices and a long term commitment to a project I literally knew nothing about.  

Sometimes it takes a fleeting moment of blind courage.  And just sometimes... something amazing comes out of it all.

My first ride.  My first time ever inside a real Corvette, and it blew away my wildest dreams.  I couldn't believe the sounds--the grumbling of the engine, the whoosh of that enormous fan.  The smells of worn leather, exhaust, and heat from the engine.  Or even the feel of that amazing machine, churning, vibrating and roaring beneath my legs and feet.   

My arm spent a lot of time surfing the wind outside that window.  As I struggled through the most difficult year of my life, I found myself comforted and soothed by time spent behind Stella's wheel.  Bad days were blown away with the wind, and problems left far behind in her dust and burnt rubber.  She saved me.

A few short months after that very first ride, Mike and I saved her right back.  Her engine gave out on the side of the road in a puff of white smoke, and I'll never forget the smell of the coolant burning into steam off that hot engine.  With my heart in my throat I asked  Mike if we could breathe life back into this spent hot rod.  I threw logic, reason and better judgement to the wind and made her run again.

And if I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing.

Why?  Because that car is beautiful.  It speaks to me and takes me away--it's my great escape and my one great indulgence.  Because I truly love it.

She spent her first season with me getting shown off, admired, and driven around daily just for the absolute hell of it.  With no destination in mind we cruised.  We smiled and laughed, day-dreamed of the future and bragged about all our lofty plans.  She posed for many pictures and with Mike behind the wheel and me riding shotgun, she memorized the streets of this town.

I'm a proud momma to this baby on four wheels, and with a first season as packed full of memories as this one, I can't wait to make more next year!

Cheers

To the little red Corvette that I'm sure has truly saved my life.

Major Surgery Round 2

Stella went under the knife for the second time this summer to have the radiator replaced.  At first we had intentions of doing it ourselves over the winter, but various circumstances convinced us to take care of it sooner. After doing some research, our options included:

• Using a radiator sealant (temporary)
• Having the old radiator re-cored 
• Buying and installing a new radiator (plastic, metal or aluminum) 

Using a temporary radiator leak sealant was the quickest and cheapest option.  You can buy this stuff at any AutoZone or auto parts store and all you have to do is dump it into the radiator and drive your car around for a half an hour. We entertained this idea very briefly, mostly during the period of time when we were considering removing the radiator over the winter, as a kind of "get us to winter" fix.  After all, we have a mere handful of weeks before Stella has to go into long term storage for Michigan's 5 to 6 month snowy season.

Having the radiator re-cored was an attractive option and a way to keep the radiator original, but it was more expensive and more complicated.  It would involve having a mechanic remove the radiator, towing the Vette to some other location while the radiator was re-cored (because the re-core and the radiator removal wouldn't be able to be done by the same mechanics), then towing the Vette back to the mechanic to have them re-install the newly re-cored radiator.  So, we'd be paying for the labor hours, paying for the re-core, and paying for the towing fees.  Not to mention, I have no idea were I would be storing it in the interim. 

The last option was to buckle down and buy a new radiator designed to fit our make and model, which was eventually what we chose to do.  We didn't want to go with the cheapest choice, which was plastic, and couldn't quite afford the aluminum radiator.  We wanted to--aluminum radiators are most effective at keeping the engine cool and as I've discussed previously, old Corvettes run hot--but much like with the engine replacement, we simply couldn't  go above and beyond.  The original radiator was made out of metal and lasted 35 years--so hopefully I'll get at least half of that time from this metal reproduction!

We tried a new mechanic this time and so far we've been pleased (although I have yet to get the car back, so we'll see how I feel later today when I do! ;) ).  The work was supposed to take two days, and the morning of the first day I got a call saying that they've run into "all sorts of problems."  Apparently to remove the radiator will require removing parts of the engine (which were getting in the way) and parts of the front wheel suspension system (which needed repairing).  

Basically, this mechanic told me what I already know (and love despite myself) about this car--everything that Mike and I haven't replaced already needs to be replaced.  Luckily, those things are getting fewer and fewer as we go. ;)

We gave the (slightly reluctant) go ahead and we'll be picking her up today.  With only a scant few weeks before it snows, I'll be enjoying that car as much as possible before her long winter's nap. :)

Hot Mamma

As I've mentioned before, my husband Mike and I are just about as uneducated as they come when it comes to being mechanics (although Mike has an impressive knowledge base compared to mine), and spending time with Stella is a constant learning process.  For example, we recently learned that she doesn't do so well in traffic jams. >_<

Corvettes were designed to be as aerodynamic as possible--curvy, low to the ground, a pointed nose, etc--but although this made them very fast (and totally BAMF), it didn't make it any easier on the engine.  With a smallish grill underneath each headlamp, there just isn't enough air moving over the engine to keep it sufficiently cool.  This problem is made substantially worse when the car is running but not moving, such as it would be in a traffic jam.  The engine temperature, which usually sits at a scorching 200 degrees to begin with, creeps quickly into the 220s-230s after five to ten minutes idling in traffic.  This is not uncommon, but it took some time for Mike and I to learn that.

Unfortunately, each time we learn something, we tend to find a hole in something else. ;)

Thinking we had a coolant problem, we took Stella to our favorite oil-change place where a trustworthy father-son duo have been looking underneath our cars for many years now.  After a radiator flush and reassurance that our engine was behaving just as typically as any engine would've back then, they brought to our attention that we had a pretty nasty hole in the radiator anyway.  This didn't come as a huge surprise--since the engine was replaced we'd been noticing a sizable puddle beneath the radiator regularly.  Not to mention, no news is quite as bad as hearing that the engine block was cracked.  Everything else seems like small potatoes in comparison.

Nevertheless, Mike and I had to decide where exactly to focus our restoration at this point.  Owning a car this old is probably similar to owning an old house.  You may want to paint the rooms, pull up the carpet and put down some hardwood floors--make it look better in general--but you've got to fix the pluming, furnace, and structural damages first.  Because a great looking house doesn't do you a damn bit of good if it can't perform the functions of a house.  If it can't keep you warm, keep water in your toilets, or keep the roof over your head.  To everything there is a season, and Stella's vital organs take precedence over her worn seats and cracked dashboard.  I've gotta make this car better from the inside out--but I'm going to have to start deep inside.

I've already replaced her heart--time for her guts. ;)