Just a few thoughts on the trip.
The color added to the interior is totally worth doing. It makes for such a happier, brighter place to be and looks completely factory so great job with that project. The boys did the area around the gearshift/stereo/environment controls, the start button and the right and left sides of the DIC. If you have the solid black colored interior go start picking beer bottles from the ditch and start a fund to pay for this.
The guy that I dropped the car off with at the shipper was the same fellow who was there when I was picking it up. He commented on a few things included "did you lose weight" (!) and "I like your seat covers". I was a bit thrown when he said that the car was overheating though but glad that instead is a gauge problem and not a real mechanical issue - so it seems anyway.
He told me that he stalled the car which I proceeded to do on three occasions myself, which of course as thebattery was still dead required using the key to pop the tuck and then connecting a battery to start it. I realized that my/our problem was probably due to the new gearshift being a lot stiffer and having a strong tendency to stay in 3rd/4th and so you really have to make an effort to go into 1st/2nd - the far left. Once I remembered that it was smooth sailing but I was pretty scared about starting out since I knew if I stalled it again once I hit the road I was on my own. I noticed, at first, that the analog temp gauge was not moving and the car usually warms up pretty quick so I started to get worried, along with the fact that the DIC would flash the overheating warning/AC disabled. And on a day when I could really us AC too, not just because of how hot it rally was but because the fear of stalling and the car actually overheating was adding to my stress levels.
So I called Dad up who had come in with me and he waited for me about 5 minutes ahead and we took a look see under the hood but couldn't find anything remiss. my mood was not helped by being able to get the water temp displayed in the HUD and it being off the scale! So which is right, the analog that shows no temp or the digital that shows it maxed out? Or were they both wrong?? And of course this doesn't happen 5 km from home but 500 km from home, no tools etc. Fun stuff.
But things were pointing to both gauges being wrong and so I decided to start drving home and everything seemed to be OK. I started to relax and was almost sort of glad that there might be a problem as it kept me from fooling around with the car. I just turned on the cruise and proceeded on my way, eventually passing dad and enjoying a nice stretch of 2 way highway.
I had a Challenger come onto the highway just as I was going past Fox Creek and now Colin and Justin would have gotten a laugh out of this. I thought that as I had almost 1/8 of a tank of gas I would be good to go to Valleyview 88 km away and if not I would refuel at Little Smoky. So I started to up my speed to catch the Challenger. Next thing I know my gas gauge is a lot lower than I nexted it to be, I have to fuel in Little Smoky I'm thinking. Only to to find out as I'm going through that the gas station has closed up shop! Now I need to make it to Valleyview which is 34 km away I think. Mom and Dad are still behind me so again I am not worried. I call Mom and let her know that I might run out of gas. She is relaying all this to dad who then asks if I have anything to siphon gas with. This prompts me to ask mom about the 2 gallon gas can in the back of her truck. When she bought her Frontier I bought her booster cables, a good tow rope and a gas can - things you might not need even be needing yourself but you might encounter someone who needs help. Then I find out this real prize piece of info - Dad when and took the gas can out of the back of the truck! Dad hates carrying things like boost cables, tools, tow ropes, gas cans etc. for some really odd reason but as this was mom's truck I thought he'd leave things alone. So now I have the realization that I am running on empty, 34 km from the nearest town and my chase vehicle whihc I thought has a jerrycan doesn't any longer. Remember the earlier comment I made about not having AC working - lets just say I needed it in spades now!!
So I had to let the Challenger pull away but did make it to Valleyview to the Shell station where I fueled up. Looks like I should have been OK as the tank capacity is 68 liters and I was only able to squeeze 62.5 in. But oddly enough it took three tries to start it before it would go and it has previously been a "just touch the key" to get it going car.
While I was filling up an older women came up to me and asked "Is that a Camero?" Well not going to be hitting the hay with this girl........I told her it was a C6 Z06 - insert blank look here - "It's a Corvette" I said. "Oh we passed you on the road and my husband thought it was a new Camero, I really like the color!" Partial redemption occurs.
So then onward home. Going up the bridge over the Little Smoky river some hillbilly in a pickup decides he wants to pass me and for some odd reason I decided to punch the gas and he didn't back off so I downshifted and went WOT and then just caught myself a split second later as I hit 109 mph and he was disappearing in my rear view mirror. he followed me for the next 100 km and pulled off in the town of Peace River but didn't try to pass me again!
It rained at this time too. Of course while it was raining the wipers worked fine but as the rain ended I got sprayed by two semi's I met. Without rain they were still dragging a plume of spray off teh highway - dirty stuff. At this point I also remembered that I don't have a windshield washer fluid system that works anymore!! I'm sure I'll come to enjoy the methanol injection but just not at that moment!!!!! However I shoudl have remembered from my October trip hauling the Z06 to Edmonton that I have skills with using a Windex bottle out of the drivers window, I just didn't have any with me this time......
So the weather cleared, I arrived home exhausted and am now just in recovery mode. Rain again this morning and overcast, cold and a bit of a wind so I don't think I'm going to take the Z06 out today but with luck tomorrow I hope will be nicer and drier.........
There you have it!
Cheers,
Garry
