Re: [BaadAssGremlins] re: what did you do to your AMC this weekend

Something not planned. Took youngest minion Jacob to med center yesterday to have a mess
of teeth pulled, so took Bessie the 72 Ambassador SST station wagon. Today though, Bessie
was grumpy when I went to Citgo to get her some $3.21 gas as she was almost out. When I
tried to start her she went "RRRRRRR!!!!!!" that is the Bendix spinning on flexplate. The
starter is a Ultima which is a O'Reillys "lifetime" warranty, but Ultima means "ultima
piece of sh*t" starter." So hand pushed Bessie back (I'm a big guy so 4200 lb car no
problem) and sure enough, Bessie's flexplate had moved a little, enought that the bendix
hit, caught and cranked her up quickly. So went to bank, but decided to go thru drive
thru. Keep it running just in case. After bank, drove up Bunker Hill into Spring Branch,
lots of places to eat around there, Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Polish, you name
it, there is a restaurant for it.

One I had my eyes on though was off Blalock at Clay so about 3 1/2 miles thru Spring
Branch, called 'Fish Fillet' which is supposed to have a all you can eat catfish buffet,
and I happen to like catfish, so figured would try it out. I decided to kill Bessie,
although it crossed my mind she might not have liked the Venezuelan dictator gas I had put
in here, and starter my be iffy....but decided to turn off key.

Went inside only ate one plate of catfish (didn't see that coming, thought for sure 2-3
plates) but went back out and sure enough RRRRRRR!!!!!! darn it. No startee again. I had
parked on small incline so pushed back a little, thinking my Citgo trick would work again,
no, not this time, so called Paige to come rescue me, she packed up Noah & Jacob in the 88
Eagle, and drove over to me, picked me up, and I headed over to O'Reillys to 'buy' another
starter for $70 even though this one under warranty.

They didn't have it in stock, so had to quickly do 'plan b' which was go home, pick up
tools, jack, and drive to Long Point & Wirt 8 miles away to pick up my 'new' already paid
for at another O'Reillys starter. Was quickly in and out, and drove back up Long Point to
Blalock to Bessie...Paige decided to take boys across street to Jack In The Crack
especially to get Jacob a milkshake since he has enough metal in mouth to set off most
airport detectors and looks like a damned jack o lantern with teeth now, so would feel at
home since can't eat anything solid for few days. Sort of like me after I tangled with
some Bhut Jolokis peppers. (Go look it up, mouth was Chernobyl south).

So I jacked up Bessie, the wind whistling under the car as a cold front came in this
morning, but felt rather nice under there except my hair getting caught in jack...it's
down to my belt buckle now, really long, look like a fat Sting of Police fame. Took 5
minute to change out new starter, and behold, inside on front floorboard was my iced tea I
had left, no homeless stole it.

Bessie cranked right up ready to go. Got a wave from Harris County constable shooting
radar on Kempwood as I drove past, that was nice, cops dig old cars. Went back to
O'Reillys and got my $70.35 cash back and found out the Ultima starter with bad bendix was
only 8 1/2 months old. Some, like the one on my 82 Eagle, have over 100K on them go
figure.

Bessie is back at home now safe with her 13 other AMC siblings, but she did have a
adventure today, otherwise uneventful. Could have thought of another way to spend those
hours driving back and forth to pick up starter and work on car though, but was not about
to leave Bessie in that crappy neighborhood overnight as she would have been turned into
homeless shelter and someone might have stole my 8 tracks.
Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planethoustonamx.com