Called the DMV on Monday and asked when I can get an appointment to register the car, and was surprisingly given the option to come by the next morning at 9:00 a.m.! I guess someone might have canceled and opened up a spot just for me
So after a quick jog downtown we are back in business!!!
I got some seasonal plates this time, so the car can only be driven between April and October, which means I only have to sleep one more time before I can take her out of the garage!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve
Since I still had a few minor points to resolve I hurried out to the garage yesterday and got them taken care of.
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Job #1 - taking a piece out of the s-pipe to keep it from rubbing on the rear bumper.
Unfortunately the rust has perma glued the pipe to the muffler, so we'll just have to keep it on the car for this operation.
Here's my Turbobricks culturally established obligatory statement where I can't weld, but I truely and honestly promise to learn
With my trusty angle grinder it's all good...
Some high-temp silver spraypaint and we are "golden"!
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Job #1.5 (became obvious only after removing the bumper) - Re-glueing the bumper mounts
I should have noticed this sooner, but the glue on the bumper mounts was only partially hanging on, and it didn't take much to rip them off both sides.
So out came the dremel with my trusty carbide bit and began with the surface prep... of which the smell and sound reminded me a lot of what I did last summer. Surface prep is not fun, but it had to get done. It kinda felt like writing a term paper in college, where I'd rather be doing anything else but this. Which were ironically, thanks to my procrastination, the times when my apartment was never cleaner!!!
...I digress...
The surfaces are now clean of old glue and ready for new glue.
After the fun of last year's bumper prep I got a small collection of glues for
all the plastics and it's been a good investment so far. For this job I got out some aggresive 2k glue specialized for a wide range of thermoplastics and rubber compounds.
Should be fine, cause this glue hasn't failed me yet!
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Job #2 - Finding a temporary replacement for the lower rear window trim piece
The original trim piece had taken quite a beating in the sun and separated/warped into a gaping fissure between it and the glass, funneling all sorts of leaves and gunk into places where it doesn't belong. You know, THAT piece, that is no longer available, but the Russians still let you order it and just not tell you before receiving your shipment and opening the box...
So I went down to the hardware store and found a piece of vinyl weather striping, which should withstand the sommer weather until I find a decent replacement.
Automotive grade double-sided tape will do the holding.
Centered it up and pulled the ripcords a bit at a time to get it pretty much where it's supposed to be.
That'll do pig, that'll do...
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And then with the final pieces of double-sided tape I mounted the license plates, got out my swiffer and did a quickly did some dusting, making good Ole Olga feel better about herself
Tomorrow it's on, so I plan to take some fasionable pictures this weekend