Yesterday I had Ariel get the two new tires mounted and balanced during the day so I could install them on her car in the evening. I was able to do that for the front end and then also swap the two better tires back off Heidi and back onto Ringo’s rear. After making sure the air pressures were correct (22 front, 32 rear), I took him for quick spin on the highway to make sure there were no untoward vibrations – there weren’t. By the way, each time I turned the key, the starter spun up. Looks like the new solenoid fixed that problem. This afternoon, I received a text from Ariel that she and Ringo made the trip back to PA without issues or incidents. Thank You Lord. Please note that expenditures for Ringo have now topped the $5000 mark (see sidebar).
As the end of school approaches, my thoughts are more frequently turning towards CORSA’s national convention. We’ve already got reservations at the state park down the road from the convention site. Our plans are to drive the Suburban and flat tow one of the fleet’s members. Which one? I have no idea. I plan on driving in the autocross, but since it’s my first time, I have no illusions of being competitive and a car with a Powerglide would be the best for a first-timer. Additionally, I'm hoping Ariel, Victoria, and even the lovely Loriann will want to compete, so an automatic tranny would really be desirable. That rules out Lucy. Right now, Ringo is in the nicest shape, but since I don’t plan on putting a car in the show (that could change), that really doesn’t matter. From what I gleaned from the CORSA website documents, a convertible can be autocrossed without a rollbar as long as I use street tires. So that means either Heidi or Luna could be used. I don’t think, however, Luna and her rotten rocker panels would appreciate the abuse of a few laps of high-speed turning. Then there’s the Rally. Hours of driving around the Massachusetts countryside would certainly be more enjoyable with the top down, so that makes Heidi an attractive choice. Finally, Glinda must also be considered. She’s got a Powerglide and her LM suspension is more conducive to cone-carving while providing a nicer ride for the long-distance rally. It may come down to which car is running the most reliably come July 20 when I’m ready to attach something to the tow-bar behind the Suburban.
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