Tuneup

Work began about a week ago. To say that the 1.6 liter engine had seen better days, is being generous. The car ran like a fat asthmatic in a decathlon. Some of the four cylinders worked, some did not. This is a bit of a concern when the engine in question only makes 112HP when it's brand new.

We decided that a slight tune up was in order.

We had a problem, though. We are only allowed to spend $500 and we already spent that much buying the car. Fortunately, the rules allow money gained from selling parts off of the car to be used to offset the other costs. Also we found about three to four dollars in the car in loose change, and that helps too. We haven't sold any parts yet, but we threw caution to the wind and got started.

For around 10 percent of the car's total worth($50), we bought new spark plugs, plug wires, a new distributor cap and new distributor rotor. Just pulling the spark plugs proved entertaining. 3 Bosh platinums and one Autolite, all charred black from years of service in a poorly running engine.

We replace the parts and are startled by the results: The car runs... well... it still makes power more akin to a kid on a tricycle than a racecar, but we can drive it now. And I think that's justification for a victory beer.