After leaving from NJ at 3:30am on Monday morning, Ed and I finally make it to Iowa this morning. We're both exhausted, we need showers, we need "real" food. Ed drove until the absolute point of exhaustion, before I took over for another shift.



...And then I get pulled over by an IA state trooper.



A ticket for the tint on the TII (good alliteration), instead of the speeding ticket I was anticipating. I think we only got it because it was senior-ride-along-day. Although it was Ed's car, registered and insured under Ed, I still got the ticket. No biggie until a geriatric had to dismiss himself from the front passenger seat so the officer could run our IDs and I signed for the violation.



Ed told him that the car was purchased as-is last week. The officer parroted, "Oh, just got it last week, huh?" Then checked the registration only to find out it had been issued on Thursday... He also seemed disappointed when they called back my record as clear.



While I don't think either of us will even be able to afford ramen for the next few weeks, this weekend has produced more good stories and memories than I can believe. Thanks to everybody who was involved, either helping out when we were in IL or at Rotorfest.

was my watch in eds car?

Yeah, it was under his seat. You must have got a little boost-happy on your test drive. Do you want us to mail it out to you or what?

ill take care of this on the 'other' forum https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...DIR#>/wink.png

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...DIR#>/ohmy.png



Boooo!



https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png













Glad to hear you guys are safe though.. What happened with the tranny exactly.. If you started a thread about what happened I didn't see it..

The transmission started getting loud and whiny, so we pulled off the interstate to check it out. It sounded like the tranny was completely dry, so we pulled off into a WalMart lot. It was 4:30am, luckily it was a 24 store.



Once the goods were purchased, the TII went up on jacks, only for Ed to realize the drain plug was completely gone and everything was dry (including the shifter pot). No auto stores were open yet, and we were running on no "decent" sleep since Wednesday night. No parts stores carried a plug, and the near-by Mazda dealerships either didn't have the part, or weren't even open because it was Saturday. Finally at about 2:30 in the afternoon things started to work out...



Ed said, "**** it. We're going to Rotorfest. No matter what. I promised you last year on the day we met that you would be there with me. And you're going to be." And suddenly everything started working out. Fixed on the 1st attempt of Plan F or whatever we were on.

And how did you fix?!

Ill explain:



He took the pan off the trans and used a nut and bolt with rubber washers on either side to seal the plug hole. then bolted the pan back on. rather ingenious i say.

A 16mm bolt, some nuts, some rubber washers, some metal washers, and some RTV from the hardware store across the highway.



We both got the idea at the same time and started scampering for parts. Amazing thing is, it didn't leak a drop on the way to NY. It was the best ghetto-mechanicing I've seen, possibly ever. (Good job, Ed.)

Smart, Smart........if I might say so. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif