New Direction

We've come so far as to get down to the block.  Up to this point I think we'd still been kicking around the idea of only replacing the head gasket and putting the engine back together.

We could...that option is still open.

I wonder if that is what is holding me back?  Am I still trying to save as much money as I can and do as little as possible even though I had already decided the minute that billowy white cloud materialized out of my exhaust pipe that I was going to keep the Hondamatic until the bitter end? 

Maybe I'm nervous because talking to the repair guys intimidates me.  They all have their opinions about my Hondamatic and they all lean towards giving up or if not so explicitly stated then inbetween lines such as "we can't find parts" or "we don't do engine rebuilds but we can put a used motor in... a motor that we can't find."  And so on. 

Where does this tenacity come from?  Why this car? 

I don't know.  Because I own it, because I have the title maybe.  Because as a teenager I had fantasized about moonlighting as a mechanic possibly.  Because there is no reason why my Hondamatic can't be my classic car.  It isn't right or fair for other people to tell me that I shouldn't put any money into this car when ther are hundreds and thousands of classic cars out there that people put back together and put on the roads.  Is it really only the muscle cars from the 60s and 70s and VW bugs and 50s or earlier cars that are worth rebuilding and keeping in good condition?  I tell you what, when my Hondamatic is the last one running and looking nice people will want to come see it. 

I will get the Hondamatic in gear again!  I got a number from a guy at Action Autoparts for another guy who does this kind of work.  He'll either come to me or tow the Hondamatic to his shop and fix it right up. 

I just need to make that call.