During the 1960’s a US Air Force captain named John Murphy, who was a test pilot at the time, became famous for the saying “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and at the worst possible time”. This quote thereafter became known as Murphy’s Law. These days, when something happens that is unexpected and unwelcomed, people often say that this is just Murphy’s Law at work.
I'd had some challenges during the weekend, sure. But nothing like this day. It's probably partially because I was over ambitious with the last day, and partially because these things just happen. Here is the key thing: how you deal with adversity is just as important to your outcomes as a person as how you deal with success, how you deal with tragedy as important as how you deal with joy. One of the reasons I'm successful in life is that when I encounter a cliff while climbing a mountain, I never give up. I find a way around.
Murphy kicked me down. I got back up, and knocked his ass out. This cycle was to repeat itself throughout the day and the early morning until I finally knocked him into a coma for good. And with that introduction, I give you..
Mod #27 - The SMC Trunk Mount Methanol Injection Kit and Install...FROM HELL!!!!
I got a great deal from another member of Nasioc on an SMC methanol injection kit a week or two ago. The kit was in perfect condition and functioned flawlessly so the parts weren't the problem. The problem was that Murphy came to visit my toolshed and opened up a can of whoop ass on my day.
I should have known that Murphy was coming to visit the meth install portion of the weekend because I had ordered some parts to go along with the basic kit early the week before and none of them had arraived yet.The parts in question were an ISF-20 Failsafe unit, and a corresponding BBK-10 kit, also from Labonte.
Both of these I purchased off another Nasioc member and got an ok deal. I also called up SMC and bought some additional steel/nylon tubing to go from the ISF-20 to the intercooler, and an M10 fitting.
I recieved all four at work today AFTER my pre-planned super-awesome weekend.
The SMC pieces, I can understand. I called those guys on Tuesday afternoon after a holiday weekend. They have to have gotten other orders already. But what about the Labonte bits I had purchased on Saturday!? Surely those would arraive in time!
Alas, they did not. But why? What could be the cause of this so unjust bout of happenstance?
Oh.
That would explain a lot. Why would that explain a lot? In a world of overnight shipping, three day express mail, and UPS ground…
Shipping things parcel post that aren't going to Alaska or Hawaii is the epic loss.
Here's me at work on Tuesday (notice the eyes) with all my parts that came in after my super-awesome-pre-planned-birthday-weekend.
Parts coming in late FTMFL!!!!!
Here is the meth kit.
It looks so nice and innocent here. Like a puppy dog. Oh, but this is a Rottweiler puppy folks. This dog has teeth and his trainer is John Murphy.
First off, I realize that this kit has the fittings arranged in a way that won't work well. The pressure gauge is in a T-fitting. That same T-fitting is connected to the nozzle. I'm new to the whole meth thing but that doesn't seem right to me :
I start trying to take the thing apart. I can’t do it - I suck. I must be really tired for some strange reason.
At about this time, the cavalry arrives (in an 07 STI Limited no less) for the first time. Another Nasioc member (x86Brandon) was nice enough to come pick me up (I was in no shape to drive and my car was in pieces) and drive me to the hardware store.
I go to plumbing isle and attempt to reconstruct a fitting setup that looks anything remotely like what I’ve seen in other methanol injection install threads. Nothing seems to fit correctly, but I buy some pieces anyway in the vein hope that they’re not fitting together because of user error (I hadn’t slept much as you’ve seen).
We get home and I try the pieces out...
Ah, no. No. You’re too tired to be picking out hardware Sunny Jim. Nothing you bought actually fits anything. Murphy – you’re a punk.
About this time I realize what I should have done in the first place: I have a neighbor who is an awesome neighbor for someone like me to have. He does granite and tile work for a living, and has done the remodel on his house entirely himself. He has every tool known to man and some known only to Dolphins and other aquatic mammals. I go over to his house and use his vice and some super long wrenches he has just lying around.
Murphy is back on the mat ladies and gentlemen.
I don’t keep a spare tire in my car. There are two reasons for this:
1) I have 18 inch wheels which renders the stock spare more of a differential destruction device than an actual road hazard repair item, and;
2) I removed it a while ago to install an 06-07 STI rear diffuser
I keep two cans of flix-a-flat in the car instead because I figure anything I can't fix with that would require a tow truck anyway.
This therefore means that keeping the OEM Jack in the car is utterly pointless, so I tossed that into my ever growing "if I ever wreck and need to swap back in the stock parts before I turn it over to the insurance liquidators" box.
I test fit the tank. That's going to fit really well in there thank you very much.
There is only the minor problem of the bracket for the jack being in the way a bit. No problem, I have a dremel and some quick-connect cutoff wheels:
[side note: if you've never used these pieces for a dremel you really must. They're so filled with win.]
Easy peasy lemon squeezy
Now that I have the material cut off, I want to grind it smooth so that it won't cut up the tank. I put on one of my many grinding stones and turn on my dremel...
...click...
huh?
[checks plugs]
...click...
WTF?
I am utterly merciless on my tools because I figure if it can't stand up to what I dish out, I should buy something better. This is ridiculous though. Why? I bought this thing last weekend in preparation for today. I bought it because I also killed my last one. This is my first time using it. My previous copy lasted 12 years. This one lasted all of five minutes.
I'm upset. I can't believe it. All this work and I'm going to be stopped in my tracks by Murphy and a defective power tool:
By now, if you've been paying attention, you should be saying: "DUDE! What are you talking about! You have a friggin die grinder!" Yes...Yes I do. The dremel is a pea shooter in comparison.
AK-47. When you absolutely, positively, have to kill every Mother F***er' in the room - accept no substitutes.
Murphy: “Hey dude.”
Me: “What? You again?”
Murphy: “Yep - I’m baaaaaaaack”.
I take the die grinder and grab my loosening/tightening tools and start trying to take off the flapper wheel from the manifold work.
[heavy grunt]
Wow, that's really on there tight. That's not good.
[heavy grunting, pounding with a hammer, swearing, throwing, etc.]
Wow, that thing really isn't coming off is it. Murphy wins this round for now - my die grinder goes into the trash:
At this point my wife comes home with my son, who sees the tail end of my ranting over the die grinder. He isn't sure what I said, but he sure doesn't like my tone:
I must have really scared him because he proceeds to drop a deuce right then and there. This is ok, as he's 22 months old and not yet potty trained. After this weekend however, that means I have something to clean up. I fix up the son, and show the die grinder what I really think of it:
Ok, so now I'm really screwed. My neighbor is no longer home - he's out at a job so I can't go borrow something. My dremel is toast. My die grinder doesn't work. I am experiencing teh suck. Murphy is winning. I need a change. I need something to tilt the win in my favor and counteract the suck monster that Murphy has set loose on my garage.
I can't move on to any of my other parts till I finish this so I must therefore look to other parts of my life for some win that I can then transfer to this install process…
No comments:
Post a Comment