Barrel and Cylinder Head – Prep

Fresh back from the cleaning folks—who somehow didn’t lose or ruin anything, a small miracle—I had a couple of things to sort out before meeting up with Mario (a.k.a. The Master Mechanic, and trust me, he reminds you of the title often) to start piecing the engine back together.

First job: took the rocker over to my neighbour Steve last night. He’s kindly squeezed it into his “G-job” list, which is what he calls work he does for pals, usually at the pace of a scenic Sunday drive :o). He’s fixing a tiny-ish chip on one of the fins. Can’t wait to see it done—his work’s usually immaculate enough to make you question your own life decisions.

Then there’s my mini paint booth, if you can call a cardboard box with the barrel on top of a container a paint booth. Engineering genius, I know. But it let me spin the barrel around like a rotisserie chicken, which meant I could get paint in between every fin. Once it looked halfway respectable, I chucked it into another box, sealed it up, and brought it inside the house—partly to keep fumes under control, partly because the outdoor temperature was roughly that of a meat locker.

Next up: the cylinder head repair. After that, I’ll be waiting for a day that’s not blowing a gale or freezing solid, so I can head over to Mario’s and get this thing reassembled.

If the weather cooperates, that is—which, knowing my luck, it absolutely won’t.