If there is one thing that I have no shortage of, it’s broken stuff. Chaos, entropy, and Mr. Murphy. Proving once again that everything that is created can be destroyed.

The Dent: About a month ago - James and I went down “Woodhill Hooksett Rd. in Bow, NH”. I want to warn all that read this - never to attempt to cross that little section of country in anything other then a jacked up Jeep. We managed to get the car over a series of washed out boulders. Not without some sweat, and a nice new dent in the right rear bottom door sill. About an hour with the dent puller, and several layers of Bondo later = No more dent!

The Oil Filter Skidplate: Having escaped lightly from “The Dent”. Last week - we again went on a trip to recce’ roads. One wrong turn, a missed Y junction, and before I could say “Is this the right road?” BAMF - We had a smokey oil fire! I do remember hitting a loose rock in the road. I don’t remember stopping the car, getting out of the harness, jumping out of the car, and popping the hood. The next thing I know I’m standing in front of the Neon with a fire extinguisher in my hand. A fire extinguisher that was handed to me by James. Who was also out of the car in the same blink.

The fire put itself out. No need to pull the pin. James and I had a moment to relax, and chuckle about the successful “Safety Drill”. The oil filter got punted. It was spraying a mist of oil directly onto the catalytic converter. We attempted a repair, and when holding back 80psi of oil became futile - we walked.

We got a ride back home from Andrew (around 2AM). We hit the 24HR WalMart in Concord for some new oil / filter(s). Oil change in the dark… In the woods… 4:30AM. Fun’eh

Coolant and Compression: Coolant is supposed to be green. That Mountain Dew green that tells you it’s working. The coolant in the Neon was brown. Like a coffee with cream brown. I can now tell for certain that the 1/2 a quart of oil I lost in the last few months did not hit the ground, nor was it combusted.

I got a hold of a compression tester, and pulled the plugs. James cranked the motor, as I watched in amazement of how this stupid little Dodge motor works. 1st cylinder; 180psi. Okay that’s really good! I’m preparing myself for the 120psi or 70psi in the last three. 180 again… hmm 182 & 179 for the last two. WTF! For those who don’t know - Usually with a blown head gasket, you see a 20% difference in cylinder pressure. If you see the pressure drop you may have a bent valve or bad piston rings. Add some oil to the cylinder, re-test, and if still leaking - you know it’s the valves and not the rings. I had no leaks, and solid pressure across the boards at 180psi. I still need a head gasket, and it will continue to degrade - but right now the motor is running just fine. Just fine with oil seeping into the coolant through the head gasket at 90psi.

Speaking of Coolant: I spent the other day down at Casa’de Trunkmonkey. Drained the coolant. Flushed. Filled. Found a small crack in tank of radiator. Drained. I grabbed some flux, solder, propane, and matches. Soldering closed it up. I may need to touch it up again. It stopped the - drip, drip, drip. We’ll see.


So, Today - we’re going back to the garage. I’m going to check on the solder, and the coolant coffee. The Bondo is nice and hard now. Planning on the final paint for the rear of the car. We’re going to paint the dent, and go over the white again. Plus we’re going to match the Impreza’s design with a white trunk, and rear quarter panels. Should look sweet when finished.

Mark Lovell and Roger Freeman fatally injured at Oregon Trail Rally. I am in a complete state of shock.
Early today I was keeping an eye on the updates from Oregon. “Stage Closed, report back for a drivers meeting.”?? This was followed by a long period of silence. That silence was broken by some horrible news.
It appears that Mark Lovell, and co-driver Roger Freeman were just a short bit into one of the first stages, when they hit a tree killing both driver & co-driver. No specific crash details have been released - but the Oregon State Police did a full accident investigation.

Having met Mark several times - We’ve lost some true friends. Roger has been co-driver for the last couple of rallies, and has driven with Mark many times before that. I can still recall the rush he gave our group when
he drifted a long sweeper at STPR for well over 200 yards, and at well over 90 MPH.

This is such an unfortunate event. This is why safety is always a number one concern. But in motorsports - you have to accept that motorsports are dangerous. Rally is a risk. Just like driving on I95 is a risk. One that has to be humbly calculated. Would we rather retreat from this danger - or take the chance of life - and explore our humanity, and the bounds of not only our machines, but ourselves. James and I decided to go for a drive, and toasted to Mark and Roger on one of our favorite dirt roads.

Mark Lovell & Roger Freeman ~ Rest In Peace 7/12/2003