"Anything that can go wrong, will". And the corollary, "at the worst possible time" was alive and well yesterday. I drove my 2004 Portfolio to meet some folks interested in buying it and noticed "the morning flat spot" wasn't going away. As I got closer to the rendezvous, the shaking was getting worse. The test drive was awful though they praised how it looked. After driving slowly back home, I raised it up and discovered a huge sidewall blister on the right front tire, on the inside of course. Maybe I've been blessed, but I've never had a tire failure like that before. Of course, Bridgestone doesn't make the 760 series anymore. Reckon I need to put a new set of tires on it to sell it now.

 

Yes they do seem to come at seemingly inopportune times. In those times I like to reflect back on Alan Watts story of the Chinese farmer. Sometimes seemingly bad things happen in life that in turn open up the good things that would otherwise be unobtainable.

 

I could tell you a story about a boat that would leave you in tears. The day it finally sold for the test ride it slid off the trailer once it hit water so I had to swim after it. Once running it was smoking bad and wouldn't plane out (2.3l Ford / Cobra out drive). Fiddled with the engine trying to get the timing right. Beautiful hull and interior. Told them up front it needed a new engine and the out drive wasn't in real good shape. Got it back on the trailer and noticed one of the bunks had broken free and the hull was sitting on the steel riser. Got that sorted out and apologized for the boat being unworthy of their time and they still bought it. Said they had a mechanic friend who could sort it out. Last I heard they never did.

 

My inopportune car story was back in 1970 when I was driving my 1963 Pontiac to a dealer who was going to take it in partial trade for a 1970 Roadrunner. I was driving with my girlfriend (now my wife) and when I reached the freeway offramp for the dealer there was a bunch of smoke and the engine blew. I think it was probably a seized valve or broken rod. She helped me push the car into a nearby gas station and then we walked the few blocks to the dealer. He asked where the Pontiac was and I gave him some ****-and-bull story. I naively thought that if the car sat for a while I could get it started again but not so.

The dealer ended up giving me maybe $50 or so out of sympathy.

Doug

 

I once had a 1972 Ranchero, black with deep blue accent paint on the roof and raised section of the hood. Beautiful car, 351 Cleveland, brushed aluminum mags. I was on my way to sell it and the engine caught fire, torched everything in the engine compartment, destroyed the hood, cracked the windshield and started into the dash somehow. I think it was really pissed that I was going to sell it...