Slot cars.
A couple weeks ago I was given some Strombecker slot car track, which was popular back in the sixties (it’s had 1966 molded into it). I didn’t have any 1:32 scale cars, or controllers or a transformer, so I went to my favorite online store, ebay, and started bidding on sets. About a week went by, and I won a set which had everything I needed in well used shape, for ten dollars. Another week went by and it showed up in the mail… now I have about sixty feet of track, two cars, everything I need to have a working track!

I set up a small track, and tried it out… only one of the cars worked, and the pickups on it were pretty worn, plus the tires wouldn’t grip the track. So, this past weekend, we went to Scale Model Supplies in St. Paul, MN and picked up new tires and pickups for these cars. Now I can run the one car around the track!! Very cool! I’m planning on picking up a brand new car, because they are so cheap, and to see if that helps. Also I have some more track cleanup I can do to get a better connection.

I always wanted one of these tracks when I was a kid, It’s too cool to actually have one now, and it’s an old one, and it’s larger scale (1:32nd vs the normal HO or 1:87th scale tracks). Jessica and our new little guy are going to have fun with this!

The truck.

I have been in a slump, not working on the truck much at all this summer. I think it’s partially due to having a new little guy on the way, having had my wisdom teeth out (and all the money that was supposed to go to the truck and a deck going to that), and a few other minor factors. Suffice it to say I’m excited about it again, and am going to be buying some brake, and other parts to try to get it on the road this next spring/summer.

The first thing I need is the master cylinder bracket kit to adapt the stock brake pedal to the dual disc master cylinder I purchased. I was working on building one, but found one for about $80, so I’m just going to go that route, and jump start my return to wrenching. Once I have the bracket installed I can weld up my  rear transmission mount, and then I can finish welding on my engine mounts. After those things, I should be ready to test fire the motor… maybe I can do that by Thanksgiving!

Michelle and I have an awesome nine year-old daughter that we have a lot of fun with. She is just awesome, is very smiley, and has a ton (quite literally… I’ve weighed it!) of energy!! A couple of months back we found out we’re going to now have a little boy too!

What a way to make a guy really think through what he’s up to, and where he is headed in life! Being a step-dad was a pretty easy thing for me to do, but having one “of my own” is a whole ‘nother thing. Jessica was four when I met her for the first time… I can still remember, she kept wanting to sit between Michelle and I, which didn’t make cuddling with my new girlfriend very easy at all… now we’re going to have a little poop-monster, and start the whole parenting thing over again, how cool is that!

Anyways, I haven’t posted for quite some time as I’ve been very busy with several things, from my day job (I got a promotion, by the way) as Web Solutions Manager at Dennis Kirk, Inc., to my side project, Fast Edison, to going shopping for baby stuff, and buying slot car tracks online (don’t ask). I realized in the past week or so that I wanted to do something to give back to you hot-rodders that have happily answered my questions, and have come over to tell me and show me what I’m doing wrong, so look for some more info on that in the coming days.

Suffice it to say that I’ve got the new parent glow, and can’t imagine anything more exciting that bringing a new little kid into the world! Now, I just have to wait three more months… sigh.

-Ben