it was a 78. Replaced the speakers and installed a CD player cause I was about to move to Vegas from Atlanta. Also replaced the water pump cause it was acting up.
I knew it was gonna break down on the way so I made sure I had extra fluids and a good tool set, and only packed whatever else would fit. I’m good at Tetris.
In Arkansas close to Little Rock, white smoke through the air vents. I pulled over. It was exactly what I thought. The radiator hose blew. I was lucky, it broke right next to the cap so I just cut off the bad parts and re-attached it. And if you remember I packed extra fluids. So I refilled the radiator and went on.
Somewhere in New Mexico it started having problems getting up hills. I pulled over… the air filter was clogged with oil. The carburetor was spitting oil into it and the engine couldn’t breathe. So I too off the top of the carburetor off, threw the filter away, added some oil to it and kept trucking.
In Flag Staff Arizona my battery light started flashing. I knew it was the alternator. But flag staff was so close to Vegas I thought to myself “meh I can make it”. I was wrong.
At the top of a mountain around midnight my car shut down. Alternator wasn’t working and my battery was dead. I was able to get to an off ramp. I was able to to “fix” aka “Jerry rig” the alternator with some electric tape but I couldn’t start it without a jump.
I had roadside assistance but no reception on the mountain. So I walked up and used a flashlight to flag down anyone who could give me a jump. Did that for an hour or so.
Of course no one stopped. Midnight on a mountain? I’d think “Chainsaw massacre” too. I gave up and went back to my car and figured I’d just sleep until light.
Luck for me someone called the cops. He gave me a jump and I coasted down the mountain and over the Hoover dam… battery light flashing off and on. First gas station I had to tighten that electric tape… that tends to get slack when it gets hot.
After that I barely got to Vegas. Next day my new roommate took me to get a new alternator and I installed it.
That 78 Nova was loyal to me for years until some bitch in a mustang rear ended me so hard it bent the frame. Ain’t no going back from a bent frame.
And that’s all I got to say about that.
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