So, I finally remembered that I have this blog and needed to update it after what….2 years or so. Oh well. The car is doing just fine. Likely needs a new tune to deal with some error codes that might create problems later.
I am working on my next obsession…an early Bronco. I’ll keep you updated. Later.
Went for a drive for the first time in about six and a half weeks. After about five minutes, I started to notice more and more “fog” appearing in the dash. Looks like some moisture got into the dash while the car was sitting. Take a look…and check out the photo gallery for a couple more winter shots.
I took Jezebel out the other morning when the temperature was 0°F, with the wind chill dropping well into the negative double digits. I usually don’t inflict pain upon myself, but I had a buddy in from Cleveland who had not yet seen or ridden in the Atom.
She started up just fine with no mechanical issues. The brakes were pretty cold and kept getting cold throughout the drive. Also, while I haven’t driven on solid plastic tires since my days of driving big wheels, I am guessing the A048’s were pretty close as they kept breaking loose from the pavement. Obviously I didn’t get the chance to let my buddy hear the intake scream.
As for the pilot and copilot, we donned some windproof jackets, gloves and regular shoes. We also deceided to go with full helmets and use the intercom because we did not want to come home with icicles sticking off of our eyeballs. We ended up driving about 20 minutes before our extremities started getting painful. Our toes and fingers started throbbing, but everywhere else was pretty much OK due to the side panels and bubbles. Well, except for when we would turn our heads and allow the frigid air between our helmets and jackets.
Overall the ride was pretty good, especially in view of the temperature. Do I have any plans to do a longer ride when it is that cold out? NOPE. I am waiting in anticipation for warmer weather to push back in. Hopefully that time is not too far away.
Well, it has been a while since my last update. I have had a few business related things to get through in the past month or so and have been mostly unavailable. During that time, I did get a chance to take Jezebel out a couple of times. In case anyone is wondering, she starts up just fine when the weather drops below 30F. Now as far as the driver and passenger are concerned, helmets are pretty much required unless you want your eyeballs to freeze. Obviously, just like your eyeballs, the A048’s aren’t exactly made for cold weather either. As long as you can keep light on your toes, it really is not a big problem.
I haven’t yet taken the car out in the rain/snow or even when there is any moisture on the streets. There are a coupe of reasons such as me not wanting to get wet and even colder as well as because I do not want to get the car completely dirty. It is a little too cold to be out wiping down every surface of the car. However, I do need to thank my brother for the great Christmas gift of a bunch of different high end car care products. I will be using them soon because the car is getting pretty dirty even just sitting in the garage.
The car is doing great so far with the minor exceptions of the dash sporadically going out and the clutch needing to be bled. As for the first problem, Brammo is sending out a part which should fix the problem. They have indicated that they have been tracking the electrical problem down for some time now and have come up with a solution. I’ll let you know how that goes when the part arrives. As for the clutch, I havent gotten the chance to bleed the clutch because whenever I get a little time to be in the garage when the weather is above 35F, I want to go for a quick ride and not tinker with the clutch.
Well, suprisingly, it was one of the warmest Thanksgiving days ever out here so I decided to introduce Jezebel to my extended family in Milwaukee. While it was very warm for the time of year, it was still only about 40F when we set off in the morning.
Since it is approximately 110 miles or so from my house to the family gathering, we decided to fully kit out the car for the trip. My brother was riding co-pilot so we donned helmets with my Starcom system, windproof clothes and gloves. As it was too cold for her, my lovely wife drove the chase vehicle and kept the heathens off of my bumper.
The Starcom still needs some adjusting as it was originally setup for non-highway speeds. I plan to take care of that on the next trip. One other interesting thing we had to deal with was that the I-pass toll gadget did not really want to work very well while in the Atom. We had to keep moving it around to get it to register at the booth.
The drive up was great. Lots of thumbs up and people staring. We had a woman in an older Porsche flying past us until she saw the car and then she slammed on her brakes to watch the car for a few minutes. The weather was great and none of our extremities got cold due to the side panels.
When we arrived, I was given all of 20 minutes to relax and grab some turkey and other assorted grub. After that, it was rides for the rest of the afternoon. Everyone had a great time getting rides and were thoroughly impressed with Jezebel.
We ended up setting out to head home a little later than we really wanted to as we were trying to avoid the drive on the expressway during the dead of night. However, we were pleasantly suprised with how visible the car was so it was not a problem.
All in all it was a great day. The only problem was the big jump in mileage on the car…with the limited mileage insurance policy lurking in the back of my head.
Well, I just got back from the Dominican Republic. While the weather might be perfect for the Atom, the roads certainly are not. When you are not stuck behind a slow moving moped or donkey cart, you are busy trying to avoid hitting massive potholes and other road hazards.
I did get back to one decent day of weather. Too bad I had to get in to work in the morning first. However, I was able to get home and go out for a quick ride while it was still above 60F.
A couple of recent problems have popped up over the last couple of hundred miles. 1 – the dash will intermittently reset itself. I am not sure if it is a loose power connection or what, but it appears that the entire dash loses power, including speedo and tach. 2 – the clutch is acting up. I am guessing that it needs to be bled possibly due to some bubbles as others have noticed a similar problem. Every once and a while, the clutch will stay towards the floor and the gearbox will engage while trying to shift. A quick pump of the pedal fixes the problem. I plan to bleed the clutch soon.
Other than that, everything is spectacular. Well, I guess I am a little concerned about the outdoor cover that I have possibly scratching the finish on the painted surfaces. That will probably happen while driving anyway, so no big deal.
Well, I have been pretty busy lately so I haven’t really gotten a chance to write anything about the car.
It is spectacular. It looks great and the power is addictive. No, I don’t exceed posted speed limits so don’t ask how fast I have gotten it. However, the acceleration is pretty unbelievable. Putting along in second at about 20 then grab a little gas, all of a sudden you are at 50 in a blink of an eye.
There is nothing like it. Driving with your butt literally 6 inches off of the ground. Yup, its pretty much like a go cart (as my wife loves to point out). I did have one huge intimidating drive when I pulled up next to a Hummer. It makes you hope that the person behind the wheel of that thing isn’t on a cell phone, yelling at the kids, playing with the radio, etc. or it could make for a very short drive.
The only problem is the cold. It has been only hitting about 50 degrees so it has been tough getting the tires to warm up, especially on city streets. The rears spin pretty easily if you get on the gas, which can be fun, but that means I haven’t been able to truly test the power. The front tires have also been skipping during corners because of the cold and the pothole/grooved streets in the midwest.
The only other real problem with the cold is my own comfort. With a helmet on, I am actually pretty comfortable, with the exception of my hands. I need to invest in some better gloves.
I am still undecided about the roll bar. I do like the protection, but I think it ruins the looks. We’ll see how long it stays.
She has finally arrived.
Plates are on and we are running. Make sure you check out the image gallery for more pics. I don’t have much time to write as I need to make use of the good weather. Later.
Here’s a shot of the assembled car sitting on the dolly.
More pics can be found at my image gallery.
Time for a rant…
Well, my car is done, or at least should be done by Monday. Many months ago I jumped through all of the insurance hoops to find decent coverage. My decision came down to Classic and Grundy, both of which indicated they would insure my car. I went with Grundy as they were cheaper and had unrestricted mileage. I sent all of my forms in including requested extras like DMV records, photos of the car, copies of my current insurance, etc.
Grundy just now decides that they cannot meet my minimum liability requirements (Grundy wouldn’t budge over 100k). Neither Grundy nor my regular insurance company wants to budge. This is a deal breaker.
I may end up going with Classic, though now I will have to wait again for the forms to be processed. Maybe I will switch my regular insurer just out of spite.
Regardless, the car is done, albeit delayed. The transport company just left so it will be another few weeks wait until they send another truck out my way, unless I find alternative transport. It’s getting to be winter in Chicago, which is “great” for Atom driving.
/rant
Man, I need a drink.