Everybody Loves A Parade!

Okay, so it was a dicey start to the day. The mercury measured 31 as I loaded the Riv with extra blankets and gloves and sweatshirts. I'd agreed to meet a fellow Kiwanian at the supermarket to collect a plastic urn of hot water for cocoa, and I was running late. The Riv started up in the garage with a cloud of steam, and over to Kroger we drove...and that's about as far as we got for a while.

The blessings of carburated engines include the wonders of vapor-lock, and sure enough, on the one day I had pledged her service, I couldn't get her going again to save my life. After about 6 or 7 cranks, the battery decided it wasn't strong enough to play ball much any more, so I had to call in the cavalry. There's a Goodyear shop in the strip mall, and they were kind enough to send a jump box and a tech over to the edge of the parking lot, where we gave the starter some extra juice and held the throttle open to get her started....Whew!




Once at the parade staging area, we attached balloons, streamers, and banners, and told stories of old cars until the parade kicked off. We were positioned right at the tail end, just ahead of the City of Johns Creek's award-winning float and the hook-and-ladder truck with Santa Claus perched in the trailer's steering seat. Staffed with a few Key Clubbers from Northview HS and a handful of Johns Creek Kiwanians, we were off to the sounds of "Who Let the Dogs Out?!" courtesy of the Shriner's clown van just ahead of us.


It's also hard to see from these pictures, but the wiper arm I'd looked so hard for was painted and attached this week, and is mostly hidden from view by the wiper fascia I reinstalled on the night before the parade. Oddly enough, the new driver's-side blade sits just a smidge higher up on the windshield than the passenger-side blade, but I'm not complaining. At least I'll be able to see if I ever get caught in the rain.

Parade Preparations

I didn't want to spoil the surprise, so I waited until the new wiper arm arrived over the holiday weekend from the seller I'd mentioned in my last post, and tested it tonight, just to make sure it fits.

Shazam! We're in business.

These photos show the wiper collection I've amassed so far ... on top is the one I bought in a late-night leap of faith six weeks ago; second in line is the passenger-side arm from the most recent shipment (note the absence of the bolt-socket on the underneath); third is the sheared-off arm I've been trying to replace; and at the bottom is the newly-acquired arm that'll go on the Buick.

Since the pictures, I've added a couple of coats of black-metallic spray paint to the stainless steel arm, and I'll sand and touch it up before installing it some time before the end of the week. It'll be all ready for Saturday morning's parade through the heart of Johns Creek.

Also in the garage, and waiting in line for installation is the hood insulation pad I couldn't resist buying, but since the hood will stay closed (I hope!) during the parade, that'll probably wait until another weekend.

To get the Riv all cleaned up, I worked on the body paint the weekend before Thanksgiving, smoothing out the scratches with Meguiar's polish (Step #2 of 3). She looks really good from the outside, and with people in the seats to cover up the scratches in the upholstery, it's gonna be a great parade ride.