Thursday, November 10, 2011

Becoming Legit

August 23/2011

It's like walking into the hall full of students waiting to write their passing exams, knowing that everything you have spent so much time on will be judged in a quick, thourough proving session. I felt the same kind of anxiety that I'm sure artists feel when they release an album, or a designer pitching a product on Dragon's Den.

This anxiety was justified for a few reasons. If the wagon failed the safety it meant I would have a list of yet more things to fix - to spend money on; not to mention the cost of another safety test. I had never tested the emmissions systems, only fixed what I had found to be dysfunctional. on top of these things was compounded the pressure of getting it certified so I could drive it up north to the waiting paint booth so I could paint it before the weather got too cold. I had booked a week of holidays months in advance so I was locked in; whether I spent them painting or I spent them fixing stuff I missed.

Lets just say the vehicle found it's way to the dealership in an undisclosed, yet fully legal manner. This provided a good test to see how it felt hitting 80 for the first time in nearly 4 years, and allowed the cat to heat up enough for the etest. upon arrival I hopped out, and my brother in law wheeled the big beast into the shop and onto the dyno for it's etest. While I wasnt allowed in the shop for thie following procedures, My brother in law had my camera-phone for some shots during the safety test. much to my surprise it passed the test by the skin of its teeth on the first round. I can probably attribute this near miss to its lack of use over the past few years (as i write this in November, it runs much better)


Looking to design a "Back From the Brink" sticker for the window to signify just how close this thing was to the crusher.
Sitting in the showroom with all the brand new baby Subaru's while my Senior Citizen Jeep towered on a hoist in the shop felt very numb, almost clinical; the way a father waits at the hospital for their child to be born. I was yet again surprised when after maybe 25 minutes my bro in law came out to tell me it was all finished, passed and certified. I was then able to go into the shop and snap a few pictures. I then settled up all the legal stuff and bills and set off in search of a licensing beurau to get some plates (another anxiety inducing task).



This thing weeps for paint, though the patchwork effect lets you know this vehicle has seen some pretty significant battles.

Note the orange Brakes for added stopping power

Apart from the lineup, the MOT deal was pretty uneventful, and I got the industry's only friendly and helpful assistant. I wont say any more about that since it's so boring, but I got a set of plates, Returned to the dealership, and popped them onto my newly legal beast.




Continued Next Post...

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