The Monza Coupe

Log Title: The Monza Coupe

Characters: Clutch, Steel-Brigadier 910 Location: Pit Motorpool

Date: November 24, 2012

Players: Bzero (Clutch), Horsetuna (Steel-Brigadier 910)

Summary: 910 asks Clutch for help with his car.

''As logged by Clutch - Saturday, November 24, 2012, 10:37 PM --

Motorpool - Offutt AFB

 * Contents:
 * Clutch
 * Steel-Brigadier 910
 * 1994 Pontiac Firebird
 * AH-64 Apache #879
 * Wolverine #869


 * It was the next day, and the PIT was still rather empty due to thanksgiving weekend. The Brigadier was currently kneeling by

his car, muttering curses as he worked to change the tire.

Clutch is cutting through the Pit motorpool, and spots the Brigadier kneeling by the car. He comes over to see if he can help. Clutch grumbles, "Need any help?"

Hearing footprints, then the voice, The SB growls "Yes! A lot of help of many kinds! These bolts are jammed." he gestures to the wheel and a near-stripped bolt.

Clutch crouches down to take a look. "Yeah. Someone over-torqued 'em. Good thing I came by before you broke one off. Lemme get my tools."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "I was stopping at this point anyways. Thanks." he stands to one side,then gives the wheel a kick.

Clutch walks over and grabs a cart. Coming back, he asks, "Did kicking it help?"

"Well it made me feel better." remarks the Brigadier, rubbing his forehead. "I'm glad it got me to the Pit at least and didn't break down on the highway.

Clutch crouches down again, and uses a hydraulic tool to easily remove the nuts.

Watching quietly, the Brigadier asks "Do you need a certificate to run that tool?"

Clutch chuckles. "This?" he asks, holding up the hydraulic tool. "No." He pulls at the wheel, which still doesn't seem to want to come off, even with the nuts removed. Clutch goes to the cart again, putting down the tool and picking up a mallet. Clutch grumbles, "Got a spare?"

"Maybe I should get one then. Or a new car..." he nods and moves towards the trunk. "Need my jack too? " he asked, pulling out the spare and checking it to ensure it was inflated.

Clutch says, "A new car? What else is wrong with it?"

"Well it still RUNS, which is why I still drive it... but it rattles like hell, there's no AC even built in...The headlights work but that's only cause I just replaced them. one flickers if I have the radio too loud. In time to the music."
 *  Steel-Brigadier 910 says, "he has a rustbucket Chevy"

Clutch rolls over a professional jack, and jacks up the car.

Steel-Brigadier 910 rolls the spare wheel over and lays it down beside Clutch's form where he could easily reach it. "need me to help or just keep out of the way?"

Clutch grumbles, "Eh, I got it." Clutch sprays the wheel with some WD-40 and uses the mallet to carefully bang it loose. Clutch switches out the tire, smiling at SB's litany of car problems. "So, you're saying it has character."

"THat's one way of putting it. To be honest I'd be happy with AC. Can you get installable ACs for cars? I do like it, even if its rusting a bit." he admits.

Clutch hms, considering it. "Well, anything's possible, though it might be easier to just make it a convertible." It's hard to tell if he's joking or not. Clutch checks the air on all four tires, topping each of them off before he lowers the jack.

Steel-Brigadier 910 blinks "Is that even legal to do? " he asked, taking Clutch seriously.

Clutch grumbles, "Oh, sure. We can do it street-legal as well." Clutch sounds like street-legal is only a secondary consideration to him.

Steel-Brigadier 910 guffaws a little bit at that "I'll consider it, but only if you make sure the heater stops smelling like a dead rat when I turn it on for the winter."

Clutch says, "Oh. Well, this model Chevy does use rat-heat, standard."

Steel-Brigadier 910 remarks "Is that why its so slow? I don't give them the expensive Gourmet cheese?"

Clutch nods sagely. "You need the right fuel for the right rat."

Steel-Brigadier 910 rubs his face "I can't believe we took the joke this far."

Clutch feigns surprise. "You think I'm joking?"

Steel-Brigadier 910 wells "I think rat powered chevies were discontinued long before a rat would have expired by now..." He pauses "... I don't think that made sense ."

Clutch says, "Well, the rat itself may have been replaced since the car was first manufactured."


 * "Fair enough." remarks Steel Brigadier again "Is that wheel coming off or are we going to have to use something stronger?"

Clutch grumbles, "Nope. We're good."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods again and stands out of the way, just watching "So over torqued means what?"

Chutch checks the wheel is properly back in place, and lowers the jack. "Got a hubcap?" He then answers, "Over-tightened."

Steel-Brigadier 910 shakes his head "Not on that wheel no. And oh." a pause, then he frowned "So its my fault kind of."

Clutch says, "Did you change this last time? Have it rotated since then?"

"I did yes, and no I didn't... not for two years? I know I need new tires. I keep forgetting. I'm a bad car owner."

Clutch grumbles, "If you're gonna be stationed here a while, I can keep track of the maintenance for ya."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "How much will that be per month then? And yeah, I used to just keep it in storage but I think I'll have to change those plans now that I'm here full time."

Clutch grumbles, "Eh, I'll do it for parts. Keep me sharp. Want me to take a look at the engine? Check yer rat?"

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "Fair enough. Just tell me what parts, where, and how legal it is." he then grins and turns to the front of the car. He bangs twice on the top and it pops open. "Go ahead."

Clutch grumbles, "Ah, yeah. This car takes me back." He pulls up the hood, causing a small rain of rust flakes.

Steel-Brigadier 910 ohs? "You had one of this? " he asks as he peers in at the engine. not the original, but it was pretty old as well.

Clutch says, "Sumpin like it, yeah."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "Did I make a good choie then?"

Clutch grumbles, "Ehh.... it's got its merits. It's got its potential."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "Fair enough. If I should get a new one or even a new used one lemme know though. I just dnot want to die horribly in a car crash, or after eating my boots stuck in a snow drift."

 Clutch says, "How about a 70s Chevrolet Monza Coupe http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/1978- chevrolet-monza-coupe-vega-ii-or-mustang-too/"  Steel-Brigadier 910 says, "I like it. Ugly yellow, hee"  Clutch says, "Yep. =D"

Clutch grumbles, "Eh, I wouldn't be so quick to give this up."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "Well after a point, a car could still become a lost cause. If I reach that point its just more economical to get a new one yanno?"

Clutch grumbles, "Well, maybe, but where's the fun in that? You hurtin' for money, kid?"

Steel-Brigadier 910 shakes his head 'Nah. I just don't believe in wasting money." he explains "And i keep forgetting about repairs and maintenance."

Clutch grumbles, "Well, there is that."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "Anyways, if its rescuable I'll keep it. no sense letting it go to waste. I owe you a few beers for this too ya?"

Clutch says, "I'll take the beers, and if you decide to unload this car, I'll take it off your hands. I could use a new weekend project."

Steel-Brigadier 910 thumbs up "You have strange weekend projects. Then again I've been told my hobby is boring." shrug

Clutch grumbles, "Oh? What do you do? Collect stamps?" He lights a cigarette, and leans in over the engine. "You smell gasoline?" he asks around the butt.

Steel-Brigadier 910 grins uneasily "I play Call of Duty and Pokemon." yeah, he went red. He then blinks and stares at Clutch "... okay, THAT has to be a joke, right?" Oddly enough, his entire engine block seemed glistening as though covered in something.

Clutch frowns at the glistening

Steel-Brigadier 910 peers down as well "What's wrong?" he asked. The glistening was kind of shimmery.

Clutch says, "You, uh... huh." Clutch swipes the finger of one of his gloves across the coating experimentally He grumbles, "Wow. That's a LOT of oil."

Steel-Brigadier 910 leans over as well, blinking. He looks at the oil compartment, and pulls the dipper out "... Its still full. The hell?"

Clutch grumbles, "It's not good, whatever it is." He pulls down a lamp and clips it to interior of the roof.

Steel-Brigadier 910 puts the dipper back in, frowning deeply "Crap. that's flammable like that isn't it?"

Clutch makes a face, his burning cigarette danging just above the oil. "Eh. It can be. I'm kinda surprised it didn't catch on fire on the way here. We definitely want to clean it up before you start it up again. Were you headin' out tonight?"

Steel Brigadier shook his head, now looking a little bit ashen "Maybe its the cold weather outside... I got lucky i guess. Real Lucky. And yeah. Was gonna head into town, just pick a few small things up, maybe a book. Guess it can wait. Crap. Who'd do this?"

Clutch frowns. He looks at the underside of the hood to see if somehow oil is spraying up from the engine.

No sign there, a few singe marks though. Seems things were closer than first appeared.

Clutch hms, sucking on his cigarette. "Yeah... looks like you did burn some oil that dripped onto the engine. Hopin' no permanent damage, but you might want to sign out a loaner 'til I get this checked out. You know Mockin'bird?"

"She's the Quartermaster isn't she? " asked the Brigadier after a moments' thought. He rubbed a finger over the burn mark and whistled through his teeth.

Clutch grumbles, "Among other things. She can hook you up with a loaner, or if she's gone this weekend, I can - just lemme know."

Steel-Brigadier 910 nods "Well, I wont die without that book. I should see about an Ereader maybe. Then I can just get a new one whenever there's WiFi."

Clutch grumbles, "Eh. Yeah. Maybe talk to Mainframe about that shit? I think he's got, like, a million books in our library. A buncha old hard-to-fund car manuals, too, which is pretty cool."

Steel-Brigadier 910 oohs "Nice. I'll check it out. Thanks for helping me by the way, I might've not found this out if you hadn't. Should we put up a report on it?"

Clutch hitches his hat and scratches his head. "Uh... if you want." He shrugs.

Steel-Brigadier 910 pauses at that "... Okay. I can do it. For now, thanks. How about that beer?"

Clutch grins. "Now THAT sounds nice. I'm not even on-shift tonight. I was just passin' though. Lemme tag your car, and then we'll head out."

Steel-Brigadier 910 grins "Let's get cleaned up a bit and then do it. The oil can wait till tomorrow."

Clutch nods, and heads over to the logbook. 'Cleaned up' seems excessive, but hey, why not? It's Saturday night." He heads to the barracks to change clothes and sweeten himself up for Teh Ladeez.