INTO SUMMER... a busy time (Part 173j)

INTO SUMMER… a busy time (Part 173j)

Thursday was the last day of the ‘busy period’. It was also the day that I started to feel like normal again. In truth, work hadn’t been as hectic as I’d expected even with the added lobby traffic due to having to shut down the drive-up window. Somehow, a customer managed to damage the drawer with his car. Alice, the teller operating the window, pushed the drawer out and for some reason the customer decided to move his car and caught it. My note in the DayTimer was cryptic and I’m not sure what I’d written. I do remember feeling that neither Alice or the customer was telling the complete truth. The tellers managed to strike a proof without a problem and, as a reward for a smooth ‘busy period’, decided to let them go early. I was an instant ‘hero’. But, it wasn’t all for them. Cliffy had called to say Freddy was bringing the fuel injection set-up early because he wanted to make sure it worked for us. Since Cliffy’s father wouldn’t let us run the motor after 8pm he had to get it done before then. I got home around 4:30pm and Elle was all excited until I told her I was just going to change clothes and take off for the garage. She didn’t say much but I could see the disappointment in her face. After changing clothes. as I came down the stairs, she was waiting and motioned me to follow her into the  dining room.

The first thing I saw was the sewing machine set up on the dining room table. I don’t remember her saying anything but I do remember her pointing to two small piles next to it. Getting closer I recognized one as being a couple of her plastic panties. It took a few seconds for it to register and I could see the other was a pile of regular nylon panties. When she did speak it was to say she was hoping I’d help her to create what I’d discussed with her on Monday night out on the screened in porch… making a pair of panties with a much larger waterproof crotch than the store bought sanitary panties. That got me really exited on two fronts. One was that she’d bought into my idea and the other was of a physical nature. I definitely remember looking at my watch and debating with myself as to what to do. I hadn’t told Cliffy I’d be to the garage early so not showing up right then wasn’t a problem. The problem was I was also excited about the whole fuel injection system for the race car and didn’t want to miss what Freddy was going to show us. I had to make a decision and do it quickly. I’d been willing to pass up eating for the race car but… this was different.

I told her I’d get it started for her if she’d cook up something for me to eat while I was doing it. I needed some sort of measurements so ran back upstairs to get a pair of store bought sanitary panties to use as my guide. The leg elastics were shot on the plastic panties so cutting them up didn’t matter. All I wanted from them was a rather large piece of the soft plastic to use as the overlarge crotch. I ended up cutting all the elastics away and then cut down both sides. I stood there looking at the result and almost couldn’t believe how much plastic was now laying flat on the table. I’d grabbed the worst looking pair of sanitary panties so basically did the same to them. When I was laying the sanitary panties on top of the plastic ones it was hard to believe what I was seeing. Without exaggeration, the crotch of the plastic panties at the narrowest point was six inches. At the same place the sanitary pantie measured four inches and the regular panties lying on the table to be used were but two and three quarter inches. It was something I’d not thought about doing before and proved to be very interesting. By then Elle was back to tell me she’d cooked me a hamburger. I showed her what I’d done and told her what I thought had to be done to accomplish what I thought would work. I cut the plastic crotch out of the sanitary panties and laid it on the now flat piece of plastic from the full plastic panties. I measured and then marked off an additional four inches more to the front and the back of the sanitary panty crotch. As for the width I added an inch. But I was really not sure how to proceed and wanted to head for the garage. Elle didn’t complain and when I promised her that I’d focus on the project when I got home the next night she smiled.

At the garage, all the crew was there. Freddy was running the fuel line when I walked in. What caught my eye was the eight fluted stacks sticking up from the center of the motor… one for each cylinder. I really struck me that just the sight of them made us more competitive. It was truly impressive. I couldn’t wait to get to the track to see just what it would do for us. While Freddy worked on finishing up the connections I could see Robob and Alan putting the new foam into the fuel cell. Right next to them were two gas cans with what I quickly learned was the alcohol we would be using for fuel. There really wasn’t much for me to do because we’d done all the rest of the prep work on the car on Monday night. Dick had mounted two new tires and was loading them onto the truck. All that was left was to put the fuel into the tank and wait for Freddy to say he was ready to fire up the motor.

It was around 7:30pm when he said he was ready. I was surprised to see Cliffy’s father come into the garage. Normally, he’d leave at 6pm and that would be the last we’d see of him. But, the fuel injection system had him intrigued. Just before they were going to start the motor I noticed a second fuel line. I’d seen race cars with fuel injection but hadn’t paid much attention to how they worked. I asked Alan about it and he admitted that until Freddy started installing it he was unaware of the second line. It’s been far too many years for me to remember the details about it but it was a return line for the fuel that wasn’t needed. There was a little attachment to the line with what he told me was a “pill” that controlled the amount that was being returned to the fuel cell. I didn’t understand it then and I sure don’t now. But… we quickly learned that it was important.

When Freddy was ready it took a while for the fuel to make it to the injectors and into the motor. When it finally did the motor wouldn’t stay running. After a couple of tries we saw Freddy grab a couple of wrenches and got to the attachment in the fuel line and disconnect one end… and then stand there and let out a stream of expletives. What had happened was he’d not checked to see if there was a “pill” in the line and there wasn’t one. Without it there was way too much fuel getting into the engine and it was ‘drowning’ in fuel. What got him even madder was that he’d forgotten to bring the box with the different size “pills” with him. Naturally, all the guys were disappointed. Freddy apologized and told Cliffy to get to the track early on Saturday and he’d make sure he was there with the pills. He told him he’d give us as much time as needed to get us running. Since he was no longer running his own car he had time to spare and really wanted to see us going well. I’d only met him back in early May but in the short time I’d observed him I felt he was one of the ‘good guys’.(107)

To be continue...