The brake relay arrived in the mail on Tuesday (fast shipping from the folks at Bird Nest), but I was out of commission with a stomach ailment–in no shape to work on the car.
After work today though, I was under the hood. Two screws, plugged it in to the old harness and . . . well, did it work? I had no helper, so I jammed a 2×4 against the brake pedal and peeked around the back. Sure enough, the brake lights were lit up. Sweet!
A new fuse for the turn signals and I was ready to go. Drove the beast on some errands–post office and the auto parts store, two favorite haunts–and it was absolutely awesome to get out of the neighborhood and get the ‘bird up to speed.
Sure, I’ve still got a 50 item to-do list, but the major items are now complete–I now have a ride instead of a project.
Some smaller items finished over the weekend: lock cylinder installed in the decklid (so I can open the trunk with a key, not a screwdriver); cleaned the interior (well, got a start at it); glued down a door seal (trying to stop a water leak into the interior) and took a stab at polishing the mag wheels (serious work will be needed to get through all the oxidation).
In the “going backwards” category, the rear-view mirror simply fell off a few hours after it was installed. Third try is the charm (again), I’m hoping.
FINALLY! All the patience and work has paid off! YAY