From: THE SPECIALIST      
To: ALL                 
Subject: My car         
Date & Time: 03/25/91 21:18:36
Message Number 14197

Well, after conking out on me the night of Turtle's birthday party, I 
am pleased to announce the Smog-Monster (which it has become 
affectionately known) is back in running order...turns out that when 
I put the 440 in, I neglected to switch the ignition over to point 
ignition---I just hooked up the point distributor to the electronic
ignition and started it up.  Well, it ran so I went with it and decided
(someday) to put an electronic distributor back in it.   
  Not having the correct voltages to work with results in a shorted out
electrical system...which I found out the hard way.  So, I ended up 
replacing not only the distributor, but the ballast resistor, the 
starter relay, the electronic voltage regulator and (last but not least(
the alternator.  Not to mention a few fused and separated wires. 
Expensive?  Not too bad, the whole cost of the switchover was around
$70...and when he put in the new ignition, he also adjusted the idle 
and the timing.  
  The upshot of this whole thing is that it's back, and badder than e
ever...so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that it died at 8:30 on a
Saturday night stranding me out on 301.  But it sure sucked the big one
at the time. 
  Course, I won't be doing any heavy duty racing for a while...seems 
that the Smog-Monster is also a Torque-Monster, and I've broken an
engine mount.  Shit.