A little help from above

Ok so last week I was supposed to go work on my brakes.

After packing up the car, getting all the parts and supplies I got to my friend's shop and realized that I didn't have the lug-key (that pesky little security device to keep theives from stealing my o-so-hot factory rims). Thanks to crappy cell phone connections I never got anything done. Except for hanging out with some guys in a garage then getting some chinese - nothing got done to Misty.

I "rescheduled" for another day after work, but that day just didn't happen, I found more important (and relaxing) things to do instead.

So last night I finally made it back over to the shop (with the key this time) and got right to work. Tearing apart the passenger side front caliper revealed - nothing out of the ordinary, normal caliper for an 11 year old car. But I bought a rebuild kit and figured I might as well use it, just to "freshen" things up.

Everythings stripped and cleaned, then I spray it all down with some nice bright red caliper paint. It said "quick drying" apparently the humidity was too high and it never dried. So wipe that now cruddy tacky mess off and get back to rebuilding the calipers... everythings all set except the cylinder gasket - thee most important part (it's what holds the brake fuid in when you press on the brake pedal). The new gasket that came with the kit just won't fit.

Even after having Malcolm (owner of the shop) try everything he could and ruining both new gaskets we come to the realization that I'm going to have to replace the caliper. It's 8:30 at night. After one phone call, Malcolm finds one for like $50 at an Autozone about an hour away, he has it put on his account and put on hold to be picked up later. He decides to leave and go get dinner and I stay and work on the Mirage. At this point I'm saying to God, "What am I going to do? This was supposed to be a simple little brake job and now I'm going to have to leave my car at his shop, buy another caliper, and find even more time to try and finish this project. And I don't really have the money in the budget to go buy anything". A little voice says to me "Just go back over to the parts washer and look in the drain, use the gasket in there." So I did. And it FIT!

I don't know why I'm so supprised - with God anything is possible. Since finding Jesus and asking to be saved... Stuf like that seems to happen more and more.

It took more work and I had to dismantle the dirver's side caliper as well to replace the dust-boot, but around 10:30 Malcolm helped me bleed the brakes and by 11:00 I was on my way home with new rotors, pads, and freshly rebuilt calipers... all with a little help from above.

(I still need to go back and paint them - they look horrible)