A
amphipoda
Guest
Amphi & the Hide-A-Key Saga...
Being one with my bilge space is perhaps
the second most intimate moment I've had
with Amphi. I've discovered things in the
bilge area not previously known to mankind
outside of our little amphibious club. By
chance I fumbled my homemade wooden
tranny dipstick into the bowls of Amphi's
bilge, below the engine oil pan, where only
the Amphicar factory workers have ever
had a clear view. Being the clever gilled
biped that I am, I got my 3 foot pincher
probe and began the near hopeless quest
for the dipstick. After 20 minutes of gooey
bilge exposure I came to the realization that
the pincher probe was not the right tool for
the job. I then shaped an omnipotent wire
coat hanger into a hooked extension of my
arm and once again began to probe the dark
recesses of Amphi's innards. This endeavor
yielded several bits of Bakelite to which I
have already written about in great detail,
(see Escribe archives, search for "Bakelite").
Then it dawned on me... maybe I can retrieve
the tranny dipstick out of the bilge plug hole.
Upon exiting the back seat area I gave one
last scrape with the coat hanger hook and
heard a curious sound, a sound of hollow
tin with a little metallic rattle. There at the
very end of my outstretched arms finger tip
reach was one of those old magnetic Hide-A-
Key boxes. This relic of a bygone era has
long been phased out by plastic and electronics,
yet here in my Amphi's bilge it still held its
contents safe and secure. Oh, what wonders
would it hold inside? How long has it endured
the bilge environment? Will its contents
benefit all amphibiouskind? Carefully I slid
open the hatch and immediately knew how
Heraldo Rivera felt in Al Capone's vault...
inside was the prior owners house key. BFD!!!
Amphipoda
`64 Turquoise
San Diego, CA
PS - Chas, thanks for the Jag story. I reckon
it'll take a few months to find a decent one at
a fair price. Please send photos time permitting.
PSS - Marc & everyone else... beats me when
the History Channel, Modern Marvels will air the
SD Amphi five. I have several calls and emails
in to the producer and await his reply. Promise
to post as soon as I hear something. Until then
I'm watching & recording Modern Marvels
episodes with unprecedented anticipation.
Being one with my bilge space is perhaps
the second most intimate moment I've had
with Amphi. I've discovered things in the
bilge area not previously known to mankind
outside of our little amphibious club. By
chance I fumbled my homemade wooden
tranny dipstick into the bowls of Amphi's
bilge, below the engine oil pan, where only
the Amphicar factory workers have ever
had a clear view. Being the clever gilled
biped that I am, I got my 3 foot pincher
probe and began the near hopeless quest
for the dipstick. After 20 minutes of gooey
bilge exposure I came to the realization that
the pincher probe was not the right tool for
the job. I then shaped an omnipotent wire
coat hanger into a hooked extension of my
arm and once again began to probe the dark
recesses of Amphi's innards. This endeavor
yielded several bits of Bakelite to which I
have already written about in great detail,
(see Escribe archives, search for "Bakelite").
Then it dawned on me... maybe I can retrieve
the tranny dipstick out of the bilge plug hole.
Upon exiting the back seat area I gave one
last scrape with the coat hanger hook and
heard a curious sound, a sound of hollow
tin with a little metallic rattle. There at the
very end of my outstretched arms finger tip
reach was one of those old magnetic Hide-A-
Key boxes. This relic of a bygone era has
long been phased out by plastic and electronics,
yet here in my Amphi's bilge it still held its
contents safe and secure. Oh, what wonders
would it hold inside? How long has it endured
the bilge environment? Will its contents
benefit all amphibiouskind? Carefully I slid
open the hatch and immediately knew how
Heraldo Rivera felt in Al Capone's vault...
inside was the prior owners house key. BFD!!!
Amphipoda
`64 Turquoise
San Diego, CA
PS - Chas, thanks for the Jag story. I reckon
it'll take a few months to find a decent one at
a fair price. Please send photos time permitting.
PSS - Marc & everyone else... beats me when
the History Channel, Modern Marvels will air the
SD Amphi five. I have several calls and emails
in to the producer and await his reply. Promise
to post as soon as I hear something. Until then
I'm watching & recording Modern Marvels
episodes with unprecedented anticipation.
