DAY 29
Week 5
RAPID CITY (South Dakota, USA)
Wednesday July 19th, 2006
TODAYS MILEAGE – 20 miles or 32 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 3413 miles or 5058 kilometres
Things are a bit slower in Rapid City!!! 
After making sure I had a reasonable brake pedal, I backtracked the 8 miles to Dakota RV to try and sort out my issues with the Man Pad. I've have to admit that I'm getting fed up with full service RV dealerships and (Chevrolet dealers) that advertise as being "full service" but when you say you have engine problems they throw their hands up and say "Can't help you as that's not out job" or "your an RV - sorry were not equipped for such a vehicle.".
It really gives me the irits that I have a simple carbureted 454 Cubic Inch V8 and because they can not hook up the ECM (Engine Control Management) computer, then there is no way to get the "fault codes". I wonder what us grease monkeys ever got along with gapping points or setting the timing with a timing light ever got anything done because we didn't have an ECM computer.
To prove the point, yesterday I spoke with a recent graduate from some nationally recognized mechanics school about gapping points, degreeing a cam, how much dwell as well as distributor spring weights and he had no idea as to what I was on about. Neither do most of you, but anyone who's tinkered with cars should.
Maybe it's that now I'm approaching the naughty forties that I've become "old school"???
The RV place recommended me to a garage which they send all their engine work to and they're having a look at it. I also ordered my replacement master cylinder via the internet as the parts people couldn't cross reference the two part numbers that I gave them - one was the genuine GM number while the other was a after-market competitors. Go figure, if I left it to them I may as well've make the fucking part myself.
I grabbed a bite of lunch at the bar of the Olive Garden and had a good feed while bumping my gums with Rob "Zombie". Believe you me, he ain't no long haired friend of Jesus in a short troop micro-bus!!!!
After lunch I went back to the workshop just to check on the RV and ended up cleaning up and securing the PC system they inherited from the previous owners. Just in the little time I spent there, I'm thinking that other than the mechanic working on my gear, there's not a lot of talent floating around. Doesn't instill confidence, but I'm there working on my gear, so I should be OK.
I ended up scoring a free voucher for a nights stay at any La Quinta Inn & Suites, so I've taken advantage of that.