DeLorean Speedo Cable - Oh Snap!

When a police officer stops you and rhetorically asks how fast you were going, "No" isn't the best answer. Neither is "less than 88 miles per hour, DUH!"

My speedometer cable broke in the fall, putting me in the stressful situation of constantly scanning bridges, bushes and side streets for sneaky speed traps. Wow, say that 5 times fast! Sneaky speed traps! Sneaky speed traps! Sneaky steed taps! Sneaky sneed maps! Bah! It's more difficult than it looks.

I ordered a new cable from Dave & Julee at DeLorean Motor Company Midwest. It's the lower cable that runs from the bottom of the Lambda counter to the angle drive on the driver's front wheel.

Replacing this cable is another of those very easy jobs that took me considerably longer. I estimate this to be a 10 minute job however, due to my nerve damage it took me about half an hour. I tried to make it easier for myself by jacking up the front of the car to give me more room to access the cable.

My next step was to undo the cable from the bottom of the Lambda and push it through the firewall. However, when I did this I noticed something unusual. There was a small electrical wire piggybacking it through the rubber gasket/plug. "This is a problem!" I thought, as it would mean I'd have to slice the gasket/plug to slide the wire through, and slice my new gasket/plug as well. I followed the wire past my pedals and behind the radio and discovered it was not attached to anything. Although I thought this was a stroke of luck at the time I have now found myself wondering, "Crap. What doesn't work?"

One thing I noticed during this job is that my old cable housing was considerably stiffer than my new cable housing. The speedo cable is prone to snapping and requires periodic lubrication. But I now think age is a factor too. As the cable housing stiffens up with age, it puts more pressure on the inner cable, which binds.

I slid the new cable through the hole in the firewall and screwed it into the Lambda. The most difficult part for me was forcing the new gasket/plug back into the firewall hole. Once it was done I simply screwed the other end of the cable into the angle drive on the front wheel. Easy! And here it is completed.

The only downside to all of this work is that it's -16 Celsius out and I'll have to wait for spring to test it out.

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon

I suffered through my first glass of Woodford Reserve as an acrid layer of hot spice blanketed my tongue and choked my tastebuds. I had tried it in a tavern setting, with savory food. It was a mistake and I was thankful I hadn't made the costly investment of an entire bottle at the LCBO prior.

Yes, it was terrible and the balance was way off. But I was in denial, partaking of it plenty more times since that first night. Each time I had it it was dramatically better and for a long time I excitedly thought of adding one of those unforgettable bottles to my shelf.

I didn't have to wait long. When my parents returned from a Florida vacation they surprised me with a bottle of Woodford Reserve. It was a gift set which included two tasteful etched glasses as well.

Woodford Reserve, with its beautiful wood and cork stopper, is a small batch whiskey and as such it varies from bottle to bottle. I wish I'd recorded the batch number from that first one, not that it matters because that particular supply is long gone. The one I have currently is bottle 545 from batch 654. And this is a fantastic batch.

Nose: sweet spicy metal, and surprisingly little alcohol considering the 45.2% abv.

This was my favourite Woodford to date with cherries and almonds followed by the strong tell-tale metallic flavour of copper pot distillation. What really surprised me was a delicious but faint smokiness too. Finally, the spicy rye hits.

The finish is dry and nutty with a hint of pine. Nosing the glass afterward all I can smell is fresh cut wood. Very nice!

WR is akin to a nicely kept, relatively stock DeLorean. The biggest difference being some 17" aftermarket wheels. The car definitely looks flashier and more luxurious, fast even. But it's probably not to everyone's taste.

Gift from my parents
750 ml
45.2% (90.4 proof)

www.woodfordreserve.com