workin on the Corolla

I have been tinkering with the new car this week, trying to get my stickers. Still not there yet, but getting closer. The first thing I had to tackle was replacing the brake pads and shoes, and fixing the stop lights that wouldnt turn off. The brake pads were straightforward for the most part, although there was one wheel that I had to heat with the blow torch and pound with a mallet to free it up from the studs. What can i say, when they sit for a while, they rust a little. The break light issue was a little trickier, but also something that I've done on the Civic, so I was aware what to look for. Those little rubber pads on the brake pedals that rest against the brake light switch get old, and eventually fall apart. Its silly in my oppinion to look for them, since nobody makes or sells them. Instead, I use my 2 cents to fix it. Thats right, I use two pennies and a little but of JB Quick Weld to remedy the problem. Just stick the pennies togeather with the JB putty, and then to where the rubber stopper was, and problem solved! I love JB Quick Weld because it sets so quickly, setting in as little as 4 minutes according to the package. Its more like 15-30 minutes in my experience, but since the brake pedal will spring back and hold it in place, you dont have to worry. It is a little tricky to get underneith the steering wheel and dashboard to get to the area however, so you gotta stand on your head a bit to reach it, unless you feel like taking the driver seat out first. Changed the oil and filter, then I had a new shiney windshield put on to replace the busted one, and I thought it was ready for inspection now. Well, not quite, the exhaust manifold is cracked, so it leeks a lot, heat and power. The parking brake wasnt working anymore after working on the rear drums. Good thing about that, is that the console is already pretty much gone in this car, so it was easy to adjust that and get it fixed. The manifold is on order, $60 to ebay, and hopefully it will be here by friday or saturday. That is being very optimistic, since I paid for it last night, but if they ship it today, then it might make it (fingers crossed). I have the signed paperwork in hand for the lost title and the power of attorney, so all I need to do is make it to Carrollton to switch it over. Today was rainy, and I have to admit, I slept till 1 in the afternoon. If the exhaust gets here by friday, then I can pop that on pretty quick and get it all taken care of (barring any surprises) and ill be back on the road only out about $720 to now. $400 for the car, $320 on parts so far including brake pads, oil and filter, exhaust, glass, and a signal corner light. Figure another $50 for inspection, and $24 for taxes, maybe another $15-$30 for title transfer and plates. That should put my total cost at about $820 all in all.