Jim was an angel and pulled the weeds in the rocks at the side of the pole barn lean to - what a huge difference! Spraying a little weed killer around the edges...
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| High 72/Low 53.3 |
Yesterday went by in a blur. Jim did get some fertilizer put down on the triangle and around the rock wall. He also got our lawn chairs down because our church had an outdoor Mass last night, which was really nice.
Jim spent today doing more cleaning - here he's working on the oil pan. Even though he cleaned it outside, now he's doing the final cleaning, including taking off the old gasket residue...
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| 8.22 - High 78.4/Low 53.7 8.23 - High 77.5/Low 63.9 - on/off rain |
Jim continued to work on cleaning parts today, including scrubbing and soaking bolts...
He took the bell housing off the transmission...
Took it outside to degrease it...
What a difference! Jim said this won't make a difference in how the car performs, but it's nice to work with clean parts when putting it back together.
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| High 76.5/Low 55.4 |
Jim had an afternoon doctor appointment in preparation for his colonoscopy in November. All was fine and we just want to make sure we keep it that way! He also wanted to stop at the insurance agent, but they were getting their parking lot coated, so he just came home.
He spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning some more parts in the washer...
In fact, a whole pack of coyotes!
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| High 76.3/Low 59.6 |
We had reserved a Home Depot van for this afternoon, but then this morning, Jim got a call that the reservation was canceled. I called and talked to someone and eventually was able to make a new order. She couldn't explain what happened but it all worked out so we didn't press. Of course, nothing is as easy as it sounds - even after filling out paperwork on line, there was a lot to do once we got there. Plus, it was a new system for them so required multiple people. But eventually, we got the keys...
Back home with the clock ticking...
Jim had everything ready, of course, so first he raised up the block...
Then he brought the hoist over to the back of the van...
Lowering it down...
Strapping it down for the ride to the machine shop. We were probably back on the road in less than 10 minutes.
Unloading at the machine shop...
They had told Jim that they had a tow motor to get it out, but then he brought over a cart and they just loaded it up. Made my heart hurt to watch because this block probably weighs over 450 pounds.
We had to fill the van up with a whopping 1.8 gallons of gas and then take it back to Home Depot. It all worked out great - we only had it for about an hour and a half.
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| High 77.1/Low 57.2 |
Engine block is now on the hoist...
Jim wanted to clean some more parts - here's the before picture of the cross over member, drive shaft, and the oil pump...
Spraying...
First pass - they already look so much better...
This is the oil pump - what a difference...
He spent the rest of the afternoon cutting grass - it's amazing how long it has gotten with some sun and a bit of rain!
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| High 79/Low 64.1 |
My electric toothbrush died and I ordered a new one. But then Jim watched a video on how to break into it (because it looks completely sealed) and got it apart. There was a screw at the top holding the head on that was completely out. He screwed that back and will now see if he can get it back together. At least we'll have a spare now if we need one.
In the afternoon, Jim loaded up everything except the block into the back of my car and we took it to the machine shop in Saratoga...
Jim dropped it all off and went over everything with the same guy he talked to a few days ago. Once we got home, I reserved a Home Depot cargo van for Wednesday afternoon for Jim to use to transport the block.
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| High 77.1/Low 64.2 |
