9.10.2026

Back in the auto bay, Jim attached the throw-out bearing in the transmission...

Showing me how it works...

Continuing to clean parts...

Here's a before picture...

And an after - amazing!

Cleaned part ready for painting...

Painting more pieces...

Lots of pieces drying...

Jim used a different blasting material - this is just cleaned, not painted.  Amazing...

Jim cut grass after finishing up, and then we headed to The Local for dinner tonight.  I may have mentioned that we are in our sourdough era here, and I make multiple loaves a week.  It was just happenstance that the burger special tonight was grilled cheese burger on sourdough - Jim was in heaven!

High 77.7/Low 64.7

 

9.9.2026

Jim and I spent all morning trying to work things out with doctors for next steps to see if his vision can be improved after his cataract surgery.  Lots and lots of phone calls, but I think we have a plan going forward and he's scheduled for another procedure next week.

In the afternoon, Jim continued to clean up engine parts...

Where he can, he is putting things together, like this clutch fork boot on the side of the transmission...

High 70/Low 57.6 - rain in PM

9.8.2026

Anyone who knows us, knows that Star Trek was a quasi-religion in our house when the boys were growing up.  We've watched the originals and movies over and over, and watched all the spin-offs.  Jim and I are currently watching Strange New Worlds.  Hard to believe the first Star Trek episode aired 60 years ago today - Jim watched it when it aired!

Back on this planet, Jim continued working on cleaning parts.  He switched to walnut shells for this piece...

It really does a nice job getting all the rust off...

A coat of paint on his latest cleaned pieces...

Jim said this piece that covers some cables was completely black.  I told him we needed a before picture!  But afterwards it looked like new...

High 75.5/Low 54

9.7.2026

Hope everyone had a nice, long Labor Day weekend!

Jim worked on attaching his Soda Master to the side of the blasting cabinet.  He figured out where he wanted it and used his step bit to drill a hole for the tube and drummed the first small attachment hole as well...

Then he could put the attachment up and mark the other attachment holes...

Punching the location...

Drilling...

Putting it in place...

Attachment in place, everything put back in its right location.  He tried it out on a piece of tubing at it worked great.  The soda cleans without etching the metal.

He had to do more grass cutting at the end of the day.

High 74.1/Low 53.3

9.6.2026

Jim opening up and organizing new parts...

Jim ordered this add-on for his blasting cabinet - it holds baking soda type material in a separate container.  That material is not reusable because it's so fine.  Jim will have to attach this to the side of the cabinet...

Jim wanted to degrease the engine compartment on the 4Runner, so he came up with a way to move the car in and out of the garage with the help of the Bobcat.  He put the trailer hitch on the 4Runner, and attached a towing strap...

I had to sit in the 4Runner while Jim pulled it out - success!

This was the compartment before...

Degreaser sprayed on...

Power spraying it off...

Pictures don't do it justice, but greasy water came out...

He did two rounds of cleaning - and it looks so much better!

Now we had to get the car back in the garage.  Jim put this board on the front of the Bobcat so that it would connect with the trailer hitch and he wouldn't make any contact with the actual car...

All back in place!

Jim sprayed all the greasy run off from the driveway and then got things put away before hitting the treadmill.

9.5 - High 72.1/Low 58.5
9.6 - High 70.9/Low 58.1

9.4.2026

Another big fire school mailing done - Jim helped do the schlepping up and down and into my car, and even went with me to the post office to help carry them all in!  (Best husband ever!)

Then he headed to the engine shop with the new pistons and miscellaneous parts so they can hopefully get the block together.  When he got home, he had the newly-cleaned and painted cylinder heads, with new valves and seals...  

Jim had ordered some high heat paint and painted this exhaust hanger with it after getting it all cleaned in the blasting cabinet...

He had cleaned the bell housing for the transmission, but decided to give it a coat of paint too.  Looks very cool...

 

High 77.7/Low 60.5

9.3.2026

 

This is funny but sadly true, it seems!  We started our day early - Jim had an 8:00 appointment with the cornea specialist below Albany, so we were on the road about 6:30.  He was put through so many tests...including green drops that left him looking like this!

We really liked this doctor - he spent a lot of time with us and gave us lots of information.  Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be any reason for the fact that Jim sees ghost images after having his cataract surgery.  Those images cause his distance vision to be very distorted.  It's amazing to watch him read the eye charts - with the left eye, his distance vision is terrible and he can't read much past the big E.  But if he puts the pinhole occluder device on, he can read almost 20/20.  So the operation results look fine, the lens is the correct prescription, they tested the thickness of his cornea - all seems good. The recommendation was to replace the lens, thinking that it's maybe possible that the lens is defective, even though there's no sign of that.  The very last test was for them to put a gas-permeable contact lens in his eye that puts pressure on the eye and then they did more tests.  That one showed that there may be some irregularities on the surface of the eye, even though the doctor can't see any.  There is a procedure they can do to debride the surface and then it grows back (the human body is amazing).  They can still do the lens replacement if that doesn't fix the problem.  We didn't get home until about noon, but we finally feel like there is a hopeful path we can follow.

Jim is already planning improvements to my kitchen island - power!  He bought some cool electronics - one is a self-contained receptacle that he can put in the side of the island, and then run power down through the floor.  That would be more of a temporary set up, but would work great as long as we are here.  The issue is that if we ever need to replace the refrigerator or wine cooler, the island needs to be moved.  So a more permanent solution is to put the big box in the floor with a pop up receptacle.  We're going with the temporary fix for now.  

New car parts come in daily...pretty new pistons - 

And piston rings...

He did some grass cutting at the end of the day.

High 78.6/Low 63