little corners of blue sky
Got the engine out of Mike’s car yesterday. Was quite an ordeal, and things took much longer than they usually do, which I had a premonition about (I’ve worked on enough car projects that I just know when something is going to take far longer than I think). The most frustrating part was when the engine was practically out, separated about an inch from the transmission, and it wouldn’t budge any farther. I could feel my frustration at it boiling up and over…so we took a five minute break and resumed, a session which ended in me just getting the crowbar (something I should have done initially), and prying the engine and tranny apart. Nothing’s broken; don’t worry (not like you were anyhow). The extra time it took made me late enough to my grandmother’s birthday party that I missed the dinner portion of it completely, something I was quite angry at myself about… But it all worked out. Not before getting about 8 different cuts on my hands from the day’s activities, though, not to mention a small piece of metal embedded in my palm that I only discovered much later. But it’s not as bad as it has been in the past–no gashes or lacerations or anything that would leave a scar, fingers crossed. The first thing I told Mike and Paul after we removed the engine was, “Guys, a lot of people were praying for us today.”
There are advantages to having done this sort of thing several times before, though, namely, since I know exactly what needed to be done, I could delegate tasks such that Mike and Paul did all the things I really didn’t want to do, i.e. the ones that involved getting under the car and torquing on this or that bolt or nut. It’s perfectly safe–the car is securely supported on jackstands, but the lack of leverage compounded by my already ungainly frame in such a cramped space makes for an unhappy mechanic when I spend too much time underneath any vehicle. So while I pulled the intake manifold off and undid the wiring harness, I told the guys to take off the starter, to remove the exhaust manifold bolts, to drain the oil, coolant, etc… They felt useful, and I was much more chipper by the end of the day (soreness notwithstanding) than I would have been. So it goes…
And now it’s raining.
ouch!
Do you still have metal embedded in your palm?
No, it decided to come out last night… Just a little shard from something or other.
And I moan about a splinter from a picnic bench…
Glad it came out, though.
And the rain… good rain or bad rain?
you know that was what was so cool about old cars…remember those big spaces on each side of the engines…easier to work on. Can’t wait to own an old car someday!
another late reply
‘Twas good rain, and peaceful. Much like the rain in one of your icons.
Absolutely. Not to mention especially back in the ’60s and early ’70s, car were about 8127469 times less complicated than they are now. I know–I own a ’72 Datsun 240Z. And you’re right; there are acres of space on either side of the engine to work on it. I could take a nap in that engine bay. It’s a beautiful thing.
Re: another late reply
Good. :)
wow..my mom owned a datsun when I was young. It was blue.