What a horrible Saturday!

Yuk!

EEeeek!

Sssppppppfffffttt!

Our day was mapped. Farm shop. Big truck coming in for some repairs and maintenance, and the little S-10 engine replacement.

From square one, things began going awry, and it didn't get any better from there.

I arrived at the shop prior to the little wildman, and decided to open the sealed crate with the new engine for the S-10. Was I in for a surprise!

When I unlocked the rubber snubbers and removed the top half, I was greeted with an engine, less the valve cover, timing cover, and the oil pan. To make matters worse, the oil pump was lying inside the plastic bag sealing the engine from the elements.

What I had originally purchased was a complete engine, valve cover to pan. Through the warranty process, someone screwed up and sent me the aforementioned engine.

To tell you the truth, if I am working at this point I would rather start with a bare block and build the entire engine. That way I know what I have got and if there is a problem there is no one to blame but yours truly!

Luckily, the original engine from this truck was sitting at Chris's parts store, having never shipped backed as a core. I had chastised Chris repeatedly for not doing so, but it turned out it was a blessing.

When the little Wildman arrived with the big rig, we hopped in my pickup and made a bee-line for the parts store to pick up the core engine. Once we got back to the shop the little wildman went to work on the big rig and I went to work removing all the pieces we needed from the core.

I had given the warranty department an estimate for the labor of removing and replacing the engine, but I had figured on the complete engine. The added time of removing, cleaning and preparing the pieces and applying silicon and gaskets was not in that estimate.

I am going to prepare a supplemental bill and plan to include a substantial mental anguish penalty!

But the day didn't get any better. The little wildman requested I help him remove the pinion nut on the front rear end (or differential) of the big truck. This nut secures the yoke the driveline bolts to. Initially he had used a three-quarter inch drive air impact wrench. Then he moved to a one-inch drive with hammer and anvil action. The nut didn't move. We applied some heat from an acetylene torch, then put a socket, breakover wrench, and a seven foot long cheater pipe with me hanging on the end. No movement. We repeated the process with me and the little wildman on the end of the pipe. No movement. Finally we moved to the other side, heated the nut, placed the socket over the nut with the breakover and cheater pipe and I lifted the cheater pipe using the 5000 pound capacity forklift. Nothing.

By now is was four in the afternoon and I felt we were looking at taking the torch and cutting the nut off. Problem was, there were no vendors open to purchase a new nut from.

Jason had happened to the barn to mow around the house and he had helped us when we began using the forklift. He told me he could cut the nut off without damaging the threads on the pinion, but he wanted to go to town and get a really good tip.

As he made his way to town to get the tip, he talked with Brent and Brent told him before you cut it off, put a rosebud tip on the torch and get the nut red hot, then cool it down quickly by pouring water on it. Jason began heating the nut, but the torch was acting funny.

We were running out of oxygen.

We made a quick survey of the shop and a spare was not there. (Turns out when the vendor went up on his bottle rent Pepa returned all but the bottles on the cart).

Jason ran back to town to pickup the JBK service truck which has almost anything you need.

By now it was dark.

Jason returned and quickly unrolled the hoses and began heating the nut. In a short time he had the nut red hot and he began pouring water on it. Two gallons in all. When he could touch the nut he put the socket and breakover on it as the little wildman and I positioned ourselved to pull on the cheater pipe. As Jason pulled the slack out of the differential, he began smiling. The breakover moved counter clockwise almost effortlessly. He removed the breakover and spun the nut off using his hand.

Unbelievable.

While the yoke and surrounding metals cooled, we did the remaining repairs.

Shortly after nine, we closed the shop and I headed for Abilene and the driver headed for a motel room Krl had reserved for him.

I arrived home close to ten thirty, after stopping to pick up supper for Krl and I. When I walked in the house I was a whipped puppy. I was tired and dirty and sore all over. When I took off my work boots, my feet seemed to expand. The cement floor had been murder on my feet and legs.

I told Krl my work boots have been good, but I am going to have to break down and buy a new pair.

Finally I stepped under the soothing and cleansing shower. In short order I was clean and took my night medications and hopped in bed.

I slept like a rock.

I will spend part of today working in the office. Monday I will go back to the shop and get back to work on the S-10 motor. I tried to call the engine company Saturday but they were closed. Tomorrow I WILL talk to them.

By the way, Rian and his friend didn't get a deer. In fact they didn't see anything. But when the gassed the snake den, they killed nineteen rattlesnakes. Three were over five feet long. Rian said he is going to have to revise his snake eradication plan as there are three entrances/exits to this den.

Well, I had better go get some more Advil.

Have a day!

FATHER, rest and refresh me. I pray the repairs we made will be good fixes. Bless our efforts. To YOU be the glory!