Got a 10 year old Dodge van in with a wore out engine. Well, two lobes on the cam were flat but the motor (and vehicle) have 175K on 'em. Being the customer wants to keep the thing (it's a work vehicle) we explained that for a little more than the price of a camshaft replacement, we could put a new (rebuilt) motor in it ($1600 vs $2500). Well, he went for it so I yanked the old V-6 outta there (why someone would buy a full-sized van for commercial use with a V-6 in it is beyond me - way underpowered).
Now, if this was a hotrod or a classic, I woulda overhauled the thing myself but it wasn't worth the effort and we were doing it on a budget. Instead, we put a call in to Jasper Engines and they sent us a long block, complete with oil pan and timing cover.
As anybody who hangs around here knows, I hate working on vans because their ain't no room to work and you have to take half the fucking car apart to get the motor out.
The new Jasper long block in place.
I got it most of the way together by quitting time last night and I'll have it running this afternoon. In all, not a bad swap.
Tis the season
A couple of Nunzio's cousins own landscaping businesses (Guinea landscapers, go figure) and it's that time of year to get their vehicles ready for the season. Working on this big shit, I'm beginning to feel like Nucks. God bless ya, pal, I couldn't work on heavy duty trucks all day.
Humor
Or what passes for it at the NY State Department of Transportation:
The sign says: "Traffic Moving Well To Exit 64". Yeah, we're moving well ... at 4 mph.
Careful
Maybe it might not be a good idea to have this bumper sticker on your car when you don't know the political persuasion of your mechanic. Just sayin', heh ....
You never know
Being mechanics, we always (mostly) prepare for the worst case scenario, which is why we still have the snowblower handy even though it's been in the 50s and 60s for the last 2 weeks. Maybe by July ...
Yes, I know ...
I'm gonna be 47 years old this year and even though I've used Safety Seal products for decades, it always cracks me up when I get out the can of tire plug lube. Can't help it. Heh ...
Bing bong
Nunzio got a chime for the front door last week. It's good because if you're in the barn mounting a set of tires or doing something noisy in one of the bays, you didn't hear the front door open. Somebody coulda walked away with the office by the time we noticed. Thing is, it's annoying as a fuck, especially in the mornings when customers are coming in one after the other to drop their shit off. So I ask him "how much you pay for that thing?"
Nunzio: "$16, including tax at Home Depot."
Me: "Good, I'm putting a $20 bill in the top drawer of my toolbox. When you see the chime sailing across the Avenue and shattering on the curb, take it and buy yourself a new one."
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