Loading...Brian's Morning Newsletter
Wednesday, September First 2010
Bobby brought a load of oak as partial payment for the Ford PU he is buying from us. As soon as I have a free moment we'll unload it over at Clara's and Henry's.
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Good Morning
Wowsa, yesterday was a flash from the past: Engines, trannys, and millions of nuts and bolts, oh my!
Seriously though the engine has only minor differences and slight damage due to being shipped on a tire strapped to a palette. :-X It is a huge relief for the anxiety we have felt during the three weeks since we paid $1245.00 for a used engine. One of my worries was wondering what was included in the replacement engine and if the engine they sent was exactly the same as the one I removed, then, which parts would be transferable.
Above is the timing belt on the newish engine.
Well yeah, there are a few little issues, like the engines have very different oil pans, but at this point I am not worried about the fit. I am not sure why they removed so many peripherals like for instance the dipstick, so I'm left hoping the oil pan difference won't mean the dip stick for the dead engine will read the proper oil level on the new engine.
Also missing is the timing belt cover. I am glad that even though they said prior to purchase before installing the engine I would be replacing the timing belt. Yeah great, the belt has been replaced, why not put the cover back in place? Now I have to move studs and modify this and that to get the cover for the old engine to fit the new.
It took me most of the day, but I finally got the engine and transmission apart. Even though I exclusively employed pneumatic power tools it took longer than I thought. These little engine have surprising quantities of aluminum fiddle-de-bits which hold accessories like the alternator, smog and power steering pump in place. So I'm back to being a little stressed by the number of nuts and bolts I need to remember where go and what the order for replacement.
Towards the end of my career as a computer repairman I was getting pretty obsessive with removal of screws from laptops becasue all it took was once, putting the long screw in the short hole to ruin a mother board. So I drew a picture of each laptop with the screws marked. This was a habit I created to feel confident that I would make money on each job and of course not be buying customers new laptops if I broke theirs worse than when it came in. I was good at it, but it was a little on the insane side.
All of these thoughts go through my mind as I pull short bolt, then a long one and throw them in the same parts bucket, to be sorted out another day. I will work for Desertgate today, so out of my mind it needs to go. Luckily engines and laptops have one major difference; size. I won't need to worry so much when reassembling the dozens of parts because things don't break so easy with engines, plus I am very careful and usually don't employ the air tools for reassembly, or when I do I carefully torque nuts and bolts.
Thankfully the engine is here and it looks like all the major parts fit from one to the other, anxiety melting away with each test of compatibility.
I got the first batch of gaskets and seals ordered yesterday, more than at first I figured on. Now is the time to do all the gaskets, just because the engine looks clean doesn't mean it wasn't leaking oil, they pressure washed it before shipping. Some of the gaskets are deep inside the engine, like the rear main seal. On the bright side, it will be great if I can put in a non-oil-leaking engine, and I don't know if it matters if this takes a week or a month to reassemble, I probably already forgot where some of the parts go, exactly.
I was thinking of painting the little fiddle-de-bits too, right, why not?
I always recall fondly when Hugh brought a Ford PU into the shop I was working in as a VW mechanic (I didn't do Fords then) Pete de Gringo, a fellow mechanic asked Hugh what color to paint the pieces. I don't know what Hugh replied, but Pete painted each part a different color.
Yeah that was sweet, right Hugh?
Okay, gotta get ready for my regular day job gig.
Eric called and we will be in Rociada again today. I love working up there, it is all like: The sound of Music
Or what?
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Brian Rodgers
Comments online at: http://outfitnm.com/category/brians-morning-newsletter If you wish to chance that I'll post it off my email hit "reply," but not really the preferred method
Letters
Hi Brian,
As you may or may not know, at the last county commissioners meeting, it was decided to take the proposed wind ordinance back to the drawing board. The proposed ordinance presented a three mile setback from an industrial turbine to a residence, church, school etc. The industry proposed a 1,200 foot setback.
The commissioners decided that rather than approaching this from “artificial” (man made) boundaries, it should be approached more “organically” with buffer zones to protect the fragile waterways… “the lifeblood, heart and soul of San Miguel County” (Jesus Lopez, county attorney). This approach would create areas around the Pecos River, the Gallinas River and their tributaries that would be protected from any industrial development.
Mapping and research are currently underway by Planning and Zoning. Soon the task force will regroup and join Planning and Zoning to begin crafting this new ordinance.
I’d like to elaborate on the carbon emission comment /question. Each turbine proposed (390’ to 450” tall) would require concrete bases of 40’wide x 40’long x 20’ – 40’ deep, multiplied by 47 turbines. That is a lot of concrete. Concrete is a huge contributor to the project’s carbon emission.
Digging and possibly blasting would involve substantial deconstruction of the mesa. Much erosion from this would fall into the Pecos River, adversely affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of valley farmers, who would not benefit financially from this project. Once the river is clogged and destroyed, who will dredge it and clean it up? And what would be left of this beautiful, agricultural valley?
It is true that corporate wind is here; it is a new industry and therefore has very few guidelines or restrictions. San Miguel County is in a position to establish rules for appropriate citing and accountability by industrial developers that could set legislative precedence for the rest of New Mexico and other states.
This is not about pro or con wind or the view; we should know better than to trust any unregulated corporate industry.
We are not against renewable energy; we are for locally based renewables and some level of protection for communities from outside corporate interests. Working toward health and safety setbacks is not anti-wind.
These mega wind facilities are being built with our tax dollars. We should have some input as to how they treat their hosts.
Lisa
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Thank you for writing in Lisa
Brian
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I understand a bit of a NIMBY attitude about the wind farms or acres of solar panels but in the end, would you rather look at those or millions of gallons of oil flooding the Gulf or the tops of mountains blown off and the sludge poured into the river valleys below as with "clean" coal?
The village of Vaughn, population <500 is also looking at a wind farm that would reinvigorate the town's economy. Perfect place to put it. Wide open spaces and nothing but the barbed wire and chamisa to stop the wind.
MB
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Yeah, Vaughn, this is Rodgers'(ancestors) country. As far as I know, there isn't much to reinvigorate, except perhaps the idea that there was ever something there. We'll just say "invigorate," Vaughn.
Not my idea of habitable country, the only other issue and I reiterate this news, transmission of power is currently this country's greatest concern. Our economy relies on distribution, corporations aren't satisfied with local production. Wind farms absolutely need to be tied into the main pipelines crisscrossing the country, this is how our Enronesque power schemes works.
The documentary, Smartest Guy in the Room, was a sad reminder of what happens when corporations get a hold of utility power grids through deregulation. Even after the exposure of Enron's and Kenneth Lay's criminal disregard for people you would think that going Green would mean something more, but the truth is, we the people are captives of Capitalism. If they want to build a nuclear power plant in our backyard the only thing stopping them is the cost, whether it be in legal battles with locals or Unions, it is all about the money, and little to do with how we feel.
This is why I like wind farms: It is less worse than the alternative, and the corporation is willing to foot the bill, with the help of grants from Americans obviously. Our system is broken. Anything we can do to get off of coal and oil is better than nothing.
Brian
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Greetings -
I've been rooting around in some lesser traveled climate change backwaters. Buzzkill for the day:
"Shakhova notes that the Earth’s geological record indicates that atmospheric methane concentrations have varied between about .3 to .4 parts per million during cold periods to .6 to .7 parts per million during warm periods. Current average methane concentrations in the Arctic average about 1.85 parts per million, the highest in 400,000 years, she said. Concentrations above the East Siberian Arctic Shelf are even higher."
For cogent, comprehensive and congenial discussions of conditions in the Arctic, see:
http://www.science20.com/chatter_box/blog/chatterbox_arctic_index , et seq.
I wouldn't sell my beachfront property just yet, but I'd be keeping an eye on the market…
Le Spaz d'Argent
I haven't lost my mind -
I know exactly where I left it.
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Thanks for the updates Scott
Brian
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