Continued Cold!!!

Continued Cold!!!

This morning (12/9/09) they were reporting 16 degrees *BELOW* zero at the airport (official site for Denver) with a wild chill of – 36 degrees. Our thermometer read -10 degrees. Looking at the weather map, lots of areas are having terrible area. However, you always tend to focus on your own situation.

As I mentioned in the last post, I don't have any permanent heat system in the shop. Indeed, it is not insulated. However, my natural gas torpedo heater has been able to take the edge off the cold in the shop. I went out and the shop was 13 degrees (the bus heat takes helps a little bit, but it uses quite a bit of diesel fuel to keep the bus water systems from freezing).

I just could not face the extreme cold today. I have a huge project involving getting my files and office area organized. I figure that this terrible project is probably bearable given this kind of weather.

Concerning the bus engine project: it continues to be a challenge. It turns out that almost every bolt-on part has several versions. I have had to get almost every bolt-on part from my old engine so that the replacement engine will be compatible with the bus. That includes wiring harness, front engine mount, alternator mount and drive system, etc. The latest is the exhaust manifold. The Series 60 has a three piece manifold and the center section on the replacement engine was significantly different from the original engine. I had to make a trip back to the Detroit dealer and get the parts from my engine. Getting the correct three parts assembled was a real challenge.

When it warms us to a reasonable level, I will get back to work on the project. I am becoming very concerned that we will not be able to leave Evergreen in time to get Pat to her convention in Phoenix. All in all, a very frustrating project.

We are approaching the holidays and that always increases family commitments. That is fun, but it sure conflicts with getting the bus running.

Folks talk about prolonged periods of wind adversely affecting one's mental attitude. I can assure you that this cold streak has had a huge impact on mine.

That is all for now.