We have one vehicle, namely the van used to carry my wheelchair, down for repairs after it died just before entering the Eisenhower Tunnel (CDOT, Wikipedia). The hills approaching both ends of this tunnel have killed more vehicles than I care to count! Currently, our beloved van sits outside my house while we mull repair versus replacement. Repair is winning, but the price of $4,500.00 is just a bit outside our comfort zone. Anyone got a Chevy 350 small block in their pocket?
Our lawn has nearly died from the summer heat. Not having regular water will do that. After extensive repairs by a friend, we again have a sprinkler system relatively free of leaks and providing the water to grass nurtured in the face of an arid desert. My problem is explaining how we managed to lose $300 worth of water in one month, and why the utility company shouldn't penalize us for that when it comes time to adjust our usage charges.
From water in it's place, we go to water out of place. Our house has developed a leak. Squishy carpets abound, and with two plumbers, a roof replacement and re-caulked water basins everywhere, we still don't know where the problem is coming from. An inspector will be coming soon to tell us whether the roofers did their job. If the plumber's right, however, our tiled bathroom walls are leaking like sieves and we need to remove all the tile and drywall in both bathrooms to stop the damage to our home. This is something grout and caulk alone apparently won't fix. The good news is, we're not in the deep south with it's moisture, and mold has not, as of yet, set up shop.
My doctors and their staffs are taking vacations, apparently and this is making my prescription refills difficult to accomplish. Three trips to the pharmacy and I think I've got all of my medications for the month!
A sump pump got unplugged and the basement got just enough water to give us mildew. Our housemate is dealing with it in the midst of her life, which seems just as chaotic and stressful.
Homeschool? Fall? Two weeks? Ha!
Yesterday, things reached a breaking point with a plumber in the house, child care filling up my living space and my chronic pain going into overdrive. With the plumber ripping up my bedroom carpet, I had no retreat. In the middle of all this, my US House Representative's office called me to make sure we had received everything we needed from my disability hearing. "Sure! We're fine! It's just that... blah-blah-blah, blahbity-blah-complain-whine-moan. But thanks for checking on us." As I hung up the phone, I got the distinct impression that I had just failed a test. Had I? Yup.
Phillipians 2 (NIV)
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.Paul, apostle to the weak, frustrated, and oppressed, had more than enough to complain about in his life too. Are we to believe that he passed every test? Not likely. But he's absolutely correct. Do everything, including cope with weakness, frustration and oppression, without complaining. How? By putting your eyes on the eternal, transcendent, and everlasting. It may not be easy to do when life is coming at you with everything and you don't see any way to preserve what you hoped to accomplish. Yet, in the face of this, we have an enormous ally and an impossible-to-possible power in God. He is the one to run to when your tank is running low and your emotions are running high. Thanks to the prayers of a special friend who understood my unique struggles, I came around and things seemed so much easier to cope with. It works.
When life makes your knees want to buckle, maybe hitting your knees isn't such a bad idea. Getting someone in your confidence to pray with you undoes a lot of the enemy's mischief. Satan wants to isolate you and divide you so that you're easier to thwart. His tactics are as old as the fall of man, turning husband against wife, and children against their God. Yet we have such a better life here if we allow God in, who "works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." He can love through me, and love knows that money and time and all the temporary things will not outlast the eternal. As for Satan, his future isn't looking so nearly as bright as ours.
Looking forward to the final day,
Steve
3 comments:
Steve,
Is the $4500 for remove/install of a new engine or rebuilt? I would only expect that kind of a bill for a GM crate engine (3-yr, 50,000 mile warranty) or maybe to a turnkey outfit like Jasper.
Eric,
The price was rounded but yes, it was for a crate. Jasper is a little cheaper and a little better on the performance specs.
I don't know what model year you are dealing with, but the later model vortec motors are more expensive. However, you should be able to get a remanufactured longblock for something like this. Lots of these operations selling on ebay now. I would feel good about the parts used in this listing.
If it's a van then of course you have more labor hours involved in removal/replacement vs. a car or pickup, so the labor isn't going to be cheap. Going this reman. route means three more hours or so to swap over your old sensors, timing cover, valve covers etc. (which you may have to do going the Jasper route anyway). I would think you could get it done for under $3000. Used motors are another option, but again if it's the later model vortecs, people are really proud of them and you will be better served to rebuild.
Post a Comment