Ready For Some Heavy Lifting

I got the engine stand ready and rarin' to go. Braced both the bottom leg and the back of the upright tube with a piece of 1/4" x 2" - should be hell for strong now. I'm sure that's overkill but I'm also certain it'll hold the slant six now. I made arms and spacers to bolt the block to the stand, picked up some grade 8 bolts and slapped some paint on it. The stand was already yellow but more like a safety yellow. I came across a couple cans of the yellow you see on the stand while I was cleaning off some shelves in the basement. It's been down there for years, figured it was either going to work or I'd be off to the hardware store. Either way it would be one more thing out of the basement. 

While I had the shop nice and warm I painted the back of the block as well - not yellow even though I believe they had a few yellow six cylinders in some truck or industrial applications. I'm going with VHT engine paint in "Aluminum Casting" on the block. Everything else will be Hemi Orange. They did make a few aluminum blocks, by the way. I'm going to give the paint a chance to dry up a bit and then I'll get the block mounted on the stand. I might wait until I get a few of the necessary parts before I put it on the stand, actually. The block's out of the way now and I've got a couple other things to work on. I also want to get the valve cover, oil pan, etc. painted up before I start to assemble things. I'll play it by ear, like always.

I got the floor crane assembled as you can see. I don't know how you can sell something like this for $99.99 and have anyone make a profit. Six casters, hydraulic jack, hardware, materials, labor, paint, packaging, shipping from China, shipping to the Midwest and then sell it at a retail outlet. I don't know how good the quality is on the hydraulic jack but I doubt I'll ever wear it out.

Tony Joe White passed away - aged 75 from a heart attack. We'll see how I'm holding up next week after the stress test. You never heard much of his music on commercial radio, but he was a talented dude.

I lost an uncle this week also. He had been suffering from dementia for quite some time. At a certain point dying becomes almost a blessing. It's bad enough for the individual suffering from the disease but it really puts a strain on the caregivers as well. Uncle George was a good man, active in the church, used his talents to help others not quite so fortunate. While we all have to go sometime, I'd prefer to go with the heart attack, even though I've been doing most everything in my power to keep from having another one. RIP both of you.