My wife really loves Winter, maybe because we only get snow every other year. A good freeze really helps the garden. We have 1/2 the normal snow pack in the mountains so it looks like dry summer conditions again.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...23ccf3340a.jpgTreasure!

All those pretty aluminum parts are installed. It is sad that once the engine has all the covers installed none of it will be visible. Also the silicone hose kit only replaces the main hoses, it skips many. I need to pick up some 1/8” rubber vacuum hose today at Napa. The pressure tank and hood strut showed up yesterday. The vacuum hoses run down the front of the engine, there are two solenoids that control the air injection and the intake manifold. The only access is with the nose loose on the car. The radiator stays with the nose and is pulled out three inches for service access. I also need to solder the new temp sensor connector wires, the retaining clip was broken on the factory connector. Next weekend it is supposed to snow so we will see if there is any progress in my outdoor shop.
Hope you have a good week.

She has a 2002 F250 extra cab long bed 7.3 2wd pickup. They bought it new to tow their horse trailer and at 175k miles has been an excellent truck. I helped her sell the hard tonneau cover between Christmas and the January trip. Now it can haul stuff in the bed more than fishing poles. We actually hauled some rolls of fence in January! My sister in law is 4’11” and really had trouble opening the hard tonneau.

I am watching the twin 150s, got a little more done on the vw today. Replaced the vacuum hoses and installed the pressure tank for the cooling system. Sunday I will solder and shrink the new temp sensor plug to the factory harness. Then I will make final assembly and drive the car! It is supposed to snow Sunday and Monday so we will see. I won't risk driving this car if the roads are crappy. I drive my crewcab if there is anything white on the road. I still need to run the L 200 through the alignment shop since it becomes a skate when the roads are slick. I think the rear is toed out by the tire wear on the previous set of tires. I support Keven Harvick by the way. I have a Snap-On box from his first cup year. He is from Bakersfield and raced at the same track I crew chiefed at back in the 70s.

The $375 box of the remaining coolant hoses arrived this week. This replaces all the remaining hoses and only leaves the radiators and the heater core. Yes the silly car has two radiators and two water pumps. This is what happens when the manufacturer wants to put their big engine in their smallest platform. I had to remove the oil filter adaptor to access the oil cooler hoses. One hose connects the the “crack pipe” and the other connects to a nipple that comes out of a freeze plug. Quite inventive way to tap into the cooling system without having to recast the block. Almost done with this project then delivery to Arizona.