With my continued gas savings I bought this! (1999 Accord LX)

[Xist]

Of course there is!
I hosed off the driveway, but I missed a couple of spots, and after getting the stains by the car I couldn’t see the ones by the street.
I had three cancellations and when I went to see the crazy family the mom said “Oh hey, my other son is out of town.”
Come on!
I probably would have canceled!
Getting ready, driving an hour each way in a wrecked car on an excessively-dramatic highway sitting in a house without air conditioning, driving an hour back, and then getting ready to work on my car.
I wiped off the pan, scraped off as much Hondabond as I could with a brand-new razor, and then used a plastic scraper to get as much as I could.
There are still bits and pieces here and there, but it is also missing some paint on the mating surface, which makes my Spider-sense tingle.



There are also brown spots on the inside, so apparently it is missing some paint, and I fear it is rusting.

Apparently I need to strip it with a wire wheel and use engine paint.

Just boring black engine paint?

[Xist]

I am guessing none. All that it did for me was make a horrible smell.



I spent 4-5 hours with the wire wheel.

Someone recommended brake cleaner.

Hopefully that saves me from further hours of grinding.

[Xist]

Aircraft remover: Stink.
Brake cleaner: Stank.
Oven cleaner: Stunk.

I tried odorless mineral spirits. It didn't really smell, but considering that it wasted my time, energy, and money, it stank.

The aircraft remover was $20, the brake cleaner was $6, the oven cleaner was fortunately just $1.25.

Should I have sprung for $5 Easy Off?

The mineral spirits were $9.

That is around $36, but how much time did I spend buying and trying out 4 different products?

Some people ask "Why aren't you using gasket remover? It's the tool for the job!"
I couldn't find definitive answers for that, either, like where I could buy some.

Google said there was Permatex Gasket Remover--at Advance Auto Parts.

We don't have an Advance Auto Parts in-town.

It turned out it is one of those chains with multiple names--in Snowflake--and closed for the day.

That doesn't do me any good.

Google said that Napa had it, but when I checked it said in Snowflake--and it was closed.

That didn't do me any good, either.

I tried AutoZone and they didn't have it. I needed to look long and hard before I found it on O'Reilly's site.

They had one package and it was already open, but there was only one package, so what could I do?

I don't know where my brass brushes are, so I bought another.
It just made noise.

I ran back to AutoZone before they closed to buy the brass wire wheels they showed on their site, which claimed it was in-stock.

It wasn't on the shelf and the monkey said they didn't carry it.

I don't have any idea how many clients I will see tomorrow. I might see one and I may see four, but I have two hours of driving, and then I guess that I am going to Harbor Freight for a brass wire wheel.

Google shows 58 reviews of Permatex gasket remover with an average score of 2.2/5, so that is annoying. Curiously, vendors say that it is safe for metal, but users said "It didn't touch my gasket, but it stripped my paint!"

I got rid of almost all of my gasket, but I still have most of the paint on the mating surface, so I actually want that.

It is rated 4.1/5 on Amazon with 226 ratings.

I thought it was weird, when I was trying to find a paint remover that would work on automotive paint I found a woman taking a picture of the product next to her face.

Why on Earth would she do that?!

Well, besides:


Everyone else posted pictures of successes and failures, but apparently her face was the failure.

I tried to read her review. I did. However, her first three letters were "OMG" and I could not imagine anything worth reading the rest.

[Xist]

I used the brass brush 100 times and it scratched the paint on one side:


It rusted a little from not completely drying it last night.

The gasket remover cost another $14 and the brass-wire brush made the running total $51.

I used the gasket remover before running to Dollar Tree for Crazy Mom and brushed each part 50 times, but one corner needed particular attention, and I brushed it at an angle 10 times before realizing I scratched the metal!


People say that scratches that go around the mating surface create texture that improve the seal from gasket maker, but going across the surface creates potential leaks.

I can see some scratches that, while they are at a bit of an angle, go from the inside corner to the outside.

Everyone said the missing paint didn't matter and someone said light scratches didn't matter, either, but I ordered sanding sponges, bringing the running total up to $64.

[Xist]

The sanding sponges arrived on Monday--early!

I need to demand a refund for that Reece's popcorn--for the third time--from the third store.

I ground off most of the rest of the paint, but that was as far as I was able to get.

I am sure that my crazy family kept me busy during the week.

I don't remember.

I don't even know what I did on Thursday!

I don't have clients on Thursday.

The VA called me twice on Wednesday saying "Call us back, we need to tell you how to prepare for your procedure on Monday."

I called back 4 times and left messages. The last time I said "I feel like you are setting me up for failure."

I saw 4 clients on Friday and finished 31 sets of notes by 2230.

That was the most notes I ever wrote at once--four week's worth.

I forgot to write them two weeks ago!

That means that I wasn't paid...

I tried to get to bed at a decent time. I saw 4 clients in Holbrook today, but the second mom said that they weren't available until 3--and I left the first house at noon.

I could have asked to push back the first family, but when I do stuff like that my clients disappear.

That was a little too long to spend in my car.

It was a little too warm.

I spent $50 to use Motel 6's wifi and air conditioning.

We are in the Best Western in Payson so we can attend Church here tomorrow and be down 24 hours before my appointment.

The wifi was better in the Motel 6 in Holbrook!

This room cost $290!

I don't get a free breakfast. Mom insists that I wasn't supposed to eat after noon.

That would have been good to know. Don't you think the VA would have told me?

I had this procedure back in February.

It took this long to get a second one scheduled because somehow the rednecks didn't do it right, so I need to see a specialist.

I really hope that this specialist doesn't say "You didn't follow our directions so you need to call to reschedule."
"I called four times for directions! We drove all of the way down from Show Low for this! We spent $290 for a hotel just for one night! It took me six months to get this appointment!"
I would expect the doctor to shrug and walk away.

It sounds like I needed to cancel my Saturday appointments, drive down this morning, and stand by to stand by.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Xist

Mom insists that I wasn't supposed to eat after noon.

That would have been good to know. Don't you think the VA would have told me?

I had this procedure back in February.

It took this long to get a second one scheduled because somehow the rednecks didn't do it right, so I need to see a specialist.

I really hope that this specialist doesn't say "You didn't follow our directions so you need to call to reschedule."
"I called four times for directions! We drove all of the way down from Show Low for this! We spent $290 for a hotel just for one night! It took me six months to get this appointment!"
I would expect the doctor to shrug and walk away.

It sounds like I needed to cancel my Saturday appointments, drive down this morning, and stand by to stand by.

The VA ensured that I took everything, but didn't ask when I took everything.

I'm guessing that matters. This alleged specialist was able to accomplish even less than the redneck in February.

Some know-it-all nurse practitioner is supposed to call me.
She will probably leave one voice mail and then never answer.

Are they going to schedule a third [six months from now] or say "You may die, but that's a chance we're willing to take?

I wasn't even concerned about this test, I just wanted to do it right.

I have had a hernia my whole life, but they said I needed to do this before I could get that checked out.

Will they ever check out my hernia?!

My family was supposed to push me to the car in a wheelchair. Mom wasn't there when they called her.

I hope she went to get the car, but for some reason I had the keys.

Why did I have the keys?!

Mom wasn't pushing my wheelchair!

I needed to get a wheelchair to push her!

I told my brother to push my wheelchair, but that was terrible, so I quickly told him to stop, got up, had Mom sit down, and I pushed her.

Is it expected or unexpected to push your mom in a wheelchair after you get out of the hospital?

I went back for my brother and then returned the wheelchair.

I wasn't supposed to do any of that!

Mom drove us back and it was horrifying. Somehow I was still responsible for getting us home safely, she refused to stay in her lane, and she kept yelling at me.

I started looking into a sedan service, but if I ever do this again I'm renting a VRBO near the hospital.

Mom would be okay driving me a couple of miles.

[Xist]

In unrelated news, Sam's Club on Amazon responded in 12 minutes, but asked me to let them send a replacement free of charge.

Why would I pay when I ordered it almost 3 weeks ago and never received it?

They don't have it in-stock. The only person selling it is asking over $25 for a bag of popcorn!

Apparently Walmart sold it for $5.50. This time they responded in 2 minutes:

Dear Xist,
Our hearts are heavy with regret after hearing that from you,
Our refund specialist has now completed the process of refunding your balance. This process takes 2 to 3 business days to complete.
It is an honor to have the chance to work with you.

I bet they say that to everyone!

So, I can't drive home until noon tomorrow. Last time I saw a teleclient after having my procedure and it went okay, but I just thought that it would be better to ask to reschedule, especially since I will not be home.

If I leave at noon I need to reschedule my two Tuesday clients, but I didn't have the time to ensure I have all of my work files, so I really need to reschedule those, too.

So, the best-case scenario is that I get home at 1530 on Tuesday and then I sand off the rest of the oil pan paint, put down 4 layers, scrape off the engine block, and finally reinstall.

Then I move onto the 2002 Civic until I drive the Accord to see a client and it actually starts leaking.

[Xist]

Mom insisted we leaving at 1000 Tuesday morning, but she kept on insisting on running into different stores.

The lady who I had sit in my wheelchair so I could push her to the car when I got out of the hospital.

Always running.

It had sounded like I would be able to see my clients, but on much shorter notice than I would have liked I needed to ask to reschedule.

I wasn't able to work on my car the rest of the day.

I made up a session on Wednesday and saw a client 45 minutes away. When I came home Mom yelled that apparently there was a barbecue at the Bishop's house, which she found out 40 minutes before it was supposed to start, so she yelled at me until we arrived.

It was lame.

I couldn't wait to go home.

I dropped them off and went to Lowe's for some wire brushes for Mom's Dremel, which I tried to use today, but apparently you need to use Dremel brushes on low speed:

This cost $7.50 and disintegrated in 30 seconds.

The 400-grit sanding sponge didn't seem to do much. I will use 240-grit sandpaper on the paint and just spend more time on the mating surface.

Then I finally repaint?

[Xist]

The can says that it won't hold up to chemicals until it is cured and this is an oil pan, so I can't just run the engine and expect it to cure.

Everyone says they wait for the lady of the house to leave and then they generate fumes in the oven.

Others say to use a heat ray for a very long time.

There is always this:



https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1598670814

Others mention barbecuing it. I would want to put a pan under the pan so it doesn't get smoky inside and out.

The last suggestion that I found is having professionals bake it for you.

How much would that cost?

Of course, Mom was upset that I was weeding her back lawn so I can mow it for the first time all year and fixing one of my broken Hondas.

She wants me to drive our only good car to Phoenix and buy a car.

She volunteered my sister to drive it back.

She is allegedly driving up on Monday to clean Mom's house.

Edit! This plan has its merits, but Mom refuses to involve my sister in the plan that involves her.

I sure would like to have a chance to do some extra cleaning before my sister gets here, but you know, accident.

My sister is supposed to bring her friend, so the friend could follow, and they could drive that vehicle back.

Of course, before I can drive down and hunt for a car, Mom needs to take my brother to the farmer's market and then go grocery shopping.

So, I will start my 3.5-hour drive right at 1700, and then buy a car?!

I haven't been to urgent care yet. My shoulders are sore and my knee is bruised and swelling.

Edit! Also, regardless of what I have been doing for the past couple of weeks, Mom has demanded that I drop it and mow the weeds and trees, but now that I am ready to mow, she demands that I don't?

[redpoint5]

Maybe she doesn't want you crashing her car?