Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Welcome......To Odd Acres

[Finallygotit]

Dan, glad you’re both safe and sound, not having any leaks is also a blessing
Shame about the damage to the gates, I’m sure though, they’ll be back, better and stronger.

Good luck with the tidy up.
Steve

Hi Steve and thanks. We are actually going to have a gate and fence company come out to give us a quote on all new gates. The gates we have are not the best and they certainly don't allow air to filter through.

Good to hear the damage was minimal for you compared to what it could have been, and that the Cobra is safe too of course. Is that type of weather typical in your area?

JB

JB, the Cobra is safe and sound but I need to get it out and exercise it. Micro-bursts do happen around here during monsoon season. They are quite unpredictable and can pop up just about anywhere. We actually had one here almost 3 years to the date. That one took out a lot of tree limbs too. If this keeps up, we won't have to worry about it in the future.

Dan, when mother nature is pissed off, it can be quite destructive. Glad things weren't any worse for your property and roof didn't leak!

60+mph winds were common in Western NE were I grew up, they used to say Nebraska sucked and Wyoming blew

Marc, I totally agree with you on a pissed off Mother Nature; WOW!

Wow, that was quite the storm there! Glad to see that everyone is safe.

You were getting tired of having no projects to do around the house right?

Duke, you're right, the list was starting to get short and I need to sweat a few pounds off.

Dan, glad to hear you're safe but damn, I feel for ya with all that damage. Best of luck in the cleanup and repairs.

Thanks Mike. The chippers should be here right now but I don't hear anything outside. It's not like those are very quiet.

EDIT: The chippers are here. It will be nice not having to make several trips to move the piles to some dumpsters the HOA brought on site.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Love the Cobra! Always wanted to build one.

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks Adam! It was a great experience to build it and is a lot of fun to drive it. Kinda like a steerable roller coaster.

 

[Finallygotit]

Well, this morning happened to be a pretty good morning to take the little car out for a drive. Temps were about 77° F, slight overcast and a little breeze. Plus, my lovely wife said, "Why don't you take the Cobra for a ride?" Who am I to argue. Wound up cruising through the Saguaro National Park west.

I stopped to take a few photos to prove it.

 

[Grizz1963]

Great license plate.

i do wonder if I would get on with Arizona and that side of America.

love the scenery.

 

[sawduststeve]

love the scenery.

So much this ^^^ gotta get over there while I’m still mobile. Looks like proper cowboy country.

Dan, great to see the car out and about.

Steve

 

[jbmatth]

I never tire of seeing photos of your beautiful car, sadly I think I'm done driving mine for winter, I didn't get nearly enough miles on it, I'll have to change that next year. Great scenery for a couple of photos.

JB

 

[kj_mustang]

Great color and license plate. Did both you guys build them from kit stage or buy it partial/fully done?

 

[jbmatth]

Great color and license plate. Did both you guys build them from kit stage or buy it partial/fully done?

I believe @Finallygotit built his, but will let him answer for sure. I bought mine complete and running, since then though I've replaced or re-worked the engine, trans, rear-end, suspension, brakes, wiring, cooling, 1/2 the interior, wheels and tires, some of those 2-3 times. So no I didn't build it, but might as well have at this point.

JB

 

[zmotorsports]

Love the pictures Dan. The car looks right at home with the cactusesss (cacti) in the background.

 

[Finallygotit]

Great license plate.

i do wonder if I would get on with Arizona and that side of America.

love the scenery.

Thanks Rian. Being in Arizona would be 180° from the climate you are in currently. We get 3-4 months of hot weather (that's what A/C is for) and the rest of the year is beautiful.

So much this ^^^ gotta get over there while I’m still mobile. Looks like proper cowboy country.

Dan, great to see the car out and about.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Just a drive from our end of the state (south) to Flagstaff (north) would put you through some AMAZING scenery that changes from desert to tall pines.

I never tire of seeing photos of your beautiful car, sadly I think I'm done driving mine for winter, I didn't get nearly enough miles on it, I'll have to change that next year. Great scenery for a couple of photos.

JB

Thanks JB, that means a lot coming from you. For me, we're just getting started on our driving season.

Great color and license plate. Did both you guys build them from kit stage or buy it partial/fully done?

Thank you! I built mine from a kit (component car). It's a Factory Five.

I believe @Finallygotit built his, but will let him answer for sure. I bought mine complete and running, since then though I've replaced or re-worked the engine, trans, rear-end, suspension, brakes, wiring, cooling, 1/2 the interior, wheels and tires, some of those 2-3 times. So no I didn't build it, but might as well have at this point.

JB

JB, from the work you did on yours, you could easily say that you built three of them. And the last one is a killer!!

Love the pictures Dan. The car looks right at home with the cactusesss (cacti) in the background.

Thanks Mike, it was a really nice drive. There was another turnout that I wanted to stop at and take pictures but it was already full of people. That had even more and taller saguaros.

 

[nicholam77]

The Cobra looks great, Dan! Wow, those Saguaro's are huge! Looks like a great place to go for a cruise. Been to Arizona a few times but never the southern part.

 

[Finallygotit]

The Cobra looks great, Dan! Wow, those Saguaro's are huge! Looks like a great place to go for a cruise. Been to Arizona a few times but never the southern part.

Thanks Nick. Those pictures do not do the forest justice. Those are the smaller of the saguaros I drove by. I feel very fortunate living among these old giants.

 

[Finallygotit]

Sometimes you just have to shake your head and plow forward. Such was the case with my water heater.

Here you can kinda see that the water heater is listing a bit to the right and was getting progressively worse. Piping and flue were getting yanked as well. I'm just glad that the supply lines to the heater were flex lines.


I decided to cut a hole in the drywall in the front of the platform to see what was going on under there. I'm not sure why I was surprised but I was. There was no support on the right side of the heater under the platform. The plywood was giving way under the weight.


Here's what the level showed before I started.


So I sistered two 2x4's and wedged them up there tight and used a bottle jack to raise the right side under the heater.


And here is what the level showed after a LOT of creaking and groaning,


I jacked it up a little bit more to make it perfect and made up a couple of supports to hold the platform, hopefully for a very long time.


Now that looks a bit better.


I know I'm going to sleep a little bit better knowing that the water heater won't be falling through the platform.

 

[ODIS]

Don't always to the very best, but when it comes to significant weight, always better to over-build a bit. Nicely done!

 

[Mr.zippy]

Sometimes you just have to shake your head and plow forward. Such was the case with my water heater.

Here you can kinda see that the water heater is listing a bit to the right and was getting progressively worse. Piping and flue were getting yanked as well. I'm just glad that the supply lines to the heater were flex lines.


I decided to cut a hole in the drywall in the front of the platform to see what was going on under there. I'm not sure why I was surprised but I was. There was no support on the right side of the heater under the platform. The plywood was giving way under the weight.


Here's what the level showed before I started.


So I sistered two 2x4's and wedged them up there tight and used a bottle jack to raise the right side under the heater.


And here is what the level showed after a LOT of creaking and groaning,


I jacked it up a little bit more to make it perfect and made up a couple of supports to hold the platform, hopefully for a very long time.


Now that looks a bit better.


I know I'm going to sleep a little bit better knowing that the water heater won't be falling through the platform.

That looks nice! Hmmm....is that air handler leaning a smidge to the right? just poking!

 

[Sifan]

Excellent job, not much area to work in.

I feel your pain ... Water heater, furnace, washer and dryer all on the same floor joist. When they put in the furnace, they cut the joist and put in the furnace duct work and toe nailed 2x6 's around duct work. Over 10 years, nails pulled out and floor sagged from both ends.
Nice thing about a crawlspace, no one can hear the words you're muttering about morons work ethics.

 

[Finallygotit]

Don't always to the very best, but when it comes to significant weight, always better to over-build a bit. Nicely done!

I tend to overbuild a bit. Thanks for stopping by Odis!

That looks nice! Hmmm....is that air handler leaning a smidge to the right? just poking!

Actually, you're right it does. And that's where it's going to stay.

Excellent job, not much area to work in.

I feel your pain ... Water heater, furnace, washer and dryer all on the same floor joist. When they put in the furnace, they cut the joist and put in the furnace duct work and toe nailed 2x6 's around duct work. Over 10 years, nails pulled out and floor sagged from both ends.
Nice thing about a crawlspace, no one can hear the words you're muttering about morons work ethics.

Thank you. My neighbor came by as I was working on the fu-bar and she mentioned that she could hear my displeasure. (Ooops, just a wee bit too loud there Dan.)

 

[zmotorsports]

Excellent job Dan.

Funny about your timing. I have a guy that is going to finish my house garage off after the first of the year and when I was walking with him a few weeks ago we discussed a couple things I wanted to correct from the original owners. Those who have followed my shop build know how half-assed the original owners did EVERYTHING once they took ownership and I thought I was done with their ****-work but I still find things on occasion. It's amazing how much someone can screw up a brand-new home in only 3 short years of ownership.

I asked about reinforcing the landing at the top of the stairs just outside the back door from the garage into the mud room. In order to keep costs down I think I will do some sweat equity in the job and do that part myself. What you have done with your water heater is pretty much how I planned on reinforcing the landing in my garage.

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks Mike! The work itself isn't that hard, just takes some time. I was just really surprised that the platform was not reinforced. WHO DOES THAT?!?!?! And you should have seen the garbage that I pulled out of that cubby prior to starting. There was paper from wallboard, wallboard pieces, a ****-load of screws, general schmutz and nails still in their plastic collated holders for a nail gun. And I'm not talking about a few......LOTS of nails. It was as if the contractors who built this house used the cubby as their trash can.

Speaking of your upcoming project, wouldn't this work require the use of wood?

 

[zmotorsports]

Speaking of your upcoming project, wouldn't this work require the use of wood?

Yeah, it's that material that is foreign to me again.

 

[rmack898]

It is a four letter word you know.

 

[madison069]

I see a lot of new homes go up and during general walk through it’s not uncommon to see a lot of **** work done. Time is money and so the contractor will just do the fastest thing to get it done even if it’s ****. Let the next person deal with it is the mentality in these cases.

 

[Finallygotit]

I see a lot of new homes go up and during general walk through it’s not uncommon to see a lot of **** work done. Time is money and so the contractor will just do the fastest thing to get it done even if it’s ****. Let the next person deal with it is the mentality in these cases.

I see it a lot too but you would think that someone in the bunch has a little pride in workmanship.

 

[56vette461]

I see a lot of new homes go up and during general walk through it’s not uncommon to see a lot of **** work done. Time is money and so the contractor will just do the fastest thing to get it done even if it’s ****. Let the next person deal with it is the mentality in these cases.

I learned that the stage punch list is the tool to keep the contractor and sub's on track. Until the punch list steps are done there is no payment. That includes clean up of their left over junk. We did this on the first couple of jobs and then the word got out and the fussing ended and things go done.

 

[Finallygotit]

Howdy! Been a little while since the last update. Not a lot of noteworthy things going on, just house maintenance stuff, car maintenance stuff, stuff.....

So, remember this?


My wife and I (especially me) got tired of fixing up this crappily built and installed gate(s), all three really.

So we contracted with a fence and gate company and had new gates fabbed and installed. These suckers are quite heavy and very sturdy. I also had them install 1" cane bolts for the 8 foot driveway gates. Those cane bolts go into metal pipe drilled into the concrete. If this gate goes again, it's going to take a lot of concrete with it.

We are really pleased with how these turned out. The powder coat finish on them is called transparent copper.

 

[Bears Fan]

Those gates look amazing

 

[Mr.zippy]

Yes, they look great!

 

[ODIS]

Beautiful!!

 

[rmack898]

Nice gates for sure.

 

[zmotorsports]

LOVE the gates Dan. Those turned out freakin' amazing and fit the personality of the property perfectly.

 

[68400BIRD]

The gates look great. How long will the powder coat last in your sunny environment? Can you wax them or apply some kind of UV coating??

 

[Finallygotit]

Those gates look amazing

Thank you!

Yes, they look great!

Thank you! They actually turned out better than we expected.

Beautiful!!

Thank you! We still smile when we pull in the driveway.

Nice gates for sure.

Thank you! The folks that installed the gates stood back and looked at them and commented on them. They said that they looked good in the shop but really popped when out in the sun.

LOVE the gates Dan. Those turned out freakin' amazing and fit the personality of the property perfectly.

Thanks Mike! We worked with their designer to come up with these three gate designs. They were great to work with.

The gates look great. How long will the powder coat last in your sunny environment? Can you wax them or apply some kind of UV coating??

Thank you! From what they told us, the powder coat "should" last for decades. Our only concern will be any cracks in the powder coat that will be caused from expansion and contraction. If water gets in those cracks and starts rusting the steel, it could and probably will start popping and pealing the powder coat. We hope to not worry about that until they take us out of here toes up.

This color was specifically made for this company as they have been trying to get something like this for a long time. This is the first time that they had a project this big with this color. They were blown away at how good it looked.

I can probably put a UV wax on some of the bigger pieces but there are a lot of intricate details that would be difficult to do. I may do that anyway as I don't think it could hurt.

 

[nicholam77]

Very cool! I really l like how the double gate combines to make a full scene.

 

[Bob Heine]

Dan, maybe it won't happen to you but I would have a problem with those gates. I'd come home and stop the car at the gates. Then I'd sit there admiring them and probably back away a little, pull back up for a closeup and maybe daydream for a while. That would lead to more projects from the gate company and end up with a very inaccessible property.

 

[sawduststeve]

Dan, fantastic looking gates, great work by the fab co. Best part is the colour, what a brilliant choice.
If they don’t end up on the company website I’ll be surprised.
Are the double gates automated ?

Steve

 

[Finallygotit]

Dan, maybe it won't happen to you but I would have a problem with those gates. I'd come home and stop the car at the gates. Then I'd sit there admiring them and probably back away a little, pull back up for a closeup and maybe daydream for a while. That would lead to more projects from the gate company and end up with a very inaccessible property.

Bob, I am constantly impressed with your anecdotes. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Dan, fantastic looking gates, great work by the fab co. Best part is the colour, what a brilliant choice.
If they don’t end up on the company website I’ll be surprised.
Are the double gates automated ?

Steve

Thanks Steve! The driveway gates do not have electric openers, I am the opener. These gates do not get used that often, the only time being to drop off a load in the shop or drive a vehicle back there for some more intense maintenance.

 

[cros13]

Hi Dan,

Seems I haven't been on the forums in over 1 year! Trying to catch up on everyone's threads and update my own with all my activities over the last year!

Gate looks amazing, I really like it. Cobra is always looking good too.

What a gnarly storm you had, it looks like there was minimal damage which is always a relief (apart from the gate)

And it is never a bore showing photos from a good car show. I'd love me a 1970 Torino, even though I probably couldn't see over the steering wheel! Maybe I should finish the Dato first!

Rudi.

 

[Finallygotit]

Rudi, you need to get crackin' on the Zed! Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Finallygotit]

OK, two small updates.

1) New acquisition for the shop. A jack shaft (wall mounted) door opener.

The opener goes on the end of the jack shaft.




There is also a bracket that attaches to the side of the unit and bolts to the wood frame.

It also comes with a nifty little electric dead bolt.


And here it is all wired up and functional.


It was pretty simple to install. The button to open the door is wireless so that was a plus. It also comes with a wireless battery powered LED light fixture that you can mount just about anywhere. And boy is this unit quiet!

And for #2.....
A very good friend of ours likes to do wood turning. She made this segmented vase.


It's made of walnut with maple (I think) inserts. Will need to take another picture to show that. She sent it to me and asked me to add some metal to it as I see fit. You can see I started turning an aluminum base for it. My plan is to finish that base on my turntable in the mill.

If you look closely, you can see there are spaces between some segments that are spiraled up the side of the vase. My plan is to custom fit brass inserts into those spaces. The brass will be polished and clearcoated for longevity. I'm anxious to get started on this project. It has taken me a bit of time to refurbish the turntable to be able to finally use it for this project.