Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[BB767]

Hi Thomas, this is my first post on your thread and whilst I’ve read much of your journey I have to admit I’ve never found the time to read every post. However I’m retiring soon so might find some time to catch-up!

It’s an incredible story and I’m sure your patience and attention to detail must have helped many people. I bookmarked post #408 for when I could find time to build a workbench for my garage and the time is near at last, your explanation for connecting the legs will def help me make a bench to last - that post is a great example of why your thread is so much more than many others.

All the best and I hope you’re enjoying the fruits of your labour

Barry

Hello Barry and welcome to the gang here. Many thanks for your post and kind words. Because you might use some of the information from the bench build post, I've updated a couple of photos from that post that I was never very happy with. I'll attach them here so you don't have to go back to post #408 to see them.



These are actual in focus pictures (!) showing how I cut a 1" dia piece of electrical conduit, cut it in 1/2 and drilled a hole in the center of it. Then I ran the bolt through the end of the stretcher and used the conduit as sort of a curved washer so when you tighten up the nut, the force is spread out and won't split the grain in the stretcher. It works good and lasts a long time. I hope that is helpful to you and others. Cheers,

Thomas

 

[bulletpruf]

Hello Barry and welcome to the gang here. Many thanks for your post and kind words. Because you might use some of the information from the bench build post, I've updated a couple of photos from that post that I was never very happy with. I'll attach them here so you don't have to go back to post #408 to see them.



These are actual in focus pictures (!) showing how I cut a 1" dia piece of electrical conduit, cut it in 1/2 and drilled a hole in the center of it. Then I ran the bolt through the end of the stretcher and used the conduit as sort of a curved washer so when you tighten up the nut, the force is spread out and won't split the grain in the stretcher. It works good and lasts a long time. I hope that is helpful to you and others. Cheers,

Thomas

Nicely done, Thomas. Thanks for sharing.

Scott

 

[ranger101ran]

I sure do miss all your projects and your cars. I hope you and your family are having a great 2024.

 

[BB767]

I sure do miss all your projects and your cars. I hope you and your family are having a great 2024.

Very nice of you to post in ranger101ran and it's nice to know you enjoyed what we've been doing here over the years. No worries about Chris and myself, we're hale and hardy, blessed with exceptionally good health. We celebrated our 49th year together a couple weeks back. She is still quite the apple of my eye and the object of my affection! I tell her that her husband is a lucky guy and I mean it!

I've been doing more and more clock work the last year or so and unfortunately even more since my mentor and the gentleman who got me started in clocksmithing passed away very, very unexpectedly in February this year. Bruce was 89 years old and we were working together on clocks just 1 1/2 days before he passed away from pneumonia. Both Bruce and his family wanted me to carry on this work and I am doing so. It has occupied a large portion of my time.



I'm setting up a clock shop here at the house. These are some clocks waiting their turn at the work bench.



And still some more. I'll post about this shop later if there is any interest in it.

We're still heavily involved with all things automotive.



At present the 1970 VW is getting some maintenance attention. Going through the entire fuel system from the tank back, replacing all original hoses, rebuilding the fuel pump and carburetor etc. I can post about it at a later date once it's all done.






This was the house and old shop just a couple weeks ago for our annual car club picnic.



Still doing miscellaneous service work on various bikes. Here I'm installing a rebuilt master cylinder and new brake line on the '77 BMW R75/7. On these bikes, the master cylinder is located under the fuel tank which is extremely unhandy to say the least!



To bleed the brakes, the only way I was able to get trapped air bubbles out of the master cylinder was to use a syringe placed into the master cylinder fill port and draw the tiny air bubbles out. I did so successfully but in over 40 years of brake bleeding, this was a first for me to have to do this.



Here's the shop this spring after a recent rain. Note the alfalfa green and growing like crazy in the background left.



Less than 7 years ago, this was our front yard. Part of the new house seen background, right.



This was taken a couple weeks ago, the house and grounds are really starting to harmonize together. The old family home was situated to the left, center. Now it's like it never was never there.

I've got other material but that's a quick overview of some recent activity out here. It's just so nice to know after all these years, that folks are still interested in what's going on in the Center of the Universe. We truly love living here and are certainly getting settled in and using the shop mainly as a wonderful work space, just as I had intended. Take care everyone and many thanks.

Thomas

 

[patlun]

Thanks for sharing this. It makes me happy that you and Chris is able to enjoy the fruits of all hard work

 

[TR6SR650]

That is a really nice VW! Wife had a 69 VW that she wishes she still had.

 

[ranger101ran]

Thank you so much for the update and congratulations on 49 years together, I'm sure there will be quite the celebration in the center of the universe on the big 50. Every once in awhile I go back and look at some of the pages from the beginning of your build and it is what got me started on Garage Journal.

 

[Spareparts]

Same here Ranger, saw the picture of the tree growing thru the frame and I was HOOKED. Thank you Thomas for letting
us join in on your adventure. Jim from Kansas.

 

[Spareparts]

Thomas got a question for you, my Brother is a member of the St. Louis Cobra Club and they are always looking for road
trips, What would think about a yard full of Cobra's????

 

[BB767]

Thomas got a question for you, my Brother is a member of the St. Louis Cobra Club and they are always looking for road
trips, What would think about a yard full of Cobra's????

Two words......." Bring It!!!" I would absolutely love to host the Cobra Club. I'm confident they would find it a worth while trip, about a 3 hour drive I expect.



I've had Cobra's on the property before.



This was 2018 prepping for Road America.



And here's the Cobra in our pits at Road America, July, 2018.

Let me know if the club thinks it's a possibility and I'll try to make it happen.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

That is a really nice VW! Wife had a 69 VW that she wishes she still had.

It is a really nice VW. It's a 1970 that was bought new by a friend of ours.



She bought it, (it was her car!) new locally in Champaign...



...pretty much all original...



...it has a little over 71,000 miles.




She kept every bit of paperwork associated with the car including the window sticker, original bill of sale and all service records and kept a gas book log. I also have the canceled, original title. She was very proud of it.









In the above picture, no worries about that fuel filter above the distributor. I removed it almost the day after I bought the car!

Except for occasionally driven by her husband, she was the only other driver until I bought it. I'd mentioned to her many, many years ago that if she ever wanted to sell it, I'd be honored to buy it. At age 94 she finally decided it was time to sell it. She passed away about 4 months after I bought it, but was very happy it went to a good home where it would be well cared for. I still take her husband, now age 98, for an occasional ride in it. That is lots of fun for both of us.



They were both big car enthusiasts and very active in our car club. They were married for 65 years and we knew them for close to 40 years.

Thomas

 

[steves_001]

You're a good man Thomas! Nice to involve the former owner to ride along. Glad you and Chris are well, I think we all miss the almost daily postings in this thread but, I'm sure you have many other things to keep you busy (as it seems). Thanks for the journey so far! (your thread is what brought me to GJ in the first place)

 

[TR6SR650]

It is a really nice VW. It's a 1970 that was bought new by a friend of ours.



She bought it, (it was her car!) new locally in Champaign...



...pretty much all original...



...it has a little over 71,000 miles.




She kept every bit of paperwork associated with the car including the window sticker, original bill of sale and all service records and kept a gas book log. I also have the canceled, original title. She was very proud of it.









In the above picture, no worries about that fuel filter above the distributor. I removed it almost the day after I bought the car!

Except for occasionally driven by her husband, she was the only other driver until I bought it. I'd mentioned to her many, many years ago that if she ever wanted to sell it, I'd be honored to buy it. At age 94 she finally decided it was time to sell it. She passed away about 4 months after I bought it, but was very happy it went to a good home where it would be well cared for. I still take her husband, now age 98, for an occasional ride in it. That is lots of fun for both of us.



They were both big car enthusiasts and very active in our car club. They were married for 65 years and we knew them for close to 40 years.

Thomas

Great little cars! I remember wife's car had to have the window slightly open to close the door easily, because of air pressure.

 

[RickP]

Nice Beetle!

Do you have any grandkids? I'm sure they'd be thrilled to get a ride on the running boards! (I have good memories of my grandparents' Super Beetle.)

 

[oldschoolbob]

Love those old VWs. I had 4 (’55, ’57, ’69, ’73).

 

[scramboleer]

How's the old Willys truck?

 

[BB767]

How's the old Willys truck?

Who, Gus? He's better than ever, fit as a fiddle. Thanks for asking!



This was a couple weeks ago outside the old shop. I had Gus parked there to greet club members when they came to the shop for the picnic. I gotta tell ya, Gus is one happy camper. He starts instantly, idles like a little sewing machine and has no vices. I finally found a proper choke knob for the the dash panel for him last year and he's mighty proud of that.



This was Gus last year doing 4th of July parade duty and he'll be back at it again this year. Lou and Paul have promised to help out riding along, throwing candy to the kids that line the parade route. The young kids especially love Gus but then, what's not to love? He's a 1948 vintage and the original Mr. Sunshine!

Thomas

 

[BB767]

oldschoolbob, that is one slick bug! It seems to me you had a ball both building it and driving it. Thanks for the pictures.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Great little cars! I remember wife's car had to have the window slightly open to close the door easily, because of air pressure.

Good point and exactly correct. Those Beetles are so tight and well made that they were/are legendary for having to crack a window open to make shutting the doors easier. If the windows are all up you better shut the doors with authority or else they won't completely shut.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Here's a few pictures that I just like looking at...






.
...don't get me wrong, the VW is great and so is Gus, but to me, that is just pure visual art. I never get tired of looking at them...... or Chris either for that matter!

Thomas

 

[oldschoolbob]

VW ads used to say “Volkswagens will diffidently float but they will not float indefinitely.”

 

[Old Man Roger]

I’ve seen one float on a flooded street back in the 70’s. This was in Massachusetts, where the floors tended to rust out pretty quickly, so it must have been a garage queen bug.lol

 

[djones1a]

Thanks for posting again. Any of your projects are interesting to me. Bring on the clocks.

 

[willy3486]

Thomas I have a question on clocks and repairs. I inherited a Grandfather Clock, I think its made by Howard Miller. I need to get a few parts before I can use it, new cable, brass weight covers. Is there a company out there you have had good luck with buying parts? Thanks!

 

[BB767]

Thomas I have a question on clocks and repairs. I inherited a Grandfather Clock, I think its made by Howard Miller. I need to get a few parts before I can use it, new cable, brass weight covers. Is there a company out there you have had good luck with buying parts? Thanks!

I have indeed, I use TimeSavers:

Welcome to TimeSavers | Worldwide distributor of clock parts and repair material

TimeSavers is a worldwide distributor of clock repair parts and repair material. We've been in business since 1975. We inventory 1000's of keys, pendulums, dials, hands, bezels & dial pans, clock weights, chime rods, bells & gongs, Bushing material and tools, clock chain & cable, cuckoo parts...

timesavers.com

They are nice folks over there and have an extensive supply of clock material. For the cable, if you have a piece of the old one, use a caliper and measure the diameter and length of the old cable.

They have various thicknesses and lengths: https://timesavers.com/search.html?q=weight+cable+&go=Search

They have numerous weight shells. Measurements are all done in mm so measure your existing shells:

https://timesavers.com/search.html?q=weight+shell&go=Search

If you're unsure of the correct material, give them a call and they'll help you find the right parts. Let me know if I can help at all.



Here's a Howard Miller grandfather clock that I maintain for the University of Illinois. It was a gift to the U of I from the class of 1978.

Once your clock is done, how about an update here? Best of luck with it.

Thomas

 

[willy3486]

Once your clock is done, how about an update here? Best of luck with it.
Thomas

Thanks for the reply. I have it out in the workshop and I am hoping to do a little work soon. I need to refinish the base and replace a cable. I will try to remember to post it. I have had it out there for about 4 years and I would like to get it going and out of there.

 

[gasgas17]

I didn't know you were into Motorcycles! what else do you have lurking around the shop that rolls on 2 wheels?

 

[gasgas17]

When we have to modify a socket for motorcycle work (usually suspension) we generally start with an impact socket. They are easier to grind/machine without the chrome.

 

[Grizz1963]

Was in Illinois a few times the last two weeks.

Lots of combine harvesters.

 

[XJSuperman]

They'll be in the field soon for beans/corn Grizz. You may have to come back. I know they've been going through OK and the western states for wheat and corn already.

 

[Grizz1963]

They'll be in the field soon for beans/corn Grizz. You may have to come back. I know they've been going through OK and the western states for wheat and corn already.

I was going to head for Louisiana this week but changed my mind.

So I am at a loose end.

Will make it up as I go along

 

[bulletpruf]

I was going to head for Louisiana this week but changed my mind.

Business or pleasure? I'm from the New Orleans area, so if you do end up going and need some tips on where to go and what to see, let me know.

 

[willy3486]

Once your clock is done, how about an update here? Best of luck with it.

Thomas

I thought I would post a link to it and hopefully not hijack this thread. I have the clock finished and I have it posted here at GJ. Here is a link to the post.

Grandfather clock rebuild.

 

[BB767]

Busy times for me lately. Just today I spent 10 hours wrestling with a stump grinder grinding out 7 stumps and I'm pretty tired. I'll get something on here. I continue with all my clock work, motorcycling, Bonneville, drag racing and a whole bunch of other "stuff"!



This is the space in the basement that I used to create my clock shop.



Here is that space with the cabinets installed...



...and with LED under cabinet lighting. Still making improvements but I'm also able to get clocks repaired in the shop.

Earlier this month Lou and I were at Bonneville...



...where I finally got to drive Lou's old '29 Ford roadster out on the salt. No doors on it so all my yoga practice these last several years is paying off.





I did get my Bonneville racing license. That's been a long time coming and I'll get more about that on here.



gasgas17 was asking about other 2 wheel devices. There's my beloved Schwinn Varsity 10 speed that I bought in 1966 with my paper route money. It's all original with the exception of the tubes, tires and brake pads. I still ride it 2-3 times a week on about a 14 mile route with a group of friends. Never dreamed I'd still be riding it close to 60 years later.



Then there's this new addition, a 2004 BMW R 1100 S, not to be confused with my 2002 BMW R 1100 S. There are also a couple of Honda CT 110's, a 1980 and a 1981.

Like I said I'll get more on here later, but I am staying fairly busy. Maybe see some you at Stanton MI this weekend for Pure Stock Drag Racing. I'll be there with the Chevy II. Thanks everyone for all your posts and comments. It' fun to hear from all of you.

Thomas

 

[ChevyEFI]

Looking forward to hearing about the Bonneville licensure. My folks have their similar era Collegiate ? models, still rideable. And Dad has his 57 Black Phantom he bought new.

 

[gasgas17]

gasgas17 was asking about other 2 wheel devices. There's my beloved Schwinn Varsity 10 speed that I bought in 1966 with my paper route money. It's all original with the exception of the tubes, tires and brake pads. I still ride it 2-3 times a week on about a 14 mile route with a group of friends. Never dreamed I'd still be riding it close to 60 years later.

Then there's this new addition, a 2004 BMW R 1100 S, not to be confused with my 2002 BMW R 1100 S. There are also a couple of Honda CT 110's, a 1980 and a 1981.

Like I said I'll get more on here later, but I am staying fairly busy. Maybe see some you at Stanton MI this weekend for Pure Stock Drag Racing. I'll be there with the Chevy II. Thanks everyone for all your posts and comments. It' fun to hear from all of you.

Thomas

Very nice collection! I hope you get to ride them. I was able to get myself a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R this spring for a great deal. Been enjoying that bike along with my KTM 690 Enduro R and My Beta 300 RR.

 

[Poor Ron]

We went to the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags at Stanton.
Got to push a Blue Chevy II in the staging lanes!
Another checkmark on my meager bucket list.

 

[iced98lx]

look forward to hearing about getting license'd up on the salt, it's on my bucket list.

 

[stoneECH0]

Found this in our old shop, was my wife's grandfather's.

I know about weight, just wondering if it's unique at all, I have heard a lot about $1 per lb.

I believe that is what a blacksmith who intended on daily use would pay, I'm wondering if there is a higher price based on rarity and collector value.

I am not claiming this to be a rare anvil or that it is valuable in any way, more just looking to find a fare collector price. Thanks

 

[XJSuperman]

@stoneECH0 You may want to post in a more dedicated thread for something like that, rather than in a member's personal garage thread. There's an anvil thread here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/show-me-your-anvil.33788/page-32
I'm sure the anvil experts would love a crack at it.