Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[markviii]

You guys do realize that every post brings the test closer? I thought so. This will be my last post for awhile -- gotta get going on that test writing! (That doesn't mean I won't be checking in here to see what's going on.) All of you newer-to-the-thread people probably think because it seems fresh in your mind that you'll have an easier time of it. Maybe, maybe not. Don't things get easier the more you work with them to learn their idiosyncrasies? Like tools.

Also, I don't believe in curving tests. I will use the 90-A, 80-B ...standard cutoffs with no + or - grades and no rounding up( 89.6% does not = 90%). And no more clues from me - not even about how many or what kind of questions there will be. The knowledge in the entire thread is up for grabs. You're all good at what you enjoy doing, so this should be a breeze (I never enjoyed test-writing, so I think I'm the one who has the hardest work here). Is that all as clear as mud? Good. Now it's off to studying...and writing (and bed because it's late...or early?).

Chris

 

[ZRX61]

I don't think it's a pipe wrench however, I think it came as part of the tool set with an early car, maybe, perhaps, possibly, could be, seems reasonable, that's my story and I'm sticking with it?? Anyone out there recognize it or something similar as tools that came with cars in the early days? Anyone.......

Thanks Rick, nice work!

Thomas

No prob A lot of people refer to these things as Ford wrenches.

There was a bit of weld booger in the threads about 1/3rd from the end that prevented it from opening fully, but that fell off while blasting it clean. Now it's cooled down I can still see a some mottling but I'll take care of that tomorrow.

 

[BB767]

Here's an update on some of the items that will or have been refurbished for a secong life in the shop.

This was Mr.Johnson's welding bench as I found it in 2005. There's the white plastic jug used as a exhaust hood, upper right. Welding rod in 2 holders back right and his welding vice is to the left of the photograph. I believe it's this vice......

I just removed it from the lean-to today, Dec, 2010.

It's got 4" jaws and is in excellent condition, does'n show all that much wear or welding splatter so I think it had been replaced near his retirement.

It's a Reed No 104 R. It sure does look like the one in the picture. Many of the stray marks look to be identical. I'll admit I've forgotten what happened to the one off his welding bench so this must be it. That said I think I've found my new/old welding vice. Just give it a little reconditioning and it'll be good to go.

Go back to the first photograph of the old bench again please and look the right side of the bench. Note in the rear of the bench, the 2 holders with welding rod in them. One of them looks like.........

...this now and once rod is placed back in it....

...except for the black powder coating, it looks right at home back on the bench. I coated it because it was just raw metal and very rusty. I haven't located the second one yet, but I'm certain I retained it. No too sure what they were made out of originally but it works nicely as a rod holder for his old Lincoln.

Two other items that have been refurbished and given a second life.....

Note the old PTO and now this is how it looks...

I powder coated it also to prevent rust. I only plan on keeping it around to use as a weight. It's pretty hefty. Next to it also powder coated gloss black....

...a piece of railroad iron that someone hacksawed through.

This left a nice flat work spot...

...with a heavy, stable base. I expect through the years to come that will come in handy a time or two. I know the coating will get chewed up in spots, but overall it will keep it from rusting and make it better to handle. So those items are now back in the shop ready for service once more. A few done and so many more to go, but then that's what's fun.

Thomas

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Chris,
I'm pretty sure I'll be 'sick' on the day of the test --- no, really --- I'll even have a note from my mother! And it being so close to the Christmas holidays, I'm sure I won't have the opportunity to take a make-up exam.
So, I guess I'll just have to 'pass' on taking the test!

Thomas,
In regards to
'THE SWITCHPLATE',
Ask your lovely wife (very politely) for a empty picture frame from her new shop, hang it (square and level) around
'THE SWITCHPLATE',
and label it below the frame 'Picasso's last great work - 'OUT OF KILTER''






Hi, Omphaloskeptic,
No excuses will get you out of the test. You've stuck with us this long, what's a few extra days? Mother's notes are always fake! Anyway, the test won't have to be taken all at once on the same day. I'll post it on the thread so that you can copy-paste it into a document to print out and work on when you get a moment. No pressure. No actual time limit other than to get it in by the indicated deadline (TBD). "Easy as pie" as we said back in the day. My dad, the math teacher, would have said QED (Quite Easily Done).

If you want, you can edit your last post to include any or all of the above info so neither of us runs up the post count.

Have fun!
Chris

 

[CRTDI]

Thomas,

Here is a recently posted thread of an ad that shows what might be the original color schemes for your Walker floor jacks.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82988&highlight=Walker

 

[Falcon67]

I keep a short piece of rail on the bench - it's been the handiest dang thing, you can't imagine. Small anvil, turn on side grab one flange in the big vise and use the other flange edge to straighten oil pan edges, the list goes on. Mine has a hole, so I can tie a rope through it and use it as a "grappling weight" to yank dead limbs out of the pecan trees. You can get some Olympic throws if you let go at the right time but swinging a piece of iron around like that can get a little scary.

 

[Porschedoc]

I have the same 9 Auto wrench (as well as quite a few of the Diamond cresents) but it is stamped "9 IN AUTO" up by the jaws. I'd have to ask my dad where it came from on the farm if he remembers. I am pretty sure he still has a full set of Diamond combination wrenches.


But a quick google shows it was made by "The Vlchek Tool Company (pronounced "Vel-check") started as a small blacksmith shop and grew to become the largest maker of automobile tool kits"
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/vlchek-story.html

I sent a picture of it to my dad and grandpa (mom's dad). My grandpa said the following: "...I remember the bag of tools that came with the 1925 Ford. I guess ford had a tool pack in every model T those days. I can recall the socket wrench for lug nuts that also served as rim wrench and jack handle. The utility wrench was an adjustable squared jawed thing that was not well refined and we called a knuckle buster because it would always slip off nuts unexpectedly because of poor quality. I remember that my dad threw most of them away and saved the sack because he thought it was the only thing of value to put decent tools in. The finish was very roughly forged and painted ugly black of course. I faintly remember the name on the handles was FORD. I don't recall ever seeing the name VLCHEK on tools." Pretty darn good memory for being 90.

My dad figured that monkey wrench probably came off one of the farm implements as most of them also came with tools of some sort. He remembers having all sorts of tools like that laying around before they sold the place in the 80's. Unfortunately his dad has long since passed away who would have probably remembered what it came off of.

I have read damn near this entire thread, all I can say is WOW!

 

[BB767]

Thomas,

Here is a recently posted thread of an ad that shows what might be the original color schemes for your Walker floor jacks.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82988&highlight=Walker

Thanks for the heads up CRTDI. That's the first 1940's ad I've seen and that in all probability is the paint scheme I'll be using. It's a little different from the earlier # 784 Walker I've got, but more closely represents the one I'm restoring. The color in the ad is a little lighter blue than what I've found on both of mine. There are slight differences frankly on various components on each jack and between the jacks themselves. It's subtle but there if you start to look for it. I'll find a shade that most closely represents the overall jack and go with that I expect.

An update on that...the powder coater now has the colors needed to mix powder to match the jack and should have a color mix done by the time I'm home from my day job. I have found rivets to match the ones holding the data plate on so that can be removed, powder coat the handle and then reattach the data plate so it will look as close to the factory finish as possible.

Thomas

 

[Motown 454]

They look great. Its funny the first thing I noticed in the old picture was the vise. I can use your pictures to hone my picker skills on how to look for the good stuff. lol It looks great.

 

[BB767]

They look great. Its funny the first thing I noticed in the old picture was the vise. I can use your pictures to hone my picker skills on how to look for the good stuff. lol It looks great.

I have heard of the program (American Pickers- I think that's what it's called) but have never seen it. A friend gave me several episodes on DVD's that I hope to watch in the near future. People keep telling me how the shop would have been ideal for those guys to come through and glean out all the good stuff, really gut it, before I bought it. Lucky for me they weren't around back then! Being able to use all the various pieces of equipment from the shop that were left behind really gives me a connection with past work done out there. I mentally flash back to the past when I see or use those items. That I find to be really special and satisfying.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I have the same 9 Auto wrench (as well as quite a few of the Diamond cresents) but it is stamped "9 IN AUTO" up by the jaws. I'd have to ask my dad where it came from on the farm if he remembers. I am pretty sure he still has a full set of Diamond combination wrenches.


But a quick google shows it was made by "The Vlchek Tool Company (pronounced "Vel-check") started as a small blacksmith shop and grew to become the largest maker of automobile tool kits"
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/vlchek-story.html

I sent a picture of it to my dad and grandpa (mom's dad). My grandpa said the following: "...I remember the bag of tools that came with the 1925 Ford. I guess ford had a tool pack in every model T those days. I can recall the socket wrench for lug nuts that also served as rim wrench and jack handle. The utility wrench was an adjustable squared jawed thing that was not well refined and we called a knuckle buster because it would always slip off nuts unexpectedly because of poor quality. I remember that my dad threw most of them away and saved the sack because he thought it was the only thing of value to put decent tools in. The finish was very roughly forged and painted ugly black of course. I faintly remember the name on the handles was FORD. I don't recall ever seeing the name VLCHEK on tools." Pretty darn good memory for being 90.

My dad figured that monkey wrench probably came off one of the farm implements as most of them also came with tools of some sort. He remembers having all sorts of tools like that laying around before they sold the place in the 80's. Unfortunately his dad has long since passed away who would have probably remembered what it came off of.

I have read damn near this entire thread, all I can say is WOW!

Great information, thank you. Your wrench looks to be a slight variation on mine with different casting placement, but essentially the same.

I was pretty sure that was the background of it. Grandpa seems to have a very sharp memory. He is correct about the quality of those wrenches, they aren't the best. I think they were intended for emergency use as they would have been better than nothing, but just barely.

Make sure you don't neglect your sleep now as you finish reading the rest of the thread, OK?

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I keep a short piece of rail on the bench - it's been the handiest dang thing, you can't imagine. Small anvil, turn on side grab one flange in the big vise and use the other flange edge to straighten oil pan edges, the list goes on. Mine has a hole, so I can tie a rope through it and use it as a "grappling weight" to yank dead limbs out of the pecan trees. You can get some Olympic throws if you let go at the right time but swinging a piece of iron around like that can get a little scary.

Chris I'm doing my best to picture you swinging a rail road iron tied to a rope. Honestly it would never have occurred to me to ever do such a thing, never. It must be true that Texans are juuusst a little bit different than most. Now imagine those folks in New Zealand hearing about this from Sick Puppy? That alone might drive them mad, who knows.

Thanks just the same for sharing.

Thomas

 

[bigblock427]

First...I love your shop, I can tell you and your family have done an amazing job with the old place and I'm sure you are very proud of what you have accomplished. I can only imagine the hours you have put into its transformation.

As for the wrench, I think its simply called a early adjustable wrench.

Its origin began before Ford got a hold of it and was probably supplied to him from an outside source in the beginning.

The first photo is the Ford Monkey Wrench. The square end was for the differential plug, I believe.

The monkey wrench is an adjustable wrench not used much today. It has been replaced by the Crescent®, or adjustable–end, wrench.

Charles Moncky, the inventor of the wrench, sold his patent for $2,000, to Henry Ford and invested the money in a house in Williamsburg, Kings County, N.Y. This design served as the basis for all later adjustable end wrenches, including pipe wrenches.

In an interesting article upon the genesis of machine design, Mr. W.H. Sargent spoke of the slide which moves up and down in the handle of a monkey wrench as resembling a toy monkey, and thereby drew an analogy.

The square ended wrenches are for the improved rear end ('26-7) which used a square pipe plug that could be engaged with the end of the adjustable wrench instead of the hex headed plug used in '25 & earlier rear ends. Early '26 rear ends that still used the old hex plug but the change-over came fairly soon.

My Grandpa called these a square nut adjustable.

These wrench were used by many, many companies, including auto makers, motorcycle makers, farm machinery companies and dairy equipment companies.

 

[willy3486]

I was wondering about the hot oil treatment. I have heard about it but never tried it. I use the electrolitic method now because I like to find stuff completely rusted and not movable. Sandblasting will clean but it does not get stuff movable again like electrolitic does. But I wouldn't mind trying the hot oil on some of the adjustable wrenches I have just got. I wouldn't mind trying that way but never have even seen it done. I have a question or so on it. Will this process warp the wrenches? I use all the tools I clean so I need them to hold up and me accurate. I also wonder does it take any of the temper or strenght away of the tool? Can you use a regular propane torch like a plumber uses,the small tanks about 12 inches tall and 3 inches wide type. Can you use used motor oil? do you have to do anything special to it to keep it up and not rust? Is there a link to the process and steps to do it. I believe in using what you have on hand and thats why I have used the method I have. But after I get done cleaning the tools this looks like a good method to keep it up. I use the electrolitic method because with my smaller air compressor my sandblaster is a pain to deal with.

 

[at_h2o]

... Wow. That's VERY impressive. I wish I had the money to do something like that...

 

[BB767]

First...I love your shop, I can tell you and your family have done an amazing job with the old place and I'm sure you are very proud of what you have accomplished. I can only imagine the hours you have put into its transformation.

As for the wrench, I think its simply called a early adjustable wrench.

Its origin began before Ford got a hold of it and was probably supplied to him from an outside source in the beginning.

The first photo is the Ford Monkey Wrench. The square end was for the differential plug, I believe.

The monkey wrench is an adjustable wrench not used much today. It has been replaced by the Crescent®, or adjustable–end, wrench.

Charles Moncky, the inventor of the wrench, sold his patent for $2,000, to Henry Ford and invested the money in a house in Williamsburg, Kings County, N.Y. This design served as the basis for all later adjustable end wrenches, including pipe wrenches.

In an interesting article upon the genesis of machine design, Mr. W.H. Sargent spoke of the slide which moves up and down in the handle of a monkey wrench as resembling a toy monkey, and thereby drew an analogy.

The square ended wrenches are for the improved rear end ('26-7) which used a square pipe plug that could be engaged with the end of the adjustable wrench instead of the hex headed plug used in '25 & earlier rear ends. Early '26 rear ends that still used the old hex plug but the change-over came fairly soon.

My Grandpa called these a square nut adjustable.

These wrench were used by many, many companies, including auto makers, motorcycle makers, farm machinery companies and dairy equipment companies.

Thank you bigblock427 for some additional background information, much of which I didn't know. If you look back on some of the posts about the lift you'll notice that it has only square headed nuts and bolts which really lends a nice period look to it. When I was disassembling and reassembling it, I had to use a pretty good sized monkey wrench that belonged to my father. While the open end of a combination wrench would work, the monkey wrench with it's wide parallel jaws was much more suitable.

Another thought is how much additional you have now provided for the upcoming "test". I'm sure Chris is grateful for that!

Thomas

 

[Ran D]

Just to clarify......is the correct spelling going to be Moncky Wrench as opposed to the commonly used Monkey Wrench when Chris grades the spelling test ?

By the way I just found a whole box of these adjustable style nut removers in an old box I removed from my uncle's garage......having sold the property and the new owner was going to give the "Junk" to some pickers.......I just decided it had sentimental value.

Funny thing is I found some of these old wrenches actually work better on certain jobs then my newer style plumbing adjustable wrenches.........of course it could have been that my persuader bar that happened to fit the end of the Moncky wrench was the determining factor .

 

[ZRX61]

I have a question or so on it. (1)Will this process warp the wrenches? I use all the tools I clean so I need them to hold up and me accurate. (2)I also wonder does it take any of the temper or strenght away of the tool? (3) Can you use a regular propane torch like a plumber uses,the small tanks about 12 inches tall and 3 inches wide type. (4)Can you use used motor oil?

1, no
2, no
3, yes
4, yes, but it smells worse...a LOT worse.

When done with Oxy/Acetylene or on a forge it's actually a form of case hardening, with the small gas bottles it just stops them rusting & leaves them looking nice.
You'l run out of patience trying to get a wrench to glow red with a blowtorch.

 

[ZRX61]

Charles Moncky, the inventor of the wrench, sold his patent for $2,000, to Henry Ford and invested the money in a house in Williamsburg, Kings County, N.Y. This design served as the basis for all later adjustable end wrenches, including pipe wrenches.

Talking of which:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0684832747/?tag=atomicindus08-20

A good read

 

[e-tek]

I still love - and hate - this incredible thread!!! It takes up so much of my time when I open it! It also makes me want to redo my shop to look that clean and organized...but I don't know what I'd do with all the stuff I need. It's a function of space I guess - 1000sq ft was not NEARLY big enough....you lucked out in so many ways.
Will you be posting any more shots of working on classics? It would even make a good additional thread - or blog even.... Have you thought of starting a blog, or will you just keep on updating this thread?
Thanks for continuing the saga Thomas!!

 

[bigblock427]

Another thought is how much additional you have now provided for the upcoming "test". I'm sure Chris is grateful for that!

Thomas

Oh boy, I stuck my foot in my mouth huh!

I was hoping you had an inside track on when the test was and could give an advance heads up so I could play hooky that day!

But believe it or not you can still buy these wrench new, I have one thats about 5 years old. I use it a lot on old farm machinery that a lot of the time has square nuts. Most plumbers also seem to always have one or two in their toolbox.

Here is a new one I found on the net for sale, made by a company called Draper. Very little has changed on them over the years.

 

[markviii]

Post #1885 shows a copy of my PM to Omphaloskeptic who threatened to skip the test. This is getting more fun (at least for me - it's challenging my test-making creativity!). (and I even went against my self-imposed ban on further posts)

e-tek - no hating allowed! It's all peace-love-dove here! I must admit I do challenge Tom's penchant for organization and cleanliness - he likes things out of sight while I use counter tops for what they were made for. I do admire (from afar) abstamaria's minimalist approach at his home/garage, but I don't think I could live in it. I do always try to make sure I put things back in their place when I work in Tom's space.

bigblock427 - I don't share my education secrets with Tom. He's having enough trouble trying to come up with an index for this thread! (oh, that just gave me an idea for how to structure the test!)

Have fun!
Chris

 

[BB767]

.....


e-tek - no hating allowed! It's all peace-love-dove here! I must admit I do challenge Tom's penchant for organization and cleanliness -....


Have fun!
Chris

And that folks is a hugh understatement.....no enormous is a better term.....well, no, wait- gigantic would more accurate.....hmmmm, come to think of it, that doesn't really portray the totality of the situation.....however she's such a sweetheart how could I possibly fault her for that one little shortcoming....no, little short coming isn't quite right....it's bigger than that....more like, are you kidding me Chris , how could you possibly......

She's my gal however through thick and thin, organized or junkie! Chris, I'll be home soon....

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I still love - and hate - this incredible thread!!! It takes up so much of my time when I open it! It also makes me want to redo my shop to look that clean and organized...but I don't know what I'd do with all the stuff I need. It's a function of space I guess - 1000sq ft was not NEARLY big enough....you lucked out in so many ways.
Will you be posting any more shots of working on classics? It would even make a good additional thread - or blog even.... Have you thought of starting a blog, or will you just keep on updating this thread?
Thanks for continuing the saga Thomas!!

That sucking sound you hear when you spend so much time reading this is the vortex Chris has mentioned from time to time........sorry about that.

As for your other questions e-tek, hold that thought, I've been up all night flying and need sleep. I'll get back to you on that but those are good questions all the same.

T T- Tired Thomas

 

[bigblock427]

This thread is priceless!

Thanks much.

 

[Nuts]

Here's one for "Dug" the tool lover (one of several here I would guess ) who has been so very patient waiting for more tools to show up here.

These are but a few of the hand tools that remained after the family removed all the ones they wanted.

As I've mentioned before they seemed to take the "newer" ones and left the older ones, thankfully for me.

Most of these wrenches are pretty big and beefy. Besides being large nut and bolt sizes, they are thick, heavily made. Look at the one on the far left for example, see how thick the shoulders are around the openings top and bottom. Maybe the nut and bolts they were made for were physically thick or wide. I suppose it's also possible with older metallurgy they needed to be thicker to compensate for poorer quality steel. I'm guessing they were used in tractor work mainly. Were automotive tools of the 30's and 40's made like this?

These two more modern specialty wrenches on the right are aluminum. Anyone recognize what they might have been used for? Prop shaft on an outboard motor??

Besides removing the rust not sure what might be the proper way to recondition them. Some of them show evidence of paint. If they're just left raw steel they'll rust again eventually. I think any surface protection that was on them originally is long gone. Any thoughts out there on what might be the best way to keep them in shape. While I don't plan on using them on a regular basis, if I need them, anything in the shop is there to work.

Some specialty hammers.

This one I really don't know what it was designed for? Both faces look like this.

This wrench caught my eye. As you know Mr.Johnson was a blacksmith. This 12" adjustable wrench is made by the "Diamond Calk Horseshoe Co., Duluth Minn." That's a new manufacturer for me. Maybe they're quite famous, but I've never heard of them. Some of the other tools have manufactures names on them, just haven't really looked that close at them yet.

A specialized end on these pliers/cutters.

Anyone who can help out and identify the uses of any tools seen here, as always, feel free to please help us out.

Anyone who has done "stick" arc welding has used these to chip the old slag off a new weld. Just looking at them brings back that distinctive sound to me. When a lot of work was going on in the shop years ago, the air would be filled with the sizzle of the welder, the smell of welding smoke, followed by the clinking sound of the weld being cleaned up with these hammers.

I do have a bunch more tools that I'm bringing back to light. As you've seen I'll get them posted on here as I am able. Thanks again for all of your interest and support as I continue with the history and resurrection of this shop.

Thomas

Hullo Thomas and Chris

This will teach me to disappear since Nov 21st, 16 new pages of shop goodness and tools, tools, tools.

BigBlock is spot on about the adjustable wrench. I think the Ford Model A versions all had the square on the end of the handle. Here's a link to what a 31 Ford tool kit would consist of. Model A tool Kit

In the fourth pic, just below the Diamond crescent wrench is another Ford tool, it's for the spark plug and head bolts.

In the above link, it also shows the short wrenches for the kit, and a couple of yours look very close. Not all Ford wrenches are marked Ford. Model T and only the early A wrenches are so marked. Then Ford dropped the name for the next three plus years of the Model A.

In the seventh pic of the hammers, those with the short handles were probably use for his black smithing. A long day of hammering wasn't so tiring with a stubby handle. The hammer on the right being a straight pein, as opposed to the normal cross pein. The second from the right appears to be brass and would have been used for drifting pins on equipment.

If you notice the waffle faced hammer looks like it's been burnt many many times over, I'm wondering if it was used as a shrinking hammer on red hot metal??
Just a wild guess.

The little grease gun may also have been a Ford item, but of a earlier vintage then the kit in the above link.

In the next to the last pic, next to the linesmans pliers, are what looks like a set of hog ring pliers. At the tip of the inside of each jaw, there should be an indention and a grove the extends out the tip. These were used to pinch a hog ring closed, used in the upholstery of older cars. The ring grasped a bunch of cloth and also one of the wires on the spring itself.

Whew, sorry for being so long winded.


The story of the Al Jerauld intake has twisted more than a few of your readers heart strings. Your response and kindness to someone that you have never met, is one to those things that doesn't come around too many times in life. The hard part is recognizing that it is there, and then acting as you did. Thank you.


Nuts aka Doug or Dug as it may be.

 

[Gerry Reeder]

What model of Rotary lift do you have. I have a cylinder from a two post sliding post model and I am wondering if it would have enough capacity to do what your pictures show. Do you know if that unit came from the factory as is or was that remodeled with the ramps? Thank you for your info. Where would a person find info on the older models of Rotary Lift?

 

[garageking]

the snipping pliers were used to trim horse hooves and the other 2 look like the pliers to hold horse shoes in a blacksmith shop to hold the shoes while shaping them over a forgeand the other pic are chipping hammers to knock slag off welds,but looks like he used them for other purposes too

 

[Hardware]

You know what is so great about this thread? It is a fantastic restorations/upgrade of an old time garage for sure. But more than that is the way Chris and Thomas have shared the process and thus part of their lives with us. There have been many other very neat builds on this forum, but alas the owners only seem to post a few times and then loose interest. I want to take a moment to thank them and let them know I’m here at least once a day checking for the next installment and hoping it isn’t the test.

++++1
I visit this thread... Im still amazed of the energy put into this project.

 

[BB767]

Thomas,
In regards to
'THE SWITCHPLATE',
Ask your lovely wife (very politely) for a empty picture frame from her new shop, hang it (square and level) around
'THE SWITCHPLATE',
and label it below the frame 'Picasso's last great work - 'OUT OF KILTER''


/QUOTE]

Omphaloskeptic that is thinking outside of the box for sure. Problem is I'm just not all that fond of Picasso's work. Now I know that might be heresy to some of you, but I'm much more of a French Impressionist kind of guy, say Monet or old school like James Whistler or Winslow Homer. What can I say, I know what I like (besides you Chris of course ). But thanks for trying to solve that " non problem" that doesn't bother me.........all that much......unless it gets brought up.....AGAIN and then I start to envision how very much nicer the lift room would look it if that......................, what was the question again???

Now you all need to brush up on art history. Be thankful I didn't bring up the Dutch masters or Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Now there was a renaissance man for you. You think he would have tolerated something like that switch plate on his David??? I think not!! Wait a minute, we're drifting off topic.....again. Sorry about that.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

... Wow. That's VERY impressive. I wish I had the money to do something like that...

Oh it seems pretty easy, clean the tool, and then heat it with a propane torch and dip a few times in some engine oil. Couldn't cost more than a couple of bucks I'd say all in all, right Rick??

Thomas

 

[hobbitss]

Omphaloskeptic that is thinking outside of the box for sure. Problem is I'm just not all that fond of Picasso's work. Now I know that might be heresy to some of you, but I'm much more of a French Impressionist kind of guy, say Monet or old school like James Whistler or Winslow Homer. What can I say, I know what I like (besides you Chris of course ). But thanks for trying to solve that " non problem" that doesn't bother me.........all that much......unless it gets brought up.....AGAIN and then I start to envision how very much nicer the lift room would look it if that......................, what was the question again???

Now you all need to brush up on art history. Be thankful I didn't bring up the Dutch masters or Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Now there was a renaissance man for you. You think he would have tolerated something like that switch plate on his David??? I think not!! Wait a minute, we're drifting off topic.....again. Sorry about that.

Thomas

My tastes run more toward the Modern Impressionist such as Brian Basset, Jeff Milar, Bill Watterson, Gary Brookins, Scott Adams, Gary Larson, Richard Thompson, Darby Conley, Jimmy Johnson and most of all, Wiley Miller...

And...

I LIKE TOOLS....

 

[BB767]

Hullo Thomas and Chris

This will teach me to disappear since Nov 21st, 16 new pages of shop goodness and tools, tools, tools.

BigBlock is spot on about the adjustable wrench. I think the Ford Model A versions all had the square on the end of the handle. Here's a link to what a 31 Ford tool kit would consist of. Model A tool Kit

In the fourth pic, just below the Diamond crescent wrench is another Ford tool, it's for the spark plug and head bolts.

In the above link, it also shows the short wrenches for the kit, and a couple of yours look very close. Not all Ford wrenches are marked Ford. Model T and only the early A wrenches are so marked. Then Ford dropped the name for the next three plus years of the Model A.

In the seventh pic of the hammers, those with the short handles were probably use for his black smithing. A long day of hammering wasn't so tiring with a stubby handle. The hammer on the right being a straight pein, as opposed to the normal cross pein. The second from the right appears to be brass and would have been used for drifting pins on equipment.

If you notice the waffle faced hammer looks like it's been burnt many many times over, I'm wondering if it was used as a shrinking hammer on red hot metal??
Just a wild guess.

The little grease gun may also have been a Ford item, but of a earlier vintage then the kit in the above link.

In the next to the last pic, next to the linesmans pliers, are what looks like a set of hog ring pliers. At the tip of the inside of each jaw, there should be an indention and a grove the extends out the tip. These were used to pinch a hog ring closed, used in the upholstery of older cars. The ring grasped a bunch of cloth and also one of the wires on the spring itself.

Whew, sorry for being so long winded.


The story of the Al Jerauld intake has twisted more than a few of your readers heart strings. Your response and kindness to someone that you have never met, is one to those things that doesn't come around too many times in life. The hard part is recognizing that it is there, and then acting as you did. Thank you.


Nuts aka Doug or Dug as it may be.

Hey there Nuts/Doug, I thought you knew not keeping up with the thread was at your own risk. Pity the poor folks who are not going to keep up over the up coming holidays. Once I get home there is a backlog of posts forming up that I need to get out. Leave for little while and then before you know it........

I'm sure everyone here appreciates you taking the time to fill in some tool information. Great information there, never a worry about you being long winded either. The Ford tool kit link was very helpful I've seen several of those items in the lean-to and tool shed, now I know what they relate to. I've also got some upcoming pictures of one of his specialty hammers that I'll be very interested to get your and others comments on. Never seen anything like it.

Also, I just received some more Al Jerauld manifold updates that will have to wait just a bit. Thanks again for filling us in on what is what as best you can tell from the pictures.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

What model of Rotary lift do you have. I have a cylinder from a two post sliding post model and I am wondering if it would have enough capacity to do what your pictures show. Do you know if that unit came from the factory as is or was that remodeled with the ramps? Thank you for your info. Where would a person find info on the older models of Rotary Lift?

Hello Gerry and welcome to Garage Journal and this thread. I see that perhaps you are fairly new to the thread. You may or may not know that sometimes I'm gone for a stretch as I am gainfully employed which requires me to be gone and this is one of those times. Once I'm back home I'll be better able to answer your questions, no problem. If you can please hang on, I'll do my best to give you informed answers. One thing I can tell you is that the lift, as it exists presently, is completely as manufactured in 1928 with no significant modifications. There are a couple of very minor "in the field" modifications that Elroy will be glad to see that I left in place, but only minor ones. Just check back here, OK?

Thomas

 

[BB767]

the snipping pliers were used to trim horse hooves and the other 2 look like the pliers to hold horse shoes in a blacksmith shop to hold the shoes while shaping them over a forgeand the other pic are chipping hammers to knock slag off welds,but looks like he used them for other purposes too

Thank you sir for that. As for your note that perhaps the chipping hammers were used for other purposes there can be NO doubt they were used for "other purposes" as just about everything out there was used for other purposes! I'd say they were supreme at that, for better or in some cases, for worse.

And while we're on the subject of blacksmithing, for you experts out there, what might an anvil weight, roughly speaking, that measures 28" long from the horn to the tail and is 11" tall from the bottom base to the top surface? I forgot to measure the width but presume one about that size was a standard width if such a thing exists. Roughly?

Thomas

 

[BB767]

++++1
I visit this thread... Im still amazed of the energy put into this project.

Hardware, your "little" build is no slouch. Nice work! Thanks for taking the time to come visit us here. As for energy, wait till you see what the neighbors saw me doing with that anvil.

Thomas

 

[bigblock427]

Can't wait for that story.

 

[RAPID49]

Great garage ! Great story ! Great people ! I'm looking forward to reading more.

 

[williamhamilton]

Great garage ! Great story ! Great people ! I'm looking forward to reading more.

It has taken a long time but finally I have caught up with the posts, there was a time when it felt like more posts were being added than I could read in the time I had available. I just want to repeat the above post at it sums my thoughts up well.

Putting my hand up for Cris's list as a relocated Scotsman now living in sunny Wairarapa down in New Zeland (no, I don't know sickpuppy )

W

 

[markviii]

Thanks for joining, William. We had an official Scotland (country #2) early on, but he actually lives there. You made the extra effort to move LOL. You have now been officially initiated because you actually took the time to read the entire thread before posting ( I have ways of knowing this - kind of like The Great Karnak). Can you believe some people actually admitted to skipping ahead in the thread just to post in? I don't think that will help them very much on the test! Omphaloskeptic calls it our "Fortress of Solitude". (Is that like Max Smart's "Cone of Silence"?) (we watched too much TV in our youth, I think, but TV shows were actually worthwhile back then) I say you've been sucked into the vortex. All in all, it's our little slice of heaven. Tom is of Scottish heritage (McMillan on his mother's side).

Oops!! I violated my self-imposed "no more posting rule". I must not be busy enough. No more hints either. (I think that there have been more than 24,000 "hits" since last Wednesday, putting us closer to 1/2 million every day. I'm working my fingers to the bone getting that test ready!)

Chris

Here's the real reason for posting:

Here's an update of the state/country list (from page 86). If I missed anyone, sorry. Just let me know. I don't want to leave anyone out of the fun!

** indicate states that are represented so far. If you've posted, but haven't identified your location, you can PM me if you want and I'll ** the state or add the country of origin. So far 35 states have posted. (4/29/10 - we now have 37 thanks to Todd and Tom in Nebraska and West Virginia)(also welcome Jay for #38)(I can't remember who was #39, but #40 on 7/3/10 is wats56 from WY)(and #41 on 9/27/10 from NH). Only 7 more states to go!
As of 11/16/10, we now have 44 states (as of 12/14/10)(I know those other 6 states are lurking!)(45 included as of 3/14/11) (46 states as of 5/4/11 with DE coming on board) 47 states accounted for 5/5/11 (Welcome Guam! 5/8/11)(48 states as of 7/21/11 with the addition of HI!) 50 states as of 1/17/13
States (& Possessions included because Tom flew there at one point in his career)
** = posted
**AL
**AK
AMERICAN SAMOA (AS)
**AZ
**AR
**CA
**CO
**CT
**DE
**Wash DC
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA (FM)
**FL
**GA
**GUAM (GU)(Guam (GU)(organized, unincorporated territory of the United States)
**HI
**ID
**IL
**IN
**IA
**KS
**KY
**LA
**ME
MARSHALL ISLANDS (MH)
**MD
**MA
**MI
**MN
**MS
**MO
**MT
**NE
**NV
**NH
**NJ
**NM
**NY
**NC
**ND
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS (MP)
**OH
**OK
**OR
PALAU (PW)
**PA
PUERTO RICO (PR)
**RI
**SC
**SD
**TN
**TX
**UT
**VT
VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI)
**VA
**WA
**WV
**WI
**WY

Countries represented so far (24 as of 12/8/10)(I know there are more!):
(26 as of 1/25/11)(27 as of 2/19/11)(28 as of 3/17/11)(29 and counting as of 8/11/11)(30 as of 9/27/11)(31 as of 7/2/12)(32 as of 7/15/12)(33 as of 7/24/12), (34 as of 1/9/2013)(#35 as of 1/31/13)
# 36, Antarctica as of 2/10/2013, #37 and counting as of 2/12/2013
#38 and still counting as of 2/21/13 (#39 posted in on May 10/11, 2013)
France
UK (many locations)
Scotland
Switzerland
Australia (several locations)
Canada (many locations)
Sweden
Netherlands
New Zealand
Ireland
Iceland
Portugal
Hong Kong
India
South Africa
Turkey
Afghanistan
Iraq
Denmark
Philippines
Peru
Norway
Malta
Belgium
Japan
Estonia
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Croatia
Argentina
Spain
Wales
Finland
Brasil (Brazil) (I don't know how I missed this one!)
Romania
China (Shanghai)
Antarctica (Mcmurdo Station)
Poland
Germany
Malaysia