Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop
- Thread starter BB767
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
NY Old Guy
Well-known member
What an incredible restoration. Such true artisan like work in bringing the old shop back to life with original pieces in it's original footprint. Your old Chevrolets are so nice as well. '62 Impala SS, '66 Chevy II, they are awesome cars, and you said the '62 had only 30 something thousand original miles, wow. Enjoy your incredible, restored by you and your assistants including your son, vintage workshop!!
creativedust
Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 16
You arent the only one I powdercoated it and I have cheated and seen all the parts coated but cant wait to see it all together. You have to watch Thomas he is holding out on you guys and savoring the pictures for the right moment. LOL
The show American Pickers just purchased one on one of the last few episodes but it was an Islander. They talked the woman down to something like $350
It looked like this one
jjIeRi!~~_3.JPG)
Thomas....I'm looking forward to when the weather really starts getting nice so you can start really digging through the other stuff you haven't hit yet. It is just mind boggling of all the history that you have stored, restored, and not touched yet
BTW...beautiful SouthBend lathe. You are an inspiration to all. Not only do you restore it to like new condition, you use it as it is intended to be used. Truly working displays of art and history.
Kevin, as always you add so much to the thread, thanks. Islanders are very cool and rare. Notice the pedestal air meter in the lower right of your ad....
It just so happens I have a pedestal one from 1953, a model 98 which isn't as rare as an Islander ...
...but still should work out nicely for me. It's the same year as my model# 97 out front of the old shop. The 98's going to be installed outside the barn this summer, at least I hope I get around to installing it! I ran an airline outside for it when I did all the barn air lines last year. Just got to bolt it down........now where did I leave that hammer drill ?
Thomas
MM if I'd only known I'd have left it covered and just alluded to what I was using it for.
But they are so lovely to look at aren't they and handy too. Blame Dad since he took such good care of it and instructed me to carry on. Thomas
Rick brings up a very good point here. While this isn't a thread on machine tool operation using leather or cloth gloves with a lathe is never a good idea. I'm wearing blue nitrile gloves which will break if you just breath too hard on them. They are extremely fragile and tight fitting. Maybe I'm being naive but my experience with them tells me they shouldn't be a problem. When using emery strips, make sure they are long enough so you don't come near the work piece and should it grab, the extra length will afford you time to release it....or so the theory goes. Thanks Rick.
Thomas
But wait AFSilverado, you haven't reached the end, merely a brief interlude. There is more on the way so check back for more exciting, death defying, thrills and chills posts such as... will Thomas ever, finally get his trim plate squared up, does waxing your anvil really make you a better person, can he make turn 9 at Willow Springs without lifting, is there nothing that can't be powder coated and what are those Lisle tools really for??????????
Tune in to find the answers to these and many more profound questions next time!Oh, and thank you for the compliment also.
Thomas
Clean the machines up and learn how to operate them. If you've got a lathe, you'd be surprised how much you would use it. Ask MetalMangler! Just don't wear gloves or use emery strips.
Thomas
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Also along those words, for ones that are not familiar but may have access to a lathe, never use one hand with emery strips. I had a buddy that mashed his thumb pretty badly by using one hand, holding the strip, then happened to tighten up on it a little. It rolled his thumb into the emery strip and around the piece he was working on. I always use a piece about a foot long and always use two hands. You don't have to wrap the strip around it tight either. That way it is long enough that your hands are away from the chuck but if the strip happens to hit the chuck, chances are it will just break the strip. You'd be surprised at the number of people that have caught their thumbs sanding parts in a lathe. And as far as gloves, Nitrile or nothing. We had a guy at work lose a thumb by wearing gloves with a drill press. He was counterboring a piece of sheetmetal, the piece caught, grabbed his glove and literally popped his thumb completely off. They were able to sew it back on but it is not right and he can't use it that well. It's not worth the risk.
Last edited:
Some more Walker material...
These are the lift arm pins...
One of them had been damaged at some time in it's history. The shoulder has a 45 degree bevel that got bent over in one spot. I straightened it out as much as possible and then recut the bevel to even it up all around.
There is some material missing on the edge of the shoulder where it was bent over that I really didn't need to repair.
This is where they are installed on the lifting arms. Note the hole where the arm lift pin goes through has a reverse 45 degree bevel on it.
That way the pins are flush with the arm when installed since it has such tight clearances there.
The lift arms pivot on these pins so it was important to repair the area where it was bent to prevent the two surfaces from binding on each other. It also prevented unnecessary wear in that area.
The rear wheels have already been cleaned up...
So I chucked the front wheels and used a hand file and then polished with emery cloth on the "treads".
Before polishing...
After polishing...To keep from nicking the powder coating on the back side of the wheels, I used "duct" tape on the lathe chuck jaws. I wasn't using too much pressure on the wheels while polishing so they didn't have to be super duper tight in the chuck.
These turned out better than the rears because I had more material to work with. The rears were worn so thin I didn't want to remove any more material than absolutely necessary. The fronts weren't as deeply pitted either so I didn't have to remove too much to clean them up nicely.
The front wheels are lubricated by a grease zirk on the inside of the hub. Here I have a line from my grease gun connected to that zirk. I have already cleaned the old grease out of the wheels prior to powder coating them.
Looking to inside of the plain bearing you can see a small round area at the 3:30 position. There are 3 such openings inside that allow grease to travel to the needle bearings from the zirk.
Looking at the same area you can just see some grease starting to come through. Once the wheel is properly assembled you won't be able to see inside but this is how the fronts receive their lubrication. Grease is added until it comes out the sides of the wheel. That's an indication that the inside is all packed with grease. It's a fairly sophisticated system to ensure that the fronts are properly lubricated I think. Especially when you look at most modern equipment which have no provision to lubricate the wheels or shafts at all. You get what you pay for it would seem.
More is on it's way, so don't touch that dial!
Thomas
These are the lift arm pins...
One of them had been damaged at some time in it's history. The shoulder has a 45 degree bevel that got bent over in one spot. I straightened it out as much as possible and then recut the bevel to even it up all around.
There is some material missing on the edge of the shoulder where it was bent over that I really didn't need to repair.
This is where they are installed on the lifting arms. Note the hole where the arm lift pin goes through has a reverse 45 degree bevel on it.
That way the pins are flush with the arm when installed since it has such tight clearances there.
The lift arms pivot on these pins so it was important to repair the area where it was bent to prevent the two surfaces from binding on each other. It also prevented unnecessary wear in that area.
The rear wheels have already been cleaned up...
So I chucked the front wheels and used a hand file and then polished with emery cloth on the "treads".
Before polishing...
After polishing...To keep from nicking the powder coating on the back side of the wheels, I used "duct" tape on the lathe chuck jaws. I wasn't using too much pressure on the wheels while polishing so they didn't have to be super duper tight in the chuck.
These turned out better than the rears because I had more material to work with. The rears were worn so thin I didn't want to remove any more material than absolutely necessary. The fronts weren't as deeply pitted either so I didn't have to remove too much to clean them up nicely.
The front wheels are lubricated by a grease zirk on the inside of the hub. Here I have a line from my grease gun connected to that zirk. I have already cleaned the old grease out of the wheels prior to powder coating them.
Looking to inside of the plain bearing you can see a small round area at the 3:30 position. There are 3 such openings inside that allow grease to travel to the needle bearings from the zirk.
Looking at the same area you can just see some grease starting to come through. Once the wheel is properly assembled you won't be able to see inside but this is how the fronts receive their lubrication. Grease is added until it comes out the sides of the wheel. That's an indication that the inside is all packed with grease. It's a fairly sophisticated system to ensure that the fronts are properly lubricated I think. Especially when you look at most modern equipment which have no provision to lubricate the wheels or shafts at all. You get what you pay for it would seem.
More is on it's way, so don't touch that dial!
Thomas
Last edited:
johno
Well-known member
I'm curious, rather than using strips of emery cloth, couldn't a sanding pad like for drywalling be used, asssuming the part was big enough?
Seems there would be less chance of getting fingers pulled into lathes?
I'm thinking of a drill press post i have.
Seems there would be less chance of getting fingers pulled into lathes?
I'm thinking of a drill press post i have.
johno to clean up my 1962 Delta Rockwell drill press post...
Cameron just used about 3' (1 m) long strips of emery cloth with WD 40, set the press where he could walk around it and "sawed" back and forth, up and down the post. He set some heavy metal on the base to help stabilize it also. Seen here the upper part has been done, but not the area below the table. Doing it manually guarantees you won't have a problem.
I also polished the post (since I couldn't talk Cameron into doing it for me
) on the Rotary Lift the same way...
I use 3' - 4' long strips on it, lifted it up and went at it. I spent 2 days polishing it to remove small dings and light rust areas. Started with 180 grit strips on the roughest areas and worked my way to 400. The only way to do it.
If you are careful using a lathe, depending on the work piece in the lathe, I personally don't have any reservation using emery strips. You need to pay attention and not go brain dead while working but it will work.
Thomas
JC23
Well-known member
Once again, clever abounds in the 1930's shop.
I would have never thought of dressing the wheel surfaces. Nice touch!
I would have never thought of dressing the wheel surfaces. Nice touch!
Now Don, you're stirring up the pot! Remember the grade work on the barn I posted a couple of weeks back? That work was done in August and September of last year, about 6 months ago. I'm shocked
to think you're implying I'm holding out on those Walker pictures, simply shocked!!!! Because you've seen all the parts completed that's kind of like peeking at the last chapter of a book to see who did it, the butler or the sultry blonde! BTW, all those pictures turned out very nice. I'll be getting that update organized and on here shortly. Thanks again for your nice work on the powder coating.
Thomas
ZRX61
Well-known member
What exactly are you trying to say here? LOL!!
BigAl62
Well-known member
I feel like I'm late to the party, but GREAT JOB Tom! I am in complete and utter aw of your accomplishments and I am jealous! I have a small 1 car attached garage that is filled with "stuff" as I have no basement for storage. Not enough room for more tools or anything else. Keep posting updates and keep up the good work!
creativedust
Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 16
Now Don, you're stirring up the pot! Remember the grade work on the barn I posted a couple of weeks back? That work was done in August and September of last year, about 6 months ago. I'm shocked
BTW, all those pictures turned out very nice. I'll be getting that update organized and on here shortly. Thanks again for your nice work on the powder coating.
Thomas
LOL I shot your cover today and ill wait till september to post the pics of it call me when you get back to town
markviii
Well-known member
Now BigAl62. It's never too late to come to the party. And there is always room for more tools! I know that hobbitss (aka Joe) will agree. Prioritize ( I know - easier said than done) using examples from elsewhere on GJ and you'll be able to develop your space for its intended use.
Chris
Chris
If you care about that Lathe, you should put down a rag or something
to cover the ways, when polishing items.
Otherwise small pieces of grit will embed in the cast iron
and continuously lap the ways.
I really like your shop and all the restoration work you have done.
to cover the ways, when polishing items.
Otherwise small pieces of grit will embed in the cast iron
and continuously lap the ways.
I really like your shop and all the restoration work you have done.
BigAl62
Well-known member
When I first posted, I was only half way through this thread and I noticed that Tom flies out of ORD - so that's who keeps making all that noise over my house! lol, actually I worry when I don't hear any planes overhead (I'm 5 miles west of the west side of O'Hare). Keep on flying!
Hello NY Old Guy and welcome, the '62 has...
32,632 miles as of two days ago.
Here's an oil change sticker on it from 1995...
...that shows 26,246 miles at that time. The family only had one child and she inherited it when her parents passed away. She told me it was her mothers car and Mom never really drove it all that much. It was a 1961 Christmas present from her father to her mother. Nice present huh?
The '64 that I use to drag race and which my son still does drag race has only 54,*** miles on it, fairly low also.
One recent memory I have of my son and I working out there was just last month. I was installing the cap on the Walker release knob safety pin and it was giving us a bit of a hard time. So there we were, sitting on the floor in the middle of the shop at 11:30 at night just struggling with it for over an hour. The really cool part for me was that he suggested a different way to approach the problem that I didn't think would work but I said, "well, let's try it" and darned if his idea didn't work great. I could see in his eyes that look of triumphing over adversity. It was great to see. Priceless, just priceless.
Love seeing his problem solving abilities evolving. He's gotten lots of practice out there the last few years, that's for sure!Thomas
Last edited:
I probably wouldn't have done that if I thought the jack would be used on rough, concrete surfaces. That would just chew them up again. But the shop floor is tiled which is where I plan on using it and I have other, modern jacks that I would use outside on concrete, so it should stay nice for many years to come. It's led a long and no doubt, hard life, so I'll pamper it for a while. But it will be used. That's the plan right now anyway.
Thomas
Hey there BigAl, let me add my welcome here also. You'er not late to the party, the others were just a little early is all! Very early in our married life we didn't have a garage of any type. I promised myself that when I did finally get one I wasn't going to let it get overrun with "stuff" and so far I've made good on that. Being selective in what you store is important. You can't keep it all, though Mr Johnson sure manage to!
I'll keep posting till the story is all told and so far, we're far from that.
Thomas
If you care about that Lathe, you should put down a rag or something
to cover the ways, when polishing items.
Otherwise small pieces of grit will embed in the cast iron
and continuously lap the ways.
I really like your shop and all the restoration work you have done.
I didn't know that and yes I do care about the lathe so I'll follow that suggestion in the future. One of the things I especially like about this thread is the way it has evolved with members adding helpful and timely suggestions such as that. It adds and enriches the information here so much. Like how to secure the saddle pin...to peen or not to peen?? I got LOTS of helpful suggestions there.
Thanks everyone.Thomas
Don, if I waited till September to post the rest of the Walker pictures I think there'd be a few unhappy campers out there, don't you?
BTW, this is how the airmeter looks with the back light on right at sunset.
It works terrific.
Thomas
Motown 454
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2008
- Messages
- 1,359
It looks great out there. Another nice restoration. Still lovin the thread!
ToyMeKaNeK
Well-known member
You just gave me a flashback, Tom. That speedo on the '62 dash, well I remember my uncle hitting the 90 mark on a country road up there in Canada in his '62 Belair.
Man was I an excited kid when I saw that. And of course I filled many a bike tires on those air machines. Thanks for the memorys, and making me wish I had a son like yours.
John
Man was I an excited kid when I saw that. And of course I filled many a bike tires on those air machines. Thanks for the memorys, and making me wish I had a son like yours.
John
Last edited:
hobbitss
Well-known member
Hello NY Old Guy and welcome, the '62 has...
32,632 miles as of two days ago.
Here's an oil change sticker on it from 1995...
...that shows 26,246 miles at that time. The family only had one child and she inherited it when her parents passed away. She told me it was her mothers car and Mom never really drove it all that much. It was a 1961 Christmas present from her father to her mother. Nice present huh?
The '64 that I use to drag race and which my son still does drag race has only 54,*** miles on it, fairly low also.
One recent memory I have of my son and I working out there was just last month. I was installing the cap on the Walker release knob safety pin and it was giving us a bit of a hard time. So there we were, sitting on the floor in the middle of the shop at 11:30 at night just struggling with it for over an hour. The really cool part for me was that he suggested a different way to approach the problem that I didn't think would work but I said, "well, let's try it" and darned if his idea didn't work great. I could see in his eyes that look of triumphing over adversity. It was great to see. Priceless, just priceless.
Thomas
Nostalgia, A Metal Dash Board.... All of the safety freaks are having heart attacks right now... Funny how we all survived that age...
Do I detect a manual choke and wiper control w/ washer to the left of the steering column?? To bad it isn't 3 on the tree to further confuse all of the gen x,y & z people......
Bigpigdave
Well-known member
I didn't know that and yes I do care about the lathe so I'll follow that suggestion in the future. One of the things I especially like about this thread is the way it has evolved with members adding helpful and timely suggestions such as that. It adds and enriches the information here so much. Like how to secure the saddle pin...to peen or not to peen?? I got LOTS of helpful suggestions there.
Thomas
Instead of a rag, try some heavy aluminum foil to cover the ways. I find it keeps things much cleaner and is easier to use.
Good luck, Dave
Joe, I have to admit that every time I drive my older cars I'm keenly aware that they don't offer the safety features of modern cars. What I miss most are shoulder belts and telescoping steering columns. With just a lap belt it would pivot you nicely into the rigid steering column which would spear your chest. But what price glory? I still like driving my older vehicles and I always will.
What to your observant eye was a manual choke is really the knob to pull out to open the fresh air vent on the drivers side. The passenger has their own knob and vent on their side. What can really confuse newer generation drivers are some of the clever places they hide the gas filler tubes back then. Yes, the wipers are equipped with washers that are activated by pushing the center button. First class all the way!
Thomas
Ah, when I fly out of ORD it's only as a passenger on my way to or from EWR (NY/NJ) so I'm off the hook for waking you up too early or keeping you up too late at night.
If I'm in the cockpit jump seat I could always ask the captain to rev the engines as we fly over head if you want though. Thomas
johno
Well-known member
BB767; What can really confuse newer generation drivers are some of the clever places they hide the gas filler tubes back then. Thomas[/QUOTE said:
John we all use to think that if the speedometer went to 120 that the car would go that fast. I also remember the first time I saw a speedometer showing over 100 mph and thought that was just fabulous!
Cameron's put up with plenty of my wacky ideas over the years. He's been such a big help out at the shop during it's make-over and is always willing to lend a hand when I need one. He's the one who'll help me reassemble the Walker. It's a handful by myself.
Thomas
Last edited:
ToyMeKaNeK
Well-known member
I had to do a triple take on that photo you just posted. That's my GTO behind your '64!!! 
For me, it's all wheel spin off the line. Ahhh, the almighty torque
For me, it's all wheel spin off the line. Ahhh, the almighty torque
Last edited:
creativedust
Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 16
Thats crazy how small the world is
BigAl62
Well-known member
My wife says too bad the plane doesn't have a horn you could blow as you fly over so we know it's you! As for your Walker rebuild - nobody can say that you don't know JACK! lol
tig
Well-known member
A friend of mine made these stickers at work and I think they are good words to live by:
This thread and the work you do, Thomas, fits the bill!
I just read the entire thread in one sitting. I've been on GJ for a while, and subscribe to quite a few threads, but I have thus far ignored yours. No longer.
Thank you.
This thread and the work you do, Thomas, fits the bill!
I just read the entire thread in one sitting. I've been on GJ for a while, and subscribe to quite a few threads, but I have thus far ignored yours. No longer.
Thank you.
tinbender 66
Well-known member
I REALLY want one of those stickers tig!!!!
As always Thomas you blow me away
As always Thomas you blow me away
No the 62 was conventional. Actually I was thinking of the '56, '57 Chevys and other manufactures in the 50's. It seemed to be a game each year; who could come up with the cleverest spot to hide the gas cap.
Full size Chevrolets had them in plain view 1962-64 seen here on 2 of my 64's. They were all in the same spot on the drivers side quarter panel those years.
Thomas