Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[BB767]

I was doing some early spring clean up around the shop this weekend.



Here's a sample of what shows up periodically.



On the left is some coal from Mr Johnson's forge, a couple of his wrenches that he lost who knows how long ago and a car rear view mirror - surprise, no glass left in the mirror. The mirror will be scrapped but I'll save the coal and definitely I'll clean up the wrenches and add them to the collection.



There isn't much left from the Tool Shed cleanup. Some is here in the 2 car garage and the rest is in the Honey House.



A few odds and ends that I still need to find a home for. I do have 3-4 additional buckets full of tools that I found during last fall's Tool Shed finale. One bucket is full of wrenches just like those 2 latest finds.



After I get them all in one spot I'd like to lay them all out together like this and do an inventory of all of Mr Johnson's hand tools. I'm wondering what is going to turn up once we start digging the basement for the new house. Perhaps a long lost Bonneville belly-tanker.

Thomas

 

[AZpilot]

I'm wondering what is going to turn up once we start digging the basement for the new house. Perhaps a long lost Bonneville belly-tanker

More than likely a porta potty hole!

 

[71 MKIV]

well Thomas,
My normal call time is 4:30 AM, so actually by 5 I'm pretty well down the first cup of coffee, and with a little advance warning......

You would enjoy the shop where I work.

 

[oberst]

....a couple of his wrenches that he lost who knows how long ago

THIS is why we can't have nice things.

 

[Boosted1]

Thomas, have you ever tried EvapoRust? Those wrenches will come out looking new.
I have been amazed how well it works.
You just need to keep a lid on your container so it won't evaporate.

 

[bryceaugustine]

what brand of heating and cooling are you using with your geothermal?

 

[BB767]

Thomas, have you ever tried EvapoRust? Those wrenches will come out looking new.
I have been amazed how well it works.
You just need to keep a lid on your container so it won't evaporate.

I have never used EvapoRust but a good friend of mine has used it for years and the results are, as you say, truly amazing. There have been several threads in the Tools section here on The Garage Journal that have discussed different ways to remove rust. When the time comes, I'll do an evaluation of what might be best for my needs. In the meantime if any of you folks have some other suggestions, don't be shy. Let me know what has been working for you, I'd like to know.

Thanks Boosted1 for the suggestion.

Thomas

what brand of heating and cooling are you using with your geothermal?

We're using a WaterFurnce Synergy3D system, http://www.waterfurnace.com/products.aspx?prd=Synergy3D

The HVAC folks have used this system for several years with excellent results.

In conjunction with the radiant floor, to provide better air quality and energy efficiency this system, Build Equinox- CERV:

http://buildequinox.com/products/cerv/

will augment the HVAC. Since the home will be built extremely tight, I need something to monitor the interior air quality. My brother built his retirement home 2 years ago and used a CERV system and thus far has been very pleased with it. I've already visited the factory and got a personal tour from the chief engineer, Ty Newell, https://mechanical.illinois.edu/directory/faculty/tynewell. Watch for an upcoming post and more details about this.

Thomas

 

[rmalkow2]

I have never used EvapoRust but a good friend of mine has used it for years and the results are, as you say, truly amazing. There have been several threads in the Tools section here on The Garage Journal that have discussed different ways to remove rust. When the time comes, I'll do an evaluation of what might be best for my needs. In the meantime if any of you folks have some other suggestions, don't be shy. Let me know what has been working for you, I'd like to know.

Thomas

I've used EvapoRust many times especially on old steel tools like that. I would definitely suggest you try and experiment with it especially it you would like those tools to look bright for display purposes. After they soak long enough (and that will vary a little with amount of rust) the rust will be converted to a dark gray film layer some of which washed off in plain water. The dull dray finish that remains after rinsing can then be polished bright on a wire wheel. I'm sure not everyone likes that look on old tools but its my preference to display them so I really like the look. It's not cheap so not cost effective for large items.
The other popular method is electrolysis tank rust removal which works well and is fairly fast.
Any many other methods used by members of GJ.

Some examples of the after effect of EvapoRust and wire wheel polishing.


And showing the look after soaking but only 1/2 wire wheel finish.

 

[memphisnate]

You have probably covered it previously in this thread but...is there another house on the property as well?

Center of this image...

 

[BB767]

You have probably covered it previously in this thread but...is there another house on the property as well?

Center of this image...

That house has been discussed previously but I can understand if you missed it. You'll want to take notes on all of the following 'cause it's going to be on "The Test" I'm sure!

Back in the mid 1960's, one of Mr Johnson's son's built that house for his family. The lot size is fairly small, at roughly 110' X 110'. That was separated from the original shop acreage. A few years later when he moved out, one of his brothers bought it and moved in. That brother was killed in an auto accident in the late '70's. His widow remained there for many years and when she remarried and moved, she sold it to her sister who remains there to this day.

Maybe the biggest mistake I made concerning the shop property was when I asked her a few years ago if she'd ever consider selling me that house. She said she might have considered selling it before I cleaned everything up out there but not now. Quote: "It's like living next to a park out here. You keep it so nice you'll never get me to leave now!"

The best part of course is that she's just the best person in the world. You could never ask for a better neighbor, she's a real sweetheart. Win-win.



From ground level that's her house in the distance, right of center.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I've used EvapoRust many times especially on old steel tools like that. I would definitely suggest you try and experiment with it especially it you would like those tools to look bright for display purposes. After they soak long enough (and that will vary a little with amount of rust) the rust will be converted to a dark gray film layer some of which washed off in plain water. The dull dray finish that remains after rinsing can then be polished bright on a wire wheel. I'm sure not everyone likes that look on old tools but its my preference to display them so I really like the look. It's not cheap so not cost effective for large items.

That finish looks fine to me especially for a display tool. I do know that EvapoRust can be a little pricey so once the dust settles out here and I get all the tools and other items together that need to be cleaned up, I'll determine what might be best method. Might turn out to be molasses for all I know. One friend swears by molasses for rust removal.

Thanks rmalkow2 for the comments and pictures. That helped a lot.

Thomas

 

[hobbitss]

Did I hear someone say "Tool Shed!!"??

Cool Old Tools!!??

Oh.. That's right the Tool Shed is no more...

sigh...Back to post tool shed therapy....

 

[BBChevro]

That finish looks fine to me especially for a display tool. I do know that EvapoRust can be a little pricey so once the dust settles out here and I get all the tools and other items together that need to be cleaned up, I'll determine what might be best method. Might turn out to be molasses for all I know. One friend swears by molasses for rust removal.

Thanks rmalkow2 for the comments and pictures. That helped a lot.

Thomas

I was just going to suggest molasses, it does work pretty well, it's cheap, it's easy - the only downside is that it smells pretty bad.

 

[BB767]

Tool Shed Withdrawal Pains

Did I hear someone say "Tool Shed!!"??

Cool Old Tools!!??

Oh.. That's right the Tool Shed is no more...

sigh...Back to post tool shed therapy....

Joe, you do know we missed you..... right?

So how's that therapy working for ya?

Thomas

 

[harmonyforge]

total class act, true inspiration. thanks for sharing.

 

[MG David]

These days I use citric acid for a rust removal bath. Once scrubbed to remove the soft black residue and then rinsed I dip the item in dilute phosphoric acid as an anti flash and rise again.

Previously I have used:-
1) electrolysis (lot more hassle and the black residue is harder to shift),
2) wire brush on the angle grinder (too much noise for my wife),
3) vinegar bath (smell and not as effective as citric),
4) phosphoric acid based branded product bath (cost and caused a de-lamination effect on heavy steel components that were left for a couple of months)
5) spot sand blasting gun (noise, slow for anything but small areas, but good in the correct circumstances.)

I have never tried molasses and I am certain that my testing has not been as scientific as your will be Thomas!

 

[rmalkow2]

I was just going to suggest molasses, it does work pretty well, it's cheap, it's easy - the only downside is that it smells pretty bad.

I've not yet tried the molasses process but have read about it and watched some Youtube videos from others that use it a lot. It seems to work really well but appears to be a slower process and yes I've heard the comments about the smell too. Evidently you can use bulk grade molasses like can be purchased from farm stores as a feed supplement.
Probably a pretty cost effective method but not sure I'm ready for the smell part or the neighbors).
I limit Evaporust to smaller jobs like old hand tools to be restored, and watch for the sales at HF with a 20% off coupon. No smell and water soluble are nice bonus features as well.

 

[stillp]

I was discussing molasses with a chemist at a car parts show a couple of weeks ago. He said that the kind of molasses makes a difference, depending what it is derived from. Also it needs a certain minimum temperature to work, below which it doesn't just slow down, it stops.
I used a substance called "Dip" during the restoration of my TR4A. It came from Denmark, and can be diluted with up to around 25 parts of water. It works by removing the oxygen from the iron oxide (aka rust), leaving a fine black powder of iron particles, which rinses off easily. Steel items can be left in it for months, and it doesn't harm your skin. I believe Dip is now owned by the same people as Hammerite.
Incidentally, a good tip for using any of those rust removers that involve immersing the item to be de-rusted in a tank of something, is to include a magnet inside a sealed polythene bag. The magnet attracts the iron particles, and by taking the bag out of the tank and then removing the magnet from it, the iron particles will just fall off.

Pete

 

[akqj9]

I have never used EvapoRust but a good friend of mine has used it for years and the results are, as you say, truly amazing. There have been several threads in the Tools section here on The Garage Journal that have discussed different ways to remove rust. When the time comes, I'll do an evaluation of what might be best for my needs. In the meantime if any of you folks have some other suggestions, don't be shy. Let me know what has been working for you, I'd like to know.

Thanks Boosted1 for the suggestion.

Thomas



We're using a WaterFurnce Synergy3D system, http://www.waterfurnace.com/products.aspx?prd=Synergy3D

The HVAC folks have used this system for several years with excellent results.

In conjunction with the radiant floor, to provide better air quality and energy efficiency this system, Build Equinox- CERV:

http://buildequinox.com/products/cerv/

will augment the HVAC. Since the home will be built extremely tight, I need something to monitor the interior air quality. My brother built his retirement home 2 years ago and used a CERV system and thus far has been very pleased with it. I've already visited the factory and got a personal tour from the chief engineer, Ty Newell, https://mechanical.illinois.edu/directory/faculty/tynewell. Watch for an upcoming post and more details about this.

Thomas

My rust "brew" is 1 part molasses to about 8 parts water. My wife bought 5 gallons of molasses at a feed store. I put the mixture in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and toss the parts in and forget about them for a few weeks. I rinse them off and scrub a little with a wire brush and they are shiny metal. Need to dry them off right away and prime to prevent rust. Doesn't eat your hands and is non-toxic. Some people make wood sides and line with plastic and soak entire motors or body parts.

 

[BBChevro]

I've not yet tried the molasses process but have read about it and watched some Youtube videos from others that use it a lot. It seems to work really well but appears to be a slower process and yes I've heard the comments about the smell too. Evidently you can use bulk grade molasses like can be purchased from farm stores as a feed supplement.
Probably a pretty cost effective method but not sure I'm ready for the smell part or the neighbors).
...

The molasses (the cattle-feed variety) is indeed a slow process RM, but it works well and is relatively inexpensive (it can be re-used) and a lid on the drum helps with keeping the smell under control.

I was discussing molasses with a chemist at a car parts show a couple of weeks ago. He said that the kind of molasses makes a difference, depending what it is derived from. Also it needs a certain minimum temperature to work, below which it doesn't just slow down, it stops.
...

I didn't know that (the temperature requirement) - that could be an issue in any of the colder climate areas (not a problem here though).

...
Incidentally, a good tip for using any of those rust removers that involve immersing the item to be de-rusted in a tank of something, is to include a magnet inside a sealed polythene bag. The magnet attracts the iron particles, and by taking the bag out of the tank and then removing the magnet from it, the iron particles will just fall off.

Pete

That is actually a great tip that could be applied to other applications as well, thanks Pete.



Sorry Thomas, I didn't mean to hi-jack the thread.

 

[Homebody]

Thomas, I have a part time side hobby called Barnyard Rustorations and make yard critters or other stuff out of old worthless tools that I buy cheap at auctions, flea markets, etc. If your looking for a home for some of the tools that aren't valuble (tire irons, broken pliers, screwdrivers, etc.) I'd love to work out a deal with ya! It'll give me an excuse to take a Sunday drive down South and get you some yard art also!

Don't throw anything away!

A few odds and ends that I still need to find a home for. .

 

[stillp]

A substance that is used over here for rust removal is "milk stone remover", basically phosphoric acid, from agricultural suppliers. Phosphoric acid is the basis of most commercial rust removers (as well as Coca-Cola!) but it's a lot cheaper when bought as milk stone remover.
Haven't tried it myself, but many member of the TR Register seem to use it.

Pete

 

[vintageracer31]

That is amazing! Nice work!

 

[donnie]

Maybe the biggest mistake I made concerning the shop property was when I asked her a few years ago if she'd ever consider selling me that house. She said she might have considered selling it before I cleaned everything up out there but not now. Quote: "It's like living next to a park out here. You keep it so nice you'll never get me to leave now!"

The best part of course is that she's just the best person in the world. You could never ask for a better neighbor, she's a real sweetheart. Win-win.

This put a smile on my face, good neighbors are good friends.

 

[BB767]

Thomas, I have a part time side hobby called Barnyard Rustorations and make yard critters or other stuff out of old worthless tools that I buy cheap at auctions, flea markets, etc. If your looking for a home for some of the tools that aren't valuble (tire irons, broken pliers, screwdrivers, etc.) I'd love to work out a deal with ya! It'll give me an excuse to take a Sunday drive down South and get you some yard art also!

Don't throw anything away!

In that case there are several items I'll keep for you. Unfortunately after failing to find a new home for some of the same type of items you mentioned, I did reluctantly scrap them, but I've got a bunch more. Useful tools, wenches etc I'll be keeping but I've still got items you can use I'm sure. I'm a bit busy right at the moment but I'll get hold of you shortly and we'll set up excuse for you to come for a visit. It'll be a nice, relatively short drive for you. Shoot, JB drove 300 miles out of his way to get the power hacksaw and Mr Johnson's cabinetmakers bench and look how nice they turned out. I'd much rather they put to a useful purpose than scrap them.

Thomas

 

[heywood22rbr]

Jeeze, Louise..... I have been looking at similar buildings in my area. I like the idea of preserving the look of past, but upgrading everything for modern safety and energy efficiency. That shop is so incredible that I could never come close, but wouldn't it be fun to try! The lift rebuild is especially cool -- I guess you would call that a "labor of love".

 

[BB767]

Jeeze, Louise..... I have been looking at similar buildings in my area. I like the idea of preserving the look of past, but upgrading everything for modern safety and energy efficiency. That shop is so incredible that I could never come close, but wouldn't it be fun to try! The lift rebuild is especially cool -- I guess you would call that a "labor of love".

Welcome to the gang heywood22rbr. Preserving the past is a worthy goal indeed and you will frequently have a better building or piece of equipment when done.

The lift restoration was a big project but one I was committed to from the very beginning. I had a number of people stop by and ask why I was even bothering to try and save an 80 year old lift. More than one person suggested that I just cut the top off the old Rotary Lift, concrete over the remains and install a new modern 2 post lift. They just didn't get it. That project might very well be the one I'm most proud of. It turned out every bit as nice and useful as I'd hoped and I now use it all the time. It hasn't given me a bit of a problem in the last 9 years of use, nor do I expect it will in my lifetime. A labor of love indeed!

Thomas

 

[Homebody]

In that case there are several items I'll keep for you. Unfortunately after failing to find a new home for some of the same type of items you mentioned, I did reluctantly scrap them, but I've got a bunch more. Useful tools, wenches etc I'll be keeping but I've still got items you can use I'm sure. I'm a bit busy right at the moment but I'll get hold of you shortly and we'll set up excuse for you to come for a visit. It'll be a nice, relatively short drive for you. Shoot, JB drove 300 miles out of his way to get the power hacksaw and Mr Johnson's cabinetmakers bench and look how nice they turned out. I'd much rather they put to a useful purpose than scrap them.

Thomas

Thank you sir, no hurry as I know you're busy but yes, easy drive to the Center of the Universe! Looking forward to the visit!

 

[rixtrix1]

I really enjoy this thread, Thomas, witha all the restoration of cars, tools and buildings. The construction of your new home should be exciting, given the teasers you've given already.

My airline pilot best friend lives on a similar sized acreage. He got to hang out with the Valdez guys at Oshkosh this past summer! His alfalfa patch is similarly sized to yours, but I don't think he will try landing his RV6/7 there. He's not into the level of restoration of the property you have achieved, but he has a few more years til retirement.

Thanks for sharing so much of your adventure with the property!

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

 

[Joe-R]

So sometimes the hotel WiFi in foreign countries isn't cooperative and I can't post the pictures I need for some of my posts here until I get home, such as now. So continuing with project...

Portable Dirty Room, PDR.

The steel plate top had some minor surface rust...

...that needed to be removed. And after all, since it is Portable...

...the PDR was wheeled outside to do just that.

I initially used a stainless steel brush on a grinder.

This one had bristles that were twisted to help minimize "flattening out" of the wire when downward pressure was applied. Once the top had been gone over with the brush a 60 grit flapper disc and then a 120 grit were used lightly to smooth out and finish cleaning up the top.

A light coating of WD 40 was sprayed all over it...

...and then the top was wiped down.

I also did an initial clean up of Dads old Samson machinist vise.

It has retained most of its original paint so I think all I'll do is polish the two bare metal handles and parts of the jaws. The rest of it cleaned up very nicely. The mounting bolts seen are not what I finally used for the vise, I'll show that in another post.

Next came mounting a power strip on this plate on one end. Note the holes on it were drilled and tapped prior to powder coating.

I selected a heavy duty power strip with a metal housing which I thought to more durable than plastic. It was disassembled so that...

...the base plate could be installed...

...using 3 bolts and large washers.

The power strip cord was secured using metal clamps. To prevent chaffing of the power cord...

...I used some automotive vacuum hose to act as a buffer. The small piece of hose on the left has been cut to size and then cut lengthwise.

In turn that small piece of hose was placed over the power cord...

...right where the clamp would come into contact with it.

Now the cord was secured, but the metal clamp won't chaff through it over the years.

I did the same thing everywhere the clamps came into contact with the power cord.

Now I have a ready source of electrical power close at hand. There is more to come on this project so please check back. Thanks.

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

I have read through the entire thread once and am in the process of rereading it. I have really enjoyed it! I love the way you paid it forward with the Y manifold and the flat head engine!!! I was touched when you found Virgil's name tag in the grass. You've got me thinking now when I look at my workbench, hmmm, is this how Thomas would operate or is it more Mr. Johnson's way? I found this board through 9C1 (Terry Mc) because he's on the NCRS Technical Discussion board that I frequent. I was asking some garage questions on there and he pointed me to the Garage Journal. I'm very grateful that he did. Did you join the NCRS? I also have a blue 66 Corvette convertible (white top, L72 (427 c.i. / 425 HP) 4 speed) that I inherited from my Uncle. It is not running but I hope to get it back on the road one of these days. Is the blue Corvette a L79 4 speed car? If you said that already I apologize. I live in St. Louis, so you are not terribly far away. I hope to visit your shop as soon as I can come up with the right excuse. I love what you have done with it!!!

Anyhow, the reason I posted here was on the subject of cable clamps. Did you know that cushioned cable clamps are commercially available? Here's some examples:

https://www.grainger.com/category/cable-wire-and-hose-clamps/hardware/fasteners/ecatalog/N-c2m

I am certainly not implying that there is anything wrong with your wrap the cable in fuel hose solution. I just thought I might could save ya a little labor next time. I am electrical engineer employed by Boeing. I am glad you like our products. I work on F-15 avionics.

Can I get on the Beltsville Shell reading list? That sounds like a great book. I was born a bit late for the hot rod heyday (1964), but I'm sure I would enjoy the book.

Joe

P.S. I am also touched by your frequent compliments to Chris!

 

[BB767]

Hi Thomas,

I have read through the entire thread once and am in the process of rereading it. I have really enjoyed it! I love the way you paid it forward with the Y manifold and the flat head engine!!! I was touched when you found Virgil's name tag in the grass. You've got me thinking now when I look at my workbench, hmmm, is this how Thomas would operate or is it more Mr. Johnson's way? I found this board through 9C1 (Terry Mc) because he's on the NCRS Technical Discussion board that I frequent. I was asking some garage questions on there and he pointed me to the Garage Journal. I'm very grateful that he did. Did you join the NCRS? I also have a blue 66 Corvette convertible (white top, L72 (427 c.i. / 425 HP) 4 speed) that I inherited from my Uncle. It is not running but I hope to get it back on the road one of these days. Is the blue Corvette a L79 4 speed car? If you said that already I apologize. I live in St. Louis, so you are not terribly far away. I hope to visit your shop as soon as I can come up with the right excuse. I love what you have done with it!!!

Anyhow, the reason I posted here was on the subject of cable clamps.....

I am certainly not implying that there is anything wrong with your wrap the cable in fuel hose solution. I just thought I might could save ya a little labor next time. I am electrical engineer employed by Boeing. I am glad you like our products. I work on F-15 avionics.

Can I get on the Beltsville Shell reading list? That sounds like a great book. I was born a bit late for the hot rod heyday (1964), but I'm sure I would enjoy the book.

Joe

P.S. I am also touched by your frequent compliments to Chris!

Hi Joe and welcome to the vortex! Rereading the thread eh? You are a glutton for punishment. There is a lot of material and every so often I'll thumb back through for a reference and reread something and discover new material even I had missed the first time through. The whole story has been quite the adventure and one I've been happy to share. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

Yes I was aware of cushioned clamps but just decided to use what I had on hand. Thanks just the same for the link so others can take advantage of it.

BTW on the subject of F-15's, do you work with or know of a fellow, last name Garrelts? He's on the F-15 program in St Louis and is the son of a close neighbor of mine. Wondered if that 6 degrees of separation thing was still working.

None of our pilots at CAL who flew Boeing aircraft had anything but the highest praise for them. A real pilot's aircraft that will never let you down.





The blue '66 convertible is a 4 speed, base engine car that runs exceptionally well. The fellow I bought it from had owned it for 42 years and he was getting older. Since none of his kids wanted any of his "old cars" he decided to sell it and I was lucky enough to buy it.



It's not as NCRS correct as the coupe, which is a NCRS Top Flight car, but still the blue '66 is a very nice, solid driver, Terry's even driven it. I expect you to come visit the shop driving your '66 big block once you get it back on the road. The welcome mat is out and it's a short drive.

Thanks again Joe for joining the gang and I'll put you on the reading list for Beltsville Shell. It just so happens Chris and I were at Cary's house for dinner a couple of nights ago and he is keenly interested in the progress of the Brotherhood of the Traveling Book as he calls it. I'll get a post going and update you with his news.

Thomas

PS, once you meet Chris you'll understand she is well deserving of any and all compliments from me. TLC!!

 

[frikkie]

Considering the Rotary Lift was mentioned a few posts up, I thought it appropriate to post these two pics:

At a local fitment centre here in Cape Town:

Excuse the quality of the potato camera on my Samsung...

In the bottom right corner you can see the bonnet (or hood, as you guys refer to it ) of my Audi A6. It's sitting on another Rotary Lift.

Better shot, closer up:

Rotary Lifts are seldom seen here as there are a number of local companies building similar units, so seeing an imported one is a rarity.

Incidentally, this particular shop also takes major pride in the cleanliness of their shop. A refreshing change, as most of those types of places around us here are quite grimy.

 

[POS Camaro]

I did notice that when I used Google Earth to look around the area. Hey, a prison has to be somewhere right?

Adirondack Natural Stone had some extremely cold weather the last couple of weeks or so, -15ºF (-26ºC) on a few occasions and a few inches of snow accumulation. That's way too cold and icy to be quarrying rock and stone so they haven't been productive. I'm waiting for them to resume operation, hopefully next week, so they can get enough material together for me to take a look.

I plan on bringing back about 100 lbs (45kg) or so of some sample granite that I'll be using to help with the brick color section. I need the brick color to help with the front door trim stain and garage door colors. It all revolves around the color of the granite stone right now. In a few weeks the weather should greatly help everything.

In the meantime........

Thomas

Being from that area, I knew of the granite in Whitehall, incidentally the Birthplace of the US Navy. I'm originally from Whitehall but did my formative years of growing up about 10 miles down Route 22 in Granville. Because of that my stone preference leans towards the slate that is removed from Granville and the surrounding small VT communities. I you have the time, take a trip to Granville and visit the Slat Valley Museum, interesting things from their heyday.
Good luck on the house and the garage is truly phenomenal.

Aaron

 

[panthersteve]

Hello there Thomas

I write that like a lost long friend as after travelling 466 pages over the last week and a half that is how I feel.

I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have read, keep up the great work. I now look forward to watching the new house come together in real time.

I was hoping that you may have come across some as yet unclaimed Indian parts, but that was obviously not the case

While a relative newcomer to this thread I was hoping I may be able to get slipped into the "Beltsville Shell" roster. I am near Brisbane, Qld, Australia so without looking like I am trying to push in I would fit in well after BBChevro, going from him to me might not even need a postman

Cheers
Steve

 

[Redwolf947]

Hey Thomas, any updates on the new home build? Everything ok in the vortex?

 

[BB767]

Hey Thomas, any updates on the new home build? Everything ok in the vortex?

We're back!! Chris and I were in San Diego, staying with good friend and Bonneville legend, Lou Bingham and attending the 75th annual San Diego Roadster Club awards banquet (Chris and I were the long distance member attending champs.)
Lou was honored along with a few others, as 40+years Roadster Club members. Lou has been a member for over 55 years! That's some staying power.

I'll do a proper post shortly on the visit because there were some items of interest to many here. A few highlights were...



Beltsville Shell author Cary Thomas is reliving his "pre Corvette" days...



I'll update the progress on Dan Hostetter's unique roadster that he's building...



We got to finally see Lou's old 1929 roadster Bonneville car in person...



He set several record with this car in the 50's and 60's and...



...he set records with his coupe which I'll...



...update as to its current status as well.

House updates: I have the building permit and we're just waiting now on dry weather.



The Geo-thermo wells (there will be 10 wells, 150' deep) have all been laid out as seen by the flags.



The material/equipment platform that will move machinery from the garage down to the basement has been constructed. Still needs powder coating though.

The power company has signed off on providing natural gas and new underground electrical power. I'm going to have 400 amp service to the house. I asked about 3 phase power and the engineer smiled and said if I have to ask how expensive it would be, I couldn't afford to have it brought to the site. It would be many, many, many thousands of dollars just to bring it in......never mind. Phase converter it is!

All that and much more including an upcoming trip to the stone quarry, so please check back. Chris is still as cute as ever and catches my eye so thanks Redwolf947 for the inquiry about the vortex. We're getting ready to wind up again so hand on.

Thomas

 

[gasgas17]

What is the size of the material/equipment platform? Will it be able to transport 4'x8' sheets? Standing on end maybe?

 

[markviii]

Blush, blush (thanks to my wonderful husband). If you thought we were busy before, stay tuned. The freight train going downhill with no brakes will begin soon...

I think the material lift is 5'x'5' and could accommodate a 4'x8' sheet standing on end. The plans are all coming together!

 

[Sweet Old Bill]

"...(thanks to my wonderful husband)..." Chris is a bigamist??? j/k

 

[markviii]

(huh? are you stirring the pot, Bill?) Well, Sweet Old Bill, he is my #1 Husband and I'm Wife #1 - ask any Continental Airlines crew he flew with. I can never be confused with others (whoever they may be).

Chris (the one and only)(aka markviii)