Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[mybigwarwagon]

I am glad you are satisfied with the 1.0 model. I had to get rid of mine pretty quickly due to defects in materials and workmanship. I have no complaints with 2.0. She even helps work on things.

 

[Lotusnut]

Re: C.h.r.i.s

...C.H.R.I.S. It's marvelous technology that at times, doubles as an automatic trash can returner. It's old school technology, but has proven highly reliable with years of perfect operation. It too works good and lasts a long time.

Skating on thin ice Thomas

If you're not having fun, what's the point?!

Thomas
I am impressed that you get away with labelling the trash container as CHRIS'S

 

[BlueBomber]

For every guy thinking this was funny (including me as I read it to my 1.0), don't read any of these recent posts to whichever X.0 version you happen to have. Mine stopped me and said it was demeaning to equate women to equipment. At that point, I noticed the two hazard lights on her topmost console start a slow red flashing glow. Then my rev limiter kicked in and prevented any further damage....to me.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[MG David]

Well Thomas the portion size must be good if the delightful Chris brings your meal out to the old shop in a wheelie bin!
As someone who has been married for 33 years I know the need to be careful.

 

[andyvh1959]

Look closely and you'll faintly see....

....some quarters on top of the toilet tank?

Heh, if I had a quarter for every time I parked my parked my **** on a,...well you get the idea. Funny too, that years ago every time I used the toilet at my mom's senior living apartment she'd say "it'll cost you a quarter." Well, there was always a quarter on top of the toilet tank cover.

 

[Bob Heine]

How are you doing? I think you are doing excellent. I also have a 1.0 version that was manufactured in a different region of the country. I have to use common sense with mine because my 1.0 can become feisty. My 1.0 version has lasted 50 years and I feel my training was complete during the first 40 years. My initial mistake was attempting to train my version to my likes and dislikes. After I realized that I was the one to be trained everything went well.

My 1.0 has been with me for 59 years and has been trouble-free since I learned my Zen mantra: "My mistake and I'm sorry. It will never happen again." Not always completely true but those two times it was close.

 

[BB767]

Calling All Terraplane Lovers

For all you Terraplane enthusiasts:





It's a 1937 Hudson Terraplane pickup up for auction on Bring A Trailer.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1937-hudson-terraplane-2/



The engine head has the word "HUDSON"...



...cast lightly into it.



My '37 doesn't have that casting word which leads me to believe mine is a bit earlier.



I'll have to see if the stamped engine serial number is legible on mine. That might help.

Thomas

 

[stillp]

Doesn't look the same without a tree growing through it!
Pete

 

[TR6SR650]

It would have been nice if Mr. Johnson could have left a note that explained why that Terraplane was left there. Which begs the question, did he leave any records at all that would explain some of his projects?

 

[BB767]

Mature Tree Transplanting

We're in the heart of winter right now, Feb, 2021. The low temperature this morning was -2ºF, with a high of 9ºF. With those thoughts in mind, I'm going to discuss the loss of our one and only pecan tree and it's subsequent replacement.





The pecan tree was blown over in a storm, summer of 2018. It was a very mature tree that happened to be well placed, south of the deck. It left a large area of the yard open and to my eye unbalanced. I was determined to replace it with as large a suitable tree as I was able.

About a year later, fall of 2019, I found a local fellow, Rolly, who has been successfully transplanting very large trees for over 25 years. I met Rolly at a local tree farm and gave him my general idea of what I thought would be good replacement candidates. From that we narrowed the selection to available trees and I settled on an extremely nice and straight Belgium Maple. It was close to 30' (9M) tall and 6" (15cm) in diameter.



After the new tree site was identified...



... Rolly brought his large tree spade over to dig the hole where the new tree will be placed.



As you can see, it is a very large tree spade.





With the hole dug...



... Rolly returned with the new maple.



You can see the hole that Rolly is backing up to on the right, behind the truck.



Checking to make sure the tree spade is positioned correctly relative to the hole.



The tree is then lowered into the hole...



...and the spade knives are withdrawn sequentially making sure the tree sits completely in the hole at the right height and remains straight.



Voila‘, we have a new tree!



You can see where the new maple is relative to the old pecan.



This give you an idea of the size. Reference the stone corner of the house in the background and you can see how straight the trunk is. Fall is the ideal time to transplant trees. The maple leaves are turning red, indicating it is starting to go dormant.



I love trees, we have several dozens...



...spread over the property but there's always room for one more! This was fall of 2019. Looking ahead one year after it was planted...





...2020 and you can see the maple seems very happy in it's new surroundings. A welcome addition that should prosper, and grow for decades to come. Someday, someone who is as yet unborn, will enjoy the shade this tree will provide. Speaking for myself, looking these pictures certainly warmed me up! Really looking forward to warmer weather this spring!

As it turns out this weekend is our 4th year living in the house. We moved in Super Bowl weekend, Feb. 2017.



It's been quite satisfying to date to develop this property. The above picture was taken in 2006, roughly in the same area where the house now sits. I'm still tweaking things as you'll see, but it is all coming together nicely. Now I'm off to put a fire in the fireplace. If you're still interested in what's going on around here, check back. More is in store. Enjoy the big game tonight. Thanks everyone.

Thomas

 

[Grizz1963]

Got to love technology and the right tools.

That would be so far out of my frame of,reference, as,I would expect the cost to be more than ashtray change.

 

[rlwhitetr3b]

I think I may have talk to Rolly a couple of years ago about moving a couple of trees that were in the way of our garage. He didn't think they would survive. IIRC he normally transplants them to his place for a few years before moving them elsewhere.

 

[MG David]

A specialist piece of kit like that must have been a significant investment when it was new. Looking at the truck it is mounted on, I guess it is a few years old now. Although, I no very little about US trucks.

 

[stillp]

I watched one of those tree spades at work in Portugal a few years ago. Very impressive to watch.
Was there any usable timber (OK, lumber!) in that pecan tree Thomas?
Pete

 

[1949 caddyman]

Did you saw up any of the Pecan for shop wood projects? It is a very nice wood.

 

[BB767]

.........I used the toilet at my mom's senior living apartment she'd say "it'll cost you a quarter." Well, there was always a quarter on top of the toilet tank cover.

Here's a current picture of our shop "accommodations"...



It includes not only quarters but Susan B. Anthony dollar coins and 2 very special English coins that add up to 35 pence. That is courtesy from Rian aka Grizz1963 of the thread Mixed Grill - From London , England fame. He stopped by the shop a few years back for a shop visit and knew the history of the Quarters on the Toilet Tank (QOTTT ) so he thoughtfully brought 35 pence with him. He tells me that is the cost of using a public "facility" in London, or at least it was at the time of his visit. It's still there Rian, I haven't spent it!!!

It would have been nice if Mr. Johnson could have left a note that explained why that Terraplane was left there. Which begs the question, did he leave any records at all that would explain some of his projects?

Might want to do a quick review before the test TR6SR650. You'll read that the Terraplane belonged to Mr. Johnson's oldest son Howard. Howard had read an article in a late 1940's to early 1950's issue of Popular Mechanics about making a custom body for 1930's cars. He decided to remove the stock body off his '37 Terraplane and proceeded to make a custom body for it. He did just that, but why the body was then removed and the chassis pushed out behind the shop and left there is lost to history. Over the years I've asked every last Johnson family member from his sister Bonnie, to all his other brothers and Howard's children as well. No one knows what became of the custom body, nor why the car was abandoned by the shop.

It's one of those great mysteries that ranks right up there with how were the Pyramids constructed or who is buried in Grant's tomb? We'll never know.

As for Mr. Johnson leaving any notes behind with explanations of any of his projects, there unfortunately, is nothing. It's just left to us to ponder and speculate.

I think I may have talk to Rolly a couple of years ago about moving a couple of trees that were in the way of our garage. He didn't think they would survive. IIRC he normally transplants them to his place for a few years before moving them elsewhere.

You probably did talk to Rolly, Rich. He's the only one around here with a large tree spade. He is as passionate about trees as I am and 10 times more knowledgeable than me! He has a vast wealth of knowledge and experience that he's always willing to share. A really good guy!

........
Was there any usable timber (OK, lumber!) in that pecan tree Thomas?
Pete

Did you saw up any of the Pecan for shop wood projects? It is a very nice wood.

Unfortunately the trunk of the Pecan was rotted such that there was absolutely no usable lumber to be had from it.





Taking a look at the ends and you can see it has no solid usable material. It all wound up...





...as firewood and there was a bunch of it! BTW, it is some the nastiest stuff to split I've ever had the dubious privilege of working with! If I hadn't used a power log splinter I'm sure I would have given up on it. It just doesn't want to split, it clings together.

Thank all for the interest and good questions.

Thomas

 

[TR6SR650]

We had to cut down a Hickory tree that was struck by lightning. We used it for fire wood. When it burned is smelled fantastic. Just a wonderful smell! I've never smelled Pecan wood burning and I'm wondering about how it smells. Do you know or if you don't, could you describe the fragrance of it burning. Thanks.

 

[Harley15a]

Hi, I just checked out the restore of your shop and vintage lift. Get job! Wanted to ask you for some help with my 70's Rotary in ground lift. It apparently has a leak and I am going to dig it up and hopefully fix it. You said you found 2 pin holes in yours. How did you find them? Did you somehow pressurize it? Any help/ info you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Armin

 

[BB767]

Lift Repair Details

.........

I've never smelled Pecan wood burning and I'm wondering about how it smells. Do you know or if you don't, could you describe the fragrance of it burning. Thanks.

That's a good question. Unfortunately I haven't burned any Pecan yet. Probably.... no wait...... I'm sure I won't burn any Pecan until next year. My understanding is that it's good wood to burn in a fireplace. Presently, I'm burning mostly Hickory, Oak and some Walnut. I have burned some Apple before and it smelled very nice as well. I'll try to remember next year when I start to burn Pecan and let you know or you're welcome to remind me. Thanks!

Hi, I just checked out the restore of your shop and vintage lift. Get job! Wanted to ask you for some help with my 70's Rotary in ground lift. It apparently has a leak and I am going to dig it up and hopefully fix it. You said you found 2 pin holes in yours. How did you find them? Did you somehow pressurize it? Any help/ info you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Armin

Hello Armin, and welcome to our merry band! Congratulations for wading your way through some or all of this material. It is growing all the time. I'd be happy to help you as best I can with your Rotary repair.

Thinking back almost 16 years ago (!) when I did my Rotary repair (spring 2006), let's see if this will help you.



The hydraulic fluid is an oil, so any leaks it has, it should leave a trace where it's leaking. My original hope was that the leak would be confined to the feed pipe or fittings to the lift cylinder. If it was only leaking there, I wouldn't have had to dig up the lift cylinder. So in the above picture, you can see by using a concrete saw and demolition hammer, I exposed the feed line from the lift pump to the cylinder. All the soil and sand around the feed pipe was completely dry, so the leak had to be somewhere in the cylinder itself.



With the lift cylinder out of the ground, I could see the outer surface of the cylinder was in poor condition. There were some stains on the metal where fluid had leaked, but to be sure I found the exact leak or leaks spots, I pressurized the cylinder with air. Doing so easily exposed the 2 leaks.



Your cylinder will have a feed line to it from the pump and it should also have a way to bleed air from the cylinder. This is how my lift looked before I removed it from the ground. Note the poor condition of the bleed line from corrosion. Using the old bleed line provided a way to introduce pressurized air into the cylinder.



A cap and short pipe ****** was threaded on to the feed line cylinder fitting to allow the cylinder to be pressurized. Note the new outer cylinder casing I welded completely around the old cylinder. I did that just in case a new leak developed in the old case later, once it was reinstalled back in the ground.



Here is a pressure gauge and air chuck fitting installed on the bleed line.



Here's a look at the same thing from a different angle. Using air pressure will allow you to find any and all leaks there might be in the cylinder. I do apologize for the poor quality picture. That was the best I could do with the camera I had at that time. Once the leaks were repaired, by using the pressure gauge, I could pressurize the cylinder, close the shutoff valve below the air chuck and wait 12 hours to see if it held pressure. I did move the lift ram to the top of its travel while the case leaks were repaired. That was to prevent any damage to the ram seals from the heat of welding.

All the leak checks and welding repairs were done with the cylinder laying horizontal on the ground as seen in the second picture from the top. I just don't have any pictures of that being done.



I did pressure test the cylinder once more after it was placed back in the ground, but before I back filled around it.



Once I was convinced all leaks had been repaired successfully, I back filled all around the cylinder with sand that was watered in every few feet and hand tamped it.



I used all stainless steel pipe and fittings for the bleed line and heavy, galvanized pipe for the feed line to prevent any future leaks from corrosion in them. I also coated the outer lift cylinder with automotive anti-corrosion material.




After it was back filled, with the lift plumbing all completed I tested it once more before concrete was re-installed and poured over the top. A heavy friend volunteered to use his weight to assist the lift in going down since it's only gravity return.

So there is the lift repair in a bit more detail than described on page 10, post # 181. Does that help Armin? Don't hesitate to ask for more information. Also don't forget Rotary Lift would be happy to give advice. Contact them here:

https://rotarylift.com/contact/

Good luck and post pictures as you are able! Cheers.

Thomas

 

[Sweet Old Bill]

Thomas & Chris,

Just checking in. I hope that you two and your family are well.

ATP is hopefully all that is taking place.

With thoughts, prayers, & best wishes.

 

[BB767]

Deck Ramp Threshold

Hello Bill and everyone! Thank you so much for the post. Yup, Chris and I are both hale, hardy and healthy! We've had both vaccines and are good to go moving forward.

This has been an especially long ATP I'll admit, but I've been really busy as of late and didn't think there was much of interest to post about. But take a look at the following...





You might recall the decks both have ramps on them. To finish off the bottom of the ramps...






...I fabricated thresholds out of 12 gauge stainless steel.



To fully finish off the thresholds, 2 of them needed end caps...



...so these small triangles...



...were TIG welded...



...to the ends of them. Now when viewed from the end, there isn't an open gap.

Since the deck side of the threshold was screwed to the deck, I used stainless steel pan headed screws. Those holes needed to be...



...countersunk. On the concrete side, concrete screws were used...



...and normal holes were drilled there.



One ramp had a gap on one end where the sidewalk was tapered for better water drainage in the rain. To fill that gap...



...a piece of composite deck material was jointed...



...to create a tapered wedge piece that was installed in that gap...



...as seen here.



The view from the side.



This is the bottom of the ramp on the main deck...



...and here it is finished off.



This is how the end cap looks which finishes off the end of the threshold nicely. In time the stainless will weather and blend in better with the deck ramps. 12 gauge material is beefy so there is no flex on the thresholds and stainless will last practically forever. Do it once and do it right.

I've been doing other small projects as well. Presently out in the old shop...



...I am repairing the heater core in the '66 Corvette convertible. More about that later.

Thanks again Bill for the inquiry and everyone for your continued interest. Its rewarding to see I haven't bored you completely yet!

Thomas

 

[Sweet Old Bill]

Thomas and Miss Chris,

I would suggest: endlessly fascinated!

Sweet Old Bill

 

[dpljmurphy]

For every guy thinking this was funny (including me as I read it to my 1.0), don't read any of these recent posts to whichever X.0 version you happen to have. Mine stopped me and said it was demeaning to equate women to equipment. At that point, I noticed the two hazard lights on her topmost console start a slow red flashing glow. Then my rev limiter kicked in and prevented any further damage....to me.

OMG I so wish that my governor would step in! It would have saved me a number of times, but no: apparently I can over rev my mouth with little damage to my hardware. But, my software regrets it for a long time...

 

[MG David]

Re: Deck Ramp Threshold

...I am repairing the heater core in the '66 Corvette convertible. More about that later.

We are proud of you. Always good to see things being fixed rather than binned and replaced. Far more interesting.

Also, did you do the tig welding yourself?

Thanks,
David

 

[BB767]

Re: Deck Ramp Threshold

OMG I so wish that my governor would step in! It would have saved me a number of times, but no: apparently I can over rev my mouth with little damage to my hardware. But, my software regrets it for a long time...

Chris is amused by all this and taking it as it was intended. She knows I'm crazy about her and hasn't been offended one little bit. That's the kind of gal she is!! She just doesn't take everything so seriously.

We are proud of you. Always good to see things being fixed rather than binned and replaced. Far more interesting.

Also, did you do the tig welding yourself?

Thanks,
David

David, TIG welding stainless is not my strong suit. I can do it after a little warmup and some practice but I had an 85 year old friend of mine, ****, do the end caps for me. He's an artist when it come to stainless TIG work. I might also add he served in the National Guard with Don Johnson back in the late 1950's. Don was Virgil's second oldest son and the son who spent the most time working in the shop with Virgil. In the National Guard, Don Johnson and **** were both tank mechanics. No surprise!

I got the original heater core back after it was repaired...



This is the original heater core from the '66 Corvette convertible. It was made by Harrison, top circle and bottom circle shows 66 D. That decodes as made in April, 1966. My car was made in May of 1966.



It was re-cored and the hose *******...



...were reinforced and strengthened. I much prefer to keep everything as original as possible. These old cores and end tanks are made out of much better metal than a new replacement heater core and you know it will fit!

These are the folks ...



...who did the core repair. Nice work!



Presently I'm cleaning up and re-conditioning all the various pieces - parts that will be reused.



This is the view of the firewall where the heater housing is installed, seen from the engine compartment and ...



This is the view from inside the car where the heater core lives.



An awful lot of "stuff" has to be removed to give you access to the heater core, including the passenger seat. Not an especially difficult job, but it does require patience and time.

In the midst of this we've also had some shop visitors who stopped by since they were in the area. Chris and I have had both vaccines for several weeks now so we don't mind a bit. Nice to have visitors once more and share shop.

More to come. Thank you David and everyone.

Thomas

 

[mittenjeeper]

Breeze, I had number of people suggest while I was restoring the lift that it would be much easier and maybe even more cost effective to cut the ramps off and abandon the cylinder in the ground. Then install a modern 2 post lift. Now imagine that room today with a brand new lift in it. It just wouldn't even remotely have the same feel. It's again a case of those who "get it" and those who don't. The story you related is unfortunately all too familiar. Sadly that's why those types of lifts are becoming so rare today. I did have to put a lot of thought and effort into that lift, but I feel it's the crown jewel of the shop. I really wouldn't trade it for anything. In retrospect it was well worth all the effort and expense. Not even close.

The sharing part afterward turns out to have been rewarding as well. Thanks for your comment.

Thomas

Thank you for spending the time and money to keep that in-ground hoist functioning, it makes the space. When I started as a mechanic many shops and schools still had them. I hated those front/rear twin post jobs though!

 

[BB767]

Thank you for spending the time and money to keep that in-ground hoist functioning, it makes the space. When I started as a mechanic many shops and schools still had them. I hated those front/rear twin post jobs though!

Hello mittenjeeper and welcome. I see you're a fairly new member here. Clearly you get it so you'll fit right in here.



The last couple of weeks I've been using the lift pretty regularly getting this Impala ready to sell. The lift restoration was accomplished 15 years ago now and it still operates just as smooth and sure as it did when it was new. It's 92 years old now (!) and I see no reason why it won't be around for another 92 years.



It's such a pleasure to hear the whine of the hydraulic pump as it goes up and it's totally silent when it lets the car down. To spend the time it took to restore it was totally worth it. It's nice a few of you have gotten to see and hear it in action during your visits.

I've never operated a twin post lift but watching them in action makes me very grateful I've got a single post! Thank you Mr Johnson!

Thomas

 

[9C1]

Thank you for spending the time and money to keep that in-ground hoist functioning, it makes the space. When I started as a mechanic many shops and schools still had them. I hated those front/rear twin post jobs though!

The community college I studied and taught at, had a front/rear twin post lift when I got my degree and when I first taught there. I loved it because all I owned, and most I still own, are front engine rear wheel drive. That style lift works fine for that kind of power train. As front wheel drive became more common, and the lift began to leak, the end came.

The current side mounted two post lifts allow more undercar access at the expense of access to the interior of the car. One has to be more careful in positioning the lift arms on the side mounted twin post. The newer lift doesn't work so well for the lower sports cars of today either. I have to drive my Corvette on to 2x material to raise it up enough to get the arms under it and that works on only one of the five lifts in the shop. The others don't go low enough for even that 1.5-inch rise to clear the arms. Of course this is a lift installation issue, and the details of that are too lengthy and frustrating to go into here.

 

[Lou's Garage]

This quote from Thomas really made me stop and think!

"The lift restoration was accomplished 15 years ago now and it still operates just as smooth and sure as it did when it was new."

I've been following this thread from the beginning so I just had to look it up. This story started almost 12 years ago! Thanks Chris and Thomas for allowing us to follow along, assimilate lots of useful information, and providing plenty of entertainment.

Lou Manglass

 

[BB767]

........

The current side mounted two post lifts allow more undercar access at the expense of access to the interior of the car. One has to be more careful in positioning the lift arms on the side mounted twin post. The newer lift doesn't work so well for the lower sports cars of today either. I have to drive my Corvette on to 2x material to raise it up enough to get the arms under it and that works on only one of the five lifts in the shop. The others don't go low enough for even that 1.5-inch rise to clear the arms. Of course this is a lift installation issue, and the details of that are too lengthy and frustrating to go into here.

Hi Terry, good to hear from you. No question the old drive on style lift is the easiest to use. One problem with the single post Rotary Lift in the old shop is that it was designed for model T and model A era cars. Ground clearances with modern cars and the lift ramp side rails can be a challenge.





That said, as you can see, my 1966 Corvette managed to fit on it. That's about as small and narrow a car as I can accommodate. Generally speaking, vehicles made before the 1980's can be managed. Haven't tried my 1970 VW Beetle yet, but I'm thinking this lift won't work.

If you have a 2 post asymmetric lift as I do in the barn...



...I can still access the interior to a limited degree since the posts are twisted away from the car on the lift.



There is room enough to open the door while a car is on this style lift. It does give you pretty much complete access to everything under the car. However, as Terry mentioned, ground clearances with modern, low cars such as newer Corvettes on these style lifts require driving the car onto a platform of some sort to raise the car enough to get the lifting arms under it. Not handy but it is workable. It's lucky for me I have both types so I'm in a good position to use whatever type works best for a particular vehicle.

This quote from Thomas really made me stop and think!

"The lift restoration was accomplished 15 years ago now and it still operates just as smooth and sure as it did when it was new."

I've been following this thread from the beginning so I just had to look it up. This story started almost 12 years ago! Thanks Chris and Thomas for allowing us to follow along, assimilate lots of useful information, and providing plenty of entertainment.

Lou Manglass

Hi Lou, you're one of those glutton for punishment kind of guys aren't you? You've stuck with us here for 12 years; yowser! You've seen lots of changes out here from when we started this thread in late 2009.





Here's a look at the old shop and barn this morning from out of a great room window in the house. Spring is here and my attention is shifting to outside work.



I've tried to save as much as I can from the old property, including Mrs Johnson's plants. The dogwood (not seen) was moved before the old family house was torn down and I tried to move as many of the flowers as possible but...



...the odd flower beds still pop up in the middle of yard. The one circled in the foreground was by the front of the family house and in the background are some that were near the back door. They now live by...







...Mrs. Johnson's persimmon trees and out of harms way. Additionally a couple of years ago I moved Mrs. Johnson's Tiger Lilies from what seemed to be the middle of the yard to...



...behind the address rock out front. So what use to look like this...



...now looks like...





...this using all material, rocks and plants from around the property. Some of the plants I've moved are over 55 years old now. Mrs. Johnson planted many of them in the mid 1950's when the family house was enlarged. They are historic to the property and I felt they should be saved.

So nothing glamorous this time around but the property is shaping up. I expect to be planting alfalfa next door in the coming week. Just did some soil tests but haven't seen the results yet.

Maybe not this year, but next we'd love to hold an open house once it's safe for everyone to travel once more. After all, we're all friends here, we just haven't met in person yet. Many thanks to all.

Thomas

 

[TR6SR650]

My wife and I would love to attend your open house.

 

[bulletpruf]

Saving Mrs. Johnson's old plants is awesome, Thomas! A real tribute to the former tenants. Keep up the good work!

Scott

 

[BB767]

My wife and I would love to attend your open house.

You're the first! We're in the very beginning preliminary stages but it's something we talked about doing a while back and then the virus hit and everything went on hold. Right now we're thinking either early June or early Sept, 2022, over a weekend. By giving enough notice folks could plan for and around it. Gotta start somewhere so that's a start. I personally think it would be a hoot for everyone here. Nice to meet the gang and have them meet each other. Standby!

Saving Mrs. Johnson's old plants is awesome, Thomas! A real tribute to the former tenants. Keep up the good work!

Scott

I appreciate the words of encouragement Scott. Thank you. I thought it was important to save them and I've not regretted the decision.

Thomas

 

[BUGTHUG]

I'm still following, yard looks nice. Wish I could get my grass that nice and green. In fact I'm getting ready to burn most of my yard, it's the time of the season to do it.

 

[TR6SR650]

Early June or early September sounds great. Looking forward to it.

 

[MG David]

You're the first! We're in the very beginning preliminary stages but it's something we talked about doing a while back and then the virus hit and everything went on hold. Right now we're thinking either early June or early Sept, 2022, over a weekend. By giving enough notice folks could plan for and around it. Gotta start somewhere so that's a start. I personally think it would be a hoot for everyone here. Nice to meet the gang and have them meet each other. Standby!

Well that would be worth renewing my visa for!

 

[9C1]

"If you have a 2 post asymmetric lift as I do in the barn......I can still access the interior to a limited degree since the posts are twisted away from the car on the lift."

I hadn't thought about asymmetric twin posts. The ones the school purchased are not asymmetric.

We learn to live with what we have.

Nice job on the '66 heater core. Good on you for preserving the end tanks. WTG.

BTW: I might even be able to get Mrs. 9C1 to visit an open house. Are you planning to make Indianapolis June 18 or 19? I have something to show you if you get there.

 

[BB767]

I'm still following, yard looks nice. Wish I could get my grass that nice and green..........

We have such rich, black soil around here we can grow almost anything! Glad you're still with us BUGTHUG!

Well that would be worth renewing my visa for!

It'll be interesting to see how many folks can make it from overseas David. Hope you're one of them! It's a good excuse to renew your visa for sure. Lydon from Australia was planning on coming last year I think, but that got postponed obviously. He told us he's going to try next year, 2022. Maybe he can time his visit with the open house?

.....

I hadn't thought about asymmetric twin posts. The ones the school purchased are not asymmetric.

We learn to live with what we have.

Nice job on the '66 heater core. Good on you for preserving the end tanks. WTG.

BTW: I might even be able to get Mrs. 9C1 to visit an open house. Are you planning to make Indianapolis June 18 or 19? I have something to show you if you get there.

Good deal if the Mrs. decides to come. It's not that long a drive and I really do think she'd enjoy it. There's more here than just the shop after all.

Bloomington Gold; hadn't really thought about it for this year. Not sure what's going on in mid June yet. There's usually a Pure Stock Drag Race right around that time. I'll let you know if I do make it. Wonder if your something to show me has anything to do with a C8?

For the pending open house, right now I'm leaning toward an early weekend in June, next year, 2022. Weather is typically most pleasant at that time of year and Lou should be here by then. We'll probably do both a Saturday and Sunday affair to double the chances folks can make one day or the other. With over a year ahead of time notice I think will help with folks planning as well. Stay tuned for more information. Thanks everyone for your interest and encouragement.

Thomas

 

[Lyndon]

It'll be interesting to see how many folks can make it from overseas David. Hope you're one of them! It's a good excuse to renew your visa for sure. Lyndon from Australia was planning on coming last year I think, but that got postponed obviously. He told us he's going to try next year, 2022. Maybe he can time his visit with the open house?

Snip...

Thomas

Thomas

There is so much uncertainty in the world at present that I can't see us going offshore any time soon. Besides, I'm hoping that late 2022 and early 2023 will see me keeping an eye on our next home build about 2.5 hours south west of here. Then, hopefully when Irene fully retires we'll be doing the lap of our great country for about 12 months or so. Then we'll think about international travel again......

But I am keeping an eye on all the goings on in here!

Lyndon

 

[Old Man Roger]

Thomas, couldn’t you have just lessened the crease on the threshold? Putting that piece of wood under it kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?