WE ALL HAVE INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES...
My parents were certainly the biggest in mine. The older I get, the more I am amazed how my parents managed to raise 5 kids, take a broken down old turn-of-the-century farm house and turn it into a “parade-of-homes” house by remodeling every square inch, yet still have time for “fun” hobby projects like restoring cars and such. I don’t remember them sitting around much (which probably explains most of it) and it seemed like there was always several projects going on at once. I will be eternally grateful for the values they instilled in me at an early age.
In this thread, I’m going to showcase my parent’s latest garage to demonstrate where this deep-seated passion for a cool and functional workspace comes from. In a recent trip home, I snapped a full set of pictures since it was cleaned up after completing an MG engine install.
BUT FIRST A LITTLE BACKGROUND...
Luckily, I always had a decent shop to work in when I was a kid, long before I could really appreciate what it takes to get one set up and maintain it. Back then, I just took things for granted. Supplies I consumed just seemed to magically replenish themselves later on. (Thanks Dad!) Don’t get me wrong, however, we were taught the meaning of hard work, giving 110%, and taking pride in a job well done. I hope that shows through in my continued work on the ASYLUM build. A lot of the projects were family efforts, although I’m sure we (the kids) were probably more of a hindrance than a help in the early years. My parents were a true DIY inspiration to me throughout the years and it continues still to this day. It seems my dad is working on projects harder than ever before but that is what he wants to do, so no one stops him (although we all worry a bit!)
There were a few things that make me cringe from yesteryear like using those old wire-formed milk crates as jack stands for the cars (yikes!) and reaching in that bucket of lacquer thinner with bare hands and washing out the paint gun parts (I always wondered why my skin peeled off after painting something!). I guess we all have a few things from the past that make us wonder “What was I thinking?”
MY ORIGINAL HOMESTEAD...
Below are two shots of the buildings we worked in as I was growing up. They were taken on my second last trip to the place, just prior to my parents selling it. The mission of that trip was to load up all the spare car parts and junk I considered mine (and maybe a few extra things Dad was willing to part with!) and also make the final preparations to the Chevelle for the drive down to Florida the next time I visited. I need to dig up some “before” pictures of everything to show how far everything has come since the old days.
We had an enlarged (extra wide/deep) 2-car garage to tinker in. Dimensions were 28x26 plus some second story storage. The bay directly ahead of the Chevelle was partitioned off so a daily driver could be parked there and stay clean, so it really didn’t see much “action” as far as projects go. The other side was quite spacious with plenty of room to the side and in front of the car to work. Dad built a “clean room” off in the back corner that was heated year-round for the paints and such. I loved sitting at the workbench in that room during winter, working on small projects and watching the wildlife in the woods.
For storage, we had an old mid-western dairy barn with two levels at our disposal. It dwarfs my Avalanche and 7x12 trailer in the picture and they aren’t small. Dimensions on it were 36x70’. I would kill to have that kind of room now! Having a big place like that is probably why I never learned to throw stuff when most people would consider it useless - there was always more room to stash it somewhere until the next project comes along that needs it! The parts for the ASYLUM library ladder were extracted out of the basement (1st level) of the barn where the milking was done decades ago. There was also a track hoist system located in the very peak of the ceiling that may have also been recyclable in the ASYLUM somewhere, but to be honest, I had forgotten it existed and didn’t have time to ****** it on my last visit. It was 30’ in the air so it would have been a real effort anyway.
I believe I mentioned it in my ASYLUM thread, but my new shop was just getting finished about the same time they sold this place. The old Chevelle (my first car) was, for the first time, being forced out without a roof over her head, and that was a big push for me to get the ASYLUM done. In a way, it’s kind of funny building a $100K shop for an old beater, but the car is priceless to me. Of course, the Chevelle wasn’t the only reason; I could probably name about 100 more.
My parents were certainly the biggest in mine. The older I get, the more I am amazed how my parents managed to raise 5 kids, take a broken down old turn-of-the-century farm house and turn it into a “parade-of-homes” house by remodeling every square inch, yet still have time for “fun” hobby projects like restoring cars and such. I don’t remember them sitting around much (which probably explains most of it) and it seemed like there was always several projects going on at once. I will be eternally grateful for the values they instilled in me at an early age.
In this thread, I’m going to showcase my parent’s latest garage to demonstrate where this deep-seated passion for a cool and functional workspace comes from. In a recent trip home, I snapped a full set of pictures since it was cleaned up after completing an MG engine install.
BUT FIRST A LITTLE BACKGROUND...
Luckily, I always had a decent shop to work in when I was a kid, long before I could really appreciate what it takes to get one set up and maintain it. Back then, I just took things for granted. Supplies I consumed just seemed to magically replenish themselves later on. (Thanks Dad!) Don’t get me wrong, however, we were taught the meaning of hard work, giving 110%, and taking pride in a job well done. I hope that shows through in my continued work on the ASYLUM build. A lot of the projects were family efforts, although I’m sure we (the kids) were probably more of a hindrance than a help in the early years. My parents were a true DIY inspiration to me throughout the years and it continues still to this day. It seems my dad is working on projects harder than ever before but that is what he wants to do, so no one stops him (although we all worry a bit!)
There were a few things that make me cringe from yesteryear like using those old wire-formed milk crates as jack stands for the cars (yikes!) and reaching in that bucket of lacquer thinner with bare hands and washing out the paint gun parts (I always wondered why my skin peeled off after painting something!). I guess we all have a few things from the past that make us wonder “What was I thinking?”
MY ORIGINAL HOMESTEAD...
Below are two shots of the buildings we worked in as I was growing up. They were taken on my second last trip to the place, just prior to my parents selling it. The mission of that trip was to load up all the spare car parts and junk I considered mine (and maybe a few extra things Dad was willing to part with!) and also make the final preparations to the Chevelle for the drive down to Florida the next time I visited. I need to dig up some “before” pictures of everything to show how far everything has come since the old days.
We had an enlarged (extra wide/deep) 2-car garage to tinker in. Dimensions were 28x26 plus some second story storage. The bay directly ahead of the Chevelle was partitioned off so a daily driver could be parked there and stay clean, so it really didn’t see much “action” as far as projects go. The other side was quite spacious with plenty of room to the side and in front of the car to work. Dad built a “clean room” off in the back corner that was heated year-round for the paints and such. I loved sitting at the workbench in that room during winter, working on small projects and watching the wildlife in the woods.
For storage, we had an old mid-western dairy barn with two levels at our disposal. It dwarfs my Avalanche and 7x12 trailer in the picture and they aren’t small. Dimensions on it were 36x70’. I would kill to have that kind of room now! Having a big place like that is probably why I never learned to throw stuff when most people would consider it useless - there was always more room to stash it somewhere until the next project comes along that needs it! The parts for the ASYLUM library ladder were extracted out of the basement (1st level) of the barn where the milking was done decades ago. There was also a track hoist system located in the very peak of the ceiling that may have also been recyclable in the ASYLUM somewhere, but to be honest, I had forgotten it existed and didn’t have time to ****** it on my last visit. It was 30’ in the air so it would have been a real effort anyway.
I believe I mentioned it in my ASYLUM thread, but my new shop was just getting finished about the same time they sold this place. The old Chevelle (my first car) was, for the first time, being forced out without a roof over her head, and that was a big push for me to get the ASYLUM done. In a way, it’s kind of funny building a $100K shop for an old beater, but the car is priceless to me. Of course, the Chevelle wasn’t the only reason; I could probably name about 100 more.
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, but because of the project car sitting in the background. 
