Above 1200 Sq/FT The Ole Barn Workshop by BigNuge

Hey folks!

New guy from NH here.

So, since i could turn my own wrench I always dreamed of having my own shop (primarily for auto mechanic work, metal work/fab work, any work with motors). Nothing real fancy, just a solid functional shop. Something secure, heated, well lit, plenty of bench space, tool storage, solid house compressor...etc. I also wanted it to have a few key pieces of equipment for custom fab work (solid bench grinder, drill press etc...). AND, the Pièce de résistance, a 2 post lift. I worked in a small auto shop in my high school years (after school & weekends) and that set the hook in my cheek with working on vehicles on lifts. Ever since I have been rolling the dice with jacks/jack stands/and cardboard for crawling on. I have used friends & families garages from time to time, but it is still no fun to be dragging yourself across the floor to work on the underside of the vehicle.

Now that I'm almost done with a multi year house renovation, I'm ready to start a project like my shop.

I figured I would add a separate post for all of the major components of the shop project. I think that would make it easier for folks to comment on their subject/matter of choice without having to copy/quote one huge post.

I'd like to thank everyone for their input & advice ahead of time. I have never put together a shop, and am venturing into new territory.

Anyway, It's sure to be a fun ride, so stay tuned!

Welcome from Ohio! I did a lot of reading, planning before I started my shop, and I'm happy with what I have. I did not think of everything but nothing that was a deal breaker. Good luck!

So I figured I'd start with a brief description of what I'm working with, and then an overview of what I would like to do.

My house & barn were part of an old farm, both post & beam, both built in 1790. The house has been completely gutted, converted to a 2 family, and completely rebuilt (this is the project that is FINALLY ending).

The barn has been in need of a few things, and I almost said the heck with it....and tore the thing down. Well, I got to thinking...how many guys have a 35x50, 2 story structure for a toy box? Plenty I'm sure, but not regular (no-rich) guys like me. So with that said, the barn is here to stay.

I recently had one of the main corner posts replaced dude to it rotting (slow roof leak that has since been patched). Also, I have a whole new metal roof going on in the Spring. The rest of the structure is in great shape for its age, and is solid as a rock.

Like I mentioned above, the barn is a true post & beam (the whole structure is built over a post & beam "skeleton"). The inside dimensions are 50' long x 35' wide. The North end of the barn faces the house. Both ends have full size "sliding" barn doors. The door opening(s) are 10' wide x 12' high. As you look into the front (North) door, down the length of the barn (looking South), there are beams on either side of the center section. These are primarily there to support the second floor. The left hand (East) beam actually sits 24" West of the East side carrier posts. The right hand (West) beam sits right where it needs to be (directly under its (West) carrier posts). What this boils down to is that the East main beam is actually in the wrong place altogether, and will be removed. I will place lolly columns under all of the carrier points on the East side, and build a 2x4 wall to section off the East/Southeast side (first floor) of the barn, and support the second floor joists. The other (West) beam will remain in place to support the second floor joists. I will be sectioning off the East/Southeast corner (10' x 25') of the first floor for tenet storage. What this leaves me with on the first floor is a 35' wide x 25' long area on the front (North) end, and a 25' x 25' area on the back (South) end.

Now, I want to be able to heat this thing reasonably during the Winter months. That said, heating a 225 year old, 1475 square foot uninsulated structure in subfreezing temperatures with an old wood furnace is a tall order to say the least. What I'm thinking is that I'll section off the back half of the barn with a simple plywood wall, with a large sliding door so I can still store vehicles/equipment in the back section of it. That would give me an effective shop area of 35' wide x 25' long.

Now, to help with the visual concept, the shop would be entered from the North (front) door (which will be replaced with a 10' wide x 9' high insulated garage door). When you enter the shop, straight ahead will be the vehicle bay/lift area. That area will be 25' long x 12' wide. I will be enlarging the opening to the second floor (currently it is only 12' wide x 12' long) to accommodate the 12' high ceiling height requirement of the 2 post lift, that makes the vehicle/lift bay area 25' long x 12' wide x 12' high.

Continuing, if you look towards the left of the vehicle/lift bay you will see my equipment storage area (generator/pressure washer etc.). This will also be the area where the landing will be for the second floor stairs (currently the only access to the second floor is by ladder only). I may wall this section off to make it easier to heat the working area. This area will be under the second floor, so it will be 7' high.

Further, looking right you will see the actual workshop area (benches/tools/equipment etc.). In the center of this area I plan on building a super solid walk-around work bench. Im going to go big, I'm thinking 4' x 10'. One end of this bench will be topped with plate steel for a welding area. This bench will have a 6" vise, as well as a chain vice (mounting spots TBD). Along the new center section wall (to the right of the vehicle/lift bay will be the tool box and large tool storage area. Along the Outside (West) wall will be the 8" bench grinder (it will be floor standing on a proper tool stand), as well as the floor standing drill press. Against the front (North) wall will be the wood furnace, and wood box. this area will be under the second floor, so it will be 7' high.

The entire rear (South) section of the first floor will be storage for stuff I don't need regular access to. The entire second floor will also be storage. Additionally, I will have hatches and a hoist & beam dolly (on a 4" I-Beam) in place to hoist large/heavy times to the second floor without having to lug them up the stairs.



Alrighty then....Thats a quick review of things, and what I'm thinking of doing. I will go into detail on my thoughts for equipment selection & locations in future posts.

Some pictures of how it looks now. Please ignore the deplorable mess....it has been my tool/equipment/**** dumping area for my house reno....















Thanks for looking!

rburke65 said:

Welcome from Ohio! I did a lot of reading, planning before I started my shop, and I'm happy with what I have. I did not think of everything but nothing that was a deal breaker. Good luck!

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Thanks for the warm welcome!

I am a Type-A person, bordering on OCD...lol. I overanalyze everything I do, this project is no exception (my friends like to call it analysis paralysis).

Anyway, thanks again. I look forward to your input!

great barn!

Love the place!! cant wait to see how this all goes!! Subscribed!

Welcome to the forum. I recognize your sig pic from Tundra Talk .

Great looking start to a shop. Work involved for sure but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

Wow, nice barn! I'll definitely be following along.

Is it built on concrete blocks? I had no idea concrete blocks have been around for 225 years.

I love old barns. That is so cool.

Thanks guys, I'll try to update often!

wildbill23c said:

Welcome to the forum. I recognize your sig pic from Tundra Talk .

Great looking start to a shop. Work involved for sure but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

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Hey, its a small world!!

Yeah, I have my hands full...but I enjoy this kind of stuff.

henry29 said:

Wow, nice barn! I'll definitely be following along.

Is it built on concrete blocks? I had no idea concrete blocks have been around for 225 years.

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LOL....

My wife family has owned this property since the 40's (I bought it from her Grandmother). The block foundation came as part of the conversion to a dairy barn in the 50's (short lived stint). Thats why everything looks sort of painted white inside...that was required by the USDA.

BigNuge said:

Thanks guys, I'll try to update often!



Hey, its a small world!!

Yeah, I have my hands full...but I enjoy this kind of stuff.

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Found this forum while looking for some reviews on a couple Harbor Freight tools, its been very useful since then, and learning a lot here.

My barn/shop, is well still a dirt floor, non-insulated and finished inside. needs a lot of work for sure, someday I'll get it setup like I want though just a very slow process trying to pay off most of my bills this year, so next year I can concentrate on better things LOL.

Sometimes an older structure is better to work with, better quality lumber in the building process usually. I know my barn/shop is all rough-cut lumber.

wildbill23c said:

Found this forum while looking for some reviews on a couple Harbor Freight tools, its been very useful since then, and learning a lot here.

My barn/shop, is well still a dirt floor, non-insulated and finished inside. needs a lot of work for sure, someday I'll get it setup like I want though just a very slow process trying to pay off most of my bills this year, so next year I can concentrate on better things LOL.

Sometimes an older structure is better to work with, better quality lumber in the building process usually. I know my barn/shop is all rough-cut lumber.

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Ive been starting to see the real potential in my barn over the last couple months. I can't believe I even thought of knocking it down.

I am beyond excited to get to work on my shop....I just need the frigid temperatures to GO AWAY!!

Like I mentioned, the structure is really solid, and a great starting point. The first order of business is going to be some dump runs, some scrap metal runs (got about 500# of copper, 200# of brass, 200# of SS to scrap....might help fund some of the shop work

Once it is cleaned up and organized I'll be renting a mini excavator to tear up the chunks of busted up concrete floor in the main vehicle/lift bay area. Then I'll be pouring a whole new center section floor pad (extra thick where the lift will sit). The only thing I am paying to have done is the garage door. Other than that I'll be doing it myself/with the help of friends & family. I put the word out, if anyone is looking to use my facilities then they'd better be ready to roll up their sleeves and help with the project. Got a who crew at the ready....

The Ole Barn Workshop by BigNuge-Equipment

So, while I am waiting for Old man Winter to get lost I have had plenty of time to plan out my major & minor equipment list.

The following items have already been ordered/selected:

Lift: Atlas 90HSC (SS) http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-9OHSC-SS-Overhead-Two-Post-Car-Lift
This lift is rated for 9000#, and has a total height of 12'. I wanted something I could use for any truck I care to work on, and right now the heaviest is my best friends truck (2008 GMC Seirra, 2500 Dmax). That truck is close to 7000. Everything else I would work on is lighter & smaller.

House Compressor: Ingersol Rand 2475N7.5 http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Ingersoll-Rand-2475N7.5-FP-Air-Compressor/p769.html
This compressor is a little overkill for my needs, but I scored it for less than $1k in like-new condition.....couldn't pass it up! It does force me to upgrade the electrical service to the barn, but I'll deal with that.

Grinder: Dayton 2LKR9 http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Bench-Grinder-2LKR9
And stand http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Grinder-Tool-Stand-4Z154?nls=1&searchQuery=4z154
Should be plenty of power with that!

Drill Press: http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Floor-Drill-Press-5PHC3?nls=1&searchQuery=5phc3
And Press vice http://www.grainger.com/product/WILTON-Drill-Press-Vise-41D448?nls=1&searchQuery=41d448

All of the above equipment will be wired to run on 230volt single phase to minimize current draw.

I have lots of small tools & equipment not mentioned, all of the above stuff is new and bought specifically for this buildout.

Anyone have any thoughts on the above mentioned equipment? Did I miss anything??

Man that is some nice tools you got coming. Good luck in the build.

bobbyu said:

Man that is some nice tools you got coming. Good luck in the build.

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Thanks!

Just trying to plan it out right! i'm a big believer in doing it once, doing it right.

Welcome BigNuge:
Looking forward to this build as it is pretty much what I dealt with for my old barn. Many of the same starting issues. Lot of work, but worth it in the end although it seems to be a never ending process.
When I started my reno, I only intended to use the barn as storage, so I didn't worry to much about floors and walls ect. If I were to do it now, I would put the tubing in the slab for heat later, and make sure the slab was INSULATED, LEVEL and SMOOTH! Would also upgrade the 200A electric box for more circuits for all the machines that will follow. And I would add all the insulation I could add for these cold crappy Ohio winters. And don't forget to add the water lines where you need them before you pour the slab. All the above pretty hard to do after the fact.
Plenty of advice on this site and many will join in so I'll just sit back and enjoy your ride. Keep us posted & remember "No Pix??? Didn't happen!"

Very nice barn. I echo Tarnished's advice. First thing I'd do if I had money for the project is insulate. I see snow on the floor. Maybe put a rubber skirt across the bottom of the doors so that it "seals" to the ground?

xtremek said:

Very nice barn. I echo Tarnished's advice. First thing I'd do if I had money for the project is insulate. I see snow on the floor. Maybe put a rubber skirt across the bottom of the doors so that it "seals" to the ground?

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LOL, yep...that snow. Unfortunately the old sliding doors have to be left open a small amount during storms (hence the snow on the floor), otherwise getting them open enough to fit through is a problem...

Part of the build is a new 10' wide x 9' tall insulated garage door, which will close don't onto the newly poured cement floor. Thats should keep that snow mess out...I hope

Welcome! What part of NH are you in?

Ok, so it appears I have to have separate usernames for the forum & Taptalk....reason # 1,098 why Taptalk stinks....

Anywho, I'm in the Seacoast area (Seabrook) NH.

Ok, got that sorted out...sorry about that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you have any idea what it would cost you to replicate that barn of yours in today's dollars?! That is a great space with lots of character. Love it.....

BigNuge -

Love your old barn. Have fun restoring it. One bit of advice. Insulating an old barn has to be done very carefully and with a lot of planning. Old barns last so long in part because they were built by real craftsmen, but also because they seldom have insulation that can trap and hold water against the posts and beams. Not saying you shouldn't insulate, but if you do, it might be worth it to put a vapor barrier and new exterior siding at the same time.

Rburke -

Building a true post and beam structure is not cheap, but not as crazy expensive as you might think. I built one in 2010 that is a pretty good size. There is a link in my signature to my rather lame build thread. Total cost for the structure was around $150k, not including the electric service and radiant in floor heat. I saved a lot of $$ by not using a general contractor. Could also have been a lot cheaper if (1) it didn't have the 8'ft high clerestory structure at the top (which cost about as much as adding a third floor); (2) had roll up doors instead of carriage doors; and (3) didn't have expensive SIP panels for insulation on the roof and walls. Without those options, probably could have got it done for around $100k. The trick is finding a really good timber framer.

rburke65 said:

Do you have any idea what it would cost you to replicate that barn of yours in today's dollars?! That is a great space with lots of character. Love it.....

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Thanks! Yeah, once I realized what I had I immediately got to planning on how to save it. I also started planing the shop build too....lol

Fury5 said:

BigNuge -

Love your old barn. Have fun restoring it. One bit of advice. Insulating an old barn has to be done very carefully and with a lot of planning. Old barns last so long in part because they were built by real craftsmen, but also because they seldom have insulation that can trap and hold water against the posts and beams. Not saying you shouldn't insulate, but if you do, it might be worth it to put a vapor barrier and new exterior siding at the same time.

Rburke -

Building a true post and beam structure is not cheap, but not as crazy expensive as you might think. I built one in 2010 that is a pretty good size. There is a link in my signature to my rather lame build thread. Total cost for the structure was around $150k, not including the electric service and radiant in floor heat. I saved a lot of $$ by not using a general contractor. Could also have been a lot cheaper if (1) it didn't have the 8'ft high clerestory structure at the top (which cost about as much as adding a third floor); (2) had roll up doors instead of carriage doors; and (3) didn't have expensive SIP panels for insulation on the roof and walls. Without those options, probably could have got it done for around $100k. The trick is finding a really good timber framer.

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I'm sure I'm in for a ride with this project! At the onset insulating is not part of the project. I am very aware of how old structures last so long, and what kills them (water is #1). The house has had its own water issues that I have had to chase down and fix. I have been in this place for almost 20 years now, its definitely a learning curve with old houses/structures. The size of the working area of the shop is directly related to what it is going to take to heat it. I am installing a used wood furnace, and will also be adding an economizer in the stack. Between those two I ought to be able to heat the place (uninsulated) fairly easily. In the Winter ill be closing off the East section of the shop (its really a storage/staging area anyway), so that leaves me with a 25 x 28 area to heat. If anything, i would insulate the ceiling above the shop area. I think most of my loss will be through the old second floor flooring anyway. If I stop that I don't think I will have to worry about the walls at all.

In the end I am not looking to keep this thing heated. When I am going to work in the shop in the cold weather I will simply start a fire hours ahead of time to get the place warmed up. If it is really cold....well, I may just hold off on working out there till a warmer day...lol. The portion of the year that is REALLY cold is short. If it is in the upper 20's-lower 30's then there furnace should heat it just fine.

Good luck on the build , wicked cool barn. I'll definitely be watching. I got the 10-OHSC in November and I love it. I'm 6'-5" tall and I can get under and not have to stoop over. It's a wonderful thing. I just wish I could get to my barn now, too much snow. Oh yeah, that and it was -20F yesterday here in frigid Maine...

Big,
Your right on with the insulation of the ceiling. What I did with mine was lay a 3/4" foam insulation on the 2nd floor, floor. Then covered that flooring with new 3/4" flooring. (I used T&G plywood) Worked out really well and was pretty easy to do. Didn't have to cut each piece in and around joists. Floor still smooth and usable for what ever. (Storage up there for me)
Where I loose most of my heat is around the sliding doors which are not tight to the siding. Also with my barn there are many many loose siding boards with gaps that the wind blows right though. Since I don't want to loose the character of the barn, I have often thought that I would install foam insulation on the outside, over the existing siding, and then re-side over the foam. And of course new door sliders. (my CFO is not real fond of this idea! )
What really limits my winter barn working is the wind. I can and do heat it to about 50* if I want to work out there, but if it is a windy day..... I just find something else to do.

Tarnished said:

Welcome BigNuge:
Looking forward to this build as it is pretty much what I dealt with for my old barn. Many of the same starting issues. Lot of work, but worth it in the end although it seems to be a never ending process.
When I started my reno, I only intended to use the barn as storage, so I didn't worry to much about floors and walls ect. If I were to do it now, I would put the tubing in the slab for heat later, and make sure the slab was INSULATED, LEVEL and SMOOTH! Would also upgrade the 200A electric box for more circuits for all the machines that will follow. And I would add all the insulation I could add for these cold crappy Ohio winters. And don't forget to add the water lines where you need them before you pour the slab. All the above pretty hard to do after the fact.
Plenty of advice on this site and many will join in so I'll just sit back and enjoy your ride. Keep us posted & remember "No Pix??? Didn't happen!"

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What this gentleman says is very good advice.Worth while thinking about

Welcome from the far side of NH! I share your barn project goal as I too have a large post and beam barn built around 1810s at 32' x 70'! It is flanked on both sides (East and West) by wing barns that are also post and beam with a size of 20' x 50'.



The wings are a bit newer but have the common afflictions most structures of this type and vintage suffer from. I have supported these structures with concrete footings and large concrete pillars set below frost level and made repairs to the affected posts on all three buildings.

The most important aspects of barn preservation are solid foundations and tight roofing materials. Keep those and your building will outlast you and perhaps your children!



Dry is the name of the game! Keeping water out is the first choice and moving out the water than will inevitably work it's way inside is part and parcel of the chore! Air movement is the best way to ensure the longevity of your structure.

Straight, true, plumb, and level are nice but not required in enjoying your awesome barn.

Thanks!

Thats beautiful property you have there! My property is not that nice, but the barn is in great shape. Eventually this property will be rental (the house is now a 2 family) and I will I've elsewhere. However, the barn will always be my workshop!

Pretty cool places, guys!! And welcome!!

Wow, look forward to following. My wife and I looked at a large farm with a century old house and post and beam barn on it back in the 80's. The farm came with 100 acres which put it beyond our reach. So we bought 15 acres and built the Victorian farm house and barn we have today and are happy. But I still look at structures such as the one you have and wonder what I could have done with that old homeplace. It's great you appreciate it for what it is and plan to be a good caretaker of it. Give close attention to the structure and take care of any of that first before anything else. Much easier to deal with now than after you have done a lot of cosmetics to it.
Good luck and may the good spirits that are sure to dwell within the walls be with you.

The Ole Barn Workshop by BigNuge-Draft Layout

OK, so I have put some time into measuring & drawing the project out.

I have attached a copy of the first draft layout.

Page 1 & 2 are the same scale. Page 1 is the first floor, Page 2 the second.

Page 3 is to scale as well, but is magnified to show detail. Page 3 is the "workshop area" detail, showing the workshop, vehicle/lift bay, equipment storage area.

View attachment Barn Layout 3.pdf

The good news is that the warmer weather is finally moving in (albeit slowly)...really looking forward to making some progress on this project!!

Nuge, Your plan looks good. Are you putting new concrete floor in entire area?
If it were me, I would not store firewood in the barn, as it quickly becomes a mess and your just asking the bugs to take up residence in your nice wood structure. But that's just me.
As for your Tenant storage, I wouldn't let them use the barn. Could become a huge insurance issue, and if it is just rented, Good luck with them taking care of it. Access to their stuff through you area???? Wouldn't like that. Again, just my 2cents.
Looking forward to watching the progress on you barn.

Are you the Big Nuge or Nudge, aka the big pusher?

BigNuge said:

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Ummm...can we get more details on the Cougar???

Tarnished said:

Nuge, Your plan looks good. Are you putting new concrete floor in entire area?
If it were me, I would not store firewood in the barn, as it quickly becomes a mess and your just asking the bugs to take up residence in your nice wood structure. But that's just me.
As for your Tenant storage, I wouldn't let them use the barn. Could become a huge insurance issue, and if it is just rented, Good luck with them taking care of it. Access to their stuff through you area???? Wouldn't like that. Again, just my 2cents.
Looking forward to watching the progress on you barn.

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I appreciate your input! Folks are sometimes hesitant to share different points of view sometimes, I think so many get offended so easily. In my case I much prefer any/all constructive comments.

The wood storage is minimum, and is simply to stage it in preparation for use. In total, I'll have less than a cord inside the building at any one time. The bulk of it will be stored outside (covered). I will remain vigilant about watching for pest issues. One of my brothers used to be in pest control, he told me all about firewood, and to never have it in my house (or even stacked against it outside). In fact, he told me that if I really want to keep the vast majority of pests out/away from my buildings then I should remove a swath of soil (4" deep x 24" wide) all the way around the building, and replace it with crushed stone. The stone makes a great natural deterrent, as well as an excellent surface for pest treatment to maximize effectiveness.

In regards to the rental storage, I should have clarified some details. The space designated "tenant storage" is completely walled off from the rest of the building. In my signed rental agreement I will be making it clear that this space is for storage of nonvolatile items (no fuel/fueled machines of any kind). It is a space for unconditioned storage of non-sensitive items, and use of the space is at their own risk. Also, that space is accessed by its own side door. So by design they will not be able to see or access any of the spaces outside of what is designated to them. I want to provide the storage because I am going to be asking for premium rent for this area. I have spent years renovating the house, and am now finishing up with the first floor rental unit (I live on the second floor currently). I took my time and did it right, and I want to be paid for it. I feel adding the value of dry storage only increases the total package value of the property as a rental, and i haven't even detailed the excellent commuter aspects (I am 10 minutes from a commuter rail to Boston, and 2 minutes from 2 main highways that easily access the North Shore/Boston & Metro West).

I should also add that I spent 90% of my younger years managing & maintaining my families rental properties (snow removal & basic maintenance started very young...like 9-10 y/o). My grandparents owned multiple multi-family properties, as well as a 16 unit complex. When I was old enough (like 15-16) I was the first person to get called on any/all issues, I handled showings and interviews with new prospective tenants, I collected rents when they didn't show up on time, I even maintained the small commercial coin-op laundry center we had the complex. In those years I saw some pretty crazy stuff...lol. Suffice to say I have a pretty solid grip on the rental game, as well as ways to protect my property from abuse.

Maybe I'll include a tour of my workshop in my final interview (after all, they are going to be able to see in there when I'm working with the garage door open in the Summertime)...that way they can see my huge "Don't Tread on Me" flag that will be hanging in there

The Cougar...

santagary said:

Are you the Big Nuge or Nudge, aka the big pusher?

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LOL, last name Nugent....and I'm a big guy. BigNuge. I adopted the name when my dad died from a motorcycle accident (BigNuge Sr. if you will...lol).

bulletpruf said:

Ummm...can we get more details on the Cougar???

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The Cougar was my dads baby. I have it now, but do not have the resources (yet) to do it up right.

Quick story about why it is in the state its in:

The car (at one time) was done and on the road back in the early 90's (not car show done, but looked good and was on the road). Now, if I wanted to use the family car on Friday/the weekend (it was just me and Dad, my parents were separated most of my life) I had to wash and wax the Cougar so it was all pretty for Dad to drive around...I though this was a pretty fair deal, and was happy to oblige. So, on this one particular Friday I have big plans to take the GF out for dinner (and maybe just a little fun in the cavernous back seat of our 84' Pontiac Parisienne). I get home from work (its Summer, the Cougar never saw Winter) and I promptly get the carwash stuff together. I go to get the Cougar (it was parked under a carport thing a ways away from the house/hose). I start her up, she runs for about 5 seconds and stalls (manual choke, not to mention that 302 was a cold blooded *****). I turn the key again, she fires up, but this time its knocking like crazy!! Now, at that point I had been part of every piece of that cars life with my father. I knew how much it meant to him, and I knew what a sound like that likely meant to the motor. I promptly shut it down and locked it back up. I sit and wait for him to get home from work (about an hour), all the while polishing my recollection of the events leading up to (what I thought was) a spun bearing. Now, my dad could get rough when he was pissed. Not abusive, but rough (and to this day I say that instilled great respect for him and all my family elders). Something like this would most assuredly blow a gasket with him. However, I'm 16, and a pretty good sized kid. At the very least I'd have to simply disappear for a couple days and let him cool off. Anyway, he gets home and I tell him what happened. Of course he gets extremely pissed, but believes my story (I also spoke to our neighbors, who would corroborate my story). His only statement was "if I find out you took the car out for a beat run you're dead". Well, he wasn't going to find out I did that because I didn't. So, by Sunday we had the motor out and on a stand. Pop the heads off, and voila, there is the culprit. The air cleaner stud backed itself out, and the locking nut that was supposed to prevent that fell off, and into the carb....and into the #4 cylinder, where it repeatedly got smashed into the head by the #4 piston. Dad is immediately apologetic to me, and says this is the perfect excuse to go bigger.....LMAO.

Unfortunately he died not long after that, and well before he could complete the swap to the 351 (which I opposed in every way, I wanted the 302 back in it).

The car will be finished someday, properly, with a 302 back in there.

One thing I am still up in the air about is floor paint...any thoughts? I am only painting the front half (workshop area) of the barn (approximately 875 square feet).

Re: The Cougar...

BigNuge said:

LOL, last name Nugent....and I'm a big guy. BigNuge. I adopted the name when my dad died from a motorcycle accident (BigNuge Sr. if you will...lol).



The Cougar was my dads baby. I have it now, but do not have the resources (yet) to do it up right.

Quick story about why it is in the state its in:

The car (at one time) was done and on the road back in the early 90's (not car show done, but looked good and was on the road). Now, if I wanted to use the family car on Friday/the weekend (it was just me and Dad, my parents were separated most of my life) I had to wash and wax the Cougar so it was all pretty for Dad to drive around...I though this was a pretty fair deal, and was happy to oblige. So, on this one particular Friday I have big plans to take the GF out for dinner (and maybe just a little fun in the cavernous back seat of our 84' Pontiac Parisienne). I get home from work (its Summer, the Cougar never saw Winter) and I promptly get the carwash stuff together. I go to get the Cougar (it was parked under a carport thing a ways away from the house/hose). I start her up, she runs for about 5 seconds and stalls (manual choke, not to mention that 302 was a cold blooded *****). I turn the key again, she fires up, but this time its knocking like crazy!! Now, at that point I had been part of every piece of that cars life with my father. I knew how much it meant to him, and I knew what a sound like that likely meant to the motor. I promptly shut it down and locked it back up. I sit and wait for him to get home from work (about an hour), all the while polishing my recollection of the events leading up to (what I thought was) a spun bearing. Now, my dad could get rough when he was pissed. Not abusive, but rough (and to this day I say that instilled great respect for him and all my family elders). Something like this would most assuredly blow a gasket with him. However, I'm 16, and a pretty good sized kid. At the very least I'd have to simply disappear for a couple days and let him cool off. Anyway, he gets home and I tell him what happened. Of course he gets extremely pissed, but believes my story (I also spoke to our neighbors, who would corroborate my story). His only statement was "if I find out you took the car out for a beat run you're dead". Well, he wasn't going to find out I did that because I didn't. So, by Sunday we had the motor out and on a stand. Pop the heads off, and voila, there is the culprit. The air cleaner stud backed itself out, and the locking nut that was supposed to prevent that fell off, and into the carb....and into the #4 cylinder, where it repeatedly got smashed into the head by the #4 piston. Dad is immediately apologetic to me, and says this is the perfect excuse to go bigger.....LMAO.

Unfortunately he died not long after that, and well before he could complete the swap to the 351 (which I opposed in every way, I wanted the 302 back in it).

The car will be finished someday, properly, with a 302 back in there.

Click to expand...

Sorry for your loss.

You can have the best of both worlds on the engine. If you still have the 302 (or any 302), you can stroke it to 347. With the taller deck of the 351, you may run into problems finding an exhaust that will fit.

Good luck with the car.

Scott