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Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.

BB767

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Dec 24, 2009
Messages
3,724
Location
Philo, IL
Here are a few before and after pictures of a shop I restored, starting in Nov,2005. It was built in the late 1930's and used by a father as a blacksmith/welding shop and later in the 1950's one of his sons started doing automotive repair there until his death in the mid 1970's. The father carried on until his retirement in the 1980's.The shop was then was slowly under used and finally abandoned.

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As you'll see nothing was ever thrown out is seems. So far I've removed 48 tons of steel scrap that was recycled.

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This is the same place in the shop as the "before" picture above it. That's the same window in both pictures but that's a new bench I built. Below was his welding corner.

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Note the red Lincoln arc welder on the right. It's the same welder in the after picture seen below.

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That welder is in the same place where it's been for decades and will be cosmetically restored since it works very well as is.

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To help orient yourself, look for the Pepsi Machine in the center...

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...of both these pictures. Both pictures are of the same area about 8 years apart.

The project was done mainly with my son and one other friend. Couldn't have done it without their help. Outside took about a year and the inside a second year. I'll post some more pictures if there is any interest.

To see additional pages of the shop and this thread, once you reach the bottom of each page, near the bottom left hand corner are numbers to click on for corresponding additional pages.

An index has been added to this thread due to it's advanced size to make referencing a post(s) easier. This index is not a complete detailed one, rather it is just a list of the major, photo-heavy posts focused on the shop. This index is brought to you courtesy board member wrigh003 with my thanks.

Thread Index

Thomas
 

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moose knuckle

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Jul 28, 2009
Messages
58
Very cool to see that the outside looks just restored, but interior is very clean and neat! Great work!! I'd like to see more pics.
 

Hiball

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Apr 30, 2009
Messages
14,027
Location
Missery
Man that is one awesome setup, Those before pictures really make a person sit back and ponder all the stuff that shop has seen in its day. Im sure it would have been financially beneficial to start from scratch but thanks for bringing it back to life. Im sure More pics and some more history would greatly be apreciated.
 

Bull

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Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
16,189
Location
MA
I am in love with both incarnations of this place.

Post as many pics as you have, and tell the story of how/what you did to the structure and cosmetics of the building.

Old barns are an obsession of mine, as are old buildings of any kind, but especially old shops!
 

tatra

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Dec 2, 2007
Messages
4,785
Location
pirate contest city
nice work...........was the hoist the original one?.........and did you reposition it as it looks like there is more roomin front of it from before..........all in all very impressive............by all means, more pics...........
 
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BB767

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Dec 24, 2009
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Philo, IL
The shop lift had a slow leak.Here is what I had to do to restore the in ground Rotary lift. It had been located outside the original shop for over 30 years. That's why there is clap board siding in the back ground since that was the outside of the original building. The lift was then enclosed in 1962. Three concrete block walls were built around it and it was then " grafted " to the original shop.The family gave me pictures of that enclosure being built which you can see if you keep reading through the various posts.

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I unbolted the ramps and rolled them out the door on 4" PVC pipe.

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This is with the lift removed. The grey round object in the background is the lift control cabinet in grey primer prior to being painted.

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I had to dig down about 12'. Digging was done mostly with a backhoe with very little hand work. Clay subsoil hard as nails. We kept a close eye on it since there was no room to put any bracing.

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I found two pin hole leaks in the outer cylinder which were repaired. Then I had 1/4 inch steel, 8' long, rolled to match the outer diameter of the post and this was welded around the post completely surrounding it so if it leaks in the future it will all be contained in new metal. Also put undercoating material on the outside of it to slow rust and reinstalled it.

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The sign on the wall was restored from the one outside the original shop. It can be seen if you go back to the first picture of this post showing the front of the shop above the two overhead doors to the left side of the picture showing the front of the shop.

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The lift control cabinet, bottom center, was restored as well. The motor sits above the hydraulic pump which I had rebuilt and everything was rewired.

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Here is everything restored. The back half of the lift control cabinet holds a 30 gallon fluid reservoir. The lift is strictly hydraulic, no air.

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Rotary lift is still in business and their records show this lift was made before 1935. That's as far back as their records go. I have since been able to date the lift to having been manufactured in 1928. I had Rotary install one of their new modern 2 post lifts in my new " barn" I built this fall, 2009. They make great equipment!


Thomas
 
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car99r

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Jun 7, 2008
Messages
338
Location
Charleston, IL
WOW! Nice work! Where abouts you located? I see "Near Chamapign, IL". I am actually Near Champaign as well.
 
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BB767

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Dec 24, 2009
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Philo, IL
Here are a few more. I grew up less than a mile from this shop. It was out in the country back then. One of the owners kids was my age and we always hug around together. My first go kart was made here and this is where I learned power mechanics. The family gave me this picture from the late 1960's. The owner was a little organizationally challenged to say the least but he knew where everything was. He raised his family of 6 with the money earned here so I would call that successful. Note the sign over the doors. That's the sign I restored and relocated inside by the lift.

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The shop was concrete block on all walls except the front and part of the west side. When the lift area was enclosed that too was done with concrete block. I removed the two walls that were wood frame and replaced them with concrete block so now the whole exterior is block.

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Here you can see through the overhead door opening how the roof line of the original shop extends to inside the area where the lift is located. Also can be seen the clapboard siding and window of the original building.

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The shop is located on 5 acres and is heavily wooded.


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This might be one of those " where's Waldo?" pictures! The more you look the more you see. There's a go kart on the left with the front wheels pointing up. Just like my first one! I saved the 30 ton floor press seen behind the go kart. In fact I saved an awful lot of material. The roof had holes in it so much was lost due to water damage. There were many NOS auto parts from the 40's, 50's and 60's. A few flat head engines, with parts galore as well as modern engines. Saved them all and slowly evaluating what I need and selling the rest.

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This is the same space as the above picture. I made the benches in the shop (3 of them ) using 12 gauge stainless steel 10' long for the tops. I do have more photos and will post them.

Thomas
 
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BB767

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Dec 24, 2009
Messages
3,724
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Philo, IL
WOW! Nice work! Where abouts you located? I see "Near Chamapign, IL". I am actually Near Champaign as well.

Philo, Illinois..........the "Center Of The Universe" as proudly stated on our water tower!!:bounce:

I've done some drag racing at your strip in Charleston. My grandmother went to college at Eastern in 1908-1912.

Thomas
 
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BB767

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Dec 24, 2009
Messages
3,724
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Philo, IL
nice work...........was the hoist the original one?.........and did you reposition it as it looks like there is more roomin front of it from before..........all in all very impressive............by all means, more pics...........

tatra, the lift was replaced back where it had always been. I'm sure it's just the picture that makes it look like that. Look at the lift in the center where it lines up with the doorway in both photos to get a better idea. Truly a labor of love!!

Thomas
 

Tom2

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Dec 19, 2008
Messages
2,209
Amazing. Just looking at the first pic, I would have never imagined being able to restore that.

Makes a lot of other garage restorations look like a joke.
 
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Poppa Bud

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Dec 13, 2009
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19
Location
Verona, Kentucky
Awesome pics and story!!

I can't imagine all of the interesting "stuff" you found in there. You could probably pay for the restoration selling off the automobilia (or maybe not, they way you did it)
 

Heuristicism

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Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
16
Location
Scottsville, NY
I really do not post often, but this more than deserves one.

What a "true" restoration you have accomplished. Place looks amazing and well thought out, even with keeping many of the work areas the same. Hats off!
 

Bull

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Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
16,189
Location
MA
What a great way to wake up this morning...pour a cup of hot coffee while it snows outside, sit down, and look through all the pics/read your descriptions. This is definitely my new favorite shop on here. I love it.

How was the framing/sill/foundation of the building? Was the structure all plumb and level to begin with? Did you have to contract out most of the carpentry/masonry, or were you able to do that yourself?

This build absolutely inspires me to figure out a plan to restore and re-purpose my old barn that my grandfather built.
 

falcon428

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Oct 8, 2009
Messages
73
Location
Ohio
Thats so cool!! Would love to find a project like that, not many around my area left. Excellent job, a true labor of love.
 

Bull

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Dec 12, 2005
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MA
This may be the first time I have coveted both BEFORE and AFTER garages.

Isn't that the truth? For some reason, the before pics are just as cool as the after pics...this is not very common!
 

Garys Garage

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Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
419
Location
il
That is very nice. A friend bought a property with an old gas station but I could not get him to restore it. He knocked it down:(.
 

35mastr

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Dec 6, 2007
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2,534
Location
Norcal
Wow,What a cool shop. Before and after is a really nice place to build Hot Rods.
 

justinmc

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May 25, 2006
Messages
2,239
Location
KCMO
I think the fact that you managed to reuse the old Rotary lift in itself is a testament to how well built things used to be. Simple and overbuilt.. not complicated and swiss cheesed. The control cabinet in itself is a work of art.. look at that control lever the filler cap, etc. Wow. just wow.

As I was scrolling I was getting worried..talking about pitching 48 tons of steel. I was thinking oh no! All that cool old stuff.. NOS parts, bits and pieces, etc.. in the trash!!??? Then I noticed that you culled through and saved the "good stuff". It looks like you could've easily spent a year just digging through the piles of stuff and pulling out "goodies".

Absolutely stunning "build" or "resto".. either way.. this is one of the coolest shops on here.
 

tatra

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Dec 2, 2007
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4,785
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pirate contest city
the restoration of the lift had to be a labour of love as i'm sure you could have installed a new[er] one for less than the price of the matierials and time you put in............don't get me wrong, i love and respect the historic details, like the sign, but i would imagine that particular style of lift is very limiting compared to newer options out there...........again, nice job..........as for the county recognizing your efforts, i'm sure they would have rathered you just tore it down and put up a non descript too small 2 car garge..........
 

Bull

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Dec 12, 2005
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MA
I think I am going to message Ryan later today and ask him to look at this thread. I think it would be great for the front page of the site, in the section where he posts updates about cool stuff that he has found.
 

eborcim

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Apr 5, 2009
Messages
2,425
Location
Central, MO
Nice! You did an amazing job and you got the bounty to go along with it! There's an old Dodge garage on I70 just east of Columbia, MO that I would love to own. It's part of a farm operation but they keep the building up. It's straight outta the 50's. I'll take some pics when we go to St. Louis next time.
 

bmwpower

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NJ
Amazing transformation. Kudos for not trashing the old stuff.

Mr. Johnson is looking down and smiling. :)
 
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