2 Sluggo's Garage
- Thread starter rmalkow2
- Start date
don long
Well-known member
Thanks for the offer taumac BUT
I think your weather and my weather look very simular
Ok rmalkow2 I hear you loud and clear. You don't want any help
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xtremek
Well-known member
People are being nice and offering much needed assistance and you go and get rude. 
:
:metalhead140
Well-known member
LOVE the new addition to the garage! I really want a nice little roadster like that, and it's in my colours too! Very jealous.
A nice weather Saturday today so I was able to get some quality garage time in between keeping track of some college football games.
I can't show pictures of the first task completed because it is completed by having my Harley delivered to the local dealer for winter storage so rather than take a picture of empty space a description will have to do. After cleaning the spark plugs and getting it started one last time this season I topped off the gas tank, loaded it on the trailer and dropped it off at my local dealer. Usually I store it here at home but my HD dealer is running a special this year of $99 for the entire winter season until next spring. And they treat the gas, keep the battery charged and give it back to me next year freshly washed. I couldn't pass up that deal and, with two cars needing garage space for the winter I can use the extra room. So off it went for a cozy winters rest.
Two small jobs on the hot rod interior got accomplished as well. The car came to me with a rather awkward made piece of wood trim bolted to the metal edge of the body right behind the seat back. It was an attempt to make it look finished off but not really usable There really needs to be an upholstered piece of edge trim there but that will have to wait for a later date. Taking off the wood piece left just the thin sheet metal edge.
For a temporary solution to a sharp edge I purchased some basic trim edging at my local auto parts store.
Cut a piece to length and press fit over the sheet metal edge so at least it cannot cut or damage persons or seat covering.
A near future project will be to re-fit the seat. This pictures kind of shows the issue but it was really mounted about 2-3 inches too low. The car builder simply mounted the seat straight to the flat floor without any seat riser. So not only it the cushion too low but it's also plain flat and should have the front edge slightly higher to give a comfortable angle to the bottom cushion. This would also raise the seat back slightly above that metal edge giving your back and shoulders good protection. One of my winter projects will be to remove the seat and build a proper seat riser.
The last simple interior job was to get rid of that ugly GMC truck steering wheel the car came to me with. Totally not proper for a Ford Hot Rod. The final solution will be accomplished in two steps. Step one, was to buy an adapter kit to fit the GM column splines and mount an acceptable temporary steering wheel I had already. The permanent fix is to install a 1948 Ford steering wheel I have but that will need some machining to adapt to the GM column.
I can't show pictures of the first task completed because it is completed by having my Harley delivered to the local dealer for winter storage so rather than take a picture of empty space a description will have to do. After cleaning the spark plugs and getting it started one last time this season I topped off the gas tank, loaded it on the trailer and dropped it off at my local dealer. Usually I store it here at home but my HD dealer is running a special this year of $99 for the entire winter season until next spring. And they treat the gas, keep the battery charged and give it back to me next year freshly washed. I couldn't pass up that deal and, with two cars needing garage space for the winter I can use the extra room. So off it went for a cozy winters rest.
Two small jobs on the hot rod interior got accomplished as well. The car came to me with a rather awkward made piece of wood trim bolted to the metal edge of the body right behind the seat back. It was an attempt to make it look finished off but not really usable There really needs to be an upholstered piece of edge trim there but that will have to wait for a later date. Taking off the wood piece left just the thin sheet metal edge.
For a temporary solution to a sharp edge I purchased some basic trim edging at my local auto parts store.
Cut a piece to length and press fit over the sheet metal edge so at least it cannot cut or damage persons or seat covering.
A near future project will be to re-fit the seat. This pictures kind of shows the issue but it was really mounted about 2-3 inches too low. The car builder simply mounted the seat straight to the flat floor without any seat riser. So not only it the cushion too low but it's also plain flat and should have the front edge slightly higher to give a comfortable angle to the bottom cushion. This would also raise the seat back slightly above that metal edge giving your back and shoulders good protection. One of my winter projects will be to remove the seat and build a proper seat riser.
The last simple interior job was to get rid of that ugly GMC truck steering wheel the car came to me with. Totally not proper for a Ford Hot Rod. The final solution will be accomplished in two steps. Step one, was to buy an adapter kit to fit the GM column splines and mount an acceptable temporary steering wheel I had already. The permanent fix is to install a 1948 Ford steering wheel I have but that will need some machining to adapt to the GM column.
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1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
rmalkow., nice work..
Its always great to get those little annoying jobs out of the way..
Regards
Its always great to get those little annoying jobs out of the way..
Regards
jon72vega
Well-known member
rmalkow., nice work..
Its always great to get those little annoying jobs out of the way..
Regards
What 1/2 Cup said!
Another garage job today involving the hot rod was to get it up on wheel dollies so I can more efficiently position it in the garage by myself by simply pushing it around and not having to try and drive it into a position.
I had two existing wheel dollies from our friends at HF that went under the rear wheels.
Two new ones picked up at HF recently. A slightly different design but the same function and easy to assembly by just attaching 4 casters to each steel plate.
Now that the car is up on four dollies its real easy to push around all by myself. Extra nice for pushing it tight to one wall for storage or, just swinging out either the front or the back ends depending on what I need access to.
I had two existing wheel dollies from our friends at HF that went under the rear wheels.
Two new ones picked up at HF recently. A slightly different design but the same function and easy to assembly by just attaching 4 casters to each steel plate.
Now that the car is up on four dollies its real easy to push around all by myself. Extra nice for pushing it tight to one wall for storage or, just swinging out either the front or the back ends depending on what I need access to.
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A little update for those who expressed concern about my winter storage plans and kindly offered to help with car storage. No more worries!!!
Both the Hot Rod and the Mustang now have plenty of room for winter parking and with a little extra work on my part to purge, move things and improve overall garage space usability, I even have room to get between them of needed and plenty of isle space to walk into the house.
While my motorcycle did go to the local HD dealer for the winter and free up much needed space I'm glad to report that no hot rods will need to travel out of state for the winter.
Both the Hot Rod and the Mustang now have plenty of room for winter parking and with a little extra work on my part to purge, move things and improve overall garage space usability, I even have room to get between them of needed and plenty of isle space to walk into the house.
While my motorcycle did go to the local HD dealer for the winter and free up much needed space I'm glad to report that no hot rods will need to travel out of state for the winter.
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taumac
Well-known member
Damn!!! [emoji20] I was looking so forward to driving it around down here in sunny warm Florida. Of course I would be doing you a favor by working all the bugs out of it so when your able you can have the maximum amount of time to drive it when the weather warms up. That's ok your always welcome to road trip it down to see the FC anytime. [emoji482]
wazzza
Well-known member
Just wanted to say hi. I cant belive I have not seen this thread yet. Nice work on all those projects you have going on! How much snow do you get during winter? can you roll out the mustang for extra workingsace during winter?
Geez Gerard, Now you made me feel so bad I had to run right out and buy a second hot rod for the year and maybe I could send this one down to you for some restoration and safe keeping over the winter. And yes, you can drive it around the neighborhood when weather is nice.
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Wazzza, thanks for stopping by my humble garage. I do tend to pack too much into the space but for now it's what I have available. I'm always backing out vehicles to have work space for a project. In the summer I just generally park my daily drivers outside so there is more open floor space in the garage.
Where I live in a typical winter we average between 30 to 50 inches of snow per winter. Last winter was warmer and we got much less. The winter before that we had 97 inches total snowfall. And yes, as needed in the winter I can back the Mustang straight out for the day if I need to open floor space in the garage. I do like to start it periodically as well throughout the winter anyway. I just don't drive it on the open roads during winter.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
rmalkow love your second hot rod.
Whats the story behind that??
Regards
Whats the story behind that??
Regards
rmalkow love your second hot rod.
Whats the story behind that??
Regards
Thanks 1/2Cup. Really it was just me being opportunistic. I've always wanted to restore a pedal car but passed on many prior ones as either too expensive or too typical in body style (tractor, firetruck, etc). While I don't have an immediate need for this and probably will not start on it for awhile, it popped up on Craig's List a week ago and a really good price and I've been working out a time to meet with the seller ever since. Finally found mutual timing on Friday night. It was a two hour round trip drive across Detroit but worth it for me. And I cold not pass up the Model A Ford styling!
It needs a little TLC and some minor rust clean up and painting but is otherwise in working condition. Maybe next summer I'll start restoring it and then keep it for when I start collecting grand kids like you are now.
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jon72vega
Well-known member
Cool lil blue hot rod!
Long Overdue Garage Door Upgrade:
Here is my hodge podge feeble past attempt to insulate my garage door by spending no money. I did this years ago and have hated it ever since but back then I was not thinking straight and was too cheap to buy the right stuff to actually insulate my plain steel garage door.
I had used pieces of open cell foam gathered from packing materials and bits and pieces of pink or white styrofoam board. I'm sure this offered little to no R-value and I still had two sections bare because I did not have enough scraps to fill the entire door.
So for this coming winter I finally decided to see what was available at Homer's Depot to do the job right and came across these kits made for the job and offering an R-8 value along with nice white vinyl facing to help reflect light and brighten up the space.
So far the installation process is really easy and I have one quarter done during the half time break in the Notre Dame - Army game. Taking a short break and then back out to complete the next section.
I was hoping the Pink Panther would stop over to do the install for me while I drink a beer and watch the game but no such deal. I guess that was the "Deluxe" kit. Doh!
Here is my hodge podge feeble past attempt to insulate my garage door by spending no money. I did this years ago and have hated it ever since but back then I was not thinking straight and was too cheap to buy the right stuff to actually insulate my plain steel garage door.
I had used pieces of open cell foam gathered from packing materials and bits and pieces of pink or white styrofoam board. I'm sure this offered little to no R-value and I still had two sections bare because I did not have enough scraps to fill the entire door.
So for this coming winter I finally decided to see what was available at Homer's Depot to do the job right and came across these kits made for the job and offering an R-8 value along with nice white vinyl facing to help reflect light and brighten up the space.
So far the installation process is really easy and I have one quarter done during the half time break in the Notre Dame - Army game. Taking a short break and then back out to complete the next section.
I was hoping the Pink Panther would stop over to do the install for me while I drink a beer and watch the game but no such deal. I guess that was the "Deluxe" kit. Doh!
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xtremek
Well-known member
Are you going to hot rod it? Front tires off of a garden tractor would make for a nice pair of meats on the back of the pedal car.
Well…….that's one of the ideas running around in my mind. I might have to lose the fenders and make it look more like my own '29 Roadster. I'm gonna percolate some ideas over the next couple months. I won't have time to work on it until after the first of the year anyway.
Garage Door Project………Cont'd
Well for tonight I managed to get one box empty and one half the job completed. I missed the end of the football game but the Irish won big so that's a bonus.
I would have opened the second box but then I looked at the new garage clock and realized dang I gotta stop for today. It's a great clock I found. Always keeps perfect time, works with any time zone around the world and automatically adjusts for daylight savings time.
Well for tonight I managed to get one box empty and one half the job completed. I missed the end of the football game but the Irish won big so that's a bonus.
I would have opened the second box but then I looked at the new garage clock and realized dang I gotta stop for today. It's a great clock I found. Always keeps perfect time, works with any time zone around the world and automatically adjusts for daylight savings time.
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Grumblebum
Well-known member
Have never seen that type of door insulation. I really need to do something to mine also as it starting to get pretty hot now and the garage turns into a bit of an oven.
Cool pedal car
Cool pedal car
taumac
Well-known member
Geez Gerard, Now you made me feel so bad I had to run right out and buy a second hot rod for the year and maybe I could send this one down to you for some restoration and safe keeping over the winter. And yes, you can drive it around the neighborhood when weather is nice.
Bhahahahahaha!!! Good one.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Have never seen that type of door insulation. I really need to do something to mine also as it starting to get pretty hot now and the garage turns into a bit of an oven.
Cool pedal car
I am hearing you GB, we tend not to do insulation in garage very well out here, mine included..
Have never seen that type of door insulation. I really need to do something to mine also as it starting to get pretty hot now and the garage turns into a bit of an oven.
Cool pedal car
There are various types of kits available. Some are thinner material but with a shiny foil surface meant to be more of a radiant barrier. I read on one description that you can actually combine the two types putting the radiant barrier first to the metal door if you have heavy sun load on the door from the outside. Then add the fiberglass kit towards the interior for the R value. I don't have that much sun load on the outside of my door in summer and needed the insulating value more especially during the fun long winter here.
Some additional pics and description of the installation process to follow.
Door Insulation Cont'd…..
I'm almost done with this little project. I wish I was faster at this as it's not a difficult install at all but slow and steady finishes eventually I guess. Last night after work I did get one more door section done so now 3/4 of the job is done and I took time to snap a few pics of the process details and what comes with the kit.
It's really an easy process and after doing the first couple sections you start to get a rhythm to make it quicker. If the panels fit perfect as is out of the box it would be even quicker but I do have to trim each panel to fit my specific door section sizes. After measuring the exact size of my panel sections in the door I try to trim the fiberglass sections 1/2 inch bigger to provide a little extra compression of the soft insulation around the perimeter.
What comes in each box of the kit are enough materials to fill a single 8 foot wide door so I needed two kits for my 16 foot wide steel door.
You get the pre-sized vinyl faced insulation pieces rolled up two at a time, 4 rolls total.
Unrolled and laid out flat.
Thickness of each panel.
You also get a bag full of attachment clips, self adhesive squares and, one pair of latex gloves. you should definitely add to this some level of filter mask to wear as protection from the glass fibers.
They even include some white vinyl tape that you can cut into repair patches. I did snag one piece and tear a small hole in the vinyl face. Cut a small bandage from the patch material and it mended the hole perfectly.
I'm almost done with this little project. I wish I was faster at this as it's not a difficult install at all but slow and steady finishes eventually I guess. Last night after work I did get one more door section done so now 3/4 of the job is done and I took time to snap a few pics of the process details and what comes with the kit.
It's really an easy process and after doing the first couple sections you start to get a rhythm to make it quicker. If the panels fit perfect as is out of the box it would be even quicker but I do have to trim each panel to fit my specific door section sizes. After measuring the exact size of my panel sections in the door I try to trim the fiberglass sections 1/2 inch bigger to provide a little extra compression of the soft insulation around the perimeter.
What comes in each box of the kit are enough materials to fill a single 8 foot wide door so I needed two kits for my 16 foot wide steel door.
You get the pre-sized vinyl faced insulation pieces rolled up two at a time, 4 rolls total.
Unrolled and laid out flat.
Thickness of each panel.
You also get a bag full of attachment clips, self adhesive squares and, one pair of latex gloves. you should definitely add to this some level of filter mask to wear as protection from the glass fibers.
They even include some white vinyl tape that you can cut into repair patches. I did snag one piece and tear a small hole in the vinyl face. Cut a small bandage from the patch material and it mended the hole perfectly.
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metalhead140
Well-known member
Good work (and great 'clock'!). I need something to insulate my garage roller doors. They radiate a huge amount of heat until ~11:30 on a summers day. Could be worse, they could face west instead of east...
The retention clips have stems with molded in teeth so when two are inserted into each other the teeth catch and then latch at end of travel.
You start by cleaning the door surface and placing two self adhesive square patches per door panel section.
Next remove the green plastic off the other side of the adhesive patch and press firmly to stick one of the plastic clips to the door panel. Again this uses two clips per panel section.
Once you have trimmed your insulation panel to size and placed into the door panel space you cut an X exactly on top of the point of each of the first plastic clips that were previously attached to the door and poke them through the insulation.
Then simply insert the second plastic clip into the teeth of the first one and in addition to perimeter retention by the edges of the steel door you also have two clips per panel providing retention within the field of the panel.
You start by cleaning the door surface and placing two self adhesive square patches per door panel section.
Next remove the green plastic off the other side of the adhesive patch and press firmly to stick one of the plastic clips to the door panel. Again this uses two clips per panel section.
Once you have trimmed your insulation panel to size and placed into the door panel space you cut an X exactly on top of the point of each of the first plastic clips that were previously attached to the door and poke them through the insulation.
Then simply insert the second plastic clip into the teeth of the first one and in addition to perimeter retention by the edges of the steel door you also have two clips per panel providing retention within the field of the panel.
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Alexbn921
Well-known member
I used the bubble foil type and as long as you keep an air gap it works better then the fiberglass. Its also a lot lighter so you don't have to re-balance your door.
I thought I should provide one last picture of the completed door. I finished it over a week ago but have had a car parked in there every day blocking a clear picture. It really provides a major sound reduction and I'm sure it will go a long way to help keep heat in when working out there on occasion in the winter.
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Grumblebum
Well-known member
Thanks for the extra info RM. Just a quick eBay look puts the reach barrier product over $100 au per pack with the shipping to get it here and I'd need 2 packs also.
My garage door is west facing so it gets all of the summer sun.
Hopefully I can come up with something in the next couple of weeks as we kick into summer officially mid week this week.
Cheers GB.
My garage door is west facing so it gets all of the summer sun.
Hopefully I can come up with something in the next couple of weeks as we kick into summer officially mid week this week.
Cheers GB.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
dlcwent
Member Emeritus
That is one awesome rod you have there. I do agree that the steering wheel should be replaced. Maybe I should swing through MI and pick you up on the way to Taumacs. Are you up for a little road trip?
Thanks for checking out the garage and hot rod. I have a '48 Ford wheel for it and am figuring out the proper adapter for it to the newer column this winter.
It would be a fun trip to go and drink up Taumac's beer fridge but I think work will spoil that fun this year. But make sure we all get the "real" details and all the scoop on his new layout when you are there.
dlcwent
Member Emeritus
Well if you can't make it I guess that'll be up to me to drink your share of Gerard's beer. I'll let you in on a secrete, I'm real good at that. I hope there's a hotel real close (staggering distance).
I'm looking forward to getting through more of your thread.
Weekend vehicle repair……
About a month ago I bought a full size E150 Ford van with conversion package. It's a 2000 and while the interior colors are dated and a bit dirty it's otherwise a platform to build with. I sold a minivan in favor of something larger that I could travel with and actually sleep in along the roadway.
I looked at stock interior vans as well but decided to go this route as much of the interior work that I would want is already done especially the power fold down rear seat that becomes a bed. Also it has windows with screens that can be opened, interior window shades for privacy and extra interior lighting.
This was a one owner van and runs and drives pretty well. 128,000 miles which is actually much lower than other vans this same age. With the sale of the minivan I had about $700 total into this one purchase price. So even with some repairs and upgrades I think is can be a good vehicle to use 3-6 times per year for some longer trips.
I've started making small repairs and regular maintenance so far. I think the previous owner essentially stopped using this vehicle a a while ago and it showed in the maintenance items. Oil was dirty so that got changed with new filter. The air filter was filthy and probably choking the intake so that got replaced. Old torn wiper blades got replaced and it probably needs spark plugs as well but that will come another day. It also got new tires to replace the old worn set.
Yesterday's task was to try and improve interior heating. Since it was a "warm" day here in winter (25 F)
, I decided to tackle replacing the thermostat. The vehicle would get warm but never real hot exhibiting the signs of a stat that was stuck open. It's not too bad a job on this 4.6L V8 engine even under the small hood of a van. Removing air intake plastics and filter housing gives pretty good access. Two bolts out of the housing and the upper housing comes off with the old stat and o-ring.
Put all that back together and topped off the coolant tank then started up the engine hoping for no leaks and nice warm air. Well, unfortunately it just revealed the next problem as a new leak started started somewhere behind the engine area. So I'm hoping its something simple like a heater hose leaking. So now today's job is to get the inside engine cover off and see if I can find the leak.
I suspect there will be a number of these types of issues to fix along the way but hopefully no big expensive ones. Time will tell.
About a month ago I bought a full size E150 Ford van with conversion package. It's a 2000 and while the interior colors are dated and a bit dirty it's otherwise a platform to build with. I sold a minivan in favor of something larger that I could travel with and actually sleep in along the roadway.
I looked at stock interior vans as well but decided to go this route as much of the interior work that I would want is already done especially the power fold down rear seat that becomes a bed. Also it has windows with screens that can be opened, interior window shades for privacy and extra interior lighting.
This was a one owner van and runs and drives pretty well. 128,000 miles which is actually much lower than other vans this same age. With the sale of the minivan I had about $700 total into this one purchase price. So even with some repairs and upgrades I think is can be a good vehicle to use 3-6 times per year for some longer trips.
I've started making small repairs and regular maintenance so far. I think the previous owner essentially stopped using this vehicle a a while ago and it showed in the maintenance items. Oil was dirty so that got changed with new filter. The air filter was filthy and probably choking the intake so that got replaced. Old torn wiper blades got replaced and it probably needs spark plugs as well but that will come another day. It also got new tires to replace the old worn set.
Yesterday's task was to try and improve interior heating. Since it was a "warm" day here in winter (25 F)
, I decided to tackle replacing the thermostat. The vehicle would get warm but never real hot exhibiting the signs of a stat that was stuck open. It's not too bad a job on this 4.6L V8 engine even under the small hood of a van. Removing air intake plastics and filter housing gives pretty good access. Two bolts out of the housing and the upper housing comes off with the old stat and o-ring.Put all that back together and topped off the coolant tank then started up the engine hoping for no leaks and nice warm air. Well, unfortunately it just revealed the next problem as a new leak started started somewhere behind the engine area. So I'm hoping its something simple like a heater hose leaking. So now today's job is to get the inside engine cover off and see if I can find the leak.
I suspect there will be a number of these types of issues to fix along the way but hopefully no big expensive ones. Time will tell.
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What heater leak?
Well I think I dodged a bullet. No other coolant leak found. I was able to get the inside engine cover off with a good view of all heater hoses that go both to the front system and the rear aux system. Ran the engine long enough to let it warm up and no leaks appeared.
Now I think what was dripping yesterday was some excess coolant that flowed down onto the intake manifold area when the thermostat cover was first removed. Seems to be heating a little better now but I'll have to watch the coolant level as I drive it and make sure that is correct.
Well I think I dodged a bullet. No other coolant leak found. I was able to get the inside engine cover off with a good view of all heater hoses that go both to the front system and the rear aux system. Ran the engine long enough to let it warm up and no leaks appeared.
Now I think what was dripping yesterday was some excess coolant that flowed down onto the intake manifold area when the thermostat cover was first removed. Seems to be heating a little better now but I'll have to watch the coolant level as I drive it and make sure that is correct.