Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT 24x30 build in progress

[Rich H.]

Good to see my account is still working!

Doesn't seem like anyone is reading this anymore, so I will use this area to talk to myself.

Still wrenching on an old Mopar or three, enjoying the car hobby as much as time allows...and really enjoying the shop.

Here's a vid of a recent test session.

I have owned this GTX for quite a long time.

 

[DynoDave]

What's up Rich? I'm still here and reading.

 

[Rich H.]

Hey Dave! Hope all is well with you and your family.

 

[greg86z28]

Good to see my account is still working!

Doesn't seem like anyone is reading this anymore, so I will use this area to talk to myself.

Still wrenching on an old Mopar or three, enjoying the car hobby as much as time allows...and really enjoying the shop.

Here's a vid of a recent test session.

I have owned this GTX for quite a long time.

Nice GTX.

 

[DynoDave]

We're hanging in there Rich. How are things on your side of town?

 

[Rich H.]

Nice GTX.

thanks. It's a little rough looking but a fun car that I have a long history with.

We're hanging in there Rich. How are things on your side of town?

Steady as she goes, buddy...Somewhat related to this board...Alex (the eldest step son shown helping with insulation in the pics) is 17 now and just got ASE certified in auto body repair. There is an apprenticeship program waiting for him at a local shop, too. It is like the total opposite of when I graduated HS, there was nothing......But I guess all those hogging the jobs back then can't take it anymore, and the trades are begging for new blood. thanks for saying something when you saw I bumped the thread

 

[DynoDave]

Good for him!

Yeah, they have a strong auto program at our high school here...very encouraging to see.

Speaking of insulation, I remember you showing me how you did yours...still something I need to look into some day!

I still turn my head and look for that big green Dodge Polara when I drive by, but I guess it's been gone for a while now?

Always happy to read your threads...you're one of the "good guys" that I got to meet years ago via Moparts...probably at Gary's house.

 

[Rich H.]

Thanks Dave. You're one of the cool people yourself, takes one to know one.

The Polara is still alive and well. I do drive it once in awhile and there is almost always a little something to do on it. Latest thing is it became the test mule for a weird gm/ford/chrysler combined oe replacement parts based ignition system, that really worked out well for the time and money spent.

Both boys seem to love riding in it.

They especially love when I do one-legger holeshots in it, and the smiles and laughing make it worthwhile. They seem to understand it takes a whole lot of torque to move a huge car like that.

Neither seems to show a bunch of interest in carburetors, distributors, and other antique devices just yet. They're both starting out with 2007 model year cars, something they can relate to....and we'll see if they ever gravitate towards older stuff later.

The boys and I have one successful Mopar Nationals (spectator) under our belt together, without Mom. The weather was not good, and both remarked they wanted to see more racing. So there is maybe a little more than a glimmer of hope for the future, but I've got work to do

 

[rixtrix1]

Nice to see you using your garage on vintage American horsepower, and getting your boys involved, too!

 

[Rich H.]

Nice to see you using your garage on vintage American horsepower, and getting your boys involved, too!

Thank you! Somebody's got to plant the seed and cultivate that interest.

First, it was really hard to compete with video games.

Now it is really hard to compete with smartphones.

The older they get the more they have figured out...doing real stuff is where it's at. It's taken alot of wasted days behind a screen to arrive at that.

I'm trying to guide them along, but it ain't easy.
If one dragged home a cool old Ford or Chevy (or pontiac or whatever) I'd be all over that too... I just happen to be a Mopar freak for my own stuff.

I delayed doing any bodywork or paint on anything for many years, and what's interesting is the way the oldest boy gravitated towards what I did not do. I may have peaked his interest by avoiding it! But I know I'll be back into that before too long.

 

[greg86z28]

Just out of curiosity, What were the original options on the GTX or is the fender tag gone? Color? Air grabber car? I’m a originalist I suppose you could say.

I really wanted a b body when I was looking but could only afford a grocery getter a body (318 powered *******)

 

[greg86z28]

Just out of curiosity, What were the original options on the GTX or is the fender tag gone? Color? Air grabber car? I’m a originalist I suppose you could say.

I really wanted a b body when I was looking but could only afford a grocery getter a body (318 powered *******)

 

[Rich H.]

It never had a fender tag from the day I bought it.
Of course it is verifiable as a Lynch Road built GTX with a 440 by the VIN but that's about it.

It had a couple small remnants of it's former self, definitely enough to do some archaeology, but I know unless things are proven by a build sheet and/or fender tag they mean basically nothing to the most ******** restoration types.

My Archeology has shown it to originally have been a 440 4 speed, manual drum brake car (I assume the default 3.54 Dana, but no proof)---but it rolled on a 3.55 8.75/trashed sure grip with 318 style leaf springs when I got it....The tunnel had been chopped with a torch, someone wanted the 4 speed hump....but the pedals were still there. A4 silver exterior with black vinyl top, Pewter silver interior (tiny remnants of the original silver interior were still there), buckets but no console, AM radio, and yes it still had the air grabber handle under the dash.

However it had a race fiberglass hood, no seats or carpet, no engine/trans/driveshaft at all, so it was a blank slate.

None of my archaeology can be proven with documents, so it's pretty much scrap to the ******** collectors, might as well have fun with it and use as intended.

Now it has a 451 low deck, 727 9" converter, 11.75 front disc, 4.10 Dana and so on. Street/strip for the time being.

 

[BassProCamaro97]

Love the GTX. What kinda times is it turning? Looks like it's unloading the front pretty good!

~Jim~

 

[Rich H.]

Love the GTX. What kinda times is it turning? Looks like it's unloading the front pretty good!

~Jim~

Hey thank you Jim!

Best ever quarter mile was 11.02 @ 123mph.
So close to the 10s I could taste it, but it didn't happen.

This last time in the video and these pictures was 1/8th mile which I had never done before, it went 7.15, 7.16, 7.17, 7.17 that day which would be roughly in the 11.20s. I was experimenting with a slightly smaller carburetor which seems more street-friendly than what I had before, but I think the smaller carb cost a little bit of horsepower.

No trailer....youngest step son and I drove to the track and back that day...He got a good glimpse of what street/strip means and I think he liked it.

 

[BassProCamaro97]

That's moving pretty good. 123 Mph should be in the 10's with a good 60.

It's funny how every guy just wants to hit that next second. I do the exact same thing.....

Thanks for sharing

~Jim~

 

[Rich H.]

Just a check in, in hopes my account isn't shut off from lack of use!

Hope all is well with folks.

Remote work kicked in 3-20, which resulted in much more time spent in the shop
chasing dreams. Things are coming along, hope to post more about that later.

 

[AU Doc]

I am in the process of having plans drawn up for a garage now. I have my heart set on a 32x40, and I have the space, but I’m afraid I don’t quite have the funds. I’m thinking 32x32 or even 30x30 to get costs down. Whenever I ask what an ideal size is for a shop, I’m inevitably met with “bigger,” which doesn’t help.

So now that you’ve been working in your garage for a while, how has 24x30 worked for you? Are you happy with that space? Anything you would do differently?

 

[Rich H.]

Another check in just to make sure my username doesn't get turned off.

Doc, I definitely made it work for what I wanted and needed to do.
Enough to say, yeah...It's not a huge shop but I can definitely reach for my goals and get there.

I'm knocking out bucket list items and Made some good progress over the last few years.
There is a certain amount of pride in doing those things without a giant shop.

What I can't do go off on a tangent, and start collecting anything bulky.

A buddy with a larger shop started making a few bucks doing cnc machining, bought a huge machine or four, fixed the machines up and started cranking out parts. He has a 30x40. Another friend stores large amounts of hay for his wife's horse hobby, also with a 30x40. Both have their car hobby stuff in the same place. I can't do anything like that with the space that I have but never intended to either.

I'd like a concrete apron out front, for a small outdoor workspace/parking/staging area. Can add that.

30x30 would be more user friendly than mine, and less need to jockey things around from time to time.
I couldn't do that dimension with my lot width and setback requirements, and wasn't going to move away.
30x40 would seem palatial to me, but again is a poor fit for my lot, and also I can't see myself heating that big of a building to 68-70 full time in the winter, for weeks at a time as I did with my little shop during the last round of bodywork and paint. It really depends on what you're working on, how you're going to equip the place, and the type of work. Also depends whether you want to take chances, but knowing many epoxies will not cure below 65F I have no problem turning up the heat.

 

[Rich H.]

Same car, different sheetmetal and paint. Quite an adventure. I've been after it for a few years, thought I'd show it off here in case anyone wants to check it out. Changed roof skin, quarters, trunk floor and extensions, dutchman panel, door skins, front fenders, etc and repaired everything behind them. Made an improvised spray booth in the front section/almost came out the way I'd half-assed envisioned it earlier in the shop build+ part of the reason for the exhaust fan and windows on the opposing side.

The intake side of the airflow is more important than alot of folks know including me when I started off, but I improved it as I went along and it worked great. I'm still putting the car back together and this will be going on for quite awhile.

The booth concept was different from others I'd seen......one unusual thing I did was Create a ceiling structure using rope (worked amazing). Another idea was using the hoist posts as a place to build a light duty wall structure which also worked well. Just lumber ratchet strapped to the hoist posts, and plastic stapled on.

The improvised booth Worked so well I plan to do it again.

It probably doesn't look like it needed it in the earlier pictures, but the car was getting pretty rough. I have a million pics showing the failure of the old bodywork. It needed this pretty badly. Currently putting all the trim back on, replacing and reworking it as I go.

You can bet I've made a huge mess on the gifted rocksolid floor, something I'll always be thankful to garage journal for.
This is a workshop, not a showplace and I accept the floor coating as sacrificial.

The second hand bend pak still has a leaking cylinder, It's driving me crazy but I don't want to monkey with it until the car is operable enough to pull out of there on its own power.

Hope folks are well.