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Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT A trip back from the edge.

Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
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fergus

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Oct 4, 2009
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1,620
Location
Yolo County CA
Hey, I'm a Ford guy too, but that just *****. The sparkplug thing was real common on those Triton motors, I'm sure you know. But the hinges are just a sorry thing. Hate to say it to a Michigan/Detroit kinda guy, (blasphemy on)but it might be time for autos from the land of the rising sun...(blasphemy off)
 

Bigbandguy

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Oct 18, 2014
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1,168
Location
North Carolina
Fergus I subscribe to you blasphemy... about 20 years ago a friend of mine purchased a brand new Ford ****** (bad choice I know) That very same week I purchased a Toyota Celeca with 72000 miles on it... I had a 72000 mile head start on him. When I SOLD that Toyota over 10 years later at 160,000 miles.. it still ran perfectly, the air conditioning and power windows worked and I would have cheerfully driven it across the country and back with a reasonable expectation of arriving home safely. At that time, said Ford ****** had been sitting in a junkyard for over three years, my friend having given up after it died in his yard and simply paid someone to tow it away.

I grew up on Detroit iron too but they are going to need to learn what Mr Deming taught the sons of Nippon before I will go back.
 
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xtremek

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Apr 13, 2012
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St. Johns, Mi
Fergus, I'm guessing mine was one of the first to show it. I did a regular heilcoil on the first one to blow out. It blew out 50k later and I was looking into how to fix that when someone told me about the process Ford now had for fixing the issue. I've had 4 holes done since then and now the original is loose again. But I'm not giving up on Detroit, though I may go the bowtie side. I'm on my second Saturn, and I love them. They're reliable and easy to work on. I'm very frustrated with Ford, GM hasn't pissed me off,.......yet. I'm also on my second Sonic and that was pretty easy to work on and fairly reliable. I'm not big on Oriental cars, but I have had my share of German rides and I liked them
 
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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
Hey Jon, thanks for the wishes. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and have a enjoyable New Years.
 
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xtremek

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So it’s been a while since I last updated. The holidays were pretty good to me and my family. My parents gave us one of their timeshares, so we spent the first week of the break in Orlando doing the Harry Potter/Mouse Ears thing. My highlight was getting our middle one to smile in a pic of 5 of the 6 women in my life in front of the Princess Palace at Disney. I got to see my DiL and grandkids, which was another highlight. And before I forget, Santa was very good to me this year. Did I tell about how incredible my wife is? I’m looking forward to using this on some cart tailgates soon.
 

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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
I worked on wiring for the rear lights of the tractor that got ripped out when I tried to be pretty and run the wiring out of sight. The problem was the tire chains caught the wiring and ripped it out. So I’ve rewired the Old Mule and straightened up the left rear fender enough so the chains SHOULDN’T be giving me grief anymore.
 

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xtremek

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Back in the barn, I put up some more insulation, finishing the compressor cabinet and doing the north east corner of the ceiling. I’ve been wanting to work more on the organization of the barn. One of those things is extra tires. I started building a tire rack from scrap steel I had laying around, but that would require a solid wall behind it for the tires to rest against. So I used more of the reclaimed siding to finish the north wall and west side of the compressor cabinet. But it sure trashed the inside of my barn.
 

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fergus

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Oct 4, 2009
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Location
Yolo County CA
Hey you made it onto the good side of Santa's list! Cool. Looks like you've been busy again. The barn is looking good. It gives me an idea about scrounging some siding to finish the walls in my shop. Maybe. If I can ever get to it.
 

dlcwent

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Feb 24, 2014
Messages
8,427
Location
coastal maine
Kirk, I can see why you stopped by my shop. It doesn't look like you have a chair to pull up and sit in.:lol_hitti

I've got a lot of catching up to do. Sorry I haven't been by before now.
 
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xtremek

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Apr 13, 2012
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St. Johns, Mi
Hey you made it onto the good side of Santa's list! Cool. Looks like you've been busy again. The barn is looking good. It gives me an idea about scrounging some siding to finish the walls in my shop. Maybe. If I can ever get to it.

I'm glad my reno gave you an idea. My neighbor did a bar and hot tub surround out of reclaimed barn siding. It's faded red siding and looks awesome.

Making good progress!

keep the posting up the Pics as you get things done!

Lots of little stuff has been getting worked on, but nothing picture worthy. I'll try to keep up.

Kirk, I can see why you stopped by my shop. It doesn't look like you have a chair to pull up and sit in.:lol_hitti

I've got a lot of catching up to do. Sorry I haven't been by before now.

Dan, I'm glad you dropped by. And no worries, I know there are nicer places and more talented people on here. Just not many are crazier than I. And just so you know that you have a place to sit whenever you visit, I actaully have an old oak desk chair and a kitchen stool to sit on. But with the current mess, the only place to sit right now is on the garden tractor I'm fixing for my incredible wife.
 

dlcwent

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Feb 24, 2014
Messages
8,427
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coastal maine
For the last 2 days i have read this thread from begining to end. Yep its a boring week here at work.

Mr xtremek--my hats off to you. It takes a real man to step into what you took on. I dont know many men that would of took up with a woman with 4 kids. Nice Job ! :thumbup:

You put you shoulder to the grind stone to make things better for your new family and you have kept it there. It will be 2 yrs tomorrow when you started this thread. Through all the ups and downs you never gave up. Your outlook stayed positive and you always pushed forward. The improvements you have made on the homestead and the quality of life for you family is fantastic.

Again my hats off to you. Great Job and i look forward to keeping up with this thread. :beer: I know you say not a beer drinker so pretend the mugs are tea ;) :D

Kirk, I don't think I could add anything to what Mark has said here. It's everything that I've thought. I'm a little late to the party but I'd like to hang around and get to know you better. Great job and interesting journey so far.
 

Bears Fan

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Jan 26, 2012
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Location
Indiana
I really like the look of that reclaimed wood on that north wall :thumbup: Nice bead roller Mrs Claus delivered, did it come with more then one set of rollers?
 
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HCNDM

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Oct 20, 2015
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682
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Netherlands (tiny little country in western Europe
So it’s been a while since I last updated. The holidays were pretty good to me and my family. My parents gave us one of their timeshares, so we spent the first week of the break in Orlando doing the Harry Potter/Mouse Ears thing. My highlight was getting our middle one to smile in a pic of 5 of the 6 women in my life in front of the Princess Palace at Disney. I got to see my DiL and grandkids, which was another highlight. And before I forget, Santa was very good to me this year. Did I tell about how incredible my wife is? I’m looking forward to using this on some cart tailgates soon.


I have been following this thread and Reading it in its entirety over the past month.

It's been a pleasure and a great motivation.

Glad you had a nice holiday. Family is everything.

I also understand why you do the commute. Living in suburbia and space being a luxury in holland anyway (17 million people in a small country) having space and a large workshop is a dream for me.

I take my hat off to you sir and will be following avidly.

Niels


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xtremek

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Apr 13, 2012
Messages
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St. Johns, Mi
Kirk, I don't think I could add anything to what Mark has said here. It's everything that I've thought. I'm a little late to the party but I'd like to hang around and get to know you better. Great job and interesting journey so far.

Dan, thanks for the compliments, I'm very humbled. I'm glad you stopped by my thread and hopefully we can meet someday soon.

Sounds like you had a good holiday season.
Nice Christmas present!

It was indeed a very nice holiday. Glad you dropped by again. BTW the new shelf looks nice.

I really like the look of that reclaimed wood on that north wall :thumbup: Nice bead roller Mrs Claus delivered, did it come with more then one set of rollers?

BF, thank you. I wanted to do the upper part of my walls in drywall, but for this wall, I think the wood will hold up to my abuse better. The bead roller came with a total of five die sets, but after looking at MP&C's thread, I think I'll be wanting more in the near future.

I have been following this thread and Reading it in its entirety over the past month.

It's been a pleasure and a great motivation.

Glad you had a nice holiday. Family is everything.

I also understand why you do the commute. Living in suburbia and space being a luxury in holland anyway (17 million people in a small country) having space and a large workshop is a dream for me.

I take my hat off to you sir and will be following avidly.

Niels

Niels, I'm glad you like what you've seen, thank you. You are so right that family is everything. This is something I'm truly greatful for. Thanks again for dropping by.
 
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xtremek

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11,603
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St. Johns, Mi
ZRX61, thanks for dropping by. You did read that right. That particular hole had a real soft bottom and I pulled at least 3 yards of muck out of it before I started filling it in. It was at the wye in the driveway, was over 12" deep when I started, and longer than my barn. And I did raise the level of the drive about 6"-9" over where I started from. Did I say I love my sledge hammer. And for a sanity check, I double checked with my wife, and she says I'm pretty close on my guesstimates.
 
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xtremek

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Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
It was a decent weekend in the barn. The north wall is finally back together after finishing the tire rack. The tire rack a little different than most. Since I want to build custom wagons and strollers for my grandkids, I have some small tires. I made one side so I could put small tires on it if I wanted to. The center cross and left end supports are drilled every 3”. I then built a long rail to go between them. It sure is nice to get the pile of tires off the floor. Another quick project was to add a rail between 2 stock rack supports to hold my paint guns. Two big ones off my list and two big ones left, jack stand storage and a way to store wood shorts, 18”-3’. Ideas anyone?
 

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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
I’m writing all this to you from the comfort of kitchen this morning. It seems Bambi had a death wish or the hots for my car. It hit it almost dead center in the front of my car. Killed the intercooler, so it isn’t drivable. So I’ll be doing the paperwork for the gap insurance on the last Sonic this morning. Oh well, that’s what insurance is for. This afternoon I hope to get out to the barn and clean up the aftermath of the tire rack build. And I did learn something this past weekend. When the torpedo starts to burn the eyes, change the fuel filter.
 

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dlcwent

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coastal maine
I think I need to steal your idea for a tire rack. I don't keep tires to sell, but have the summer/snows for 2 vehicles and getting them off the floor would be helpful. Looks good Kirk.
 

Grumblebum

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Aug 10, 2015
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Wollongong Australia
attachment.php


That siding on the walls has come up a treat and looks like it's let you get on with a few projects. Do you just have the walls in the back of the pic now to finish off ?

Shame about the car.

I don't get the torpedo line :dunno:

Cheers GB.
 
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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
I think I need to steal your idea for a tire rack. I don't keep tires to sell, but have the summer/snows for 2 vehicles and getting them off the floor would be helpful. Looks good Kirk.

Steal away. The one set of tires is a set my son gave me for the wife's Saturn to use during the summer. And post pics when yours is up

attachment.php


That siding on the walls has come up a treat and looks like it's let you get on with a few projects. Do you just have the walls in the back of the pic now to finish off ?

Shame about the car.

I don't get the torpedo line :dunno:

Cheers GB.

I always have at least 3 projects going. I want to do the upper part of the last two walls using drywall. The other two are pretty much done. I use a kerosene torpedo heater in the barn. After doing all the wood work, the fumes from the torpedo were making my eyes burn. Changed the air filter and they still burned. Changed the fuel filter, no more stinging eyes
 
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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
What does Bambi have against black Sonics? This is why I’m working from the kitchen today. Got to love insurance, but I’m betting AAA hates me right now. FWIW, this is the 2nd Sonic I've owned that Bambi has mangled.
 

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HCNDM

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What does Bambi have against black Sonics? This is why I’m working from the kitchen today. Got to love insurance, but I’m betting AAA hates me right now. FWIW, this is the 2nd Sonic I've owned that Bambi has mangled.


Hi Xtremek,

That's really tough luck. Sorry to hear.

Thinking a sonic bullbar / Bambi bar may be in order. If allowed of course.




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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
That is one nasty bingle .....

You have made some great progress in the garage, well done.:thumbup:

Regards.

Thanks 1/2cup, it felt good to get that mess off the floor.

I'm glad it was a little deer and not a big buck. The deer seem to be very active on my trips in, this year. I'm guessing because of how warm it's been and the lack of snow. Usually there's a foot or better of snow on the ground, but I see almost as much grass as I do snow outside right now.
 

mwbailey

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Jun 30, 2012
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Rock Hill, SC
Hey xtremek,

Too bad about Bambi. However, if you want to aim your car at any additional deer, come on down this way. We had a herd of about 8 this weekend chomping on The Wife's landscape plants. I pulled out my Red Ryder, but by the time I got outside they had fled!

I think you're trying to get your "stuff" off the floor. I've seen several jack stand racks around; could probably Google for ideas. My approach to shorts (and "unclassified longs") has been to put them in a bin like on the right:
P1000663.jpg

Not off the floor, but out of the way. I like my large storage rack better as far as solutions are concerned!

Good luck!
 
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xtremek

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St. Johns, Mi
Hey xtremek,

Too bad about Bambi. However, if you want to aim your car at any additional deer, come on down this way........

I think you're trying to get your "stuff" off the floor. I've seen several jack stand racks around; could probably Google for ideas. My approach to shorts (and "unclassified longs") has been to put them in a bin like on the right:
.......

Not off the floor, but out of the way. I like my large storage rack better as far as solutions are concerned!

It seems like my poor Squirts are in the shop more than I drive them. This one isn't even 6 months old. So if you don't mind, I'll wait until I get a beater, them I'll come down and gladly drive over a few of them.

My dad suggested the same thing for shorts, but I haven't embraced it yet. It doesn't feel quite right.
 
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Jo Diesel

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Aug 26, 2015
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402
Location
St. Johns MI
I love your barn siding on the walls. Would look really cool to have reclaimed galvanized on the ceiling. Would look like you took a barn and turned it outside in.
You should switch to a propane furnace for your heat. The older 80% furnaces are cheap online. It is illegal to install them in homes. I used to use kerosene but the hint of the fumes makes my bronchitis explode.
 
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xtremek

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Apr 13, 2012
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St. Johns, Mi
I love your barn siding on the walls. Would look really cool to have reclaimed galvanized on the ceiling. Would look like you took a barn and turned it outside in.
You should switch to a propane furnace for your heat. The older 80% furnaces are cheap online. It is illegal to install them in homes. I used to use kerosene but the hint of the fumes makes my bronchitis explode.

Jo D, I appreciate your dropping by. You're reading my playbook exactly. I ripped the roof off of one shed, but most of the panels are completely rusted, they won't reflect much light. There's another shed a couple of miles from me that I hope to get the roof off of when the weather warms up. The panels are weathered, but not totally rusted. As for the furnace, it's already hanging, wired and plumbed. I just need to put up the vent stack and install a thermostat. But I will keep the torpedo so I can warm the barn up quick. That's the plan anyway.
 

MrQuinn

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Dec 17, 2014
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Location
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Hello xtremek, happy new year! I see you have not let your shadow rest much since I last stopped by last ... glad to see you have endeavored to persevere with the barn. I like the old barn wood look and the tire racks you built.

I have become a cave dweller down in the family room most of the winter. But, I have been getting a lot of home work done inside and almost nothing out in the shop. I'll wait till the snow season is almost over before I get serious getting the bikes ready for the season. I just winterized them last fall is all. I have a propane bullet heater on a 25 gallon tank to heat the shop but not enough to do out there to make me heat the place up.

When we moved in here there was an old small ugly brown ceiling fan that made scary sounds so we didn't use it. I replaced it with a larger one that has a light kit. One more thing off the to do list... Still looking for work and hoping something breaks loose soon or I win the Lottery...
 
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xtremek

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Apr 13, 2012
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St. Johns, Mi
Mr. Q, thanks for dropping in. Work is work, doesn't matter where it's done. My kerosene heater gets my barn up to t-shirt level in 45 minutes or less, no matter what the outside temp. Maybe time for you to get a second propane torpedo/bullet?
 
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