Above 1200 Sq/FT Blue Bomber's Garages

[smalltown]

Best of luck on your return trip. My first car was a 1960 impala convertible. Loved that car.

 

[wrenchguy]

my favorite line, "on the road again!"

 

[slodat]

Badass!! Enjoy the drive!

 

[BlueBomber]

Made it to Philo, Illinois--368 miles. The Impala developed a small oil leak around the timing cover crankshaft seal. We'll look at it at Thomas' shop in the morning and give the ol' girl the once over for any other opening day write ups. I'm really looking forward to getting the grand tour of his shop as well.

Happiness is a new-to-me Impala!

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[bj383ss]

This is just awesome. Love the everything about the car!

Bret

 

[wrenchguy]

Made it to Philo, Illinois--368 miles. The Impala developed a small oil leak around the timing cover crankshaft seal. We'll look at it at Thomas' shop in the morning and give the ol' girl the once over for any other opening day write ups. I'm really looking forward to getting the grand tour of his shop as well.

Happiness is a new-to-me Impala!

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sounds like a sleeve and seal job when u get home. good luck.

 

[captain14]

Major decision there- tour the shop first or diagnosis the oil leak?

 

[Bob275]

What. A. Journey.

New to you classic car, stop at the center of the universe... does it get any better!!??

I may be a little jealous right now. Enjoy your trip!

 

[BlueBomber]

I had a great visit in the COTU Vortex! I'll provide a more extensive write up tonight. Am now in Indianapolis, fresh from visiting the Indy Motor Speedway. I pulled up in front of the museum to get a glamor shot and the Impala drew a bigger crowd than some of the cars inside! I continue to enjoy this car immensely!

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[rixtrix1]

Just spent the last 2 evenings reading your thread. Congrats on getting the new garage going and especially the "new" Impala. It looks great. I wish I had time to attend some estate sales as I know there are some great finds there. A great friend's wife has an estate sale business and he has acquired a nice workshop full of fantastic finds and upgrades to his existing tool collection as a result. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[BlueBomber]

Best of luck on your return trip. My first car was a 1960 impala convertible. Loved that car.

Thanks! They had a '60 convertible at the dealer. Stickered at $99,900, too. Bet you wish you still had yours, huh?

my favorite line, "on the road again!"

Badass!! Enjoy the drive!

This is just awesome. Love the everything about the car!

Bret

Thanks fellas! It is a pleasure to drive at low speeds. On the highway, you have to actively drive it all the time. The power steering isn't completely dialed in and gives you some more "help" in some places where you don't expect it. The front bushings are also worn, so the whole suspension shifts and hums as it rolls along at 70 mph.

sounds like a sleeve and seal job when u get home. good luck.

I'm hopeful just the seal, but I'll sleeve it if need be.

 

[BlueBomber]

Just spent the last 2 evenings reading your thread. Congrats on getting the new garage going and especially the "new" Impala. It looks great. I wish I had time to attend some estate sales as I know there are some great finds there. A great friend's wife has an estate sale business and he has acquired a nice workshop full of fantastic finds and upgrades to his existing tool collection as a result. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Thanks for the compliments, rixtrix, and for reading the whole thread from post #1. I've learned a bunch from others on this forum, and wanted to emulate how some have documented their spaces to give back and share. I'm glad you've enjoyed it.

P.S. One danger of finding time to go to estate sales is that it's addictive and causes you to accumulate stuff. In some ways, though, it can also be an appetite suppressant--you see how bad it can get at some places, so you restrain yourself from bringing home too much junk.

 

[wrenchguy]

I'm hopeful just the seal, but I'll sleeve it if need be.

The balancer od is always worn, get the kit and be done. I just did my 48 survivor, easy peasy.

 

[BlueBomber]

I promised a more in depth post on my visit to the Payne's place, but there really isn't a lot more to add that isn't already documented in Thomas' thread. I learned quite a few things yesterday morning about my own shop equipment just by interacting with him. Example: when I built my work bench from the old oak fences boards, I just fed them straight in without cleaning them. When I said that to Thomas, he made a face and immediately told me that was bad for the planer's knives. He said all lumber to be planed should be scrubbed to remove dirt, sand, and other hard particulate matter that can become embedded in the wood surface and dull the cutting knives. He pointed to his gigantic planer and said the knives in his planer had never been out in nearly 40 years because he's always been very particular about what goes through it. I never knew it.

I was grateful to learn there was at least one thing I could teach him. I showed him how to find the manufacturing date on his giant Wilton vise (January, '74). [emoji106]

Thomas is rightly proud of his creations and I think enjoyed having someone to talk to about the details who appreciated them as much as he does. I will treasure the memory of my stop there for a long time.

Here are a few shots Thomas took of Ol' Blue and I as we drove off.

 

[BlueBomber]

My visit to the Indy Motor Speedway Museum was short, but a treat. The museum is packed with the winning cars from nearly every running of the Indy 500, all the way back to the first winner from 1911! Plus, the museum is on the infield of the race track, so you get to drive under the speedway on your way there. I couldn't help but blip the throttle a few times on my way through, just to hear the rumble echo!



On my way out of Indy, I failed to pay attention to the accumulating mileage since my last fill up and was relying on the gas gauge to drop toward empty. Yep, you guessed it--my gauge doesn't go to empty! I was barreling down the highway at 70 miles per hour when the car lost power, surged back on, lost power again, surged a second time and then died. If you've ever run an older car out of gas, you know exactly what you've done when that happens. I coasted to the side of the road and pulled out my phone to find the nearest gas station. Seems I had just passed an exit about one or two miles back. I locked up the car, grabbed my one empty one gallon tank that I bought in Des Moines, and started walking. I jumped the wire fence on the edge of the highway and walked across two cornfields to the side road. I made it about a mile when a good samaritan stopped and asked if I needed any help. Why, yes--thank you!



Gents, meet Aaron Smith, a high school math teacher and cross country coach. He teaches algebra in the same school he graduated from in the same town he grew up in. Aaron was nice enough to stop at a Home Depot along the way to allow me to get a second gas can (I was worried the one gallon can I had wouldn't get my 12-mpg car the 14-miles to go to the next exit). He then took me to the gas station so I could fill both of them up, and then insisted on driving me back to the car on the highway, even though that would mean a 28-mile round trip to get back to his exit. I am so thankful for folks like him in the world--he saved my feet and arms three more miles of walking and two more miles of toting gas cans!

After topping of the tank at the next gas station (and fielding complements and swapping car stories with admirers), I got back on the road and reached my intermediate destination of Dayton, Ohio without further incident.

 

[BlueBomber]

Today was a down day for me on the trip itinerary. I slept in, did my laundry and went for a Sunday afternoon drive. I checked out a flea market about 30 miles away and stopped at a local landmark, Young's Dairy, for some icecream. The BlueBomber family used to live in Dayton in the early 2000s, when our two kids were young, so Young's Dairy brought back some great memories.



I'll be meeting up with old friends and acquaintances the week I'm here in Dayton before heading off again on Friday. I'll have access to an auto shop on Thursday evening, so hopefully I can get the Impala up on a lift and check her over before embarking on the nearly 900 miles we'll have in front of us. The chassis has some suspension squeaks and bumps that I'll look for and see what I can fix with a little lubricant. I'll share pictures of the underside when I do.

Thanks for following along as I travel to the end of the rainbow--stayed tuned for more!

 

[wrenchguy]

Life is like a bowl of cherries!

 

[BlueBomber]

The good part is I've owned a '60 for over 30 years. I know my way around this drupe--pits and all!

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[Arclitgold]

Wonderful trip!! So glad we could follow along


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[BlueBomber]

I left my meeting in downtown Dayton, and drove off to pick up a Facebook Marketplace item and I randomly found this place:


Yes, the Gerstner & Sons company is still in business. Sadly, their showroom was closed, but I stopped for a cool picture.

The score? A Millers Falls "Buck Rogers" era circular saw, in it's original case, complete with tools and literature for $40. These things are very collectable, and I have plenty of trunk space to carry it home!

 

[BlueBomber]

Today, I swung by the Gerstner factory while they were still open. See my writeup on the vintage tool box thread here.

 

[44Dan44]

Just seeing this thread for the first time, very entertaining but around page 18 I started thinking to myself, “great thread but it needs more Bel Air, it needs more Impala”!
I kept reading and got my wish, congrats on the new ride

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[markviii]

I'm glad your trip is going well. It's nice having training in a place you know well. It allows you to maximize your "down" time after a day of training. Just don't fill up your trunk too much with heavy stuff. It'll kill your gas mileage.lol

Chris

 

[BlueBomber]

I'm glad your trip is going well. It's nice having training in a place you know well. It allows you to maximize your "down" time after a day of training. Just don't fill up your trunk too much with heavy stuff. It'll kill your gas mileage.lol

Chris

HAHA, yes, too much trunk stuffing and the back of the car will be lower than the front.

Just seeing this thread for the first time, very entertaining but around page 18 I started thinking to myself, “great thread but it needs more Bel Air, it needs more Impala”!
I kept reading and got my wish, congrats on the new ride[emoji481]

[/URL][/IMG]

Thanks for reading through my thread from jump, 44Dan44. There hasn't been nearly enough automotive work in my two garages, and there probably won't be this summer eithery. Stay tuned for more facility improvements.

Well, my travel plans have changed and changed again. My meetings in Dayton were cut short, so I was going to stretch my return to Boston to three days and visit friends and family in WVa and Va. However, severe weather is moving in from the west with the possibility of hail. I've already discovered the Impala's windshield wipers are minimally effective, at best, and there's no way I want to risk hail damage on my new ride.

So, new plan is to cannonball as far east for Boston as the car and I can get today and if necessary, finish driving home tomorrow. Fingers crossed I can stay ahead of the bad weather.

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[44Dan44]

Oh no! Fingers crossed for you, get that girl home safe.

 

[realvc]

Sorry to hear you're trip is being changed on account of weather.

Prayers for safe travels ahead.

Vince

 

[BlueBomber]

Last night, after parking at my hotel, I heard a clatter when I closed the door. I turned around to find this

Oh well, stuff happens on an old car. Fortunately, the mirror was not broken. It seems the splined stud on the back had vibrated loose from the post.



Nothing a little adhesive can't fix!




Good as new!

 

[BlueBomber]

Thanks, 44dan44. Oh, I forgot to ask: is that '60 Bel Air yours? She's a beaut!

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[44Dan44]

Yep that’s mine. Thanks. Previous owner stripped it to bare metal and put a cheapish but still good paint job on it, maybe a cup of bondo on the whole thing so I’m pretty pleased I found it. I did the trunk to match the rest of the interior, my first upholstery job ever. Not correct vintage BelAir script I know but I figured, I like it, and it’s just in the trunk,

 

[BlueBomber]

Very crisp trunk panels, 44dan44--well done.

Meanwhile, I'm at the first of five gas stops today. Oil and ****** fluid losses remain tolerable. Getting lots of waves, horn beeps and compliments wherever I go. This is fun!



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[captain14]

Just be glad the mirror fell off in the parking lot and not along the highway.

Was the Gorilla glue part of the tools you shipped out for the return trip? I didn’t see that in your tool Display 2 pages back.

Good luck on the rest of the ride. Hopefully you can beat the storm.

 

[BlueBomber]

Just be glad the mirror fell off in the parking lot and not along the highway.

Was the Gorilla glue part of the tools you shipped out for the return trip? I didn’t see that in your tool Display 2 pages back.

Good luck on the rest of the ride. Hopefully you can beat the storm.

Captain14: amen on parking lot vs the highway!
The Gorilla Glue was among the fluids and other items I bought once I got to Iowa. The rest of my tools I brought in my checked bags and I didn't want any issues with liquids, even if they could have been checked.

"Eastbound and down...!" Crossin PA for NY on I-90. Cheers!

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[BlueBomber]

Sigh. First paint chip. No idea how it happened...

No regrets--I bought this car to drive, not to sit in the garage.

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[BlueBomber]

Halfway across NY state. An Army convoy stopped at the same rest stop as me. Two soldiers came over to look at the Impala, and when one asked if he could take a picture of it, I said "How about I take a picture of you IN it?" He was thrilled and his partner was jealous.

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[captain14]

Sigh. First paint chip. No idea how it happened...

No regrets--I bought this car to drive, not to sit in the garage.

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Now that pressure is off!!

Enjoy the ride and attention she attracts!

 

[smalltown]

Sounds like your having a good trip. Beat the rain !

 

[BlueBomber]

The rain met me in Troy, New York. Finally, but so did my son, who attends Rensselaer. I borrowed his EZPass, because Toll-By-Plate doesn't work when you have no plate! One more fuel stop and I should make it home tonight.

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[BlueBomber]

I made it home to Boston a little after midnight. I managed to miss almost all of the rain--just a few sprinkles! The Blue Bomber runs like a top, but has a short list of glitches that will need attention. The first is a bath to get all the smashed bugs off the front end! I am very satisfied with my purchase and my decision to drive it home from Iowa. We've "bonded" over a shared adventure, and I can't wait to have more!

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[44Dan44]

Glad you made it home safe. Did you buy from ADM in DesMoines? They have some nice stuff.

 

[smalltown]

Glad you back at your home. Nice adventure thanks for sharing.