Mark's Monster Garage....3800 sq ft

[IGO2XS]

Love your burb, I have a 63 I will start on some day.

Good luck with it and hopefully you will start your Burb build threat over at 67-72chevytrucks.com. Check out this forum if you already have not. Great ideas over there for your suburban.

Mark, I had to sign on to the forum just to tell you how impressed and inspired you made me. It's now 2:17am, and I need to sleep... but I couldn't stop reading. Certainly, I could relate to all the Chevy power projects. Love the shop/garage and house. Truly, thanks for sharing.

I only came to this forum to get ideas for my 4 car garage at the house, but now you have me thinking about ideas for a hangar/shop on my little runway. Hangars are almost always ugly square boxes, but I think that can change.

I think all my future hot rods will be powered by electricity, but my first love will always be a dead dinosaur burning big block!

Happy Holidays!

Tony Williams
San Diego, California USA

Thank you Tony and happy holidays to you. This forum has so many ideas it is over whelming. Please let me know when you start your thread here. No matter how big or small any project is you will find great friendship here.

 

[IGO2XS]

WHEW!!!!!!! As we all know even the biggest longest most thought out plans still come down to the wire. Finally 3 weeks ago I told the owners of the Camaro we would have the car done by Christmas. Luckily our convertable top came in and even the sometimes slow upholstery guy put us right in and got our top done. As of 4 days ago the car did not have its interior in yet. Bob and his wife pretty much worked night and day on this car........Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Christmas eve. We had one big problem though...........the new dash did not come in. How could we deliver this beautiful car without the dash......well, luckily we found a piece of vinyl that came close to the color of the interior so Bob's wife and I along with some spray adhesive stuck the vinyl on the old dash for now.

Now, on Friday I was so excited about this car I told the owner we would deliver the car on Christmas Day. A plan was hatched.........if you guys remember this was Mrs. Browns car......her father bought this for her at the age of 16 and she has had this car for 44 years........now 60 years old she is the original owner. Little did I know Mr. Brown told the wife the car would not be done until January because of some delays An even bigger plan was hatched now because she was now set up for a BIG surprise on Christmas day. If you look at the first picture Bob's wife Deanna made a big Christmas bow in matching colors to the car. We delivered the car this morning to Mr. Brown who proceeded to take the car over to a big family Christmas gathering. He called me later today and said she cried when she saw the car. Now guys, if this isnt a happy ending I dont know what is. Wow this made me happy.

I am posting some pictures of the car. I have a great camera but I am not so good of a photographer. I can tell you I shot pictures of this car inside, outside, sun, shade.....you name it. Its a hard color to capture but here you go.

Merry Christmas

 

[mdkingsley]

Great job on the Camaro, Mrs. Brown can be proud of that car.

 

[Granite Guy]

Dude, I gotta say this is by far my favorite garage on this site. Do you restore anything else?..gas pumps, coke machines, etc?

Love the thread....keep up the good work

 

[Ironhorse]

What's up with the 41??? Last I heard it was getting a few touch up spots..I wanted to see a picture of the car off the lift..

 

[IGO2XS]

Dude, I gotta say this is by far my favorite garage on this site. Do you restore anything else?..gas pumps, coke machines, etc?

Love the thread....keep up the good work

thank you. I would love to restore an old gas pump. I have looked at them but they are pretty expensive. Right now we have enough car work and keeping the garage clean there is not much time for anything else.

What's up with the 41??? Last I heard it was getting a few touch up spots..I wanted to see a picture of the car off the lift..

Funny you ask as yesterday I spent some time photographing the car with the top off. I hope tonight to re-install the top and take some additional photos.........................marketing photos

I promised my wife I would try to sell the Willy's. I realize the market isnt so good right now but it only takes one guy to buy a car. The worst that could happen is it wont sell. I have promised her I would sell one car so we'll see what happens. I will never have a car again like the Willys. It was a one time build for me.

 

[JC23]

He he. Mrs. brown, you've got a lovely daughter!

 

[Homebody]

Camaro looks great!!

 

[HOTFR8]

Camaro looks great!!

 

[tskills10]

The Camaro looks great. Hopefully you don't regret selling the Willys. The Willys is a beautiful show peace.

 

[IGO2XS]

The Camaro looks great. Hopefully you don't regret selling the Willys. The Willys is a beautiful show peace.

If it happens I will regret it I will throw it on eBay later this week. I will keep you posted but I wont hold my breath. These things take time.....

 

[IGO2XS]

Camaro looks great!!

thanks very much! I was very happy with the outcome!

I just spoke with a buddy of mine from Indiana who will leave for Milwaukee, WI early tomorrow morning to pick up the 1970 Chevelle. They have had some crazy snow up there but he feels like he can make the 520 mile round trip tomorrow. If I can just get it back to my home town in Danville, In I can drive up there in January to pick it up. Keep your fingers crossed for me the car makes it back to Indiana tomorrow in one piece.

 

[IGO2XS]

A few more boxes arrived from Summit. One box containing a nice March Surpentine Pulley System for the Dart motor. This motor is starting to look really nice.

One job left to do we have been putting off is narrowing the 8 3/4" rear end with Dana axles. We a measured more than one time and were ready to start cutting as of this picture. The axle we are narrowing has been narrowed once in its lifetime. To the right of the picture is a stock axle and it measures 60 inches from hub to hub. By the time we finish cutting the rear end Bob is checking it will be 50 inches so we are narrowed 10 inches less than stock. The first of the week I will be ordering some new axle's from Moser.

Yesterday the 70 Chevelle project made it from Milwaukee, WI to Danville, IN. A nice young man picked it up for me and it took him 15 hours round trip. It was a long day for him. It was on an open trailer and getting in a 10 pm last night they left it out. Well, it decided to snow in Danville last night to the tune of 6 inches. These make some really good BEFORE pictures of the project.

It ended up in a heated barn to thaw out until we can pick it up next month.

 

[don long]

Mark
Those Willies shots are jaw dropping
Makes me want to buy it but not happenin

It's always a good day when you can make a customer cry with tears of joy
nice work on the camaro

Now that chevelle ( the one I promised to watch)
seeing all that snow inside the car made my heart hit the floor

thanks for posting those shots

Don

 

[Homebody]

Great pics of the Chevelle in the snow. Love it! lol Just think of it as a bath for the interior.

 

[jimmie jam]

This thread continues to be outstanding! Thanks for taking the time to share and inspire. When I look at the "burb" it seems to me that it needs an "n" on it as in "Burbn". The red interior really makes it pop, great combo. Happy New Year!

 

[IGO2XS]

Mark
Those Willies shots are jaw dropping
Makes me want to buy it but not happenin

It's always a good day when you can make a customer cry with tears of joy
nice work on the camaro

Now that chevelle ( the one I promised to watch)
seeing all that snow inside the car made my heart hit the floor

thanks for posting those shots

Don

Awe come on Don, If I had your money I would throw mine away....buy the Willys!!!

Here is the link to the ebay auction Don.

41 WILLYS EBAY AUCTION

Great pics of the Chevelle in the snow. Love it! lol Just think of it as a bath for the interior.

I got some update photos today and it is officially dried out in the barn. We will be heading up on January 18 to pick it up and bring it back to Florida.

This thread continues to be outstanding! Thanks for taking the time to share and inspire. When I look at the "burb" it seems to me that it needs an "n" on it as in "Burbn". The red interior really makes it pop, great combo. Happy New Year!

I was thinking today how long is this thread going to last but as long as I have action to post in the garage I guess I will keep it up.

 

[softailgarage]

Nice job on the Camaro, looks like it came right from the dealership. As for the Willeys, how can you part with that, I know I couldn't. 1970 Chevelle, my dream car.When I saw the pictures of it filled with snow I believe the words were...AH sh*t, how can they do that? But seeing what you did with the Camaro, no worries. So, what are the plans for the Chevelle, restore or hot rod?

 

[IGO2XS]

Nice job on the Camaro, looks like it came right from the dealership. As for the Willeys, how can you part with that, I know I couldn't. So, what are the plans for the Chevelle, restore or hot rod?

Thanks for the nice words on the Camaro. It was a hard decision but I want to build something else and the wife is not going for another big build without me parting with something. I really want to build a 69 Camaro or 66 Vette resto mod. I have some concepts on both cars in my head.

The Chevelle is going to be a restoration with big brakes and a killer set of wheels. We want to keep it stock but update the look with the brakes and wheels. All stock suspension, interior, and a 454 BB with automatic transmission. The guy we are building it for wants it as a around the town cruiser.

 

[don long]

The Chevelle is going to be a restoration with big brakes and a killer set of wheels. We want to keep it stock but update the look with the brakes and wheels. All stock suspension, interior, and a 454 BB with automatic transmission. The guy we are building it for wants it as a around the town cruiser.

Oh sh#$%T
I was hoping to trade you out of the chevelle when I read that you wanted a 66 vette for a rest rod

only to read further and discover that it isn't yours

 

[IGO2XS]

Oh sh#$%T
I was hoping to trade you out of the chevelle when I read that you wanted a 66 vette for a rest rod

only to read further and discover that it isn't yours

Nice, what year is the vette to the left??? You have any C2 coupes?

 

[don long]

Sorry no C2s
on the left is a 59 roadster that I rescued after someone poured paint remover all over the car without covering anything
motor, hub caps, taillite lenses chrome all messed up along with the fiberglass
What a mess it was it is close to being ready for paint and all the chrome has been redone It just needs a little attention and time

above is a 62 that has a Paul Newman frame with c5 suspension all polished out
it also has an LT1 motor sitting in it

love to trade for a chevelle

 

[dmoorefish]

Mark, Best of luck with the sale of the Willy...ur gonna miss it!

 

[SteveL]

Mark, sorry to see you are selling the Willys! Awesome car! Did you consider taking it to Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale this month? I would think it would qualify to be on prime time Saturday and easily bring more than your buy it now price. There was a '62 custom Corvette that sold for $325,000 last year that I would put in the same league as yours.

Not sure that e-bay is going to reach the right demographic with the deepest pockets. Good luck with the sale and keep posting the other awesome projects that you are working on.

 

[tskills10]

Not that I am promoting selling the Willys, but to piggyback on what Steve said. what about the Mecum auction in Florida? I think they are doing one next month. My uncle is wintering in Florida and is planning on going. Just a thought that might do better than ebay.

 

[IGO2XS]

Mark, Best of luck with the sale of the Willy...ur gonna miss it!

Mark, sorry to see you are selling the Willys! Awesome car! Did you consider taking it to Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale this month?

Not that I am promoting selling the Willys, but to piggyback on what Steve said. what about the Mecum auction in Florida? I think they are doing one next month. My uncle is wintering in Florida and is planning on going. Just a thought that might do better than ebay.

thank you guys. I hear what you are saying about eBay. It was the easiest place for me to start get exposure on the car. It had only been listed a few hours and someone offered $21K. Yes, this is part of listing the car on eBay and one has to be ready for this type of thing. I have spoken to a one person I felt was a legitimate buyer and he had some nice trades.........newer corvette, vintage Harley, and cash. I am really trying to be open minded about selling the car. The Willys is nice but appeals to a small market so I have to be willing to wait.

YOu know I swore I would not take it to an auction but as they say never say never. I am planning on going to the Mecum auction later this month in Florida. A good friend of mine's neighbor is in the Mecum organization and apparently has some VIP passes for us. Maybe I should talk to him now that you guys gave me the nudge and see if I can get in.

 

[SteveL]

Mecum excepts cars with reserves so just set a price that you would be happy with and see what happens. You just never know if the right person will be there and just have to have it.

 

[plain2car]

hey mark,
hope the holidays were good for ya! i know mecum has been expressed to you, but if you wanted to live on the "wild" side you could list it with barret-jackson out here in phx & i bet you would get ALOT more exposure!!, i could even probably put you guys up in our shack for a night or two!!! LOL!!! ....

wish you best of luck!!!

p.s. have you posted the newer pics of the burb on "our" truck site??

 

[Winmon]

Killer shop! You do some killer work on hot rods! Very impressive

 

[got2boostit2]

Love the detail in all of the resto's.

 

[IGO2XS]

Mecum excepts cars with reserves so just set a price that you would be happy with and see what happens. You just never know if the right person will be there and just have to have it.

You guys have me really considering this. i contacted my friend who has the Mecum connection and I am checking into it. I should know something tomorrow.

hey mark,
hope the holidays were good for ya! i know mecum has been expressed to you, but if you wanted to live on the "wild" side you could list it with barret-jackson out here in phx ....

p.s. have you posted the newer pics of the burb on "our" truck site??

The holidays were good because most of Christmas day and New Years day was spent in the garage. Man, my cahonies are definitely not big enough to go to Barrett Jackson. I had a friend who took two high dollar vettes there years ago and he spent $35,000 in buy sell fees to get his cars back.
Yes I did put some pictures of the Burb on the truck site. I really didn't do too much with my thread there because I love GJ so much. I did get some ideas over there for the truck so I did want to share some of the things I came up with for others to use if they wanted.

Killer shop! You do some killer work on hot rods! Very impressive

Man, you have some killer rides yourself. Your Bel Air is sick dude. I would love to have that car!!!!!

Love the detail in all of the resto's.

thank you very much!

 

[Wingnut65]

The camero turned out awesome! Glad to hear the reveal went well.

Sorry to see the Willy's go. The pix on the auction are Awesome. I could really love to have it, but the Mrs has other ideas for my salary

Also, good Luck on the Snowball restoration!

 

[Winmon]

I had a friend who took two high dollar vettes there years ago and he spent $35,000 in buy sell fees to get his cars back.

I have heard that is the case WAY too often @ the BJ auctions. I sure would never take a car there to be sold. I do not understand why in the hell anyone would take their car to an auction w/ no reserve..I understand the "concept" of doing it (to get people thinking they can get it cheap, then getting sucked into a a bidding frenzy), but the reality is you HAVE to have at least 2 guys in the room who REALLY want the car. If not your screwed...
However, if there was a car that had a really good chance of getting well into the six figures at a BJ auction, it would be your Willys

I watch that show "Chasing Cars" where they take alot of cars to Mecum. It looks like their strategy is to try to get the guys w/ reserves to drop them when the bidding slows hoping it re-energizes bidders.

Thanks for the compliments on my Bel Air!

 

[plain2car]

....I had a friend who took two high dollar vettes there years ago and he spent $35,000 in buy sell fees to get his cars back.

yea he gets you coming & going doesn't he!!! i figured you had known about it but just wanted to "toss" it out there in case... a few weeks ago i went to dino's "shin dig" before i took the truck to g-g southwest nationals. your burb would fit right in!!

glad holidays were good... i hear ya about garage time, i was looking foward to it too!

take care!!

 

[nvrgnahpn]

Absolutely AMAZING!!!!
I wish to have a garage that nice one day!!!!

I couldn't wait to compliment it, and i haven't even finished reading the whole thread yet!

 

[IGO2XS]

Hello Friends.............we are at the end of a 7 day work week. Yes, we did continual to work throughout the weekend as I am sure most of you guys do. The week started out with the Dart. We had some parts arrive early in the week and I thought Bob was going to pull his hair out. We got a complete front end bushing kit. Needless to say changing the ball joints in a Dodge is alot different than a Chevy. He had a manual bushing kit with the c-clamp but it was no match for the Mopar control arm bushings. Of course for me this was a chance to buy another tool. A Snap On press would have been nice but the 20 ton press from Harbor Freight was better than nothing and at $149 it was cheap.

In-Line Tube is a great place for pre fabricated brake lines and those came in as well so the engine compartment is near ready for the motor later this week.

We are a General Motors organization here at the monster garage so we had to come up with one way to mark our territory on this Mopar. Bucket seats for Mopars in bad condition are $500 and up and then they must be recovered. We rescued these buckets out of a Monte Carlo and they will work fine. Once they are covered and stitched up to match the back seat no one will know the difference.

In the foreground you will see our aluminum 4 core radiator. It should look cool in front of our motor. In the background you will see the 8 3/4 Dana rear end we narrowed. Dang man, I ordered the axles and bearings Friday from Moser and they were over $500

On Friday we came to a halt on the Dart waiting for parts so we decided to pull the C10 truck bed out. This project as I have mentioned was started almost 5 years ago. It has been a long time coming but it has been sitting last in line for production. With the Burb done it was time to get started on the pickup.

Anything sitting around here too long is subject to a change in plan. As the first picture shows we had planned on a functional tailgate. One thing lead to another Friday and before long we cut out the center structure of the fabricated bed frame and removed the factory tailgate. i had a smooth tailgate panel laying around and we decided to weld it in for a seamless rear end. Right now the bed floor has been finished. During this week we will be adding inner sheet metal to the bed to really clean up the lines. I will post more photos of the bed as we progress through the week. By the end of the week I hope to be able to show you guys the bed completed.

Here is the bed with the tailgate removed, center structure cut out, and the first piece of sheet metal layed in for the floor.

Here is the second piece of sheet metal installed on the floor and then the inner tailgate panel we fabricated.

Here is the smoothed tailgate panel partially installed.

 

[Bob Heine]

In-Line Tube is a great place for pre fabricated brake lines and those came in as well so the engine compartment is near ready for the motor later this week.

I bought stainless fuel, transmission cooler and brake lines from In-Line Tube, along with stainless e-brake cables and they were a perfect fit on my 72 Corvette. The only mistake I made was not ordering everything at once. When I decided the original fuel tank vent line looked nasty next to the stainless brake lines, I ordered just that one 1/4" line. At $60 it was pricey but $35 for standard ground shipping made it cringe-worthy. It doesn't matter how many lines they ship because the oversize box (to limit the number of bends) makes it expensive.

 

[6 Grrrs]

Needless to say changing the ball joints in a Dodge is alot different than a Chevy.

Did you try to press the balljoints out? I found out the hard way when doing a friend's '67 Belvedere that they don't press in/out. They thread out with a special socket. Turns out my father had the socket and they were really easy after that.

+1 for In Line Tube. Great stuff. I just did stainless on my 1996 Chevy K2500 Ext cab a few months ago. Every line was perfect. I got a killer deal ($180 for complete stainless set) at a swap meet and they shipped it to me for free, since they did not have it on hand.

 

[IGO2XS]

Today Bob started installing the inner bed panel on the driver's side. The sheet metal was cut and then bent on top so it would cover the top of the bed. These were new Goodmark bedsides but damn if they weren't flat.......probably 5 degrees off of square so our returns gave us a perfectly flat top.

Sheet metal overhangs the top of the bedside and will be a continuously welded welded seam.

Yes it is a thing of beauty!!!! Once the c-notch cover is fabricated the opening in the inner fenderwell will be cut to fit. I really like the inner bed panels as it makes this bed extra clean and the wheel tubs don't look so big and out of place. What you are looking at is one long day of welding and grinding. Passenger side metal tomorrow..........this bed is going to be heavy and expensive!!!!

 

[IGO2XS]

Did you try to press the balljoints out?

+1 for In Line Tube. Great stuff.

Yes they had to be pressed out. We could only be lucky if we could have turned them out.

I bought stainless fuel, transmission cooler and brake lines from In-Line Tube, along with stainless e-brake cables and they were a perfect fit on my 72 Corvette.

As you can see with the Dart there were lots of twists and turns and they fit perfectly as well. I havn't been doing brake lines a very long time and it is certainly a knack to hand bending them. I like buying them done!!