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

[SamYoung]

Hey Mark,
I imagine you've probably heard about this by now, but as soon as I heard it I thought of you. If you hadn't, don't tell the wife I'm the one who mentioned it.

Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda, FL collection is going up for sale. I know how you love your Vette's and GM muscle cars. I've heard he's keeping about 50, so only ~150 will be going up for sale. I can't afford any that are that pristine at this time, but I'll definitely be watching and dreaming.

http://musclecarcity.net/

 

[IGO2XS]

Was the COE by chance built by a guy named Mark F?

I dont know who originally built it.

Hey Mark,
I imagine you've probably heard about this by now, but as soon as I heard it I thought of you. If you hadn't, don't tell the wife I'm the one who mentioned it.

Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda, FL collection is going up for sale. I know how you love your Vette's and GM muscle cars. I've heard he's keeping about 50, so only ~150 will be going up for sale. I can't afford any that are that pristine at this time, but I'll definitely be watching and dreaming.

http://musclecarcity.net/

yes I did hear about this auction and my understanding is there are some really nice cars to be sold. Unfortunately I have been cut off!! With three car projects along with the house projects I am booked for at least a year. I really feel like I am more than blessed with cars right now so I am appreciating what I have and not looking for anything else right now.

I have finished up the bar top base and wanted you guys to see it. I framed it out of the 2 x 4 and covered it with concrete board before installing the split brick. I also managed to get the panels installed as well. I figured there was about 400 pieces of brick to build this. I will be making the table top out of some oak that came out of my great grandfathers woods at the family farm in Indiana.

We are working on wiring on the van now and I cant wait to share the photos. The engine compartment is very organized and looks fantastic. I have also been working on building some center consoles for the van. I will take some pictures of it next few days.

 

[shortykorte]

Bar? When’s the COE unveiling party? We’ll test the bar out.


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[IGO2XS]

Bar? When’s the COE unveiling party? We’ll test the bar out.


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We will have the party soon! The wife wants to have enough seating so the family can all sit down. She doesnt question what I do in the garage and i dont question her about what she wants in the house.

 

[casmurbax]

That COE looks so cool there with the van and the vette.

Kitchen looks fantastic.

 

[IGO2XS]

That COE looks so cool there with the van and the vette.

Kitchen looks fantastic.

I totally agree with you. I just love the COE

 

[plain2car]

mark, once again.. top of the line for you... I was wondering (maybe I missed it) but would you share what seats you are using the van? I am looking for ideas for my '86 C10 build.... thanks!

 

[don long]

The wife doesnt question what I do in the garage and i dont question her about what she wants in the house.

That is exactly how it is around here too

 

[IGO2XS]

That is exactly how it is around here too

LOL at least the wives know we arent out chasing other woman because they know where we are.

mark, once again.. top of the line for you... I was wondering (maybe I missed it) but would you share what seats you are using the van? I am looking for ideas for my '86 C10 build.... thanks!

The seats I have came out of a 2015 Camaro as its a popular resale item at the junk yards. I gave $500 for each pair and was able to pick these up so I saved on shipping. I wouldnt use these seats in your truck though because i think the seat cushion sits up too high because of the power seats. Heck, in your c10 you wouldnt have any use for power seats because you dont have alot of depth.

 

[plain2car]

mark, thank you for the reply. just out of curiosity.. would you have recommendations? I value your knowledge & input.... you have a "little bit" of experience in this area....

 

[IGO2XS]

mark, thank you for the reply. just out of curiosity.. would you have recommendations? I value your knowledge & input.... you have a "little bit" of experience in this area....

I would google "Chevrolet C10" seats and see some of the different designs. Yes, I might have saved a few bucks buying the seats used but I will probably have to pay $1000 a seat to replace the leather and do the orange stitching not to mention the $1000 in custom seat bases. I would buy the seats already done and ready to install. If you fit in the truck then there is no worry. At 6'5" I am tall so I always like the lower the seats.

 

[shortykorte]

Plain2Car. At our big swap meet, there are a couple of people selling seat sets for decent money. Might check a swap meet.


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[C2tuck]

Too bad I don’t have an extra $85k to burn right now.

https://www.rpelitemotors.com/1971-chevrolet-c10

 

[Ronn]

The chair go very well with the counter top. Nice and wide!

 

[IGO2XS]

Too bad I don’t have an extra $85k to burn right now.

https://www.rpelitemotors.com/1971-chevrolet-c10

Oh man thanks for sharing this. I loved that truck and forgot about all he details. It was definitely over the top.

The chair go very well with the counter top. Nice and wide!

Looking forwarding to getting the top finished. I have some oak wood my great grandfather harvested out of the woods at the family farm I will be using for the top. I have had the wood close to 40 years and looking forward to using it on the project.

I have decided to get started on doing some of the interior fabrication on the van. I do plan on using the guys who used to work for me to do the interior but I am trying to get some of the wood fabrication done. Its really a whole new way to use woodworking tools. Cutting most of the pieces using routers and patterns. Any of you guys ever do any upholstery work?

 

[casmurbax]

Hi Mark, how is the interior coming along with the van?
Put many miles on that COE?
Update on the vette in Vermont?

Hope all is well with you and your family.

 

[andyvh1959]

That COE is so cool. I'd always thought an RV Motorhome built on a cab/chassis just like that would be really cool too. Take a vintage Airstream and mod it to fit on the chassis with a walk through into the cab. A one of a kind motorhome.

 

[IGO2XS]

Wow am I hehind with you guys. I have seriously had my head down focused like some crazy man. I will over the next few days cover some of what is going on a project at a time.

I looked back and didnt realize I hadnt posted pictures of Mary's Pantry. I cant tell you how happy my wife is with her new space. I love to be in my garage and she loves to be in her pantry. We took a lot of time to design and build it around how she wanted to use it. One of the more critical decisions was left to almost the last minute. Months ago i was bound and determined to do my own concrete tops in her pantry. I did have permission from my wife so I was forging ahead. Once we were really for the tops I looked at the job and it was so nice I didnt want to gamble with the concrete. I called a friend of ours in as I was going to do granite. I told him was was wanting concrete and he turned me on to Caesar Stone. I am not a made made material kind of guy but once I saw a sample I was in. I just love the finish and texture of the tops. I really was the perfect choice. Laying all the brick was quite the job. I did have a guy helping me because there must have been 500 bricks to lay.

 

[casmurbax]

Mark, that pantry came out awesome.

Having it complete I am sure makes the wife very happy.

Counter top looks great as well along with the backsplash.

 

[Toolfool]

A person could live in that pantry. Nice job.

 

[IGO2XS]

Mark, that pantry came out awesome.

Having it complete I am sure makes the wife very happy.

Counter top looks great as well along with the backsplash.

Thanks and yes she is happy. She is OCD so everything has a special place. My special place is where ever I decided to set something down.

A person could live in that pantry. Nice job.

Thank you. She has one of those air fryers in there so does all of her cooking in it. Here I have this big Viking 4 burner, griddle, and a flat top on it with two overs down below and she uses the airfryer 95 percent of the time and it cooks awesome.

 

[IGO2XS]

Sorry these pictures were not uploaded in order but you'll be able to see what I decided to tackle after the pantry. At some point my van will go to the interior shop and I decided to get a head start on it. Although I never participated in building any of the interiors at GodSpeed Rides I had an idea how they worked with the wood. There may have been some YouTube videos viewed during the gathering of techniques!!! I had $1000's in router bits from the old shop and was almost ready to sell them before I thought I would give the interior a shot. I had to buy $2000 in other equipment but at $75 per hour for the interior guys I could pay for the stuff pretty quick and still own the tools.....LOL. The key ingredient is imagination and I have been playing with a few ideas. . I already have almost 3 weeks in the van working 7 days a week. I have a good 130 hours in it at this point and I am not halfway done.

Curious if any of you guys are car stereo guys? It is pretty amazing what they can build with MDF and plastic. I hope to do all of the rough build out myself. I will make everything so it fits with bare wood. Once they start covering the panels with foam and leather parts can be sanded and trimmed as needed. Check out the form I made to bend the mesh. I pressed it using a 10 ton press. I am starting to get the hang of it. I am now looking at lighting and hope to do some edge lite plexiglass.

 

[casmurbax]

Mark,
That center console and enclosure looks terrific!

I like how you carried the center console in the back.

I can't imagine you had to buy more tools? I find that a little hard to believe.

So the miter and chop saw new, what else?

 

[Boosted1]

The van interior is going to be really nice.

 

[Toolfool]

That is going to be nice. So, no bed in the back ? How are you going to re-live your youth ?

 

[shortykorte]

Consoles are shaping up nice.

No need for a bed with 4 reclining seats.


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[IGO2XS]

Mark,
That center console and enclosure looks terrific!

I like how you carried the center console in the back.

I can't imagine you had to buy more tools? I find that a little hard to believe.

So the miter and chop saw new, what else?

I bought a router lift so I could build my own router table, router bits, some patterns, and misc hardware. I am glad you like the plan. There is still a lot of detail work left to do.

The van interior is going to be really nice.

Man I hope so. Its too soon to tell but it all rests on how it gets covered and makes me nervous to think about it sometimes.

That is going to be nice. So, no bed in the back ? How are you going to re-live your youth ?

I could have put a bed back there but with the 4 bucket seats I wanted it looking a little bit like a car on the inside. The large wheel tubs and the c notch were obstacles I had to build around. Man, I am re-living my youth every day. LOL

Consoles are shaping up nice.

No need for a bed with 4 reclining seats.
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Agree. I ran quite a few designs through my head on the inside and decided on this look. Hoping once the seats are in the back "hump" blends in and doesnt look our od place.

I am working on a ceiling feature for the van. I thought about an overhead console but the roof is just way too long. I did scribe some 1 x 4 to the ceiling and made a mock up but it didnt work.
I am trying to build something in the center that is "floating" or suspended off he ceiling. I picked up a 4 by 8 sheet of 1/2" PVC board from Home Depot. At $75 a sheet you want to make good use of it. Its light, shapes and sands easy, and cuts like butter. The piece i am working on is 1.5" thick which meant I glued 3 pieces together.

Picture 1 shows 3 pieces of 1/2" PVC glued together. I used a large radius router bit to round the edges.

Picture 2 is an insert and it has a piece of plexiglas sandwiched between two of the sheets so I can do some edge lite plexiglass. It should be a cool feature. I will be doing something to the edge of the PVC once I decide on a profile. When I am doing wood working I have been known to throw wood away........you know, bad cut, get in a hurry, etc etc. With this kind of work I put the cut off as long as possible. I have so much time invested in each piece shaping it I doint want to redo it. I know I am going to change my mind about something. What you see in these 3 pictures was about 7 hours of thinking and working.

 

[casmurbax]

Ceiling feature? What no cyrstal ball hanging or mirrors?

 

[C91x]

I've missed this thread until now. Very impressive work

 

[IGO2XS]

Ceiling feature? What no cyrstal ball hanging or mirrors?

I am considering a glitter ball or disco ball whichever you call it!

I've missed this thread until now. Very impressive work

Thank you and welcome.

 

[IGO2XS]

Here is the floating ceiling fixture with the insert. I had to install it so I can look at it for the next few days. I like it but I dont love it. I do know once the rear bucket seats are installed it makes more sense. I will need to come up with some hidden fasteners. By the way, because the material is white it really shows up so it stands out more.




While I am letting the design of he ceiling sink in a little bit I decided to get started on the door panels. I havnt had a clue how I wanted it to look so I got off on a slow start. I ended up looking at the door panels on my G-Wagon and it got me off to a start. I am really proud of the armrest/ door handle. I just love working with the pvc material. Tomorrow I will continue. Like I told my brother today, I am as excited to see the finish project as you are because I have no idea where this door panel is going. Wish me luck.

 

[jbmatth]

Having never seen an interior like what you are going for come together from scratch like this is very interesting. I like that you are doing all of this on your own and it is quite impressive.

JB

 

[Horror Business]

Make sure to install hidden color changing LED lights above your ceiling cloud to provide great ambient lighting for the back!

(and please tell us you are planning a mural for the sides of the van featuring a wizard!)

 

[LUV2XCLR8]

Gorgeous Building my Friend

 

[IGO2XS]

Having never seen an interior like what you are going for come together from scratch like this is very interesting. I like that you are doing all of this on your own and it is quite impressive. JB

I know some techniques and wished I could find more online. I found a You Tube guy call Car Audio Fabrication and he does quite a few videos. I am hoping to get a professional look so wish me luck.

Make sure to install hidden color changing LED lights above your ceiling cloud to provide great ambient lighting for the back!
(and please tell us you are planning a mural for the sides of the van featuring a wizard!)

I do plan on led lights on the ceiling and a few other places. I love lighting and want to figure out some clever ways to add it I am trying to draw the line in the sand and not let it get out of control but the more time I am working on it the more I want to do!! No mural sorry.

Gorgeous Building my Friend

thank you


I worked most of today on the door panels. I decided to build both door panels at once as they are mirror images of each other. I transferred my 1/4 luan templates to the 1/2 pvc and have started attaching some panels. Everything on the door panel is removable so we can take all this back apart to cover with leather. By the end of the day I felt a little more on track with the design and feel more confident about continuing. I will continue on the doors tomorrow.

 

[casmurbax]

Door panel is coming along nicely.

 

[IGO2XS]

Today was a pretty eventful day in the garage. I just couldnt leave the door panels alone. I knew that I wanted to place the speaker in the door panel and i pictured in a prior post. It was a good size mid range speaker with a good size magnet so I knew I would have to build the panel with three 1/2" layers of PVC board. I hadnt thought about the angle of the door pull so when I test fit the piece I knew I had to some up with a solution. What I decided to do was to build a jig for the part so I could run it through my table saw. I took my time and set it up and wow was I happy with the result. If you notice I build the templates with 3/4" wide rings so the inside is hollow for primarily weight reasons. I also makes a nice enclosure for the speaker. So I am left with a opening that I must fill in. I first thought of bondo but I knew it would be too heavy. I ended up making it out of the PVC. I would say this is the most technical cut I have ever made but with the right procedure quite simple.

 

[jbmatth]

I can't get over how cool this van is turning out with all of the custom work you are doing to it.

Not sitting in a van like this in many years I'm curious though, with the speaker in this location sticking out from the door so much will it intrude on you thigh or knee room?

JB

 

[slodat]

You can bend and form 1/8 pvc foam board with a little bit of heat. Not too much or it will ruin the pvc. It holds it's shape well. It doesn't need to be solid behind it. You can also get 1/16" abs and form that over the top. Either way, if you want to use closed cell foam on top you can use 4 or 6lb closed cell. It's a lot less compliant and will take shape from a router bit well. Looks "hard", but has just enough compression to look and feel like an OEM panel.

 

[casmurbax]

Not surprised of the time and effort you are putting in just for the door panels. It really is taking shape,