my one man repair shop

[Spareparts]

Time goes by fast, make the memories now, work later. My youngest son and I fished quiet a lot, even in Tournaments and won a few, well he found a girlfriend and I fished alone. But I have got 4 beautiful grandchildren now so I can't complain. You are doing it right now and everything will be fine.

 

[SkywalkerCR]

That is a great photo of inside the ICE shack, or whatever you call it.

The next one needs to be picture of all of you guys together.....one that you can hang on the wall somewhere.

Way to go. I agree with the memory statement. Remember you only have about 18 years with your kids before they get busy and doing stuff on thier own.

My parents often told me that there were two memorable days of me in their lives, memories obviously beyond the rest.

They were;

1. The day they brought me home from the hospital.

2. The day I moved out of the house.

As you can imagine the second one was the hardest for them, as I had a great childhood with many good memories of them.

Every parent should strive for that.

 

[Dmoen]

If anyone’s looking at buying one of these enclosed flexzilla hose reels don’t. It always bound up.




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[Growlertdi]

is that the clockspring puking its guts out on the left side there?

 

[Dmoen]

is that the clockspring puking its guts out on the left side there?

yea it was all bound up and wouldnt let hose in or out, i took the wrong side cover off lol headed to the trash as soon as i get time to take it down and get a regular reel up.

 

[Spareparts]

I never liked the flexzilla hose, got a 3/8" and when I put air to it it swelled up like it was a 1/2" hose and when on my reel and out of air then when air was supply was back on it would swell up and bind PIA.

 

[Dmoen]

been a bit since ive updated here, got lost in the work and life.
Im set up to buy a 12kLB forward hoist, they have to remove it from a dealership first. Should be the next couple weeks from what i hear! quite excited for that, as i need another lift.
I also got my cuda parts washer going again, only $630.00 for a USED 3hp electric motor for it

Shops been going fairly smooth. Struggling to keep up single handed still and working till around 8-9pm and almost every weekend. but still pushing forward for better days. had a young kid who wanted to come in and learn a few things, and do cleanup work around here. IE: sweep and garbage cleanup, snow cleaning. easy basic **** that i just havent had time to do. but he never showed up after busting my balls for a couple weeks for a job

also, im in the market for a cylinder head resurfacing machine. If anyone has one, or knows of one, or has seen an add for one id be interested from hearing from you. Im broke, so dont make me spend TOO much haha.
theres a guy in WA that has a nice looking storm vullcan headmaster on ebay that comes with 2 large parts washers and a crank grinder. Deal seems too good to be true, and i havent heard back from the email i sent him. He has a bad review left from the last guy who "purchased" it. No details about what happened, so ill give the seller the benifit of the doubt unless i know other wise. anyone on here?

 

[Finallygotit]

....but he never showed up after busting my balls for a couple weeks for a job

This just chaps my ***. I bet he never called you either. Watch, next he will contact you to be a reference.


Glad to hear you're holding your own there.

 

[Dmoen]

This just chaps my ***. I bet he never called you either. Watch, next he will contact you to be a reference.


Glad to hear you're holding your own there.

nope, wiener wouldn't even call me on a job, sent me a FB message. Granted i am advertising looking for help, but it says to call. After he messaged i told him to stop in or call. never did we discussed through messages for a bit and i finally told him he can put in some hours and so how he does. oh well. NEXT lol

 

[RacerRick]

Be careful with used head resurfacers. A lot of them are sold because they are worn out if they are from a production shop.

If you are just making sure you have a flat surface for the gaskets, something like a Petersen scrub board type machine works very well, or a Van Normal Rotary Broach. Both tend to sell pretty inexpensively also.

The scrub board needs no fixtures, is fast to use, and pretty fool proof. It only really does heads however, and you can't dictate how much to take off. For standard rebuilds this is what we use when doing heads. Just go back and forth and flip the head over to check until the entire surface is machined. Takes maybe 5 minutes to do a pair of heads.

The downside is that its pretty much a one trick pony. You can't do large cuts. You are left with whatever surface finish the stone you have installed gives you. No angle changes or corrections can be done.

The rotary broach needs to have the fixturing for the part to use it, but you can also do blocks if you have the fixture for them. You have a lot more control over what you are doing with the broach. You can also take off a set amount per cut. You can set the angle of the cut. You can set the feed rate which will affect the final finish. etc. You can do large cuts on it also if you really want to mill down a deck.

The downside is that there is a lot more setup, so they take more time to use. An experienced operator can do a pair of heads in a half hour to clean up a set of heads. You do several small cuts to sneak up on a clean deck, so you remove the minimal amount which takes a bit of time. A minor screw up in setup can ruin a block or head.

If you don't have the fixture that fits the head or block, you can't do it in the broach.. You have to store the fixtures also, so it can also end up taking up a lot of space. We have a Van Norman 570 which works very well, and the fixtures are pretty adjustable so they cover a lot.

You have to be careful of warpage in OHC heads also. They tend to bend like a banana. You can machine the deck flat but the cam bearing bores will still be out of line. Put a machinists straight edge down the cam bores and check the manufacturers specs before machining these or you will have more problems down the road.

 

[Dmoen]

Be careful with used head resurfacers. A lot of them are sold because they are worn out if they are from a production shop.

If you are just making sure you have a flat surface for the gaskets, something like a Petersen scrub board type machine works very well, or a Van Normal Rotary Broach. Both tend to sell pretty inexpensively also.

The scrub board needs no fixtures, is fast to use, and pretty fool proof. It only really does heads however, and you can't dictate how much to take off. For standard rebuilds this is what we use when doing heads. Just go back and forth and flip the head over to check until the entire surface is machined. Takes maybe 5 minutes to do a pair of heads.

The downside is that its pretty much a one trick pony. You can't do large cuts. You are left with whatever surface finish the stone you have installed gives you. No angle changes or corrections can be done.

The rotary broach needs to have the fixturing for the part to use it, but you can also do blocks if you have the fixture for them. You have a lot more control over what you are doing with the broach. You can also take off a set amount per cut. You can set the angle of the cut. You can set the feed rate which will affect the final finish. etc. You can do large cuts on it also if you really want to mill down a deck.

The downside is that there is a lot more setup, so they take more time to use. An experienced operator can do a pair of heads in a half hour to clean up a set of heads. You do several small cuts to sneak up on a clean deck, so you remove the minimal amount which takes a bit of time. A minor screw up in setup can ruin a block or head.

If you don't have the fixture that fits the head or block, you can't do it in the broach.. You have to store the fixtures also, so it can also end up taking up a lot of space. We have a Van Norman 570 which works very well, and the fixtures are pretty adjustable so they cover a lot.

You have to be careful of warpage in OHC heads also. They tend to bend like a banana. You can machine the deck flat but the cam bearing bores will still be out of line. Put a machinists straight edge down the cam bores and check the manufacturers specs before machining these or you will have more problems down the road.

not sure what a peterson crub board is, but it sounds like the large planent belt sander we had at the last shop i was at. worked great for exhaust manifolds or something else that doesnt have to be "perfect" not for me

same shop also had a van norman 570. That is one machine i do not ever wish to have to use again. nearly inpossible to ensure you are truely cutting anything flat by just laying the head down on the machine and clamping it in.

i want a bed mill style machine. something i can set up PROPERLY and not have to worry. what i like about the storm vulcan is there is very minimal wear parts, and its indestructible. A bit out dated, but easy to put variable speeds and CBN cutters. But im not stuck on that machine by any means.

 

[RacerRick]

A peterson scrub board is basically a surface grinder. Never use a belt sander type machine on heads. It eats up edges of the chambers. Here is a video of a Peterson. They generally are an inexpensive machine, reliable, and work very well for heads. Unless we are doing something that requires the Van Normal, this is what get used. That has been thousands of heads across the machine we have.

The Van Normal 570 can be very accurate if you have the dedicated fixtures that go off the heads machining datum points. The generic fixtures work but you have to be careful during the setup. We have the dedicated fixture for SBC heads and works very well. But, we do a ton of SBC's so it makes sense to have it.

I would love a Rottler, but the price is a little out of my range. Actually a lot out of my range.

 

[Dmoen]

hmmm. not sure i like the look of that peterson either truthfully. but im glad it works!

 

[Dmoen]

Well I picked up a 13x36 LeBlond Regal lathe.needs some work, but it operates. Mounted up a used VFD I picked off craigslist.













Also had to bring the top chest of the Homak box in from home where it sat empty. I hate top boxes, but desperately needed storage. Grabbed a locker at HF too on my trip to get the lathe. And bolted it on the homak unit. Also grabbed 5 more of the yellow storage bins. Gotta find some dividers that fit well. Tried some electrical gang boxes but pretty sloppy fitting.







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[Dmoen]

Bought a 2 stage pump for my old compressor. Got it bolted down and sorted out a belt, need to get a second.
Anyways the old pump was plumbed with copper tubing very badly.so looking at better options this time. 3/4 pipe threads on both ends.

I’m told this is actually an old refrigeration compressor. My small compressor at home has the same thing on it haha


And the new pump


Any idea what the 1/4 90* fitting is for?





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[Dmoen]

Called up a plumbing/HVAC buddy to come over. He got me back in business with a couple flare fittings and copper. Good to go. New pump builds pressure much faster and only slightly louder. Most of the noise is the intake but could dampen it down with a different filter off a car or a Donaldson quite easily I believe.




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[Dmoen]

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[Spareparts]

Where the filter mounts make an adapter with a 90* elbow pointing up and put a cherry bomb muffler on it and mount the filter to it, you will be suprised how much it quitened it down. I got a kit from North Central Air, Downs Ks. and it was just that $30.00 about 10 yrs ago. I can talk on my phone fairly close to my compressor now.

 

[Dmoen]

Well a few years ago before the woman split I ls swapped a little ‘66 gmc truck. Wanted to keep it but had to let some things go to move forward. Remember this was back 4 years ago, different town working at the GM dealership. Miss that truck quite a bit, only had it for 3 months. Picked it out of a field where it had sat with the 305 v6 locked up for the past 25 years.









Anyways I have been using my personal truck a lot for work, and it’s not a huge deal but I thought I should get a dedicated shop vehicle. Why not the typical run of the mill hot rod shop truck?
The search began and I finally got a deal made on a ‘65 I’ve been trying to trace the owner to for the past couple years. She finally answered and was more then happy to sell. Gotta get a few things moved around and out the door at the shop then I’ll go drag it here. Supposedly the 250 in it was gone through just before she brought it to it’s resting place here 15 years ago to be restored. That never happened for what ever reasons, I don’t want to be in between that deal that went sour. Anyways, has new fenders, grille, painless wiring harness. The rest is there. I’m going to QUICKLY attempt to get the 250 started and see if the ****** still works. If all is well I’ll put it together the way it is and LS it next winter. If too many problems arise, I have most of what it takes to get it swapped over on hand except a transmission.







I think the new addition will sit well in the family next to my ‘63 PS, these next pictures are in the previous shop I worked at, anyone guess my happiest reasons for being outta there!?









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[86turbodsl]

I can't tell what make compressor that is, but the 90 degree fitting coming out from the center of the end cap is likely for an unloader.

 

[Spareparts]

And a BIG back window, how lucky you are, not a fan of LS swaps, but that is just my opinion. The truck real straight and will be a fun project, even with a LS, just kidding, patina paint with shop name on the door, keep us posted. I am building a 65 GMC now, my retirement truck.

 

[Dmoen]

And a BIG back window, how lucky you are, not a fan of LS swaps, but that is just my opinion. The truck real straight and will be a fun project, even with a LS, just kidding, patina paint with shop name on the door, keep us posted. I am building a 65 GMC now, my retirement truck.

yes the ***'s are sought after. I perfer small, but am having a window vynl made for the back so the *** is a bonus this time. No door banner. Just a nicer set of modern wheels, a tasteful drop, some tint and put into day to day line of duty.

Gotten a couple projects out of the shop now that have been a drag on me.
I still have an SRT4 in the the shop, hope fully it will be wrapped up by the end of the week and the customer can have it back! its been here since about september. Old friend i met through work when i was younger. He bought it with a knock, and trailered it here. rod bearings spun on #3 and wrecked the crank. Came the new OE crank, rods, pistons, oil pump, and all other OE parts to complete an overhaul. the long block is assembled.
just got it off the engine stand, and hangin on thee cherry picker. Going to install the clutch after this write up, and mate it to the trans. hopefully tomorrow i can roll the car back on the lift and drop the car back down on top of the powertrain. All should hopefully go well on reassembly. Then off for an alignment and hopefully a detail job if they have time to get to it. Its gotten filthy here.

 

[Dmoen]

Full house on a Friday!




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[Finallygotit]

Ka-ching!

 

[Dmoen]

Well I went and drug the C10 to the shop last night. There’s is not much left of the truck, the box and cab are barely on the frame, both only held on with 2 bolts. The rest of the hardware was in the cab in boxes. To it was an interesting pull. Also, no brakes, or a clutch. So we chained it snug to my pickup and pulled fairly slow. Upon stopping or slowing down it would just bunp up against the trailer hitch..
Got it in and checked to see if any oil, sure was
Hooked a battery pack directly to the starter, ran a jumper wire from that to my ign cool.
Poured some 40:1 premix down the bowl-vent on the carb to fill bowl and crossed the starter. Fired right up and idled SMOOTH till the bowl ran empty.
Filled a small snowblower fuel tank with fuel and strapped it to the heater system in truck and ran a hose to the mechanic fuel pump, unfortunatley the seals are all dried up in the pump, it leaked badly enough I didn’t try to start it on that. More today.

So plan is to bolt the body back down well, clean it up the best as I can. Rewire, get the engine squared away, and get some brakes in it. Going to just go manual disc brakes right from the get go since these are complete shot, found the cylinders and shoes in a box in the cab.

I paid $300 for the truck. It has new rocker panels and cab corners, and body mount supports already welded in. And floorpans patches well. Comes with a brand new painless wiring harness($650), new chrome bumpers, new fenders, new grill, and all the original parts that are missing appear to be here.














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[Spareparts]

No body has said it yet, so let me be the first "YOU ****" LOL. Now you know where all your spare time will be spent. Good father son's project.

 

[Dmoen]

No body has said it yet, so let me be the first "YOU ****" LOL. Now you know where all your spare time will be spent. Good father son's project.

this is a major "you ****" but no this wont be a father son project. This ones on a pretty strict diet to get running and put to work. The '63 biscayne we'll tinker around with together cuz its not a big deal if its drivable or not, just a nice day car when we feel like it. Most of out time spent enoying is outdoors. dirt biking, or at the lake. i did however tell the 8YO ha has to help around the shop this summer for allowance if he wants to buy anything

 

[Spareparts]

Good idea with the shop work for llowance, teah them that not everything is free. My parents keep us busy and tired, that we didn't ge in too much trouble. LOL it almost worked.

 

[Dmoen]

Good idea with the shop work for llowance, teah them that not everything is free. My parents keep us busy and tired, that we didn't ge in too much trouble. LOL it almost worked.

This is the super rough layout of my shop. It’s a 70X70 building. That back room is roughly 15X30. I have my desk back there, and a couple file cabinets. Otherwise the kids have tons of toys, a large couch and a 55” tv with cable and Netflix. I pulled them out of daycare completely, so they need to be able to keep themself busy while here. They also can do about anything they want in the front “store front”.

All I have is a place to work on dirt bikes setup up in front, but it’s 100% wasted space really. I have drawn up a sketch of what I’d like to do. Basically one wall up front and demolish the back, and knock out an unused bathroom.






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[Dmoen]

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[Dmoen]

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[Spareparts]

Innovative parts storage, sometimes you have to use what you have on hand, thumbs up. The boys will learn more by just being around you at the shop than any day care, and it will show up a little later in their life. I wish you the best of luck on your shop, and the boys, I think you have got that covered.

 

[Geezershop]

Enjoy your family!

I kept my two boys age 10 and 6 at my small body shop through a couple of summers in the mis 80's. I consider it one of the best times of our lives. They are grown now and we still talk about when they stayed at the shop with me.

 

[Dmoen]

I’ve been wanting a dedicated tool cart just for diagnostic stuff, and electrical repair. Looked at the HF 5 drawer, but not enough room. Also looked at a few others online that had full drawers to the bottom, had pretty much decided on a black ATD 35” tool cart to do the job. Around 600. Well That was the past couple months, and never pulled the trigger on ordering it. I know if I walked in a store and it was sitting there, I would own it

Snap on showed up yesterday and had this awesome grey cart I ended up buying. Paid $1390. For it. Good deal? It’s a few hundred off normal price, but honestly I probably would have been just as happy with the ATD. If I wasn’t such an impulse buyer lol

Spent about a half hour cutting some foam to put my scan tool adapters in the lid. I want all the drawers pretty neat, but buying this foam for every drawer to organize this would be crazy expensive from the supplier I got it from.
Put a few things in, but really don’t want to puke too much in till I figure what I’ll use to divide everything up with.













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[protegeV]

slick. love the color!

 

[Finallygotit]

That thing is so well built, you will probably be handing that toolbox down to your sons.

 

[Dmoen]

That thing is so well built, you will probably be handing that toolbox down to your sons.

i do love some quality tools! boys are going to grandparents tonight for a while, id really like to get my tool storage how it should be again. i miss being at the dealership, my stuff was always in such good shape, and put away so neatly. never had a problem finding anything, or being able to just look and see whats missing. i got out of that grove when i worked at the previous shop, what a disaster. BUT!!! since opening here i have not lost a single tool! I used to get blamed almost daily for loosing aither one of mine, or his tools. With a disaster like that it was super hard to know whre stuff was hiding, and he absolutley didnot put things away. my White box has not had a good wipe down and was in almost 3 years now, what a shame

 

[Dmoen]

Almost ready. Dad walked the radiator into an extension I had laying across a small toolcart and put a hole in it. May try to repair it once before I buy a new one. Other then the cooling system it needs brakes. Just gotta hear to the scrap yard to get what I need. Going to disc brakes on the front right away. May take a couple hours in the morning if the weather is nice and get out there for the parts. Well see how I feel in the AM.
Lowered the front with removal of 1.5 coils. Haven’t gotten to the back yet.












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[Finallygotit]

Boy that truck brings back a lot of memories.

 

[Dmoen]

Well, one step forward 2 steps back once again! [emoji22]

I bought a small price of land, roughly 4 acres, half is a very poor condition shelter belt. I’m cleaning it out of all brush, and dead trees. There won’t be much left when I’m done, and I’m ok with that. I’ll plant trees, and the trees that are there will do much better not being so crowded.
Any ways, customer trades me a small e-ton atv for some repair work the other day. Kids Easter present I told them. They got to take it to the “farm” last night and ride around while I was plowin over trees and brush with the old Massey. And I got in some swampy soul and got it stuck. Tried to have Clayton pull me out. My 8 year old, oldest. He’s only driven my truck on the lake while ice fishing, so doesn’t have a TON of experience driving. He gave a few small tugs and just couldn’t budge it, and I didn’t want him getting too wild. Called in some back up, better known as one of my younger brothers. He came out and jumped in my truck and gave some good yanks and I could not get that damn tractor out! We decided just come back the next day, with a winch. Pulling is only going to break something.
Well I was upset, other things on my mind on top of this now stupid stuck tractor. Jumped in my truck, gave it some good slack, and gave it the beans. It came out. Well.... almost. Half of the tractor ended up going a little further then the back half. Yup. Snapped the cast frame clean in half. So kids got a new atv, dad lost a good tractor.







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