One Million Unfinished Projects
- Thread starter MARKSTANG
- Start date
Rust is poor-man's Loctite.
So the desolving of structure continues. The deck on the back of the house suddenly dopped a couple of inches. I crawled under and found 4 of the joist hangers had rusted away. I made a crutch out of 2x4s to lift the whole platform back up and held each joist with a jackstand
while I replaced the remains of each 50-year-old sheet metal hanger. It's no surprise that they rusted. This area gets the brunt of wind-driven rain, but it is in perpetual shade so it never dries. You may note the abundance of flora growing on the deck boards and foundation wall.
Up top I was making sure everything was "level" (subjective term when dealing with old work on an older structure) and I realized that the deck joists, resting un-attached in the rusty cradles, had pulled away from the house about 3/4".
The simple way to pull it back to the house was with my grandpa's come-along. I ran it between an existing bolt in the ledger board, bolstered by a big fender washer, and a C-clamp pulling inwards on the rim joist.
These major tools were freebies. When my grandpa passed away about 25 years ago, his toolbox was bequeathed to "whomever". My dad was kind enough to hold it for me until one of my cross-country visits. Remember when you could check free baggage on a airline flight up to 70 pounds? That's how I got the loaded Kennedy steel 7-drawer toolbox home from Arizona to Virginia. It now holds my tooling for the mini lathe and mill.
Inside the toolbox was an assortment of specialized tools my grandpa had made while working at the shipyard in Wilmington, California during WW2 and his house building years from 1947-1990. There was also this come-along winch. American made! It just "feels" better than my Taiwanese one.
The C-clamp was given to me a couple years ago when Bill, a friend from church, was downsizing and moving from a house to a condo. He had a basement full of woodworking equipment, and toolboxes he'd inherited from his dad, who had worked in the shipyard at Newport News, VA in WW2. At the time I wasn't much into woodworking and Bill had promissed some stuff to his family, but gave me 2 rolling cabinets with 5-drawer toolboxes and a load of hammers, files, masonry trowels, and clamps. Score One for the scrounger!
So the desolving of structure continues. The deck on the back of the house suddenly dopped a couple of inches. I crawled under and found 4 of the joist hangers had rusted away. I made a crutch out of 2x4s to lift the whole platform back up and held each joist with a jackstand
while I replaced the remains of each 50-year-old sheet metal hanger. It's no surprise that they rusted. This area gets the brunt of wind-driven rain, but it is in perpetual shade so it never dries. You may note the abundance of flora growing on the deck boards and foundation wall.Up top I was making sure everything was "level" (subjective term when dealing with old work on an older structure) and I realized that the deck joists, resting un-attached in the rusty cradles, had pulled away from the house about 3/4".
The simple way to pull it back to the house was with my grandpa's come-along. I ran it between an existing bolt in the ledger board, bolstered by a big fender washer, and a C-clamp pulling inwards on the rim joist.
These major tools were freebies. When my grandpa passed away about 25 years ago, his toolbox was bequeathed to "whomever". My dad was kind enough to hold it for me until one of my cross-country visits. Remember when you could check free baggage on a airline flight up to 70 pounds? That's how I got the loaded Kennedy steel 7-drawer toolbox home from Arizona to Virginia. It now holds my tooling for the mini lathe and mill.
Inside the toolbox was an assortment of specialized tools my grandpa had made while working at the shipyard in Wilmington, California during WW2 and his house building years from 1947-1990. There was also this come-along winch. American made! It just "feels" better than my Taiwanese one.
The C-clamp was given to me a couple years ago when Bill, a friend from church, was downsizing and moving from a house to a condo. He had a basement full of woodworking equipment, and toolboxes he'd inherited from his dad, who had worked in the shipyard at Newport News, VA in WW2. At the time I wasn't much into woodworking and Bill had promissed some stuff to his family, but gave me 2 rolling cabinets with 5-drawer toolboxes and a load of hammers, files, masonry trowels, and clamps. Score One for the scrounger!
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captain14
Well-known member
Great update. I like the garden you planted. I have pretty good success with tomatoes and zucchini. I’m still getting a daily ration of tomatoes.
Everything is a work in progress. You get one thing finished and then 3 more items pop up, and they may be related to the project you just completed.
Everything is a work in progress. You get one thing finished and then 3 more items pop up, and they may be related to the project you just completed.
don long
Well-known member
A million projects? I think that I can come close to that number myself. My goal is to finish One big project and several small ones each month until I clear a path to one of my 40' containers that are full of stuff to do or redo.
Here's a finished project my grandpa worked on in California - USS Auriga, a Navy cargo ship
although while it was being built it was called the SS Alcoa Partner, honoring an earlier ship that was sunk a few months previous in the war.
Grandpa's name was randomly pulled from a list of ordinary Joes working at the shipyard, so his priviledge was to nominate the ship's "sponsor", he chose my grandma. In September 1942, my grandparents and their 3 daughters went to the shipyard all dressed up wearing red, white & blue ribbons in their hair looking like a trio of Shirley Temple clones. Grandma smashed a huge bottle of champagne on the bow and the ship was launched into the Pacific - headed to San Francisco and then on to the war. The bottle was wrapped in a silk sleeve, so grandma kept that, the broken bottle, and yards of ribbon along with a silver platter that was engraved with all the day's details and her name as the SS Partner's sponsor.
Fast forward about 28 years, the grandparents are then living in Nebraska, in the same house since 1947. A letter comes from Spain, asking her to confirm her identity and address by the enclosed S.A.S.E. She returned the letter and added one of her own, but kept the first envelope thinking someone would want the nice stamps from Spain.
A couple of months later, an industrial-looking package comes from Spain. Apparenty when a ship is scrapped, it is customary to gift the silverware and service from the captain's mess to the "sponsor"..... so that's what she got - military spec dinnerware for 12. Made of Aluminum, circa 1942. I saw it and heard the story every time I went to visit over the decades.
although while it was being built it was called the SS Alcoa Partner, honoring an earlier ship that was sunk a few months previous in the war.
Grandpa's name was randomly pulled from a list of ordinary Joes working at the shipyard, so his priviledge was to nominate the ship's "sponsor", he chose my grandma. In September 1942, my grandparents and their 3 daughters went to the shipyard all dressed up wearing red, white & blue ribbons in their hair looking like a trio of Shirley Temple clones. Grandma smashed a huge bottle of champagne on the bow and the ship was launched into the Pacific - headed to San Francisco and then on to the war. The bottle was wrapped in a silk sleeve, so grandma kept that, the broken bottle, and yards of ribbon along with a silver platter that was engraved with all the day's details and her name as the SS Partner's sponsor.
Fast forward about 28 years, the grandparents are then living in Nebraska, in the same house since 1947. A letter comes from Spain, asking her to confirm her identity and address by the enclosed S.A.S.E. She returned the letter and added one of her own, but kept the first envelope thinking someone would want the nice stamps from Spain.
A couple of months later, an industrial-looking package comes from Spain. Apparenty when a ship is scrapped, it is customary to gift the silverware and service from the captain's mess to the "sponsor"..... so that's what she got - military spec dinnerware for 12. Made of Aluminum, circa 1942. I saw it and heard the story every time I went to visit over the decades.
captain14
Well-known member
Cool story. Is the dinnerware still in the family?
don long
Well-known member
Family history is always an interesting subject. The internet has opened a lot of history for family information.
Nice that you have first hand knowledge of that story.
Nice that you have first hand knowledge of that story.
The Key Player
When my son started college, he got immersed in college football - and he got into a club that was really into tailgate parties. He invited me and my wife to come up on weekends for the home games. My son let us stay in his apartment (shared with 3 other boys and their assorted friends) before the 4+ hour drive home. We had such fun we bought season tickets for the remaining 2 years of his college career.
Last season my son was an alum, and due to the pandemic we couldn't go, but he still likes to tailgate with his buddies, and asked if we could build a mobile tailgate party bar for whenever the quarantine got lifted. He bought a utility trailer - low, long and skinny - that was formerly used to haul motorcycles, and from that footprint we built up.
We started with a plan in May '21 and enjoyed the first party before the season opener in early September.
I've been meaning to put together a build diary....everyone asks
1) How long did it take to build? and
2) How much did it cost?
When my son started college, he got immersed in college football - and he got into a club that was really into tailgate parties. He invited me and my wife to come up on weekends for the home games. My son let us stay in his apartment (shared with 3 other boys and their assorted friends) before the 4+ hour drive home. We had such fun we bought season tickets for the remaining 2 years of his college career.
Last season my son was an alum, and due to the pandemic we couldn't go, but he still likes to tailgate with his buddies, and asked if we could build a mobile tailgate party bar for whenever the quarantine got lifted. He bought a utility trailer - low, long and skinny - that was formerly used to haul motorcycles, and from that footprint we built up.
We started with a plan in May '21 and enjoyed the first party before the season opener in early September.
I've been meaning to put together a build diary....everyone asks
1) How long did it take to build? and
2) How much did it cost?
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6 Volts Positive Ground
We spent the last two weeks in Arizona, visiting my folks. My dad had forewarned me that he had a project in mind so we did spend a lot of quality time together wrenching on his collection of vintage farm tractors.
He has 2 John Deere model Bs, 2 Farmall Cubs, and 3 Ford 2Ns. The Fords have flathead 4 cyl. Engines with front-mounted distributors. Many parts of these tractors are common to the 9N design from 1939 and automobiles engines from 1932.
the electrical system uses a 6 volt battery, (which you can easily source at O’Reillys ) and the positive side goes to chassis/engine ground. My limited experience as a radio installer has 12V Negative ground permanently ingrained into my brain. I had to stop and think a few times while translating the schematic diagram to the physical tractors but after a while you get comfortable, realize DC volts are just volts, and leave the red test probe of the volt meter clipped to the battery + terminal all day.
The project was to replace the breaker points inside the distributor with a Pertronix Ignitor Hall effect electronic ignition and magnets around the cam lobes.
First remove the distributor, a 5 minute job that took me 30 minutes with a slow/ weak hand and multiple walks to the barn for tools. Who used 9/64” fasteners? Ford tractor engineers in 1946.
We never actually got the ignition system to spark. I feel kind of bad because that’s the only thing he asked me to do, but I believe there’s a problem with the stock wiring, which gets modified as part of the conversion.
Do you know what happens when stuff sits outside in the desert? The bits that keep me comfortable: Wire insulation, tires, and upholstery rots away to dust.
We spent the last two weeks in Arizona, visiting my folks. My dad had forewarned me that he had a project in mind so we did spend a lot of quality time together wrenching on his collection of vintage farm tractors.
He has 2 John Deere model Bs, 2 Farmall Cubs, and 3 Ford 2Ns. The Fords have flathead 4 cyl. Engines with front-mounted distributors. Many parts of these tractors are common to the 9N design from 1939 and automobiles engines from 1932.
the electrical system uses a 6 volt battery, (which you can easily source at O’Reillys ) and the positive side goes to chassis/engine ground. My limited experience as a radio installer has 12V Negative ground permanently ingrained into my brain. I had to stop and think a few times while translating the schematic diagram to the physical tractors but after a while you get comfortable, realize DC volts are just volts, and leave the red test probe of the volt meter clipped to the battery + terminal all day.
The project was to replace the breaker points inside the distributor with a Pertronix Ignitor Hall effect electronic ignition and magnets around the cam lobes.
First remove the distributor, a 5 minute job that took me 30 minutes with a slow/ weak hand and multiple walks to the barn for tools. Who used 9/64” fasteners? Ford tractor engineers in 1946.
We never actually got the ignition system to spark. I feel kind of bad because that’s the only thing he asked me to do, but I believe there’s a problem with the stock wiring, which gets modified as part of the conversion.
Do you know what happens when stuff sits outside in the desert? The bits that keep me comfortable: Wire insulation, tires, and upholstery rots away to dust.
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we flipped our Ford 860 to 12V neg ground, and no points. someone out there sells a hall effect distributor conversion (I forget where we got it), comes with a ballast resistor. just gotta remember to swap the bulbs out. oh, and fab up a mount for a 12V self exciting alternator.
Alley picking
We had to start renting a self-storage unit when my daughter moved back home from one of her jobs. She's in the process of moving again, so we visit the storage place about once a week. On the site is a trash dumpster where people leave their unwanted treasure when they move out or get evicted or some other reasons. This week I saw this recently abandoned ....."THIS END UP" sort of rustic pine end table / night stand. On top was a blob of melted candle wax entombing 19 cents. It's truly not our style of furniture so I wasn't completely convicted until I opened the top drawer (empty) and saw that it was solid wood (pine), and made in sweet Carolina.
So I tossed in in the back of the Sierra Abuelo and carried it home. I got a brainstorm to use it in the shop as some kind of machine stand for a saw / grinder / saw.
Once home I started cleaning and looked in the other drawers. Behold:
5 pair reading glasses - a little stronger than I need but might be good for pulling splinters out of my fingers
3 scissors
Pens, calculator, a Japanese watch, a personal fan ( with good batteries )
in the wallets - 4 expired lottery tickets ( I don't want to check to see if they won ) and $17.45 in change.
No ID
Literally Free Money.
and here's the cabinetry - heavy duty 2x4 construction
We had to start renting a self-storage unit when my daughter moved back home from one of her jobs. She's in the process of moving again, so we visit the storage place about once a week. On the site is a trash dumpster where people leave their unwanted treasure when they move out or get evicted or some other reasons. This week I saw this recently abandoned ....."THIS END UP" sort of rustic pine end table / night stand. On top was a blob of melted candle wax entombing 19 cents. It's truly not our style of furniture so I wasn't completely convicted until I opened the top drawer (empty) and saw that it was solid wood (pine), and made in sweet Carolina.
So I tossed in in the back of the Sierra Abuelo and carried it home. I got a brainstorm to use it in the shop as some kind of machine stand for a saw / grinder / saw.
Once home I started cleaning and looked in the other drawers. Behold:
5 pair reading glasses - a little stronger than I need but might be good for pulling splinters out of my fingers
3 scissors
Pens, calculator, a Japanese watch, a personal fan ( with good batteries )
in the wallets - 4 expired lottery tickets ( I don't want to check to see if they won ) and $17.45 in change.
No ID
Literally Free Money.
and here's the cabinetry - heavy duty 2x4 construction
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captain14
Well-known member
Outstanding find on the future tool stand. Consider the money as a rebate on your free end table. Post up some finished pictures after your tools are mounted.
andyvh1959
Well-known member
Yes, many of us suffer from a million or so projects. Keeps us going, keeps our hands dirty from actual effort. Keeps us satisfied in knowing we can do it.
Live Long and Prosper.
Live Long and Prosper.
Building Up
It was a rainy day. Good time to stay inside the garage and build something. A tool stand from discarded bedside table?
Started cleaning the woodwork.....what I assumed was candle wax all over the tabletop should have melted from a hot air gun, but instead it just cooked, burned, and smoked. Smelled like chocolate.
Cleanup begins with a putty knife, ends with Simple Green detergent and a scotchbrite pad. Recovered another 11 cents that was stuck in the dross.
Raising the table cabinet to tool stand height requires a boost from a riser of sorts. I had these Korean Amazon casters which will give me about 5" of lift as well as roll-ability, but I decided I needed a bit more. A 2x4 stud was employed to make a roughly 18" by 24" box to fill in between the cabinet feet and the fancy locking casters.
Glued, screwed, and castered:
I had originally planned to attach the riser to the cabinet with some sort of 1x4 or 1x2 scabs, so I cut the 2x4 box frame to the outside dimensions......but I decided to connect them together inside. Less protrusions to scrape my shins against. In hindsight I should have made the box dimensions to the interior.
Precision measurements of the power equipment and mounting holes! The 25-year-old Craftsman grinder has mounting holes 6" apart so I centered 2 holes in the top. I can always slide it to one side if that makes more sense as to usefulness. THe sander is set to one corner with the sawdust hole facing back. I thought about mounting it with the hole to the front for access to the shop vac....what happens when I leave a drawer open? Drawer full of sawdust? Better spew it out the back.
Black paint to make everything look cohesive. Loaded the storage drawers with abrasives.
I just looked at the pictures. Yuck. Maybe I should have swept the floor instead?
It was a rainy day. Good time to stay inside the garage and build something. A tool stand from discarded bedside table?
Started cleaning the woodwork.....what I assumed was candle wax all over the tabletop should have melted from a hot air gun, but instead it just cooked, burned, and smoked. Smelled like chocolate.
Cleanup begins with a putty knife, ends with Simple Green detergent and a scotchbrite pad. Recovered another 11 cents that was stuck in the dross.
Raising the table cabinet to tool stand height requires a boost from a riser of sorts. I had these Korean Amazon casters which will give me about 5" of lift as well as roll-ability, but I decided I needed a bit more. A 2x4 stud was employed to make a roughly 18" by 24" box to fill in between the cabinet feet and the fancy locking casters.
Glued, screwed, and castered:
I had originally planned to attach the riser to the cabinet with some sort of 1x4 or 1x2 scabs, so I cut the 2x4 box frame to the outside dimensions......but I decided to connect them together inside. Less protrusions to scrape my shins against. In hindsight I should have made the box dimensions to the interior.
Precision measurements of the power equipment and mounting holes! The 25-year-old Craftsman grinder has mounting holes 6" apart so I centered 2 holes in the top. I can always slide it to one side if that makes more sense as to usefulness. THe sander is set to one corner with the sawdust hole facing back. I thought about mounting it with the hole to the front for access to the shop vac....what happens when I leave a drawer open? Drawer full of sawdust? Better spew it out the back.
Black paint to make everything look cohesive. Loaded the storage drawers with abrasives.
I just looked at the pictures. Yuck. Maybe I should have swept the floor instead?
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captain14
Well-known member
Nah, it just shows a working shop . Nice little stand for free with some imagination.
Mark - 3
Trees - 0
I have never been a "landscape designer". All of my yard plantings came with the house, whether planned by the previous occupants or nature. There were 3 trees in the front yard that died over the Summer, so we knew it wasn't just a fall / winter slumber. They were 2 red oaks and 1 cedar, volunteers that nobody shared a fondness worth memorializing nor replacing.
Since we live in the woods most of the neighbors have sophisticated profesional-soundng chainsaws. I didn't dare go out the front with my embarrassing Mattel-toy electric model. I reserve that for hiding in the back yard.
I cut them at the trunk with this Craftsman reciprocating sawzall:
Then dragged them around back to the firepit, where I humbly sectioned the major limbs into wood for the next bonfire:
The basket has a handful of discarded Lincoln logs because they make good firestarters. From the scorch marks it looks like my saw needs a new chain or sharpening.
Trees - 0
I have never been a "landscape designer". All of my yard plantings came with the house, whether planned by the previous occupants or nature. There were 3 trees in the front yard that died over the Summer, so we knew it wasn't just a fall / winter slumber. They were 2 red oaks and 1 cedar, volunteers that nobody shared a fondness worth memorializing nor replacing.
Since we live in the woods most of the neighbors have sophisticated profesional-soundng chainsaws. I didn't dare go out the front with my embarrassing Mattel-toy electric model. I reserve that for hiding in the back yard.
I cut them at the trunk with this Craftsman reciprocating sawzall:
Then dragged them around back to the firepit, where I humbly sectioned the major limbs into wood for the next bonfire:
The basket has a handful of discarded Lincoln logs because they make good firestarters. From the scorch marks it looks like my saw needs a new chain or sharpening.
captain14
Well-known member
I don’t own a chainsaw, but I’ve used my Craftsman reciprocating saw on every limb that has come down in my yard.
The End of the Road for the minivan.
It is with sadness that we must bid farewell to a motorized member of the family. She was thrifty to feed, Inexpensive to insure, and thrived on the abuse from carrying a troop of teenaged Boy Scouts outbound and home again on numerous adventures. Surviving a 80-year-old oak tree trunk that fell across the back half and crushed the roof rack, She finally gave up last week, just 400 miles shy of her 400,000 mile-iversary.
We acquired her , gently used, at 100,000 miles 10 years ago. Fully loaded with front & back climate control, stow & go seats, DVD entertainment system with 4 headsets, and XM radio. We were cautioned that these vehicles had a reputation for the transmission to fail, but that never gave us any trouble.
The diagnosis went like this:
Although still running , The initial complaint was roughly shuddering, weak vacuum and loss of power. One computer code was stored - CYL 2 missfire. Pulling the spark plug showed a curious deformation- the electrode was curved around into a "hook" shape instead of the typical sharp bent angle.
No air bubbles in the radiator coolant and no oil contamination almost ruled out a blown head gasket. A quick check of the ignition shows strong spark on all 6 plugs.
Excellent fuel pressure.
Moving on to a compression test, cold and dry - a respectable 155-160 PSI on 5 cylinders, 0 PSI on CYL number 2.
I ordered a bore camera on Amazon to determine what had come undone inside, ..... before it arrived, I decided to go ahead and pull the head anyway. It was a cozy 1-1/2 hours made easier because CYL 2 is on the "front" head. I was really concerned about breaking (literally) loose the tiny rusty exhaust manifold bolts, but they came out of the aluminum heads easily.
Here is the head damage, dropped valve seat propping the intake valve open, and a piece of the casting shroud around the spark plug is also missing...
And the perforated piston, block and cylinder....
She is destined for the wrecking yard with many new-ish parts that might be re-cycled, but fair warning : Among the original 17 years/400K equipment that was still in working order:
Driveshafts and CV joints
Wheel bearings
Brake calipers
Steering Rack
Lower control arm bushings
Fuel pump
Exhaust system
Power Window and door motors
Every engine sensor.
It is with sadness that we must bid farewell to a motorized member of the family. She was thrifty to feed, Inexpensive to insure, and thrived on the abuse from carrying a troop of teenaged Boy Scouts outbound and home again on numerous adventures. Surviving a 80-year-old oak tree trunk that fell across the back half and crushed the roof rack, She finally gave up last week, just 400 miles shy of her 400,000 mile-iversary.
We acquired her , gently used, at 100,000 miles 10 years ago. Fully loaded with front & back climate control, stow & go seats, DVD entertainment system with 4 headsets, and XM radio. We were cautioned that these vehicles had a reputation for the transmission to fail, but that never gave us any trouble.
The diagnosis went like this:
Although still running , The initial complaint was roughly shuddering, weak vacuum and loss of power. One computer code was stored - CYL 2 missfire. Pulling the spark plug showed a curious deformation- the electrode was curved around into a "hook" shape instead of the typical sharp bent angle.
No air bubbles in the radiator coolant and no oil contamination almost ruled out a blown head gasket. A quick check of the ignition shows strong spark on all 6 plugs.
Excellent fuel pressure.
Moving on to a compression test, cold and dry - a respectable 155-160 PSI on 5 cylinders, 0 PSI on CYL number 2.
I ordered a bore camera on Amazon to determine what had come undone inside, ..... before it arrived, I decided to go ahead and pull the head anyway. It was a cozy 1-1/2 hours made easier because CYL 2 is on the "front" head. I was really concerned about breaking (literally) loose the tiny rusty exhaust manifold bolts, but they came out of the aluminum heads easily.
Here is the head damage, dropped valve seat propping the intake valve open, and a piece of the casting shroud around the spark plug is also missing...
And the perforated piston, block and cylinder....
She is destined for the wrecking yard with many new-ish parts that might be re-cycled, but fair warning : Among the original 17 years/400K equipment that was still in working order:
Driveshafts and CV joints
Wheel bearings
Brake calipers
Steering Rack
Lower control arm bushings
Fuel pump
Exhaust system
Power Window and door motors
Every engine sensor.
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After years of looking for the "right" house garage, we finally bought something in South Carolina
It's a reasonably sized house for a retired couple (us as well as the sellers), 1-1/2 acres and 2 garages.
The attached is 20x24 for 2 cars.
The detached is 30x40
The detached has Air conditioners, an air compressor, and....
a lift!....and.....
a bathroom!
It's a reasonably sized house for a retired couple (us as well as the sellers), 1-1/2 acres and 2 garages.
The attached is 20x24 for 2 cars.
The detached is 30x40
The detached has Air conditioners, an air compressor, and....
a lift!....and.....
a bathroom!
Ford52PU
Well-known member
WOW WOW WOW! Who cares about the house look at that garage, lift and bathroom. Your all set congratulations. Now you can get the Mustang restored.
captain14
Well-known member
I bet you told your wife to check the house out.
And “ I’ll just be sitting in my new shop”.
“Call me when you are done”
And “ I’ll just be sitting in my new shop”.
“Call me when you are done”
Good friends will help you move, great friends will help you move a garage.
A few years ago We were going to build a house, so we bought a suburban 10-acre lot (yes I typed that right) , hired an architect, and I bought a mail order Miracle Truss steel building. Thinking it would easily go up and provide a secure place for building materials while the house was being completed. It was delivered on a flatbed to our build site and unloaded in about 5 minutes with a bobcat I rented for the day.
miracletruss.com
It was what I “wanted “ and “needed” at the time. Things happened and we never built the house. We Sold the land, and moved the garage building kit to my former (Virginia) back yard.
That move from 1 wooded lot to another employed the muscles of 4 Eagle Scouts and a u-haul box truck, it
Took 1/2 a day.
Now we’re moving again, and I know I am not going to build it.
It’s a 36’ x 30’ with 10’ eaves, steel frame steel panel roof and wall skins.
A few years ago We were going to build a house, so we bought a suburban 10-acre lot (yes I typed that right) , hired an architect, and I bought a mail order Miracle Truss steel building. Thinking it would easily go up and provide a secure place for building materials while the house was being completed. It was delivered on a flatbed to our build site and unloaded in about 5 minutes with a bobcat I rented for the day.
Build Strong | Miracle Truss
Learn how the THE MIRACLE TRUSS® METHOD helps create a Thermal Insulation Barrier and the benefits that brings to your new building.
miracletruss.com
It was what I “wanted “ and “needed” at the time. Things happened and we never built the house. We Sold the land, and moved the garage building kit to my former (Virginia) back yard.
That move from 1 wooded lot to another employed the muscles of 4 Eagle Scouts and a u-haul box truck, it
Took 1/2 a day.
Now we’re moving again, and I know I am not going to build it.
It’s a 36’ x 30’ with 10’ eaves, steel frame steel panel roof and wall skins.
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Moving begins. Flying solo.
I’m going to have my “project collection “ transported next month, so I decided to see what will - or will not - roll out of the sandy patch at the back of the property.
Who’s got an idea for the most sketchy way to move a non-operating car? Challenge accepted!
It seems not moving and sitting out in the elements for 10 years isn’t good for bendix drum brakes.
I’m going to have my “project collection “ transported next month, so I decided to see what will - or will not - roll out of the sandy patch at the back of the property.
Who’s got an idea for the most sketchy way to move a non-operating car? Challenge accepted!
It seems not moving and sitting out in the elements for 10 years isn’t good for bendix drum brakes.
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Happy 2023
Although we bought the new house / garage in August, we still had a lot to do in Virginia and didn’t get completely moved until mid-December. Moving took 3 round trips. The old house is sold, so I have no reason to return.
In late September I decided it was time to wake up the 3 project cars. Sad and embarrassing- They have been sitting outside for 20 years, and in their most recent resting spot for 10, so getting them ready to roll would take a bit of work, muscle and PB Blaster.
Tires inflated, brakes un-seized it's all downhill from here. Literally, the lot slopes from the backyard (project car storage lot) to the front driveway. Fortunately there are a lot of sturdy trees.
My dependable Harbor Freight 880-pound (is that a random number chosen by the marketing folks or really 400kg) electric winch was able to nudge them around from a safe distance and direction. Putting a lot of faith in that 3/16” (5mm) Chinese steel cable. I would slowly pay out 5 feet or so, then move a 4x4 chock in front of the tires, make adjustments to the steering wheel, then pull or release another couple yards, depending on if I was using gravity or fighting it.
Although we bought the new house / garage in August, we still had a lot to do in Virginia and didn’t get completely moved until mid-December. Moving took 3 round trips. The old house is sold, so I have no reason to return.
In late September I decided it was time to wake up the 3 project cars. Sad and embarrassing- They have been sitting outside for 20 years, and in their most recent resting spot for 10, so getting them ready to roll would take a bit of work, muscle and PB Blaster.
Tires inflated, brakes un-seized it's all downhill from here. Literally, the lot slopes from the backyard (project car storage lot) to the front driveway. Fortunately there are a lot of sturdy trees.
My dependable Harbor Freight 880-pound (is that a random number chosen by the marketing folks or really 400kg) electric winch was able to nudge them around from a safe distance and direction. Putting a lot of faith in that 3/16” (5mm) Chinese steel cable. I would slowly pay out 5 feet or so, then move a 4x4 chock in front of the tires, make adjustments to the steering wheel, then pull or release another couple yards, depending on if I was using gravity or fighting it.
Moving Day (cars)
Major hiccup mid-December, the movers have come and gone, the house is sold and closing in a week. I wake up in an empty house with 2 non-operational project cars in the driveway. Call the local guy who was supposed to move the cars from Virginia to South Carolina to make final arrangements, and he’s not interested in the job any more. New baby. I get it.
We “moved” with everything we couldn’t part with…except the cars.
Through a friend I try the Mr. Car Shipper broker. This time of year, he says, they’re really busy hauling snowbird vehicles from New Jersey to Florida ( I assume the owners fly or ride a train or bus? ), but if we dangle a few extra dollars on the bulletin boards, somebody might grab it.
The broker has a lot of funny requests like the cars should actually run, have brakes, and just 1/4 tank or less of gas. I fraudulently accepted these terms.
Lets take inventory and then then start ordering parts!
Neither car runs. The mustang will lock into gear, but has no brakes, just the hand parking brake works. The Datsun has no brakes at all and no transmission/driveshaft. An engine is just sitting in it for transportation purposes.
My savior was Tyrone. He lives in California and usually drives up and down the west coast, but just happened to be in Virginia for a family funeral. He met us at the old, empty, house with his F-350 dually and an enclosed 35-foot triple axle trailer and took the on the job of loading, transporting (12 hours round trip) unloading my 2 cars and parking them in the new shop.
Even though they are rusty, nasty, dented, worn out wrecks....he handled them like precious collectibles.
and for the first time in 20+ years, they get to sleep inside a garage.
Major hiccup mid-December, the movers have come and gone, the house is sold and closing in a week. I wake up in an empty house with 2 non-operational project cars in the driveway. Call the local guy who was supposed to move the cars from Virginia to South Carolina to make final arrangements, and he’s not interested in the job any more. New baby. I get it.
We “moved” with everything we couldn’t part with…except the cars.
Through a friend I try the Mr. Car Shipper broker. This time of year, he says, they’re really busy hauling snowbird vehicles from New Jersey to Florida ( I assume the owners fly or ride a train or bus? ), but if we dangle a few extra dollars on the bulletin boards, somebody might grab it.
The broker has a lot of funny requests like the cars should actually run, have brakes, and just 1/4 tank or less of gas. I fraudulently accepted these terms.
Lets take inventory and then then start ordering parts!
Neither car runs. The mustang will lock into gear, but has no brakes, just the hand parking brake works. The Datsun has no brakes at all and no transmission/driveshaft. An engine is just sitting in it for transportation purposes.
My savior was Tyrone. He lives in California and usually drives up and down the west coast, but just happened to be in Virginia for a family funeral. He met us at the old, empty, house with his F-350 dually and an enclosed 35-foot triple axle trailer and took the on the job of loading, transporting (12 hours round trip) unloading my 2 cars and parking them in the new shop.
Even though they are rusty, nasty, dented, worn out wrecks....he handled them like precious collectibles.
and for the first time in 20+ years, they get to sleep inside a garage.
Carpentry
I’m starting a barn-door project to close off one section of the garage. We want to cover / disguise a 16-foot section of storage shelves.
Sometimes I plan , design, and think about things for a while. Sometimes I just order a pile of materials and start cutting.
This is the saw table I made from mostly recycled materials. It was a big help when I was cutting steel tubing for the tailgate party Key Player bar trailer.
I bought 4 sheets of “shed panel” siding. Its like T1-11, but its only 3/8” thick. It has a T&G lap for joining the long edges. I need them to be 48” wide so I eliminated the “T”. The jigsaw was used , although certainly plan B. My circular saw was sacrificed upon an Oak tree stump-grinding episode I wish I’d never taken part in.
The picture frame border is 1x4 furring strips. I figured since the panels were “rustic” I wouldn’t be too picky about the other wood elements. I used everything nearly full size with as few cuts as necessary.
Mitered corners acceptable fit.
Assembled with sparsely applied construction adhesive and a generously applied brad nail gun.
1 down 3 to go.
4 down I’ll let them sit and hopefully remain somewhat flat and square.
Covered by a tarp? Siri says “There is no rain in the forecast.”
I’m starting a barn-door project to close off one section of the garage. We want to cover / disguise a 16-foot section of storage shelves.
Sometimes I plan , design, and think about things for a while. Sometimes I just order a pile of materials and start cutting.
This is the saw table I made from mostly recycled materials. It was a big help when I was cutting steel tubing for the tailgate party Key Player bar trailer.
I bought 4 sheets of “shed panel” siding. Its like T1-11, but its only 3/8” thick. It has a T&G lap for joining the long edges. I need them to be 48” wide so I eliminated the “T”. The jigsaw was used , although certainly plan B. My circular saw was sacrificed upon an Oak tree stump-grinding episode I wish I’d never taken part in.
The picture frame border is 1x4 furring strips. I figured since the panels were “rustic” I wouldn’t be too picky about the other wood elements. I used everything nearly full size with as few cuts as necessary.
Mitered corners acceptable fit.
Assembled with sparsely applied construction adhesive and a generously applied brad nail gun.
1 down 3 to go.
4 down I’ll let them sit and hopefully remain somewhat flat and square.
Covered by a tarp? Siri says “There is no rain in the forecast.”
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With the lumber panels covered, I decided to get crazy and clean something.
My dad used to say “a clean car is a safe car.” Usually when I was being told to wash the windows on the family Falcon.
I don’t have a power washer - Any more. The last one was internally compromised by the grit in our well water. Today I will make do with a Walgreens-sourced hose end sprayer and some chlorine-based chemistry.
There’s a lot of gunk and grime to attempt to blast off. Well it got the big chunks - of paint! I guess the body work and surface prep I did before spraying this paint job in my parent’s driveway wasn’t up to par. Hang on. It was 41 years ago.
I used a bug sponge to grind off the upper crust of A-M-F (algae mold fungus) but that stuff has latched onto every surface, glass, chrome, rubber, paint like a coral concretion. I’m thinking the next round will involve power tools and 80 grit.
Cleaner and safer!
Clean cars are also more fun to work on. I'll tackle the interior another time.
Time capsule from the auto parts aisles in a 1970s K-Mart.
My sister gave me these fuzzy dice in the 80s.
I don't remember ever driving with them hanging from the rear view mirror, but that is where I found them today. think their time is up?
My dad used to say “a clean car is a safe car.” Usually when I was being told to wash the windows on the family Falcon.
I don’t have a power washer - Any more. The last one was internally compromised by the grit in our well water. Today I will make do with a Walgreens-sourced hose end sprayer and some chlorine-based chemistry.
There’s a lot of gunk and grime to attempt to blast off. Well it got the big chunks - of paint! I guess the body work and surface prep I did before spraying this paint job in my parent’s driveway wasn’t up to par. Hang on. It was 41 years ago.
I used a bug sponge to grind off the upper crust of A-M-F (algae mold fungus) but that stuff has latched onto every surface, glass, chrome, rubber, paint like a coral concretion. I’m thinking the next round will involve power tools and 80 grit.
Cleaner and safer!
Clean cars are also more fun to work on. I'll tackle the interior another time.
Time capsule from the auto parts aisles in a 1970s K-Mart.
My sister gave me these fuzzy dice in the 80s.
I don't remember ever driving with them hanging from the rear view mirror, but that is where I found them today. think their time is up?
86turbodsl
Well-known member
Looks like my Fairlane, which was last used pretty much when i got married, about 28 years ago. It sat outside for 20, and has been indoors for about 10 years. Good luck with the restoration!
captain14
Well-known member
Good luck in the new house and garage. I think you should be occupied for at least 5 more years…..
Ford52PU
Well-known member
good luck with the Mustang, looks pretty good from where I'm sitting. Theyre getting harder to find even though they made so many.
1966 was the peak production year with 422,416 hardtops. Form a rarity standpoint I have the least desireable model, hahaha.
Born with NO automatic transmission, NO power brakes, NO power steering, NO FM radio, NO deluxe interior....
It only has 2 factory / dealer options: V8 and air conditioning.
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Bodywork begins.
There were a couple of rust holes in the passenger side fender, and I wanted to plug the hole left in the top side where the stock AM radio antenna was removed and relocated to the back fender. Because sports car.
I found this rolling cart in the barn. It was in pieces, with the hardware thoughtfully stored in a baggie, and heavy duty sturdy steel construction. I washed it off and assembled it to see that it was too high for a work surface. I think it was an AV cart (think classroom or meeting space) that you would put a projector on top, or a TV on top with a Video below.
With the legs cut off at the middle, and the top shelf and moved it down to the bottom it was a good height for a work surface.
I have a 36" x 24" steel plate that I will use as a fabrication table top, but I didn't want to fasten it permanently to the cart. I also didn't want to fasten the vise permanently, so I made this little frame that bolts to the vise - then the pins drop down into the hollow legs on the cart. It seems pretty sturdy.
This fender project is on the 2nd can or rattle can spray primer, and I needed a fancy way to prep spray paint cans: "shaken, not stirred." I ground the end of this bar clamp to fit in the reciprocating saw. It works great .. but might need a smaller clamp with a shorter bar.
There were a couple of rust holes in the passenger side fender, and I wanted to plug the hole left in the top side where the stock AM radio antenna was removed and relocated to the back fender. Because sports car.
I found this rolling cart in the barn. It was in pieces, with the hardware thoughtfully stored in a baggie, and heavy duty sturdy steel construction. I washed it off and assembled it to see that it was too high for a work surface. I think it was an AV cart (think classroom or meeting space) that you would put a projector on top, or a TV on top with a Video below.
With the legs cut off at the middle, and the top shelf and moved it down to the bottom it was a good height for a work surface.
I have a 36" x 24" steel plate that I will use as a fabrication table top, but I didn't want to fasten it permanently to the cart. I also didn't want to fasten the vise permanently, so I made this little frame that bolts to the vise - then the pins drop down into the hollow legs on the cart. It seems pretty sturdy.
This fender project is on the 2nd can or rattle can spray primer, and I needed a fancy way to prep spray paint cans: "shaken, not stirred." I ground the end of this bar clamp to fit in the reciprocating saw. It works great .. but might need a smaller clamp with a shorter bar.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
That's frickin brilliant. I will happily steal that idea... thank you!
More moving-in
One of the goodies that came with the garage is this portable folding engine picker / hoist / crane. I had a non-stowable one for years, and used it right up until moving day. Then left it to the scavengers in Virginia.
Time to use the crane to free up some floor space, where my Mattel toy lathe has been parked for 8 months.
The machine shop is Open. Keeping the Chinese tool manufacturing industry afloat for 35 years.
One of the goodies that came with the garage is this portable folding engine picker / hoist / crane. I had a non-stowable one for years, and used it right up until moving day. Then left it to the scavengers in Virginia.
Time to use the crane to free up some floor space, where my Mattel toy lathe has been parked for 8 months.
The machine shop is Open. Keeping the Chinese tool manufacturing industry afloat for 35 years.
Birthday Bike
My wife has had this tricycle for 60 years. It sat exposed to the weather in her grandma's barn for decades, until we moved it to our garage for the past 10. I decided it was time to evaluate as a candidate for a re-gift. Here are some in-process photos of the 'rustoration'...
Although it was very crusty, the metal was surprisingly solid, even the seat and fender. Any parts that would fit in a 5-gallon bucket were soaked in a 25% acid solution (Tractor supply milkstone dairy cleaner). Then the steel was sanded, primed, painted, and polished. It used Radio Flyer brand plastic parts to replace the original hand grips, pedals, and rear tires.
I got it done in time for her birthday. She cried. She also said she wouldn't leave it outside any more.
It is actually a Western Flyer brand. The serial number on the front fender reads 59XXXX, I assume 59 to be the year it was made.
My wife has had this tricycle for 60 years. It sat exposed to the weather in her grandma's barn for decades, until we moved it to our garage for the past 10. I decided it was time to evaluate as a candidate for a re-gift. Here are some in-process photos of the 'rustoration'...
Although it was very crusty, the metal was surprisingly solid, even the seat and fender. Any parts that would fit in a 5-gallon bucket were soaked in a 25% acid solution (Tractor supply milkstone dairy cleaner). Then the steel was sanded, primed, painted, and polished. It used Radio Flyer brand plastic parts to replace the original hand grips, pedals, and rear tires.
I got it done in time for her birthday. She cried. She also said she wouldn't leave it outside any more.
It is actually a Western Flyer brand. The serial number on the front fender reads 59XXXX, I assume 59 to be the year it was made.