Post Recession Shop Rehabilitation Project

[NedNorton]

Shop cleanup and FJ60 stuff…

The weather in Colorado has been ridiculously warm for the last week. When I say ridiculous, I’m talking in the 70’s in Denver and in the high 50’s up here at 8,500 feet. With all the warm weather the snow has melted off and I figured it would be a good time to get a trailer and pickup the “new” frame from the Yota Yard.

They called a little while ago and said that the donor 60 was broken down and they had the frame ready to be picked up. (Have to love it being stored on the junked minivan )

Loaded up in the rented 12’ trailer.

This frame has a little surface rust here and there but nothing terrible. The one currently under the FJ60 has a bent front cross member.

Back up the hill and dropped of the trailer on the side of the house. Up on jack stands so I can start stripping off all the little bits and pieces and get it ready to take down to the blaster. (February in Colorado with NO snow!) My wife had some choice words about our growing lawn art collection. (Que the Sanford and Son theme song) In the interest of maintaining the domestic peace, I should prioritize getting the frame cleaned up, blasted and into the shop sooner rather later. Although it's warm out now, I would like to avoid sleeping in the dog house if at all possible.

I did spend sometime last night before going out to dinner cleaning the shop up and moving a few things back into place.

I’m hoping to have sometime this week to spend working on the BMW motor swap and finish up the Chop saw station design. Getting those two done will open up a little space for the FJ frame.

Thanks, as always, for reading along.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[BBChevro]

Our wives just don't appreciate fine lawn art Chris.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Chris,

Haven't had a chance to pop in to your thread in a while - everythings looking awesome as usual! Keep up the great work. The lift looks awesome, I think I am actually pulling the trigger on one for my garage

I feel your pain on the valve cover gasket...I did a pair on my wife's Sorento in Jan and it was an absolute bear. I was amazed at how much needed to be removed just to get at the thing. Did the plugs and wires while I was in there too, and what a treat that was.........

 

[1/2 Cup]

Our wives just don't appreciate fine lawn art Chris.

You are right on the money there Mark.

 

[NedNorton]

Mark (BBChevro) and 1/2 Cup - I'm sure that you have the Australian version of Craig's List and I'm sure that it has contributed to many a marital discussion! My wife is always looking over my shoulder when I'm looking through Craig's List for the next best deal that I can't just let pass by. We've only been married for a few years so maybe as time passes she will gain an appreciation for good lawn art. It's like fine wine. I mean, come on... The Land Cruiser is fantastic!

Mr. Roboto - Get those taxes done so you can get the lift installed!

Thanks for checking in gentleman. As always, I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, We have Gumtree which is I guess is similar to Craigslist from what I see.
I am pretty fortunate that Mrs 1/2 Cup is pretty supportive in that respect and too some degree is becoming a mini me and after 39 years of marriage it does take time so hang in there.

Regards

 

[NedNorton]

Shop cleanup and FJ60 stuff…

The weather in Colorado has been ridiculously warm for the last week. When I say ridiculous, I’m talking in the 70’s in Denver and in the high 50’s up here at 8,500 feet.

I should have kept quiet.

Sunday afternoon... 60 degrees and sunny!

This morning... 16+ new inches of fresh snow and 22 degrees.

You have to love Colorado.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[tribri]

Ski day! Go enjoy the fresh pow!

 

[mefast]

I should have kept quiet.

Sunday afternoon... 60 degrees and sunny!

This morning... 16+ new inches of fresh snow and 22 degrees.

You have to love Colorado.

Cheers,
Chris

Great job on the improvements to the garage Chris! I love the look of that MaxJax. Might have to invest in one as well.

I hear what you mean about lawn art and Craigslist. I'm always on kijiji (Canada's Craigslist) looking for deals and cool vehicles. My truck didn't run great last year with the polar vortex temperatures which didn't make the Mrs very happy.

As for the weather, I called winter too soon as well. Went at raking part of the lawn last night. Turns out they're calling for freezing rain tomorrow and 10-15 cm (4-6 in) of snow on Sunday. At least El Nino kept the heating costs down this year.

 

[dhubbard422]

I should have kept quiet.

Sunday afternoon... 60 degrees and sunny!


This morning... 16+ new inches of fresh snow and 22 degrees.


You have to love Colorado.

Cheers,
Chris

Ahh! Now that is more like the Ned I remember! 50's in Ned in February... that was highly unusual!

Don
P.S. Your shop is looking great!

 

[rosssloan68]

Chris,
I chimed in once before asking some questions about your cabinets. I have closed on my new(to me) house and have begun my garage makeover. I'm taking lots of pics and will start a thread once I have a little more progress. I found a good deal on some 3/4" cabinet grade plywood and bought a few sheets. I'm starting my cabinets and have a couple questions. I'm good with how I'm going to door my doors and face frames, my questions are about the cabinet carcasses. Was there a reason you chose a 10" depth? I'd like to use a French cleat system to hang my cabinets also, but can't figure out how you made the transition from your 1/4" cabinet back to the cleat on the cabinet? Have you ever done a cabinet like this without a back? just use the sheetrock as a back and have the French cleat at the top and maybe a 1x at the bottom? I also love your color scheme and would like to copy it if you don't mind. colors? thanks in advance for any info!

 

[NedNorton]

rossloan68,

First off, congratulations on the new house! That is terrific! I'm looking forward to reading your progress. Having a thread here on GJ has been a big help in keeping me motivated, for sure. It is a terrific bunch of folks here.

As to the cabinet questions...

Here is the cross section of the main shallow cabinet. You can see that the 1/4 back is on the bottom section only and the part with the french cleat uses the drywall as the back.

I did put a continuous 1/4 back on the other cabinets. Here is a picture of how that construction detail is done. The back is in a 1/4 dado inset 3/4" and then the french cleat is put on top of that.

The downside to using the drywall as the back is minimal so, if you do I would use a cleat at the top and a stiffener at the bottom. I just like having full backs just in case the wall isn't completely flat.

On the cabinet depth...
Most of the stuff that is being stored in the cabinet fit the depth dimension and it was built to handle those things. Most supplies are packaged to fit that depth. Here are some examples.

Chris,
I also love your color scheme and would like to copy it if you don't mind. colors?

Not a problem at all! Have at it! Paint...

Glidden Ultra-Hide 220 - This is a good contractor quality paint that won't break the bank. I used Semi-Gloss as it adds to the durability.

Colors...

Top 2/3 of the wall/Ceiling - WHITE - STRAIGHT FROM THE CAN
Bottom 1/3 of the wall - PEBBLE GREY 00NN 53/000
Wall Stripe - SEAL GREY 00NN 25/000
Cabinet Doors - CONNECTICUT BLUE 90BG 17/090

Stripe- 3 1/4" thick and 41" from the floor to the top of the stripe.

I hope that this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions and good luck with the project!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

Ski day! Go enjoy the fresh pow!

Man, I wish! I have a project finishing up and we are going to final inspections so no playing hooky for me.

mefast - Thanks for the good words and stopping in. All the snow is almost gone and it is supposed to be in the 50's this week. This has been a really warm winter. As for the lawn art and the wife... i get "some" leeway since she was there for the Norton rebuild and knows that progress, however slow, will get the project done. The LC is something we both want so we can take the family camping. The BMW's don't do rocks!

Don (dhubbard422) - Good for hear from you! This week is supposed to be 50's in Ned and 60's in Denver. My wife and I have only been skiing a handful of times this year. There is no snow. Can't complain though, I'm sure that we are in for one of those 5 footers any day!

Thanks for checking in and posting, guys.

I worked the real job all weekend getting a project to finals. This week looks just as busy so I'm not hopeful that I will have any shop time. If I can work a few hours here and there, I may try and tackle the bathroom drywall.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[rosssloan68]

Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!

 

[NedNorton]

rosssloan68, Happy to help! Let us know how the project goes and once you get your thread going give us the heads up here so we don't miss it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Farmall450]

Damn, just stumbled across this thread. It's looking amazing!

 

[dhubbard422]

Don (dhubbard422) - Good for hear from you! This week is supposed to be 50's in Ned and 60's in Denver. My wife and I have only been skiing a handful of times this year. There is no snow. Can't complain though, I'm sure that we are in for one of those 5 footers any day!

Cheers,
Chris

Well, as I am sure you know, the two snowiest months in Colorado are just starting!

Says the former Coloradan that now lives in Central Texas! Of course, we've already seen +80 degree days here, which means it might be a bit scary come summer...

Don

 

[shortykorte]

Hey the snow made the frame look better. Lol. Looked like a perfect day to go skiing.

 

[NedNorton]

Farmall450 – Thanks, and welcome! Hope you enjoy the ramblings.

Don (dhubbard422) – Always great when you stop in. No kidding on the snowy months ahead. Back in ’09 we had 7 feet in 3 days the first week of April. The power was out for almost a week and I had to get my excavator to come over with the Bulldozer and dig us out. The warmer it is now the more we all get that feeling that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It’s coming… For sure. 80? Already? Is there AC planned for the shop?

Shorty (shortykorte) – My wife shares your aesthetic opinion of the frame. Better covered with snow! It will be in the shop soon enough. I’m aiming for mid summer.

Thanks guys for checking in.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

Drywall… The never-ending penance. Forget the rock and the hill; if Sisyphus were ticking the Gods off today, they would make him finish drywall for forever.

Quick note on context... I have a project that is in the mists of getting final inspections and for the most part things are hectic but going as planned; except for an electrical inspector that continually changes how he interprets the codes. We build good projects, well and to code. We continually have things looked at for compliance along the way so there aren’t any issues. This guy approves something one day and then denies it the next causing us to have to do things twice even after he approved the mock-up. This all costs both money and time. Frustrating…

So, if that weren’t enough I decided that tonight I would get going on the bathroom drywall. I’m a glutton for punishment.

Here is the room all cleared out and ready to finish the mudding with the nice shinny shop reflection in the window…

The box of woe… (i.e. Drywall tools etc.)

I got the first round of mud up and it should be ready to sand tomorrow. Too bad the wife and I are headed out of town to see some friends this weekend so most likely it will have to wait until Monday. (Do you hear me crying big tears about that?)

I’m griping a bit, OK maybe a lot, but having the bathroom up and running will be great. It is getting the same paintjob as the shop walls. I’m even going to trim/paint the window and the door so it will be solidly in the “completed” category. Also, I’m looking into a stainless work sink but may save the cash and use a pedestal that I got from an old job. We’ll see.

Thanks as always for reading the ramblings, I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Lyndon]

Chris

Ah - the bathroom...... Doing that myself now, but much MUCH slower than you are planning on. Mine's been going for a month now and it ain't nowhere near done yet.....

This having to work full time is a real bummer . . . I don't get enough time to do anything.

Lyndon
Also away for the weekend - it's our avinersary (27th) and she wants to "go away".

 

[shortykorte]

Nothing better than sanding in a small room.

Is there not a process to report bad inspectors? I know they think they are a god but this seems pretty blatant.

 

[longlivepunk]

When I was doing my electrical to have my power sent through the garage then underground to the house I had some similar experiences. Mine was at least different inspectors, but everyone had their own interpretation of the code. Talk about frustrating.

Sent from my B15 using Tapatalk

 

[ilovevocs]

Nice work your doing. Just found your thread and read through it. Congratulations on your progress; nothing like a clean, organized, and efficient work space,

 

[NedNorton]

Chris

This having to work full time is a real bummer . . . I don't get enough time to do anything.

I’ll take the work over the alternative. I for one am happy to see you healthy and back at it, even if the bathroom takes a bit longer! :thumb: Thanks for checking in!

Is there not a process to report bad inspectors? I know they think they are a god but this seems pretty blatant.

Already on it. I’m not the only PM that is having issues with this guy. I hate going over his head but when you continue to do your job poorly, there aren’t many options. I have owner’s that are frustrated about the delays and, rightfully so. I, unfortunately, become the person they vent to. Makes the day more stressful than it needs to be, for sure.

Longlivepunk – Yep, I always say that the inspectors can be hard Asses as long as they are consistent hard Asses. I think most folks want to do it right so set the expectation and it will be met. It is when the goal line moves that things get difficult.

Anyway… How are things in the great white north? Is your garage coming together? How about the university fab stuff?

iloveocs – The shop is getting there, little by little. Thanks for getting through the thread and chiming in. It keeps my motivation up! There should be a lot more to come, I hope the progress still warrants the time to read it!

Thanks guys for looking in, I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

The warm weather continues here in the mountains. The wife and I spent the weekend in Breckenridge visiting some friends and making a few turns. No bathroom work to report on from the weekend but, It was 50 degrees during the days and the snow is melting fast. It could be a rough summer since we all get our drinking water from the snowpack. I can’t believe I’m saying this but, I’m hoping we get dumped on over the next 2 months. We need it.

Shop progress… 6pm-12am

Tonight I did get quite a bit done, actually. I should have I was at it for 6 hours! First up, my all-time favorite, sanding drywall. Like Shorty said, sanding drywall in a small, enclosed area was just wonderful! I was covered.

After my atonement for my past-life wrongdoings was done I got the ceiling/walls primed and painted. The window and the doorframe are primed and ready to be painted tomorrow along with the stripe…

While the primer was drying in the bathroom I took the door down and primed and painted it also.

Yep, it's a grey door... Exciting right?

I’m picking up some new hinges and hardware tomorrow so hopefully it will all go back together tomorrow night. My wife is out of town for work so this is prime shop time. Who knows, I may even get a few sticks of trim and knock it all out after work.

I will still need to set the fixtures but that can happen one at a time as I get time to throw at it.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

Nicely done.

 

[jbmatth]

It amazes me sometimes what can be accomplished with a good chuck of solid time tossed at a project. Congrats on being done with drywall!!!!? Hopefully you are done at least.
JB

 

[NedNorton]

Nicely done.

Thanks for the encouragement. Your handrail is looking great!

JB (jbmath) – I’m done with drywall… until I start working on the garage. Hopefully that will be far enough in the future that I will have forgotten this round. Yes, it always is great to have a chunk of uninterrupted time. I feel like things get done!

How is the Cobra coming along?

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

A quick few moments to get some painting done…

Work is busy (what else is new) so I only had a few minutes to throw at the shop before having to get some more real work done tonight. I had planned on getting the trim done but with the condensed schedule, I had to settle for painting.

The stripe is done along with the doorframe and the window (still need to take a razor bade and clean up the glass). Unfortunately, I may have jumped the gun a little and I had a small spot of paint peel in the corner when I pulled the tape. No biggie. I’ll touch it up in the next day or so.

I’ll grab the hardware in the next few days and get the door hung. For now, it’s nice to see the bathroom painted. Next on the painting list is the main door for the shop. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

Oh well... One wall, one fixture, one cabinet and now one door at a time.

Thanks, as always, for reading along.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, you should be very proud of your efforts, looking stunning.

Regards

 

[dhubbard422]

Chris, Your shop is really coming along nicely! It's nearly always "one day at a time", "one step at a time"... except when it's also a bunch of shuffling steps - sideways, backwards and occasionally forwards! It appears you make a bunch of steps forward. Nice work.

 

[Huxley]

Good stuff all around! Subscribed.

You will appreciate this place (& maybe hate it depending on $$$ spent): Assenmacher Specialty Tool
They are in Boulder / Gunbarrel.

For door hardware, this place in Denver has tons of stuff. Including ball bearing hinges for $1 ea.
Extra Building Materials

 

[NedNorton]

Today we lost Doc. He was just under 2 years old. My wife and I adopted him after our oldest Aussie passed. Up here in the mountains there is a special bond between us and the dogs. They keep watch,protect, and look after the family. They are family.

He had been abused by his former owner and we took him in. He always loved my wife but because the former abuser was a man, it took sometime for him to trust me but with a little time and love, we became pals. We became family. He was on a walk with a neighbor's son and his life was cut short by a car. Words cannot explain how much we, I will miss him. By all accounts we had a decade plus in front of us and that is no more...

We laid him to rest in the aspens.

Sleep well, pal. Mom and Dad love and miss you.

 

[longlivepunk]

Oh man, I'm really sorry to hear that, Chris. I have two dogs and I love them like crazy, I can't imagine how tough it would be to have them abruptly taken away like that.

Is the neighbor kid okay? Must have been pretty traumatic.

Sent from my B15 using Tapatalk

 

[1949 caddyman]

We are dog people also, so sorry for your loss.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Chris, so terribly sorry for your loss. Losing a member of the family is never an easy thing. Wishing you the best.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, our thoughts are with you, its a petty tough thing to go through.

Regards

 

[Lyndon]

Today we lost Doc.



We laid him to rest in the aspens.

Sleep well, pal. Mom and Dad love and miss you.

Chris

Very sorry for your loss. A good dog is a good companion that never questions you.

Wow. Great photo for you to remember him by too.....

Lyndon
Suddenly tearing up (it's just the Chemo is my excuse - what's yours )

 

[dhubbard422]

Chris,

So sorry to read about Doc. Happy, though that he had been rescued by y'all and had known kindness.

All our best,
Don