Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[markviii]

sweet old bill - his good looks, smooth talk or just plain good lucks (he would say "clean living") got him through some tight time schedules. At least the neighbors didn't throw rocks when he worked with the heavy equipment into the o-dark hours to get projects done. Also, the gold bar wouldn't have gone very far on this 13-year project. If we would have kept the $ from the many tons of recycled metal, it might have been a little dent.

Tom planted grass 2 weeks ago and we now have grass sprouting everywhere he wanted it. It's going to snow tonight, but that will cover it nicely. He planted grass the first week in November the past 2 years with great success, so there was little doubt it would be the same this year.

PC1: Labor Day looks like it could work. I'm sure we'll drive the new Corvette down. I;ve missed seeing you the past 2 years at Indy. Now Bloomington Gold has moved again.

Chris

 

[9C1]

I am looking forward to Labor Day 2019. I might have the C8 by then. Seeing you both would be icing on the cake.

Bloomington Gold is still at Indy, and will be next June. I am not sure after that. As far as I know there has been no announcement beyond 2019.

The North Carolina event has been an addition for the last three years and I expect will be in 2019. It seems to be quite successful and Mr. Hendricks and the Queen City Corvette Club have been great hosts. So now we have BG twice a year.

 

[avmaine]

Re: What's Been Going On........

I heard that tri motor is a real freight train on short final especially if some crosswind crops up.

 

[1949 caddyman]

I found my Shell steak knife in my tool box yesterday & got to thinking where is the Beltsville Shell book?

 

[56vette461]

Hi 1949 caddyman,

Unless it has hit the road again it should be with Thomas and Chris. I was the last scheduled reader and I mailed it to them several weeks ago.

 

[BB767]

Beltsville Shell Status Report

Hi everyone. Al you are correct, you were the last scheduled reader so Beltsville Shell is resting comfortably in front of me on my desk at present. To the best of my knowledge, the latest reading list has been all completed. I've been waiting to see if there was any more interest in reading BS 1.0. I know several of you have purchased your own personal copies. If there is enough interest, we'll begin to assemble another member reading list. This would be the 4th North American Tour if enough folks want to participate.

It made a successful European Tour in 2015 along with Tours of Australia in 2016 and New Zealand in 2014. I think there would have to be a large overseas interest for it to leave North America again any time soon. I'm concerned about the risk of losing it outside of this continent. You might recall we did lose it for a number of months in 2014 only for it to miraculously turn up in New Zealand of all places.

Member Mike Oberst started this fun Brotherhood of the Traveling Book (BOTTB) 6 years ago in Nov, 2012. Thanks Mike, great idea! Since then, this copy has been read by 65 folks from this thread and received 100% positive reviews. Both author Cary Thomas and I feel all this is totally cool! And speaking of Cary Thomas, he is due to finally retire at the end of this year and he is counting the days. Cary is the Chief Information Officer at The Scripps Research Institute, a nonprofit American medical research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences and is just an all around great guy.

So that's an update and Gary your Shell steak knife is a great artifact from a time gone by. Thanks for sharing it with us here and thank all of you who have participated in the BOTTB and kept it safe and secure mailing it around the world the last 6 years. It has really been fun sharing BS 1.0 with others here.

I'm more than willing to start another reader list if there's a demand. That list starts here....................

Thomas

 

[tkbowman]

Thomas, if you would PM me pictures of the reader list in the book, I could finish the map of the book's travels that I agreed to do. It was a great read!


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[BB767]

Shop Railing

Here are details on the railing that I fabricated for the old shop.



3 rectangular section were made. This is the outer section closest to the shop.



All sections were TIG welded for better control of heat and a neater overall appearance plus I've got a swell Miller TIG welder. The square tubing was 1.5" (3.8 cm) square and the top hand rail was 2" (5 cm) wide. The outer 2 sections had legs...



...that were 42" (107 cm) long. All sections were sealed up including...



...the ends of the legs. That would keep moisture out of the sections and prevent them from rusting from the inside out. Since I was going to powder coat them (surprise! ) I had to install hanging tabs on them. That was so they had a means to hang them from during the powder coating process without the hanging wire disturbing the power coat on the finished surfaces. The tabs were placed low enough so that when the railing was installed, the tabs would be below ground level and not seen.

The center section didn't have legs. It was bolted to the 2 outer sections.



Tabs to bolt the sections together was fabricated...



...out of bar stock. After the layout was done, the bolt holes were drilled first and then they were cut to length and also...



...cut partially though where they would be bent.



Each tab was placed in the vise with the bottom part...



...slightly proud to the vise jaws. Now they could be bent over easily. Once bent to the correct angle, the cut bend joint was then weld filled.



To find out where the tabs should be placed and get the correct angles on the tabs, the 2 outer rectangular sections were placed in the ground and the center section was clamped to them. Note: to compensate for the sloping elevation change in the ground, I made the center section a parallelogram and that worked out nicely.



Here's a closeup of this clamping process. There were several surfaces that all had to be lined up to mark placement of the tabs and get them bent to the correct angle.



Here's a look after the tabs were bent and installed and the sections bolted together. I used these tabs to bolt everything together so there would be no holes in the railing sections, again to keep moisture and rust out of them.



To install the legs in the ground was a bit of a challenge. Here 2 pipes have been hammered into the ground to make holes for the legs. Remember the lower section of the legs was 42" long.



The legs were placed into the ground 30" (76 cm) deep. By having so much of the leg in the ground they were very rigid without having to resort to concrete to set them in.



I wanted to disturb the surrounding soil as little as possible, so to make a hole that deep and small in cross-section...



...I sledge hammered a pipe into the ground 30" deep. When I withdrew it...



...the center of the pipe brought up soil from the hole so now I had a nice 2" diameter hole into which I could install the 1.5" square leg. After a test fitting to make sure everything was lined up, plumb and fit correctly...



...the railing sections were powder coated silver and then installed carefully.



Note how nice that center parallelogram section works out with the ground slope.







To bolt the sections together I used stainless steel (SS) all-thread cut to length, SS washers and acorn nuts to give a better overall finished appearance.





By having the railing sections curve around from each other slightly also aids in giving the railing more rigidity.

You don't even want to know how much time I spent on this little project! Hours and hours and more hours but I'm extremely happy with the results. It presents a simple, neat, clean appearance that is highly functional and with luck should last decades, long after I'm gone. I'm confident Mr. Johnson would approve.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Thomas, if you would PM me pictures of the reader list in the book, I could finish the map of the book's travels that I agreed to do. It was a great read!


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I will do that Tim. Thank you for taking that little task on for me. Watch for a PM from me shortly.

If there was any doubt, it looks like another reader list for Tour #4 is starting to form. Either PM me or post your interest on the thread and we'll organize it. You'll be glad you did. Watch this space.

Thomas

Tim I have now sent you a PM.

 

[timbitca]

I just got back from a trip back in time, to around late summer 2013 when I apparently left this thread, and what a ride it was to get back to 2018.

 

[tkbowman]

I will do that Tim. Thank you for taking that little task on for me. Watch for a PM from me shortly.



If there was any doubt, it looks like another reader list for Tour #4 is starting to form. Either PM me or post your interest on the thread and we'll organize it. You'll be glad you did. Watch this space.



Thomas



Tim I have now sent you a PM.

Received! Thanks.


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[rmalkow2]

The railing looks great and the amount of hours you put into this show most in the quality of the finished product. Nicely done!

Besides, who else can say they bored round holes in to the center of the universe and then fit handmade square pegs successfully into those holes!

 

[rlwhitetr3b]

square pegs in a round hole... classic!

 

[stillp]

Thomas, nice railing. Is there a reason why you added legs to a rectangular section instead of continuing the vertical part of the rectangle downwards to form the leg?

Pete

 

[markviii]

stillp - maybe he just likes to practice his welding skills?

 

[realvc]

I thought he offset the leg to miss the french drain from the corner of the building.
Will this be on the test?

 

[BB767]

I just got back from a trip back in time, to around late summer 2013 when I apparently left this thread, and what a ride it was to get back to 2018.

Well a warm welcome back timbitca. Time travel, yeah that's a good description for your catching up! As you can see a lot has happened while you were away! No rest for the wicked! I'll bet it was a hoot to see everything unfold. Hope you'll check back a little more frequently in the future. There's more coming.

The railing looks great........

Besides, who else can say they bored round holes in to the center of the universe and then fit handmade square pegs successfully into those holes!

Extremely clever of you on that Bob! I got a good laugh out of it.



I should have known when I met you at Bonneville last August you were a clever fellow. Good to hear you had a good time out there.

Thomas, nice railing. Is there a reason why you added legs to a rectangular section instead of continuing the vertical part of the rectangle downwards to form the leg?

Pete

Pete that was a very astute observation on your part and an excellent question. My Scottish heritage was coming out as I was putting a material list together for the railing. To maximize the stock of 1.5" tubing I already had on hand, I didn't have any material long enough to make those long end leg sections in 1 piece. As realvc suggested, I did have to offset for the drain tile on one end as it was. So instead of buying 3 long pieces for the other ends...



...I used up my existing stock and hoped no one would notice the splice joints on the bottom. I guess I should have known better that the sharp gang here would spot them! In my defense though, they are pretty good splice joints don't you think?

I thought he offset the leg to miss the french drain from the corner of the building.
Will this be on the test?

You are absolutely correct, that's what I did on the end closest to the building.



That gutter empties into a drain tile in the ground and I offset that end leg to give the tile line plenty of clearance. Blame Pete if Chris puts this on the test, it's all his fault!!

Thomas

 

[Sweet Old Bill]

Thomas said: "splice joint"; a lot of our members know what a "vice joint" is; but "splice joint", that must be a different joint. j/k

 

[rmalkow2]

Thomas,
Thanks for the compliment but I'm not sure i'm all that clever. But even the blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
Speaking of Bonneville, I had a great time. It was fulfilling a life dream to attend and it exceeded all my expectations. And, partly due to meeting you and Lou and your welcoming attitude. Thank you so much for taking time to meet up and show me around a bit. I am definitely hooked now and already making plans to come back in 2019. This time to get there for the start of the event and maybe even a couple days early if I can.

See you on the Salt!

 

[stillp]

stillp - maybe he just likes to practice his welding skills?

I don't think he needs any more practice Chris!

Just a thought - I'd want to put some rubber sheet between those joints where the railing sections bolt together, otherwise won't slight movements (such as expansion when the sun heats it) cause the powder coating to crack where the two parts touch?

Pete

 

[stillp]

Blame Pete if Chris puts this on the test, it's all his fault!!

Thomas

Pete

 

[bluestripe67]

WOW! You especially, and Chris are continuing to live the full retirement life you didn't expect, correct? New C-7, flying a Tri-motor, Bonneville Salt Flats, and continued enhancement to a great home. Save some time for next Aug for the 25th Anniversary Corvette Caravan to the National Corvette Museum. Get a C-2 ready! I'm signing up from my part of the country. Happy Thanksgiving! Dennis

 

[BB767]

......

Just a thought - I'd want to put some rubber sheet between those joints where the railing sections bolt together, otherwise won't slight movements (such as expansion when the sun heats it) cause the powder coating to crack where the two parts touch?

Pete

I thought about that Pete but decided against it for a couple of reasons. I didn't think there would be any way to insert something between the sections and make it look good and mostly I can't imagine the sections moving independently from one another, even slightly. Note the tabs are made from very stout material and they are bolted up very tightly to each other. Powder coating is pretty durable material so I think I'll be OK. I'll keep an eye on it and if I'm wrong I'll catch it before it gets bad and correct it.

Thanks for the heads up it though.

WOW! You especially, and Chris are continuing to live the full retirement life you didn't expect, correct? New C-7, flying a Tri-motor, Bonneville Salt Flats, and continued enhancement to a great home. Save some time for next Aug for the 25th Anniversary Corvette Caravan to the National Corvette Museum. Get a C-2 ready! I'm signing up from my part of the country. Happy Thanksgiving! Dennis

Dennis I tell people all the time I'm living the dream and I'm not kidding! Number 1 is that Chris still makes my heart skip a beat even after all these years together.

Life is what you make of it, live the life you want to have. I'm a big believer in the power of positive thinking....and with a little bit of hard work thrown in.

I've driven my '66 coupe to the National Corvette Museum for the last 2 summers...



...and I'm going again this year for the 25th Anniversary. I'm pretty sure...



...we'll be taking the new car this time though. Chris likes it for trips much better than either of my older ones. I'm looking forward to seeing Terry's new C8 there and we'll look for you as well.

On another subject, I've already had a PM asking if that was one of my '64 Impala Super Sports on eBay right now. Wow, it's only been on there a few hours and already someone spotted it and recognized the house and the old shop from the pictures. Well yes, it is mine, the black California car...







I decided I don't need 3 '64 Impala Super Sports plus a '62 Super Sport along with the Corvettes, so this one is going to a new home. Listing is #123504753997 BTW.

Thomas

 

[markviii]

It's amazing to me that people recognize our property from the background of pictures on the internet!

Maybe we can have a reunion of Restored 1930s Auto Shop participants at the Corvette Museum next year. It seems like many on this thread have a Corvette (or two...or three...) and could fulfill a bucket list item by attending the 25th anniversary of the museum. Since we've sort of announced we'll be there, why not make it happen?

There's so much to be thankful for - Tom, family, friends (both virtual and in person ones). With so much crazy stuff going on in the country and world, this thread is definitely a positive part of our life. Thanks to all of you for making it fun.

Enjoy time with family and friends today. Every day's a blessing.

Chris

 

[Joe-R]

Happy Thanksgiving to you Chris & Thomas and the rest of the gang here!

Joe

 

[Lootenny]

All right, if there is a GJ gathering at the National Corvette Museum, I’m in! I’ll be the guy being beaten in the parking lot for driving this...just like this, no body!


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[9C1]

LooTenny

You will be a big hit at the Corvette Museum. I think they have a "cut-away" 1953 there already, so you will fit right in.

Don't worry we are a very welcoming group.

BTW: There are over 3000 participants signed up already.
Terry

 

[BB767]

New House Address Numbers

This is a little background material on one of the details outside the house that I suspect you might find interesting, it's a little different.



When we were cleaning the yard up after the old family home was removed we uncovered this rather large bolder. It was too heavy to move with the backhoe so we had to push it with the bulldozer. I positioned it in the corner by the entrance to the driveway. I wasn't too sure at that time what I was going to with it yet, but it had promise.



While the driveway concrete was being finished you can see the rock just behind and above the green telephone connection station in the center by the dirt piles.



While we were doing the final yard grade work, the rock was moved out of the way, seen in the background and to the right of the power pole. That corner has a power pole, a fire hydrant and phone company connection station all in close proximity to each other so I wanted to minimize the visual impact of those. Especially since they were right by the driveway entrance.



By using rocks and boulders from the property and local farm fields that I had picked up...



... I thought that might help disguise and minimize those utility items.

By now I had decided I was going to see if the house address numbers could be etched onto the boulder. A local monument company was contacted about etching numbers onto it where it sat and was told they could do so. Cool!



To help visualize where and the size of the numbers...



... I used blue painters tape to get an idea.



I took a picture of the rock and then using my computer I Photo-shopped in various sized numbers, spacing and different fonts. I also tried putting the numbers on a slant for a bit more visual interest.



Once all that was decided, the monument company was brought in to etch the rock. First they ground a relatively flat area into the rock with a hand electric grinder.



Next a stencil with the numbers was transferred onto the rock.



Then using pneumatic power and the stencil outline, the numbers were hand etched in.



Once the numbers were etched...



... they were high-lighted with black epoxy paint to get better contrast so they could be seen better.



I'll use some small plantings in among the rocks next summer to soften the appearance. I deliberately used oversized numbers so I could see it in my later years when I'm old and feeble!



On the right side, you can see what the rock looks like when it's wet. That really brings out the color better so next summer I'll seal the rock which will permanently give it that wet look and bring that wonderful color out.



Circa 2005



Circa 2018

Thanks everyone. BTW, Beltsville Shell is starting its 4th North American Tour later this week. Watch this space.

Thomas

 

[donnie]

How do you think these things up? That rock Boulder looks great.

 

[ZRX61]

How about coating the rock with BLO?

 

[BlueBomber]

Thomas: if you dont mind sharing, about how much did you pay for that work to be done? I have a similar boulder at the end of my driveway that came out of the ground during my garage build. I have the same plan, but intended to do it myself. However, if the price is reasonable, I'd pay someone to do it.

Here's the foundation guy hauling it (just barely!) with his 10,000 lb excavator.

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[Grizz1963]

And I challenge pretty much any person to steal that numbered rock as a memento of a visit to your home.

In a way, the whole design to me also symbolise all the jobs coming together, some small, some rather big and monumental.

I like that a lot.

 

[rmalkow2]

Once again good use of the native materials found on the property.

 

[rlwhitetr3b]

Are you sure you do not want to powder coat the boulder?

 

[ZRX61]

And I challenge pretty much any person to steal that numbered rock as a memento of a visit to your home.

I wouldn't be taking any bets. Years ago a friend was driving to work with a 6000lb wrecking ball on a trailer. He took a corner a bit fast, it broke free & fell off. Rolled into the gutter. BIG dent in the road.
He went to get a crane to lift it back on the trailer & when he got back it had gone, just the big dent in the road when it had landed. Never did find it.

 

[Grizz1963]

I wouldn't be taking any bets. Years ago a friend was driving to work with a 6000lb wrecking ball on a trailer. He took a corner a bit fast, it broke free & fell off. Rolled into the gutter. BIG dent in the road.
He went to get a crane to lift it back on the trailer & when he got back it had gone, just the big dent in the road when it had landed. Never did find it.

Good point.


Where there’s a will, someone will want to be in it and all that,

 

[stillp]

How about coating the rock with BLO?

Linseed oil will darken with age.*

Pete

*maybe I should put some on my hair...

 

[stillp]

Re: New House Address Numbers

Circa 2018

Looking good Thomas! Do you still have the Terraplane yard art?

Pete

 

[Homebody]

Thomas and Chris, it's been a couple years since we came down there and picked up bucket fulls of remnants of Johnson's Welding Shop but don't think we've forgotten about em!
As I told you then, we like to repurpose old stuff into useful stuff and planned to put it all to good use. Well, as you know life tends to get in the way sometimes and other things take priority. We had both our kids get married in the past 2 years and spent the better part of that time turning our 100 year old barn into a wedding venue.
Brand the Barn by Laine Olson, on Flickr


Now that that fun stuff is behind us, we can get back to doing other projects in our spare time...
I put the Gates belt hangar to good use in my own Mancave, seen here in the left corner.
20170415_161944 by Laine Olson, on Flickr

Being that there was so much giving on your end, I also gave some of the stuff to my brother in law - who is also a Johnson - and being retired has more time than me..lol He took a bunch of the 4 way tire irons that were in those buckets and made these snowflakes for our garages.
2018-11-26_03-51-15 by Laine Olson, on Flickr
2018-11-27_08-50-57 by Laine Olson, on Flickr
2018-11-27_09-24-32 by Laine Olson, on Flickr

As you know, there is still a TON of stuff left in those buckets that will be put to good use for others to enjoy!!

Thanks again, Have a Joyous Holiday Season!!

 

[markviii]

Laine/Trisha - Wow! That's a lot of work to transform your space into a "gathering place". It's great to see items from the Johnson (now Payne) place re-purposed in such pleasing-to-the-eye ways. Love the tire iron snowflakes. They really fit the venue. (Are they powder coated?)

We love to see the ripples spread out from the Center of the Universe in such unique ways.

Enjoy your new adventure in your re-purposed space.

Chris