the bionic doghouse

[mustangmccance]

I am excited today. they delivered the toilet and shower yesterday. they still have not delivered the septic tank. Hopefully soon. I am going to start figuring out how I want to build the walls for the bathroom this weekend. I want to have a functional bathroom that I can use to bathe the dogs as well, at the same time I want to minimize the loss of space my woodshop will suffer. going to take some creative figuring I guess.

 

[shopnut]

I don't know how you guys think about this site, and I apologize if people think this is a waste of time, but I kind of think of this thread as my own personal blog about what I am doing in my shop.

Sorry - its been a while since this was posted, but they don't let me venture out much from the ASYLUM (as the my post count indicates).

Anyway, by the very name of this website, I think its fine to give all the details of the projects you have going, whether you're doing it for personal record or sharing it for the entire world to comment on. I'm sure there are plenty of people interested and the ones that aren't can just skip over it. I use my thread just like you and people are going to get all the details whether they want them or not.

Keep up the good work on the doghouse.

 

[mustangmccance]

Thanks shopnut.

in that same spirit, the septic tank was delivered last week. still haven't got a hold of the plumber to get it hooked up but I did finish framing the walls for the bathroom last night with help from my dad and uncle. last week I decided rather than using a full tub like I had planned I would use a large shower enclosure instead. well unfortunately that meant that the drain for the tub was no longer in the right place. obviously it is a bit difficult to dig up the drain and move it so I ended up moving the wall about 6 inches into the dog kennel. sorry puppies but you guys will appreciate the shower once it is up and running too. anyway I put the pieces in place to check the layout before the plumber comes. I think I will start running the electrical wiring today.

here are some pictures.

now with all that space the tub will not be taking up I will build a nice linen closet and storage cupboard to store all the stuff that I will need.

I also ended up buying a tankless water heater from bosch. it is electric and I know that is not the most efficient way to heat water but since the hot water out here will only be used rarely it will cost me nothing when I am not actually using hot water so I think it will be great and I got a smokin deal on it. a 4 gpm heater for 500.00 with a 10 year warranty. I am really looking forward to having this bathroom working as it is the last major construction to be done in the garage. from here on out it will be tweaking to make it better but not actual construction. and this should be the last major outlay of cash for construction.

 

[mustangmccance]

got the shower installed. the plumber I hired had a bit of an accident yesterday. he was test fitting the mighty ferguson and it slipped somehow. (I wasn't here my dad was.) and broke the base. bummer so he had to order a new one. I have wired all the plugs and lights myself but when I started reading the instructions on that water heater I decided discretion is the better part of valor. I hired an electrician to wire it. he is supposed to do that friday so I started insulating and drywalling tonight. this is my first experience using a drywall jack for the ceiling I have always used 2x4's and friends. man the right tools sure make the job easier. I am still very slow. I hate drywall. but we got most of the ceiling up except piecing in a few areas around the shower, and we got the part behind where the toilet goes done. so if the plumber comes back tomorrow he can mount the toilet permanently. It is coming along pretty well. can't wait to get it up and operational. this room will be nicknamed the library and will house my extensive collection of mustang magazines so I installed 3 light fixtures. one in the middle of the room by the shower, one over the sink and one centered over the throne. the third is a combination 100 watt light fixture and exhaust fan. so it is moving slowly but surely closer to completion.

 

[R1chy]

Bionic doghouse toy??

What is the wheeled item in camo under your work bench? I noticed in when checking out your vice and then scanned through your thread but couldn't find any reference to it.

Inquiring minds want to know... OK maybe only me but give it up.

R1chy

 

[mustangmccance]

that is one of my sons toys. it is a remote controlled tank. I used to know what type of tank but I have forgotten. I bought it for him about 8 years ago. I also bought him the jeep at about the same time. both still work but the tank turret got broken a few years ago so it doesn't shoot missiles anymore. here is a better picture. the jeep is a very cool toy also. it has a high and low range, soft tires, and coil over shocks. it works pretty well for a toy.

 

[R1chy]

They are some of the biggest RC vehicles I have ever seen, thanks for posting the picture. Shooting Tank? Cool.

R1chy

 

[mustangmccance]

yeah they are cool toys and believe it or not walmart specials.

 

[mustangmccance]

I thought it was time for an update since I got a bit done this week.

here is a picture as you come in the man door on the north side of my shop. I still have a lot of drywall to do and this is my main work area. I designed it with the idea that it would expand out through the garage door for bigger projects like cutting 4x8 sheets of pegboard with my tablesaw which is what I have been doing tonight.

as you turn to the right this is where I store my table saw. my air compressors are further to the right past the cupboards and I am about ready to enclose them. this is the pegboard I just put up tonight.

I kept this section of hall attached to the woodshop. in the original plan I had intended to make this storage. but it is so nice to have my miter saw there and I can put long boards up on my woodworking table which is built at the same height as the saw. works perfect for long boards.

off to the right is the bathroom that I am working on. had to finish the pegboard so that I can hang the door tomorrow.

here is the bathroom

props to bluesman for the tp holder idea.

and through the other door is the dog kennel.

it is also where my pull down stair to the loft goes. since this was basically free floor space it was the best place to put it. out the door to the left is my deck and dog run.


I still have a lot of drywall to do on the bathroom but everything works now. and the whole shop is finally coming together like I planned it 2 years ago. slow and steady I guess.

 

[mustangmccance]

i got the door hung last night. built the header above it and hung the last piece of pegboard on that side so now the bathroom is enclosed. I still need to finish the sheetrock but at least the bathrrom is now completely functional with locking doors.

unfortunately, like with cars, I have always had to deal with a thing I call mustang money. I always have to budget roughly twice as much money and time for anything I want to do, because if I buy something for the car or garage I ussually have to buy something for the house or wife to keep piece in the family. today I have to replace the old sliding glass door on the back of the house with a new pella french door with blinds in the glass. so I will not likely be finishing the drywall today but you never know.

 

[rartuin270]

what kind of car is that in the bubble? and what is that bubble thing for that matter.

 

[mustangmccance]

The car is my 65 mustang. there are lots of pictures of it on my profile page but here is one.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=314&pictureid=2027


the bubble is called an airchamber. I used to have a car capsule but this system is a lot nicer it has fiberglass poles like a tent so when you open it, it does not collapse. the car capsule was just held up by air pressure. anyway it is there to protect the car from condensation, dust and mice. (I bought it for mice)

a few years ago when I still had the seats in it I left it parked all winter and found a colony of mice living in the headliner when I drove it that spring. so I poisoned the mice and had to change the entire interior. so now I park it in there and the mice stay out.

 

[rartuin270]

hmm never heard of an airchamber, its an excellent idea though. and ill have to check those pictures out

 

[mustangmccance]

I just read the post I made above and there is a major typo lol it should have read when It still had the white seats in it. it now has black and grey silver seats. the grey/silver matches very closely the silver with blue pearl stripes on the car. these were all custom upholstered after the great mousecapade. so I owe that little mouse family without them I would not have gotten my new custom interior.


here is a link to the air chamber website that will tell you about it.
http://www.airflow-uk.co.uk/index.php?view=category&category=airchamber

I got mine through year one.. it is nice to have I just park it in there zip it up and plug it in.


btw here is a link to a nice article that mustang and fords magazine did on my car a couple years ago. the pictures are better than any I have lol. I guess those photographers deserve what they get paid.


http://www.mustangandfords.com/feat...stang/mdmp_0811_1965_mustang_coupe/index.html

 

[mustangmccance]

I got some work done on the woodshop part of the garage this weekend. I didn't feel like messing with drywall. I may never finish that.

but I decided to work on my closet for my air compressors. I do not like having them out like they have been, they are always dirty and loud. so I planned from the beginning to put them in an enclosure but I had to get the walls for the bathroom done first. anyway here are a couple pictures of the closet.

above the closet the pegboard is open to the cabinet to provide ventilation. I also put a hook on the wall to hold the door open when I am running the compressor when it is particularly hot out.

Now that I have the compressors permanently located I am going to run the 3/4 inch air line down to the compressors

 

[mustangmccance]

I finished hanging the last of the pegboard and insulation along the back wall of the woodshop. now the dog kennel and bathroom are insulated from the rest of the shop. the whole shop is insulated but I will only heat the kennel and bathroom all the time. I did not intend to finish the ceiling in the wood shop but I will have to do something with the hallway by the bathroom because the water line is exposed as it comes up the wall. I hate drywall but unless I come up with a different solution I suppose I will have to use it. I will do like I did in the bathroom and run 2x4 nailers perpendicular to the joists to nail to and I will probably just tape the seams. I will probably not finish or paint it.

anyway when I finish that the wood shop will be basically done. I am happy with the way it turned out. I do still need to minwax all the doors and cupboards but that is easy.

I do still need to build some more storage in the hallway so I can get rid of those ugly wire shelves. and the quest for organization goes on.




On a much more important note. my daughter won a gold medal in the softball throw at the state special olympics recently. we are very proud of her.

 

[flyng_fool]

One of my dream cars is a cobra kit with a LS-1 engine in it. I've always been a chevy guy until I met Cummins.

You sir, need to be caned! Anyone who would out a chevy engine in a Cobra needs to have his head examined!

 

[mustangmccance]

I must admit that I am a purist that way as well. I never like seeing chevy engines in ford cars. You see a lot of that in early ford hotrods like 34 coupes etc. I prefer fords in fords, chevys in chevys etc. I also admit to being a certified ford fanatic. I have never owned a gm product so I am obviously biased. such is life

 

[reinhardt]

i have a question for u about your 32 lcd tv out in your 'doghouse'. i read in a post that u need to protect it from freezing due to crystal issues. but what about heat? i dont know how hot it gets there in iowa, or if u have a/c in your garage. my garage here in va easily gets to 110 during the day (no insulation or moving air = oven). has it given u any issues? i have a 20" lcd monitor i want to hang in the garage to hook my laptop up to. i dont plan on operating it in said 110 temps, i open the roll-up door and run a fan and it 'cools' down to around 90 degree outside temp. sorry about the off-topic question, just wanted to pick your brain.

i wish i could afford that much land to put a garage that big on. to get something like that would mean a hour drive to work. so i suffer w/ a 14x20 attached garage. nice place.

 

[mustangmccance]

thanks. as far as the heat goes I will have to see. I just got it this winter and it has not gotten that hot yet. my garage generally stays reasonably cool though with the fans on and the windows open. it is insulated so I close it up at night and it stays cool most of the day.

as far as the land goes yes I am lucky. I live just south of the city limits down a dead end road. I am about 10 minutes from work.

 

[reinhardt]

what do the high temps hit in iowa in the summer? i know u guys get really cold winters. forgive me, i'm a simple shipyard worker and am not familiar w/ geography or global temps.

it must be nice not to be into the hot weather yet tho. its been in the 90s here w/ way too much humidity.

 

[mustangmccance]

don't get me wrong it gets plenty hot here and we are now getting into the hottest time of the year. but we have had so much rain this year and it has been cloudy so much that it has not been hot long enough for it to get really hot in the shop. I leave the windows open at night and close them in the morning and it stays pretty cool until I get home in the evening. then I put a fan in the window and open up the other windows and it really has not been bad so far. sadly I know that will not last. I expect that to change in the next 2 months.

 

[Rick S]

Please give my congratulations to your daughter,GREAT JOB!!

 

[mustangmccance]

Please give my congratulations to your daughter,GREAT JOB!!

Thanks rick. She has had a kind of a tough life. She doesn't get too many opportunities to feel good about herself so we like to make the most of the ones she gets, and this was a big one. so thanks again.

 

[onewaydave]

You sir, need to be caned! Anyone who would out a chevy engine in a Cobra needs to have his head examined!

Well, tha cummins wouldn't fit!

So its going in a 65 Chevy 1 ton PU.

Dave, guilty of intravehicular cross breeding.

 

[Rick S]

I try to remember that what we may think is trivial to us, is a life changing accomplishment to others,you know that by sharing your daughters special day with us! For that I thank you, as it made my day!

 

[mustangmccance]

again I appreciate the sentiment and so will she.

As for Dave the crossbreeder, I don't know what to say while I am not into the whole inter brand swapping thing, the thought of a cummins turbo diesel in a small sports car is intriguing,... just not in a cobra how about a pontiac solstice?


speaking of car things I got a bit tired of working on garage things and decided to do some car work yesterday. I got my 9 inch rearend (out of a 69 cougar, more like cousins than inter species breeding) I got my 9 inch assembled and on the springs ready to go into the 67 when I pick it up next week. this car was a 6 cylinder junker you can see pics of it on my profile. I had it media blasted and it has been in the body shop back in Utah where I lived when I bought it. the body work and paint is done and it is time to go get it. Since it was on a rottisserie I will need to put all the new suspension components on it when I get there.

I powdercoated the diff housing with my little eastwood kit and painted the differential with natural cast iron paint. new springs and ubolts and I think it looks pretty good.

 

[mustangmccance]

what do the high temps hit in iowa in the summer? i know u guys get really cold winters. forgive me, i'm a simple shipyard worker and am not familiar w/ geography or global temps.

it must be nice not to be into the hot weather yet tho. its been in the 90s here w/ way too much humidity.

well as predicted is hot and humid now. it is in the 90's with near 100 % humidity.

so I have decided I don't feel like doing any more drywall. so I hired someone to come in and finish the mudding and taping.

 

[mo2872]

again I appreciate the sentiment and so will she.

As for Dave the crossbreeder, I don't know what to say while I am not into the whole inter brand swapping thing, the thought of a cummins turbo diesel in a small sports car is intriguing,... just not in a cobra how about a pontiac solstice?


speaking of car things I got a bit tired of working on garage things and decided to do some car work yesterday. I got my 9 inch rearend (out of a 69 cougar, more like cousins than inter species breeding) I got my 9 inch assembled and on the springs ready to go into the 67 when I pick it up next week. this car was a 6 cylinder junker you can see pics of it on my profile. I had it media blasted and it has been in the body shop back in Utah where I lived when I bought it. the body work and paint is done and it is time to go get it. Since it was on a rottisserie I will need to put all the new suspension components on it when I get there.

I powdercoated the diff housing with my little eastwood kit and painted the differential with natural cast iron paint. new springs and ubolts and I think it looks pretty good.

Arrrrrghhhh, yet another Cougar dies to save a pony........sad, indeed.....
Nice shop, tho!

 

[mustangmccance]

actually the cougar was already dead and parted out. I got it at a junk yard, it was all by itself. no car attached. think of it as an organ donor from someone who died in an accident. at least part of that old cougar gets to live on inside the mustang.

 

[mustangmccance]

here is a picture of the 67 that I just picked up out here in utah. the body shop did an awesome job. this is just a crappy cell phone picture I will get better ones later. the metal is dead straight. the lines are awesome. all new door hardware. new front and rear glass. I had them spray pickup bedliner on the whole underside and under the fenders this will cut down on the sound and heat. I also had a rock kick up under my 65 that dented the front fender so I had them bed linered on the 67 to prevent that. here is the first pic. after I put the front and rear suspension on it and got it off the lift.

man I love my shop but I am so jealous of my friends body shop he has 3 of these 11,000 pound lifts.

 

[bazzateer]

Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, nice indeed!

 

[mustangmccance]

it will take me a few years to gather up the rest of the parts I need to finish it but I am anxious to get started.

 

[mustangmccance]

I have the bathroom nearly done finally. I still need to finish the edge of the countertop, I want to enclose the sink in a cabinet to hide the plumbing.

I also want to do something with the water heater. I want to wait and see how hot it gets when I am using it to decide how and if I can enclose it in some kind of vented cabinetry.

I also need to tile the floor. right now the water table is still too high I want to wait until this fall when it drys out a bit with luck before I put the floor down. I put down some of the stuff we put in our rec room downstairs for temporary something to walk on. I have some more I may finish out the floor with it just so it looks good for temporary or I may not. anyway here are some progress picks.

 

[mustangmccance]

well. cool news today. first of all craigs list is awesome. last month I found a modine heater 50,000 btu''s for 250 dollars. then my dad has had this really cool yamaha vstar motorcycle that he has not ridden in a couple of years. he was going to give it to me but my wife through such a fit I decided I would save that battle for something I wanted more. well then on wednesday he talked to a guy here in town who was interested in buying it. we were just kind of talking and Dad said if he sold the bike he would use the money to buy a 9000 lb 2 post lift. well the guy decided he wanted a vulcan instead so I listed it on craigslist 2 days later it is sold. now we just have to pick out the lift. right now I am looking at a bendpak, an eagle and a rotary. I like them all for different reasons but I am leaning toward the eagle. anyone have any experience with eagle lifts? they look like a quality lift but I have not seen much mention of them on here. anyway exciting times in the doghouse.

 

[mustangmccance]

finished the septic system this week. inspection went fine, covered it all up today. so the bathroom is officially finished and functional. also since I rented a skid steer to cover the septic system up I also dug up the rock in front of my main garage door. I have it all dug down and reasonably leveled so now I will pick up some lumber for forms on monday and plan to pour a 20 x 22 foot section of concrete for a bit of a driveway I plan to pour 3 sections so that eventually I will have the whole area in front of the shop concrete 22x 60 feet. that will be great for parking, and snow removal. baby steps now baby steps.

on another note Dad and I discussed it today and I think we are going to buy the 11000 pound 2 post lift from eagle. that will be cool

 

[fhsfiremanco1]

man where did you find those switch covers?

 

[mustangmccance]

retroplanet.com I searched for a while before I found the ones I wanted.

http://www.retroplanet.com/PROD/25168

 

[mustangmccance]

the lift arrived today. 11000 pound eagle. I would love to get it installed this weekend. I am off call and have time but my Dad has to be gone to one of my nieces events so I have to wait.... patience is not one of my virtues. but good news. the guy who built my building is a really class act. when I told him I was ordering it he said I could ship it to his business and he would unload it from the truck and put it on my trailer. he did that today, and when I stopped by after work to pick it up he asked me how I was going to lift it to install it. I said I would probably rent a skid loader. he then offered to let me use his huge forklift. then he asked me if I had a rotary hammer and I told him no but that the lumber yard would rent it to me. he said that he had one if I needed it also. I never asked he just volunteered. It is extremely unlikely I will have another building built in the foreseeable future so the only thing I can offer him for his generosity is praise and an excellent referral. talk about going above and beyond for customer service.

 

[mustangmccance]

we actually got a lot done this weekend after all. We worked on it friday and sunday afternoons. we have the lift installed and ready to have the electrician wire it. I need to call him tomorrow.
in this first picture we have the first post in place and bolted to the floor. the second post is in position and we are ready to install the top piece.

top piece installed, checking position. everything looks good and square. the trucks still fit. looking good:thumbsup: had to call in a favor to my buddy Mike. I needed to hold the top piece on the fork lift and position it while Mike got the bolts started. thanks Mike. didn't get a picture of that though.

Dad installing the locks.

the motor installed

we were going to either rent or borrow a rotary hammer but Dad was at harbor freight and saw this one. it would cost 36 dollars a day to rent it. this was on sale for 49 dollars. how can you pass that up.

just putting the decals on now. I had Dad take a picture just to show I was there ha ha. yes I did more than just put the stickers on but I was the one with the camera

almost done. we need to have it wired, run it up and down a few times to make sure nothing binds and then drill the mounting holes on the other side. I just put one in to hold it stable for now.

I will get some better pictures as soon as we get it wired. then I need to run it up and down a few times make sure nothing binds and drill the holes to mount the other post. I just have one in there to hold it stable till we get the wiring done.