Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Well that took longer than expected! I have the Fraternity Proof Table all together now and I'm pleased with how it came out other than a few small things. Thanks to ChubbyChowder for the legs, they are what caused this whole project to progress from just an idea to actually getting it going. Enough talk here are the pictures:

I hope ya'll aren't too harsh on me over how it turned out, but one of my enduring features is I don't have feelings, it makes life easier. Now back to work, 3 weeks left until I can return to normal.
JB

 

[slammedkustom]

I think that came out real nice.
always liked the "roughness" of wood against the smoothness of steel

 

[Vieux]

Great theme and great job!

 

[Mike.ASC]

Very nice work . That will require some help to move around .

 

[mefast]

Hello,
Very nice build thread you have going on here. It's taken me the past 3 days to read through it (since 'free' time is always at a premium, as you know). Then today I opened up to post and realize there's a new page already! Haha. You had me hooked since showing off your Cobra (since I'm a big Ford fan) and I had to keep reading to find out about all of the acroynm projects.

The scale of your WHH is hard to imagine since it's so big! Congrats on piecing it together day by day (especially on top of work, family, tours for more treasure, etc).

Sorry to hear about Buddy and Charlie's rough week, but it's nice to see the new member to your family (Koda) and hearing that Charlie is on the mend.

I can relate to your property struggles as I also purchased a similar sized property (mines only 4.7 acres) around the same time you took possession of yours. Although it looks like you're doing a great job of reclaiming some of the land from Mother Nature.

Of your projects, your Keller power hack saw (can't remember the acroynm you used) has been my favourite.

I do have to ask, what ever happened to your old floor jack? Did it's restoration ever get completed or maybe I missed a couple posts?

Yet again, congrats on all of your accomplishments and I will be on board to see what you decide to design or restore next!

-Foster

 

[vonhef]

Table turned out really nice... good job! I also like the progress you have made on your Hidey Hole.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Well done, that table looks a treat.

 

[taumac]

Wow, that table turned out great. Well done sir[emoji482]

 

[jbmatth]

I think that came out real nice.
always liked the "roughness" of wood against the smoothness of steel

Slammed, I agree with you, mixing wood and steel really does seem to add some contrast between the two materials. If you haven't seen it already check out ChubbyChowders thread, he is the one who made the table legs for me.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272772&highlight=passion+meets+livelihood

Great theme and great job!

Vieux, Thank you for taking the time to stop by and take a look at my thread, I appreciate the comments.

Very nice work . That will require some help to move around .

That is no joke Mike it weights 260 pounds (118 kg) and was interesting for me to move something that weighs 100 pounds more than I do and is that big and awkward.

Table turned out really nice... good job! I also like the progress you have made on your Hidey Hole.

Vonhef, Thank you for the kinds words and coming to take a look at my "little" slice of paradise.

Well done, that table looks a treat.

Thank you 1/2 Cup, hopefully work hasn't been too bad for you this week after having so much free time.

Wow, that table turned out great. Well done sir[emoji482]

Taumac, thank you, now that your place is organized do you want to come to Oklahoma for a clean up party?

Hello,
Very nice build thread you have going on here. It's taken me the past 3 days to read through it (since 'free' time is always at a premium, as you know). Then today I opened up to post and realize there's a new page already! Haha. You had me hooked since showing off your Cobra (since I'm a big Ford fan) and I had to keep reading to find out about all of the acroynm projects.

The scale of your WHH is hard to imagine since it's so big! Congrats on piecing it together day by day (especially on top of work, family, tours for more treasure, etc).

Sorry to hear about Buddy and Charlie's rough week, but it's nice to see the new member to your family (Koda) and hearing that Charlie is on the mend.

I can relate to your property struggles as I also purchased a similar sized property (mines only 4.7 acres) around the same time you took possession of yours. Although it looks like you're doing a great job of reclaiming some of the land from Mother Nature.

Of your projects, your Keller power hack saw (can't remember the acroynm you used) has been my favourite.

I do have to ask, what ever happened to your old floor jack? Did it's restoration ever get completed or maybe I missed a couple posts?

Yet again, congrats on all of your accomplishments and I will be on board to see what you decide to design or restore next!

-Foster

Foster,
Thank you very much for working your way through my thread, I know I talk (type) too much, and there are entirely too many acronyms. (Little secret, I don't remember most of them either and have to go back to look them up. I am very impressed you pushed on to read the whole thread. It was tough on us to loose Bubba, but the new dogs Charlie and Koda are getting along with our other old dog Kai pretty well most of the time. As for the Blackhawk jack that was posted earlier, it is setting in the back corner right now. It works great but hasn't received any further attention other than when I pull it out to go to work. I have it on my list to restore as soon as I get my blast cabinet built, buy a powder coating kit, and build an over big enough to house the parts. Each of those will require other projects to be completed prior to them beginning. Have a great day and I know have a new thread I get to read, remember keep moving forward.
JB

 

[Olinrj]

Jbmatth,
I just spent the last few nights reading through both your threads. I'll echo the sentiments posted by others, you've done some great work on your restorations as well as with the FPT and your other projects. I can definitely sympathize with you on finding time to work on both the shop and projects. Keep up the good work and continue to update, even with the less-than ideal camera!

One question I have concerns the house. Aside from the painting mentioned a while back, was any other work needed to move in?

I'm subscribing to follow along.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[slammedkustom]

Slammed, I agree with you, mixing wood and steel really does seem to add some contrast between the two materials. If you haven't seen it already check out ChubbyChowders thread, he is the one who made the table legs for me.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272772&highlight=passion+meets+livelihood
JB

awww man now you done it, another 14 page thread to look thru and realise I need more tools, a bigger shop, more money and time.....!
just had a quick scan of that thread and some real cool stuff going on. ill read it in full later but what ive seen of the woo/ metal combos is very impressive
thanks for the tip!

 

[jbmatth]

Jbmatth,
I just spent the last few nights reading through both your threads. I'll echo the sentiments posted by others, you've done some great work on your restorations as well as with the FPT and your other projects. I can definitely sympathize with you on finding time to work on both the shop and projects. Keep up the good work and continue to update, even with the less-than ideal camera!

One question I have concerns the house. Aside from the painting mentioned a while back, was any other work needed to move in?

I'm subscribing to follow along.

Thanks,
Bob

Bob, First of all thank you for taking the time to read my thread when there are many other great threads on here that would be more worthwhile to read! I may have something up my sleeve with regard to the low quality camera but nothing is set in stone yet so stay tuned.

As for the house we were fortunate to find it when we did. The previous owner spend years and hundreds of hours restoring it. Everything from the water well to the roof are new within the past 8 years. All new electrical everything is on 20 amp circuits with new outlets and fixtures throughout. The plumbing is all pex and PVC with newer throwns, showers, sinks, etc. Floor upstairs was refinshed (But could stand to have further sanding in all honesty.), the floor downstairs is either a PVC style tile or very nice laminate simulation wood floor. All new double pain windows other than the two original big windows on the front with stain glass. Counters in the kitchen were done as well as new cabinets etc.

So to answer your question no there really wasn't anything left to do to the house once we finish the painting for the short term. We feel as though we got a great deal on the home, property, and of course the shed. However outside there is plenty of work still yet to do to clean up the yard and trees but I'll start really tackling that this winter once mowing season is over. Ya'll have a good day, I only have a week or two left until I can return to my normal routine.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

awww man now you done it, another 14 page thread to look thru and realise I need more tools, a bigger shop, more money and time.....!
just had a quick scan of that thread and some real cool stuff going on. ill read it in full later but what ive seen of the woo/ metal combos is very impressive
thanks for the tip!

You snuck in on me when I was composing the previous comment. LOL I hope you enjoy the read and try not to get too board. I'll be able to get back out there soon and I believe the next project will be to start/finish covering the T.B.W. (The Berline Wall) for aesthetic reasons.
JB

 

[slammedkustom]

really enjoy your thread. shows that you don't need the super clean huge tool packed shop to turn out real nice projects. not knocking the big shops as we all like more space, tools etc but I find a thread like yours more realistic to a guy like me.

currently trying to get my garage into some kind of order but with a nipper round my leg and a household to run time is a valuable commodity, again not complaining as id give up 100hrs in the shed for 1 hour with my little one but my priorities have changed the last few years

anyway enough about me this is your thread and a great one it is too.
the cubbyC thread you linked me too is rather good!
keep up the good work fella!

 

[jbmatth]

Slammed thank you for the kind words and the encouragement as well as visiting my thread! I am very fortunate to have this huge space and as we would all like I would love to eventually have it full of tools, insulated, heated and cooled. However, for now I'll just keep doing one little thing as time and money are available then in 10, 20, or even 30 years it'll be getting closer to what I want to have in a shop.
JB

 

[slammedkustom]

no worries fella.

we have a very similar mindset. my garage set up is based more on what I find or salvage rather than drawing up a plan and building from there. even if I had the cash to build anything I wanted I still don't think my brain works that way. besides if theres no plan you cant build it wrong!
half the fun is finding and repurposing stuff as you go much like your work bench and the small drawer units in the wall. a little vision goes a long way

keep it coming jb!

 

[jbmatth]

I know as an engineer I should have had a great plan set in stone and had everything lined up and drawn in 3d C.A.D. prior to picking up the first screw, however, I just can't contain myself here. I have some future plans and think many of them will turn out great, but I don't have anything set in stone. As well you never know what I might find that I'll have to add to the ensemble.

Now slammed you know once you post 20 times you are required to post pictures of your garage(s) and let us see where you call home. (It is in the user agreement that all of us read in detail when we signed up on this site, check it out I'll wait for you to read and return...)

I'm still fascinated that I've had visitors from across the pond come to check out my space on the edge of nowhere. Thank you all for taking the time to come visit,
JB

 

[slammedkustom]

I thought it was 21 posts? oh dammit!

don't worry dude im on the case, just need to get the photos sorted n hosted then its game on!

 

[jbmatth]

Good to hear, just make sure you post a link here so others can join in on your party as well.

On another note I purchased some tubs of hardware and have been sorting them for the last week or so in the few minutes I have free. I also purchased some new hardware to ensure I have a ready supply if the need arises. Tractor Supply here in town sells grade 8 for $4/pound, grade 5 for $3.50/pound, and most everything else only by the piece. I need to find a place I can buy metric hardware by the pound so I don't have to spend a fortune on materials I may never even touch. I'll have pictures in the next couple of days, also I have about a week left of working crazy hours and the progress should be more steady after that. Woo Hoo!!
JB

 

[jbmatth]

Ok nothing exciting to show today other than this picture of some of the work I have been able to do, sorting lots and lots of hardware. Most is already put away, so it doesn't look like much until you consider metric and sae were intermixed along with course and fine thread.

Hopefully that picture turned out ok and ya'll like it. It was taken with my new camera. Yep that is right after forcing ya'll to endure the pain of my terrible pictures for this long I decided to get an actual camera rather than continuing to use my phone. Here is what I picked up:

Best part is that there is pretty much only auto mode so I just point and shoot and don't have to learn anything new. So the photos will still **** because I'm taking them, but at least they will be clearer.
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

 

[bazzateer]

I need to find a place I can buy metric hardware by the pound

Surely you mean by the kilo?

 

[jbmatth]

Surely you mean by the kilo?

Aww ya got me, I've tried to be diligent about having all units in "English" as well as metric on here but I must have let that one slip. LOL

I am now done with my crazy busy time of work so I'll start on a new project or two. So now it is time for a new installment of the T.B.W. (The Berline Wall) as it progresses. So now the T.B.W. is complete and operational it is time to add a little character to the mix. Sadly I couldn't fine enough used fencing materiel to cover the entire wall that didn't cost almost as much as new so I broke down and just bought these:

To remove the fence boards from the runners I built this out of scrap metal:

Simply insert it under the fence board and over the stringer and pull back/down:

Doing this I only broke one board out of the 256 I removed. The tool made it much quicker and easier to remove the fence boards when they were attached with a few too many nails:

After removing them all I set up my saw on the F.B.B.f.a.F.S.S. (Free Bench Build from a Former Swing Set) discussed earlier and attached a little jig to quickly cut the dog ears off of the tops of the fence board 3 at a time. Cost me nothing but a little power and a few minutes:

Now they are all cut to the same length and ready to install on T.B.W.

Before installing them on T.B.W. I first cut a few of them into thirds so I could stagger the joints, it ended up looking like this:

If you look closely you can with some forethought I was able to put the first course over the top of the R.M.P.S.F.B. (Rugged Multi-Purpose Sixteen Foot Bench), but under the outlet not having to do any trimming or cutting. (I actually just got lucky, I planned for 4" [10.16 cm] between the bench and the outlet but had no clue the boards I would actually use would be 4". It is sometimes better to be lucky than good.) The second course can simply have 2" (5.08 cm) cut from the length to allow the gang box to move forward then the outlet cover removes all traces of the cut. I can then make that series of boards still line up to where the joints are staggered and in line. I am screwing the boards to every stud with two screws and two more on the ends if they don't line up within 6" (15.24 cm) of a stud. I'll be using A LOT of screws but I just like them better than nails and if down the road I need to remove a few for some reason I can be done in seconds without destroying the board. I'll try to show you the Black Plague in my next post, in the mean time keep moving forward.
JB

 

[1/2 Cup]

Wow now that's nice JB, well done.

 

[taumac]

On the pallet tool does having the folks on a angle help? I built one too.


It worked but seemed not to work as good as the YouTube video I saw. I break up old pallets for my fire pit.

 

[BUGTHUG]

That's what I was going to say about that tool, that it looks similar to the pallet breaker. Looks like a fence breaker to me. The wall look good, are you gonna do some kind of finish on it?

 

[jbmatth]

Wow now that's nice JB, well done.

Thank you very much 1/2, it will take a long time and lots of screws but I'm making slow progress between the other project I've titled Black Plague that has turned out to be more time consuming than I'd hoped.

On the pallet tool does having the folks on a angle help? I built one too.
It worked but seemed not to work as good as the YouTube video I saw. I break up old pallets for my fire pit.

Taumac,
I really couldn't tell you if it makes it work better or not, I put the handle on at an angle to make the tool a little more ergonomic like using a pitchfork and so the direction of force is more down on the handle. I spent maybe 10 minutes building this and most of that was looking around fro scraps of metal I could use, so not a lot of real thought behind it.

That's what I was going to say about that tool, that it looks similar to the pallet breaker. Looks like a fence breaker to me. The wall look good, are you gonna do some kind of finish on it?

Bugthug,
It worked surprisingly well and made the job much quicker, it would only take me 25 minutes to remove all the boards, pound the nails out, then pull them from the other side. What I didn't show were the two saw horses I had next to the trailer, I could put half of the boards from one panel on them and drive all the nails out at the same time. Flip them all over then pull all the nails rather quickly. It still took nearly 3.5 hours to strip all of the panels but I felt like it was moving along rather quickly.
JB

 

[jbmatth]

The Black Plague Dunn Dunn Dunnnnnn!!!
I picked up this truck last weekend:

It is a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with 171,000 miles (~275,000 KM) powered by the 6.6L Duramax diesel engine, and a few other goodies to give it about 300 HP and 600 lbft of torque. Now you're asking yourself why did this fool buy another truck when he had a perfectly good one that is even newer with less miles already at home. Well just like many things I/we tend to buy, because it was cheap. I picked it up for about half price because it needed work and everyone else was scared of that little fact. Not one to shy away from anything I went for it. I drove my little yellow Lemon car 3 hours to pick it up rented a Uhaul dolly and towed it home. After looking at it much closer I'm very lucky I made it home! One of the ball joints had nearly 1/2" of play vertically, one of the upper control arm bushings was shot, and all of the steering was loose. (I knew there were problems with it all but didn't know the extent.) The previous owner had just replaced the injectors (~$1,200 just for parts), but was still reading low pressure at the rails. This screams diesel injection pump (~$600 online) to me and about 8 hours of labor to fix it. The other problems I saw were worn suspension parts, lots of worn suspension parts, and tires! So after ordering everything I thought I would need I did this:

And this:

Now everything is out and it looks like this:

And here are just the parts I pulled out of one side:

Note there are only 4 lug nuts in the photo, only 5 were on that tire and the other I have with me to pick up some more after work today.

I'll be replacing everything in the front end other than one of the hubs (wheel bearings), the center link and the steering box. I'm now in a holding pattern waiting for the big brown truck to start delivering everything I'll need. I'll be replacing the bushings on the rear leaf springs as well so I thought, hmmm I'll have everything apart so I might as well just put a little lift on it as well with keys in the front and an add a leaf in the rear. Just 2" (5.08cm) all around just to give it a little better stance and more spring in the rear to haul heavier loads. After that I'll need tires, an allignment, and I'll dig into the injection pump when I can spend a full day on it and get it done all in one shot. So there you have it, The Black Plague Dunn Dunn Dunnnnnn!!!
JB

 

[bazzateer]

Love those trucks but having one here would be mental!

 

[BUGTHUG]

OK, Mr Mechanic I need to hire you to fix my 48 Chevy. I'm sure you can do the job, sooooo... find some time in your busy schedule.

 

[jbmatth]

Love those trucks but having one here would be mental!

I would agree with you, this truck would have a tough time fitting in any normal garage, it is about 20' (6 m) long, 6.6' (2 m) wide, and 6.5' (2 m) tall and weighs about 6,000 lbs (3,000 kg). It is overkill for most anything but should be a nice step up for when I have to pick up and haul more than my red truck could handle.

OK, Mr Mechanic I need to hire you to fix my 48 Chevy. I'm sure you can do the job, sooooo... find some time in your busy schedule.

Well just bring it over the week of Thanksgiving, I'm taking the whole week off and will be working most of that time around the shed. I enjoy working on vehicles most of the time. However, this morning was trying as I was trying to install the control arm bushings without a press. Between grease, a giant C-clamp, part of a 3/4" (1.9 cm) pipe union, an old brake pad, an old wheel bearing, and my two Wilton vises I was able to make it work tough. I should have gotten pictures of the contraptions I had set up but was using all 3 of my hands to keep everything in line.
JB

 

[NedNorton]

JB, The bench and wall look grea and I' can't wait to see ha the new rig turns out. Even without knowing what you paid for her let me give you a preemptive, "You ****!" .

Keep plugging away...

Cheers,
Chris

 

[jbmatth]

Chris,
You have the honor of giving me my first "You ****" award, and for that I thank you. I thought surely I'd get one for that Wilton a few pages back I picked up for $30. But alas I now have one for the Black Plague, I picked it up for $6,150, after all the work, parts, and tires I'll have a little over $8,000 in it. I'll probably be selling my red truck in the near future and recover almost all of my investment into the Black Plague.

I didn't really get anything done this weekend, I went to Springfield, Mo. to run the Bass Pro Shop's marathon relay with 3 of my brothers. We ended up winning and setting a new course record along with my older brother and I each setting new new personal records in the 10k we each ran. Back now and sore but work will continue.
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

Way to go
I always like spending time at the Springfield PBS. No pictures of the event? They give away any cool prizes?

 

[dhubbard422]

JB, What gives... no 4th hand to take a pic of the other three?

The Black Plauge looks good! Get that beast running down the road! All that big diesel torque is addicting!

 

[jon72vega]

jbmatth,

Good work on the Black Plague!
I admire you for getting a bargain on a new to you vehicle by taking on that much work.

 

[jbmatth]

Way to go
I always like spending time at the Springfield PBS. No pictures of the event? They give away any cool prizes?

Bugthug, You will have to excuse my ignorace but what is PBS? Were you meaning BPS (Bass Pro Shop)? My father has some pictures of the event, but I don't have any of it. When we won the first two years we each got a $50 gift card to Bass Pro, and some nice all weather jackets as well as a plaque. This time we only received the plaques which are nice to have as one day I'll be too old, big, and out of shape to run and I'll be able to tell my grand kids that I used to be fast.

JB, What gives... no 4th hand to take a pic of the other three?

The Black Plauge looks good! Get that beast running down the road! All that big diesel torque is addicting!

I know I'm a slacker, I'll get some up tomorrow I promise! I have the front end back together as of about 4 this morning other than one minor oversight. I ordered a replacement hub assembly but didn't notice I ordered one for a 2wd. I went ahead and installed it and just left the axle out of that side. While I'm waiting on it to come in I'll be working over the rear end. New axle seals, shocks, bushings, and an "add a leaf" to raise the back end up about 2" (5.08 cm). I will say I've been pleasently surprised at how easy all of the hardware is coming off, not too rusty at all. (Knock on wood) Having never really driven a diesel before the torque is very addicting.

jbmatth,

Good work on the Black Plague!
I admire you for getting a bargain on a new to you vehicle by taking on that much work.

I'll end up with 40-50 hours of work into this truck by the time it is on the road but will be worth it in the end. Also thank you for the kind comments.
Slightly sleep deprived,
JB

 

[bonecrrusher]

I rebuilt the front suspension on my '05 2500HD Dmax - I think I used every tool in my shop.

That was a long and dirty project!

 

[slammedkustom]

the wood on the berlin wall is gonna look sweet. with the tin on the doors below it will have a real rugged look to it. breaking all the panels down must of been fun. over here everyone is into pallets for projects but I don't think people relise how much work it is to break them into usable pieces.

and the plague wagon... very nice. that is a big old beast and it looks like your getting stuck right in. you can never have too many projects!

keep it up fella!

 

[BUGTHUG]

Yes I meant BPS, guess I'm not very good at letters only... like you