The Wretched Mess Garage

[Terrick down Under]

Very true, and, if you don't know then get somebody who does to check for you. You are only dead once!!!

 

[rubberrodder]

Fortunatly, THAT didn't happen.
Being dead isn't scary, it's how you end up that way that's scary.

 

[rubberrodder]

Looky here what I got for my birthday! I'm going to hang this by the man-door so the porch light illuminates it at night.

 

[rubberrodder]

Here it is! I hung it up this morning. My kids got it from Summit raceings "genuine hotrod hardware" catalog. I guess there's no changing the name now!

 

[Terrick down Under]

That looks just perfect, I am really jealous!

 

[rubberrodder]

The other day I leaned back in the front seat of the daily driver, it leaned with me! one broken bracket and some swiss cheesey floors. My neighbor heard all the grinding and came over to see what I was chopping up this time. He loaned me his electric metal snips. I GOTTA get me one of these! Like cutting buttah! It was looking like the pics in a magazine!
Then I started welding! So much for looking like the magazines.

 

[rubberrodder]

some fresh under coat and paint covers lot of sin. but it's solid now. throw the carpet and seat in after letting set over night. And I only set the undercoating on fire once!
I guess that means I have good weld penetration!

 

[rubberrodder]

I just scored this weather vane at a garage sale 3 blocks from my house. It's off of an old Atlantic Richfield gas station from the mid fifties. It was located about a mile from our house, and where I met, and proposed to, my wife when I was the manager there. Too darn cool.
I google searched it and found a restored one on e-bay that went for $1200 bucks! I asked the lady how much...she says "50 bucks".
Not sure yet what to do with it. I might split the 2 eagles and put them face to face on the front of the garage. But, then again, It would be darn cool restored on top of the Wretched Mess Garage.

 

[rubberrodder]

Okay. I figured out what I am doing with the weathervane. I am using one of the eagles for a pattern to make plywood cut outs. Then I can sell the metal weathervane for some playing money!

 

[rubberrodder]

The "shop boss" and I started a new project this week. I used one of the eagle figures from the weather vane to make a pattern out of some plastic sheet I had. I transferred the pattern to 3/8 plywood I had left from a table project and made my cut outs. I was able to get three birds out of the left over sheet. The "shop-boss" and I just finished painting the last two. {What a Ham!}

 

[rubberrodder]

I got one eagle finished and the other one just needs some detail work. I have a darn near perfect spot to hang them as well. Toss them up here, facing each other should look pretty cool. I still have the pattern for these and could make more if people were interested.

 

[Beags86]

Where did you get that big Pennzoil sign?

 

[rubberrodder]

I worked at a local "quickie lube" joint. When they switched over to a different brand I snagged it. I plan on putting high up on the alley side of the garage. I would really like to trade it for a similar sized Valvoline or Richfield branded sign.

 

[rubberrodder]

Speaking of the Pennzoil sign. Here it is on its new home outside. This is on the alley side of the garage, and high up enough it wont be stolen.{I hope.}
Now there is an open wall I can build some closed cupboards on.

 

[Beags86]

I have the same sign, my father owned one of those " quickie lube" places when I was a kid.

 

[rubberrodder]

The boss was pretty cool. I asked what he was going to do with it after I took it down. He smiled and said "Make it your problem! Ya pack-rat!"

 

[rubberrodder]

Hello world ! It's been a While since I've been able to do much garage wise. My last post was back in October. We had a sudden, totally unexpected, death in the family. My nephew, Anthony, passed away from sepsis and toxic shock. He was 32. Please send prayers up for his kids and fiance. She had two young children, 4 & 5 years old, previously, and 18 month old twin boys with my nephew. He has been terribly missed this first holiday season without him.

On to better things!
Earlier this year, I found this new place called "Second-use". Surplus building materials and salvage outfit. They have some unique stuff, a plaster statue from a 1921 Masonic temple, and some pretty average stuff too, the usual old doors and windows from the '70's and '80's.
I got lucky and found THESE!
They were $20 a piece.

 

[rubberrodder]

Since I had moved my "big old" Pennzoil sign to the out side of the garage, I now had a place to put up the overhead cabinets.
I was looking for two left, and two right cabs. But, they only had one lefty in the whole pile. So...I got one lefty and three righty. For $20 bucks a shot? I wasn't going to be THAT picky!
I also noticed they still had the protective clear plastic on the doors. After peeling it off, these things are almost perfect. You can really see the difference between the center peeled doors and the unpeeled and cabs.
I can hardly wait to deface these things with some pinstriping.

 

[1/2 Cup]

rubberrodder, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time.

Great score on the cupboards.

Thank you for the update.

 

[Terrick down Under]

Mate, like I said in a post elsewhere....Our best wishes to those around us, near to us and in our hearts!
Let your memories of him grow with fondness and they should.

 

[sean Buick 76]

So sorry to hear about the loss in your family that is truly heartbreaking.... Best of luck in 2018

 

[rubberrodder]

Thank you all for the prayers and support.

 

[rubberrodder]

Remember I said I could hardly wait to deface these new cupboards?
Well, I started in. picture #1 is the art deco door plates I found for $2.50 a piece and the design inspiration for the doors. OOPS. Got a little sideways there in #2. started the lay out. Pic #3, The basic design on the first door. I plan on adding some more detail. Some more line work in the main body and a bit of gold or bronze for contrast.
The plan is to do all six doors with this design. By the time I'm done with door 6, I will look at door 1 and go "I gotta redo this"

 

[rubberrodder]

Well, I've been at it again. Can't leave well enough alone. I was going through the junk drawer(s), and I found these odd little Ikea cabinet lights left over from a different project. In the second pic you can see the cords are just way too long. LETS CHOP THEM UP!!!!! The 3rd picture is after I shortened the cord to a more usable length. I also was not real happy with the power strips being attached to the back of the cabinets. So, they got moved too. In the last pic, you can see how I cleaned up the cords for the battery charging station too.
I could have gone with a multi-gang plug box mounted up higher at both ends of the work bench. I still might later. This whole mess is a work in {hopefully}progress.

 

[sdavis622]

Looking good... always satisfying cleaning up the wiring. Great job on the lights!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[rubberrodder]

I finally broke down and purchased a gas conversion kit for my wire feed. Sorry, I got excited and forgot to take pics of that. But, you can see the hose and regulator attached to the welder itself. I also picked up an inexpensive welding cart from Hazard Fraught...OOOPS, heh, heh, I meant Harbor Freight. I also wanted to get my "don't-want-it-on-the-bench" grinder mounted on the wall.

 

[rubberrodder]

I started by mounting a cleat to the wall just to the right of the bench and wall socket. Then I spilled my coffee all over the bench and floor. I wiped up my mess and "Dammit! I made a clean spot!". Then I predrilled and counter sunk the screw holes for my mounting shelf. {Note that the refilled coffee cup is well out of the way!}

 

[rubberrodder]

I mounted my little shelf to the cleat and added a sturdy brace to the front. I still need to hit the hardware store for some mounting bolts so it wont fall off but its not in the way any more. Also a bit of serendipity... the welder and new cart fits under it,out of the way too.

 

[rubberrodder]

This is the home made roller cabinet my old man built for me when I was 17 and going to mechanics school. I was just starting my tool collecting and all I had was a used top box. I came home from school one afternoon and Dad says,"I got something for you to put your tool box on". That was 43 years ago and its still as solid as if finished yesterday. I still use it as a rolling bench too. After re-arranging its old home for the grinder and welder cart, it now lives under the main work bench. The "Shop-Boss" says it's hers after I'm gone.

 

[rubberrodder]

I finally broke down and got some new interior panels for my daily driver. I had been scrimping and scraping every nickle, dime, and quarter I could till I finally decided to pull the trigger on parts that only make it pretty, not run better. Now that some of it is installed... it seems to run better! This is the "good" passenger side door panel. You can see in the middle picture how the vinyl was cracking of the top. A bit rough to hang a short sleeved arm over while cruisin'.
Scratchy at best. Third picture, wavy enough to be sea-sick.

 

[rubberrodder]

I ordered the pieces from O.P.G.I. , a classic GM parts seller. The new door cards didn't come with the deluxe stainless trim. So, I needed to re-use my original pieces.Here they are spread out across the trunk lid. Pic 2&3, I marked the holes for the retainer points and drilled them VERY carefully. Pic#4, I then bent them back over just like the did. I wonder how many band-aids the factory used? Them things are SHARP!{I needed 3}

 

[Terrick down Under]

Nice work on the trim.

 

[rubberrodder]

The door cards I replaced were from a hardtop model and the tops came up over the door further with a metal top piece. The new cards don't have the metal piece as you re-use the old one. There is enough material left at the top of the new panels for this purpose. However, the ORIGINAL to the car panels did not come up as far and had a stainless trim piece that acted as a retainer. I the first pic, I have cleaned up and painted the part of the door that will be exposed. Picture 2, The new stainless trim/retainer installed{the protective white cover is still on at this point}.Picture 3 the backside if the card after trimming to the right highth . In #4 & 5, I needed to scuff the gloss off the card so the glue would stick properly. picture 6, spray glue down and ready to fold the material over the edge. Last picture, The final product.
I repeated this process for the drivers side.

 

[rubberrodder]

I also ordered a headliner kit from the same company. It comes with enough extra material to do the sail panels in the back as well. I am going to have a friend help me with that part. He has done trim work from scratch on a bunch of cars and is willing to help out. I did get new boards cut for the sail panels. With the new panels installed, it's starting to look almost like I new what I was doing. I still have some stuff to do before it's completly finished. I need to make the water shields for between the door and panels. New weather stripping, the little stuff that really makes it "finished".

 

[Terrick down Under]

Nice work on the trim. Is that a salesman model with no back seat?

 

[rubberrodder]

Nice to hear from ya again Terrick!
No. I took the back seat out. The upholstery skins were so old and brittle,my dogs feet were popping the seams and their toe-nails were poking holes. So I made the platform to take them to the dog park with.
It also keeps my buddies from jumping in at car shows and cruise nights and using up MY gas!

 

[Terrick down Under]

I can relate to the "buddies using up my gas".
My son has a ironic sticker on the back window of his Ute ( el Camino)
"back seats cause accidents, no back seat, no accidents"

 

[Terrick down Under]

Sorry I got it a little wrong......
"Kids in the BACK SEAT may cause ACCIDENTS
ACCIDENTS in the BACK SEAT may cause Kids!
So,.....NO BACK SEAT = NO ACCIDENTS"

 

[rubberrodder]

I've seen that one too! I need to find or make a copy.

 

[rubberrodder]

I did some more work on my dailey driver. I got the door panels in and the windows adjusted to fit properly. So, I moved on to the sun visors. The seams were splitting along the edges and I re-sewed them by hand with 5lb. test monofilament fishing line and a curved needle.(Sorry, no pics of that. Boring s**t anyway.) Then I decides to try and clean them up.
As you can tell by the before and after shots, a little soap and water went along way. You can still tell where the accessory mirror was on the passenger visor. But, I put the mirror back and it's not "real" noticable.
If any body has experience with re-silvering the backs of old mirrors like this one, send me a p.m. here