The Wretched Mess Garage

[rubberrodder]

2020 has been tough to catch a break. Lost one job in September Took till November to find this new one.
4 days in, and my wifely unit tests positive for covid. I called my new boss and he was actually decent about it. He tells me to call the company covid19 hotline and then call him back. I follow all the instructions and call him back. He asked when did they say I can come back. I said "December 7th." He says he will write it down so he wouldn't forget. I tell him my return to work will be "a date that will live in infamy". He just laughed and said"I wont forget now!". At least I still have a new job to go back to.

 

[Bob Heine]

Dave, take care of yourself and your wifely unit. Sounds like you have an understanding boss so maybe your Pearl Harbor Day will be one to celebrate.

 

[Terrick down Under]

Mate, you all need to be that little bit more careful. This pandemic is not following any rules of engagement. Stay safe mate.

 

[rubberrodder]

The county health department called the wife late Thursday evening. She's been paroled!
I have been asymptomatic this whole time, but, I got tested on the 25th and have been confining myself to the bedroom and the garage. And waiting for test results. Thank God for the garage! It has been my mental salvation. I really do believe I have watched at least half of the videos available on Youtube. Scarey!

 

[rubberrodder]

Back to work today! One of the other delivery guys is out for 2 weeks now. I believe they were as glad as I was to be back at work.

 

[rubberrodder]

2021 is starting out a mixed bag so far. I got a 3 day week end already and was going to install the new seat skins on at least one front seat. This picture is the better of the two seats! I was also going to do new spark plugs and a tune up on the Buick as well. With the plugs out for a compression test, the starter took a sudden dump. I put in the new starter, hit the key, and the engine spit coolant out of #1 cylinder. I knew the gasket was seeping for a while and just waiting for the time to do it. ol' Buford got tired of waiting on me. I had the overhaul gasket set sitting around for another Buick 300 I was going to rebuild so I i'm thinking I'm golden/good to go. I tear it down and cleaned up and start putting it back together. Buick 300's came with either cast iron heads, or, aluminum heads depending on year of manufacture. And the intake manifold gaskets are different. I forgot I had used the intake, exhaust, and valve cover gaskets out of the set I have.
Oh well, the cylinders are all in really good shape and the head gaskets themselves are the same and the heads are back on the block. I will get the rest of the gaskets from work and finish up {hopefully} next weekend. The blue gaskets are the iron head gaskets. I need the black gaskets for the alloy heads.

 

[rubberrodder]

Well...I went to the garage tonight, turned on the propane heater,and set to work on the Buicks blown head gaskets. i needed to find my engine book to get my torque specs. So I go over to the cupboard to look for the book and it's not there. As I'm looking around and trying to remember where i put it last, I smell something burning. I look around to see what it is and...IT'S ME! I managed to set my shop apron on fire with the propane heater! I was NOT hurt but for my pride. Thankfully.
I took this as a sign from the universe to do something else tonight!

 

[Terrick down Under]

hahaha, I dad gone out to the shed " for just a minute", decided while I was out there to cut a bracket of a long piece of steel ready for tomorrow.....9" grinder and it was off in about 25 seconds. But when i was walking back into the carport I could smell something burning...yep, it was me.
My wife went off her tree.....brand new work insignia sloppy joe, work shirt, work puffer vest, good cotton tee shirt and some of the hair on my belly.....all scared to the shape of a 5 inch melted circle.
I can totally relate.

 

[rubberrodder]

LOL. I went out to the garage the next night and found the needed motors manual and got the car done. In spite of my "best" efforts.

 

[rubberrodder]

My friend Jay is back in town for a while and dropped by to snag some leftover F100 parts . He saw the one front bucket seat,partially dis-assembled, in the corner. "What-cha gonna do to that thing?" he asks. I tell him my long, sad tale of misery regarding getting the upholstery seat skins and he says "If you can get new seat foam for them too, I can do the work for you. Cheap!" He had my undivided attention. Seeing as how I figured out I do NOT have the skill set needed, we struck a deal. The local shop wanted $1400 bucks to do both seats. Jay is doing them for $300! Good to have friends with skills!
Before and after pic's to come soon!

 

[rubberrodder]

She who must be obeyed somehow got "SHE SHED" out of "I will put a potting bench in the tool shed for you." Sooo...Here are some pictures of the window I put in the "SHE-SHED" so she has plenty of light to do whatever she will be doing in there. I will also be wiring up a light and wall outlet for her as well. All the rest of the yard implements ended up in a Costco plastic tool-crib in the dog yard.
Anyway...Happy wife, Happy life!

 

[rubberrodder]

On a more "garage,manly-man,guy stuff note. I finally serviced and reconfigured my compressor lay out. I no longer have to reach back in a hole to check or adjust air pressure. The tank, motor, and pump are still under the stairs. But now I can see what I am doing with out using a flashlight.
I still have some "air" plumbing to finish up, but, y'all get the idea here.

 

[rubberrodder]

A friend of mine let me know that a local Wednesday cruise night had started up again after all the covid **** killed anything fun last year. I told my grandaughter we could go next week. She emediatley pipes out with"Can't we go tonight?" I thought about it and said "Let me change out of my work shirt." By the time I am ready, she has dug out her "Rat Fink" jacket and favorite Ed Roth t-shirts and is chomping at the bit to go!
It's nice to know she still wants to go to a car show with her grandpaw.

 

[rubberrodder]

WOW !
I just realized, it has been almost a year since I put out ANYTHING new here. I have been busy, but, just never seem to get around to posting about it.
My daily driver needed the front seats covered, BADLY!
By the time I figured up the cost of new seat skins, padding, labor, and frame repairs, it was going to $1400. My wife says "Why don't you see how much new seats would be?"

Speedway Motors to the rescue! These bad boys came with sliders and mounting brackets for $750.02! Right at 1/2 of keeping the originals.

After reworking the "universal" {fancy word for doesn't fit anything} mounting brackets, they fit and look really nice and are very comfy. Comfort means not getting jabbed by broken springs!

 

[Terrick down Under]

"Comfort means not getting jabbed by broken springs!"....also means you can lean them forward when you go parking with your squeeze, for more room.

 

[rubberrodder]

Hi all!
Life has been busy around here at "malfunction Junction". I took the Buick to a friends shop and did a shake down on the front suspension. You guessed it! a total rebuild was done. Control arm bushings, upper and lower ball joints,center link and tie rod ends, idler arm, the whole mess. Should be getting it aligned this next payday.
Also got the truck painted. It went from a brushed on coat of "poop" brown primer to my "custom" mix of 4 quarts flat black & 1 quart gloss black.

 

[rubberrodder]

{I ran out of space above.}
The old truck-a-saurus came out pretty nice. The trim on the sides is made out of thin diamond plate sheet cut into strips, bent length wise, and held on with double sided panel mounting tape. The paint gun is the cheapest hvlp unit from Harbor Freight. $16.00 with tax, A gallon of thinner to clean it with is $20. The ONLY problem I had was I read the directions on the paint cans and followed them. Rustoleum says to use acetone to thin it with. I normally use mineral spirits or enamel reducer in it. In 80 degree weather, the acetone flashes away right out of the gun. So... the actual paint goes on thicker and doesn't have time to flow out and get smooth like it should. In a couple spots it looks kind of bed-liner-ish. But, over all, I'm happy with it. It's a good base layer for some graphics and pinstripes come next spring. Besides, it's a truck I take to the dump for crying out loud.

 

[rubberrodder]

AARGH! After 2020,2021, and most of 2022 my luck finally ran out! After missing 2 days of work, I have tested positive for covid! The wife has it. My daughter has it. The only ones who don't is my grand-daughter and son. My son is only home long enough to sleep eat and head back to work, so, he run minimal risk of exposure. At least I can go out and isolate in the garage.

 

[Terrick down Under]

he buddy, get better soon, keep up the fluids seams to be the biggest thing from what i have heard.
My Son and DIL finally went on their honeymoon 2 years late...and DIL got Covid on the 3rd day of the cruise...so spent the rest of the trip below the water line in isolation.

 

[rubberrodder]

Terrick! My friend how are you? It's nice to know somebody still checks out my updates on occasion. I may have to start making more of them. I do have some projects coming up that I will document on here soon as the weather breaks a bit nicer. I have some body work on the old Buick to do this spring. But I need to do the brakes on the truck first. All new wheel cylinders, hardware kits, front drums etc. The front drums are so out of round that I cannot get a good adjustment and good pedal "feel" out of them. As the tv news says "pictures when available".

 

[Bob Heine]

It's nice to know somebody still checks out my updates on occasion.

Dave, more than one person checks out your updates. Sounds like it's time to either find a shop that turns drums or go for new -- Rock Auto seems to have some $30-ish ones.

 

[Terrick down Under]

Bob, i was just about to say Rockauto too.
Things have been really busy down here, I will post up soon.
Keep going buddy.

 

[manbike26]

The old truck-a-saurus came out pretty nice. The trim on the sides is made out of thin diamond plate sheet cut into strips, bent length wise, and held on with double sided panel mounting tape. The paint gun is the cheapest hvlp unit from Harbor Freight. $16.00 with tax, A gallon of thinner to clean it with is $20. The ONLY problem I had was I read the directions on the paint cans and followed them. Rustoleum says to use acetone to thin it with. I normally use mineral spirits or enamel reducer in it. In 80 degree weather, the acetone flashes away right out of the gun. So... the actual paint goes on thicker and doesn't have time to flow out and get smooth like it should. In a couple spots it looks kind of bed-liner-ish. But, over all, I'm happy with it. It's a good base layer for some graphics and pinstripes come next spring. Besides, it's a truck I take to the dump for crying out loud.

Thanks for sharing this. I did the rustoleum roller paint job in satin black a number of years ago on my 1994 Ford ”go-to-the-dump” pick up.

It’s time for a refresh and I was thinking about this route.

What would you do differently next time? Thin with mineral spirits? Paint in cooler temps?

 

[rubberrodder]

manbike26.
BOTH !!!
That's the last time I actually follow the directions.

 

[Terrick down Under]

I just posted a couple of pics you may like

 

[Terrick down Under]

G'day mate, it has been a while.
What is happening in your neck of the woods?
Things here are up and down... Thought I was done with the prostrate cancer...just finished 7 weeks of radiation to make sure...and before that was 5 months of pneumonia. That hurt.
Just about to get back into my '36 Olds pickup.

 

[OccupantRJ]

AARGH! After 2020,2021, and most of 2022 my luck finally ran out! After missing 2 days of work, I have tested positive for covid! The wife has it. My daughter has it. The only ones who don't is my grand-daughter and son. My son is only home long enough to sleep eat and head back to work, so, he run minimal risk of exposure. At least I can go out and isolate in the garage.

@rubberrodder, I have read your entire thread and have enjoyed it. My wife and I are fairly reclusive compared to a lot of people. I had a knee replacement in August 2023, then another in December. Sure as hell, we both ended up with Covid from the Christmas gathering. It REALLY sucked to have Covid while also in pain of the knee recovery, and her being immune deficient, but we made it. I could tell your granddaughter did some growing during the time of this thread!

 

[rubberrodder]

DANG! Its been a long time posting anything here. Some project updates with pictures!

Here's how the truck looked for awhile.

Then I got a bored and went a little nuts.
I think it came out pretty good.

Here's a pic outside. One of my buddies has been working on painting his show truck for the last two years. Still not done, so we end up taking my truck to the big annual event at the fairgrounds this year. No trophy or anything, but, I did get a lot of compliments from owners of other "bump-side" f100's.

 

[Terrick down Under]

love the scallops and diamond plate flashes. Do you have the arch trim for the front fender?

 

[rubberrodder]

Wow! I haven't checked in for damn near 6 months!
I tried making one those homemade boot driers like I saw on good ol' Youtube.

I started with an inexpensive Amazon hairdryer and a bunch of pvc pipe and elbows, drilled a ton of holes in it and ended up with this contraption.

It worked "okay" ...until the pvc pipes got a little TOO warm. At least they started out straight.
some new uprights, more holes for more air flow, and I also run it on high for only 5 minutes to warm up the boots, then I put it on low.

 

[rubberrodder]

Got the garage cleaned up for the family Christmas party.
A view from each corner. BEFORE.
After.

 

[rubberrodder]

One of my coworkers and I went to a car show this last summer in my 1965 Buick Skylark. He's another old car guy like me so hewas asking all about "Buford". I was bragging about how solid the body is...until I went to show him the trunk floor This is the "sunny beach" that started this journey.
Then there was the rust repair on the windshield frame.
more to show tomorrow.

 

[rubberrodder]

After further inspection, there was MORE rust. LOTS more rust! Front window frame, rear window frame, BOTH front fenders, some really old body work hiding...{wait for it...} MORE RUST!!!!! I'm going to ignore the doors for now, but, they are getting "the treatment" as well.
After all this rust killing and repairing, I do have some plans for fresh paint, a bunch of new weather stripping, and some other annoying little things I've been putting off fixing.

 

[Bob Heine]

Dave, good to see you back.

Liane's aunt drove old clunkers for years but bought herself a brand new 1965 Buick Skylark hardtop convertible that was her pride and joy. We were there with the kids when she brought it home from the dealership and for a decade it looked like she never drove it. She was in her late 50s and kept the car in the garage she shared with Liane's mother's 1962 Rambler American convertible. There was always a huge bag marked Kotex napkins next to her car and I was afraid to ask why. Turns out that's what she wiped the car with when it got a spec or two of dust on it.

I thought the '65 Buick Skylark looked better than the Pontiac Tempest that year (vertical headlights were only cool on the Rivieras in my mind). Pontiac had the 389 option in the GTO option but Buick had the 401 for the Skylark Grand Sport. Back then the upgrade to the muscle car option was a no-brainer to me. Of course the basic car was out of my reach but if you had the $3,000 or so to spend on a Skylark, why not spend $200.53 for the Grand Sport?

When the 1968 GM cars came out, I checked out all their muscle cars. The Chevelle SS396 was the cheapest but only if you could live with a bench seat and column shifter. If you added bucket seats and a console with floor shifter, it was more expensive than the GTO, which came with those standard. The Dual Gate shifter was the feature that put that shiny red puppy in my garage (as did the side-by-side headlights and urethane bumper). With $300 off for our '62 Rambler station wagon, the car was $3,200.

Times sure have changed. We bought a used 2011 Cadillac CTS-V that came with a long list of standard features. It did have a few extra cost options on it, like the Recaro Seats ($3,400), Midnight Sapele Wood Trim Package ($600), UltraView Sunroof ($1,150), and 19" Polished Aluminum Wheels ($800). I think even the Thunder Gray Chromaflair paint was an extra $500.

 

[Terrick down Under]

i CAN SEE YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO A BIT OF STUFF. MY BOOT WARMER IS THE DOGS, THEY CURL AROUND THEM, I DON'T KNOW WHY.