Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Tom's Neighborhood Workshop

[wreckdiver1321]

I also had a few other things happen this weekend. We had a mountain of cardboard boxes rising on our patio thanks to gift season, so I took a little while to get everything cut up and hauled off to the dumpsters. Sorry, neighbors!

With that chore done, I took Dirk's biggest Christmas present and hid it away for a while. His grandparents bought him a staple of my childhood, a Power Wheels truck. In this case, an F-150 Raptor. This thing is so cool! My wife built it in the garage while I watched the kids on Friday, so I dragged it out to the shop and staged it for the reveal. My kids know I do car work in there, and Dirk is getting interested in that kind of thing, so I have a plan:



Since they're getting a Harbor Freight toy tool set, I'm going to have him grab some wrenches and help me finish "building" it. He won't realize it goes by itself until we get it off the stands, and I think once he does, he's going to flip out. Should be a fun Christmas.

I think it fits well here, don't you?



I also played around with getting my workbench frame built. I'm planning on using this industrial rack you can get at Costco. This is actually in the position one of the benches will be in once this is all finished.



I don't want the racking up above my head, so I decided to cut it down to size and reinforce the smaller sections. I started by measuring the height I wanted to have the bench sitting at (39" in this case"), then used a pick to scribe the height at which to cut. A few passes with my angle grinder and we're apart.





The cut edges are nowhere near as straight as I'd like, so I'll need to clean them up, but the height is correct. To reinforce them, I chopped the diagonal support even with the uprights, then dropped it into position and cleaned the powdercoat off. Then I got my new welder set up.

Of course, in my haste, I didn't have any MIG gas available, so I decided to test out the welder with some flux-core wire that it came with. Before doing that, I had to locate the correct feeder wheel and swap it over, but I had a hell of a time locating it. Seriously, I think it ran off when it knew I'd be looking for it because it took me 90 minutes to find the damn thing. 90 minutes! Once I located that, reconfigured the leads of the welder to use flux-core wire. Then I played with the settings, a lot, before finally getting everything set up properly.

I measured the gap at the bottom and the top to ensure the uprights were parallel, clamped everything in place, set my ground cable, and made sure everything was square. As flux-core fumes are toxic, I opened the windows and overhead door for ventilation. Luckily it was 55 degrees outside! I popped on my new Eastwood welding helmet (which is great by the way) and laid a few beads to secure the diagonal in place.



Considering I've not yet done any flux-core welding, and this is my first experience with this welder, I don't think this went too bad. I did make some nicer looking beads by the end of the day, but this is a good representation f where I started. A little grinder work cleaned it up pretty well, so it was on to the next step.

I cut one of the horizontal supports off the scrap piece, squared it up, and welded it in. Now I have half of the uprights I need to complete the bench, though I think I won't be using flux-core wire to weld the other section. I need to pick up some MIG gas and solid-core wire so it looks like I know what the hell I'm doing.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Power Wheels are fun...when the battery dies, just pull the harness off the factory battery and pick up a 12v ATV battery from wally world. My youngests son's mustang will run for 6+ hours on a single charge.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Power Wheels are fun...when the battery dies, just pull the harness off the factory battery and pick up a 12v ATV battery from wally world. My youngests son's mustang will run for 6+ hours on a single charge.

Genius! I'll have to try that out.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Did you guys know that you can buy welding wire on Amazon? Neat.

I've got a 2lb. roll of .023 wire coming, as well as some 1/2" sanding belts for my finger sander and a better set of safety glasses. Despite having a set on, I got thwapped in the eye by some debris on Saturday night and it's just starting to feel better. Oh, and I picked up a set of MIG gloves, because I need some. I should be all set to get to work on the sheet metal, though I still need to go pick up a gas bottle. Maybe this weekend I'll have some pictures of actually good progress. I'd love to have at least a little new metal on the truck by then. We shall see, I don't want to rush it.

Been thinking about a bigger compressor too, I run out of zip on my 20 gallon Craftsman a little too quickly, and it doesn't have enough CFM to deal with the tools I'm running. I'm considering the Kobalt Quiet Tech 26 gallon, which would improve the capacity by 30% and be a lot more pleasant to deal with. It's also 4.5cfm at 90, vs. the 3.2cfm my old Craftsman puts out.



There's also a 33 gallon Craftsman available. 65% more capacity and it'll keep up with my die grinder once it starts pumping, with 5.1cfm at 90. My concern here is size. It's 24" x 24" of floor space, whereas the Kobalt is only 21.5" x 19.5", which would fit a lot better in the space I have mapped out for the compressor. In fact, the 33 gallon might not fit at all.



Alternatively, I could add a tank to upgrade my storage capacity. It wouldn't be difficult to add an extra few gallons to this compressor, though I could make the same argument with a bigger, faster compressor.

Thoughts?

 

[OutlawDrifter]

For not much more money, you could get a 60gal or 80gal setup. Most of those will flow 9-10cfm+ @ 90psi.

I know space is an issue, but when you need air flow, its nice to not have to wait. Buy once, cry once.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

For not much more money, you could get a 60gal or 80gal setup. Most of those will flow 9-10cfm+ @ 90psi.

I know space is an issue, but when you need air flow, its nice to not have to wait. Buy once, cry once.

You make a good point, but I really don't want to dedicate the space and the only 220 outlet I have to such a big compressor. The reality is I very rarely need the extra capacity of a 60-gallon tank. I've only ever struggled with it when grinding or cutting, and most of that I do with my angle grinder. I use the air die grinder for more precision cutting, and during long cuts I use more air than my compressor can keep up with.

I suppose option C would be to get a DeWalt electric die grinder for a lot less money, then find a DA sander that uses less air when I'm at that point. Or go with an AirVantage electric DA sander rather than pneumatic.

Lots to chew on.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I get it!

When I was still doing everything out of my 2 car detached, my 60gal compressor took up a lot of room, but I had a lot of tools that were high consumption.

As long as what you buy suits your needs, you should be good. I did everything with a HF 20ish gallon unit for a lot of years.

Noise level for your space will be a big issue, would be nice to know which one runs quieter!

 

[DeeDubz]

If you can swing it get a 60 gal. I thought the same. When I bought my 33 gal 10 yrs ago I figured it would be enough. Like most ppl on this sight your gonna upgrade your gonna buy more tools that require air. My plasma cutter wouldn't run on my 33 gal. So I upgraded to 60 gal and haven't looked back. Just food for thought op.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I get it!

When I was still doing everything out of my 2 car detached, my 60gal compressor took up a lot of room, but I had a lot of tools that were high consumption.

As long as what you buy suits your needs, you should be good. I did everything with a HF 20ish gallon unit for a lot of years.

Noise level for your space will be a big issue, would be nice to know which one runs quieter!

That's the thing for me, I don't have or use a lot of air tools. I have a 1/2" impact, a die grinder, an air hammer, and the flanging tool I bought pretty recently. Most of the time, I've only ever had an impact and a die grinder, and I was able to do everything I ever wanted with that setup, so I don't think a giant compressor is a necessity for me.

I'm planning on adding a 1/2" electric impact to the arsenal in order to minimize air usage, and all of my most used power tools are electric. Sawzall, angle grinder, sanders, saws, etc.

I do however see the appeal in a 30% capacity improvement, a 40% output improvement, and a much quieter system. The Kobalt seems to be a good proposition for a guy like me who won't be using air that often but would benefit from some of the extras over a more basic model.

Believe it or not, it would cost less to get a good pneumatic DA and the Kobalt compressor than it would to buy an electric die grinder and a good electric DA for body work. $415 for the compressor and DA on average depending on which DA I go with. The electric option is up to $515 for the AirVantage DA, or $465 for a Bosch DA that's not as good

Like I said, lots to chew on!

If you can swing it get a 60 gal. I thought the same. When I bought my 33 gal 10 yrs ago I figured it would be enough. Like most ppl on this sight your gonna upgrade your gonna buy more tools that require air. My plasma cutter wouldn't run on my 33 gal. So I upgraded to 60 gal and haven't looked back. Just food for thought op.

That's a good point, but like I said above I don't really see myself needing to run any other air tools realistically than what I have at this point, aside from a DA. I don't do a lot of body work, this is my first attempt actually, and I prefer using hand tools most of the time. I don't see myself getting into a project that requires more body work than this one either, which is the primary reason I can see going to a larger compressor. Otherwise I'm pretty well set with electric tools.

I do have immediate access to a shop with an 80-gallon compressor, plasma cutter, and sand blaster if I need it, so I'm thinking of the 95% solution. I see your point though.

Another factor is size of the repair areas. I'm not dealing with huge repair sections, just small panels, so I'm not going to need huge amounts of working time. Just enough to handle spot repairs.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Pro tip: when dealing with rusty metal, wear safety glasses with wider coverage than your average pair of sunglasses.

This weekend, I was cleaning up some rusty spots and cutting some metal from Sandy, and something got into my left eye. I didn't think much of it until Monday morning when I woke up and it was absurdly sore, super sensitive to light, and still red. Turns out, a shard of metal had adhered at the bottom edge of my iris and was causing irritation. I went in to the doctor and discovered exactly how that problem is dealt with.

They take a small needle and dig it out. If you let it sit long enough, that piece of metal rusts. That corrosion forms a rust ring that isn't removed with the metal shard, so that has to be scraped with the needle and a q-tip, and occasionally a tiny drill-like instrument, in order to remove the rust. Then they'll give you an antibiotic and send you on your way. Lucky for me it wasn't too difficult and not painful, but it is deeply unpleasant. My eye socket and eyeball feel like a sore muscle, and will for the next few days. Live and learn.



Lie I said, I was wearing safety glasses. I believe mine were even 3M, but they were low-profile versions more akin to stylish sunglasses than a legitimate safety device. Annoyingly, I had noticed some debris get past my glasses earlier that day, but was too lazy to go change into a pair with better coverage. Those glasses are now in the trash, and I have a few different styles on the way. Not taking the chance on that again.

In case you were curious, this is what I was wearing:



I purchased some Uvex Hypershock, which have better coverage and fit closer to the face. They're highly regarded and are an American company (Honeywell), though made in Taiwan.



I also bought a pair of KleenGuard Nemesis, which I have had good luck with in the past. They're a Kimberly-Clark brand and also made in Taiwan. Along with them, I picked up a pair of Ergodyne Skullerz, which I've not had experience with. They have good reviews and look to be the coverage I'm after, though Uvex look to be the best bet to me. We'll see once I get them.

Oh, all of these glasses are less than $15, so there's no reason not to have them and wear them when necessary! I may have just gotten unlucky with the pair I was wearing, but I don't want to be unlucky again, so I will have a good stock of these in my shop.

It's got me thinking about earmuffs too. I do have a good pair that I use in the shop, but I could definitely have one or two more to hand. Also gloves. And masks.

Safety gear, people! It's important!

 

[DeeDubz]

Thats a bummer OP. Glad your prognosis is good. I have a few pairs of safety glasses. I find myself at times wanting to take them off so I can see better. But I tell myself thats not a good idea. Ive had things fly into my eyes but luckily nothing serious. I just bought a pair of knee pads a few weeks ago. I dont know why I didnt buy them sooner. I got a pair of huskys at home depot. Also replaced my Milwaukee safety glasses.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Thats a bummer OP. Glad your prognosis is good. I have a few pairs of safety glasses. I find myself at times wanting to take them off so I can see better. But I tell myself thats not a good idea. Ive had things fly into my eyes but luckily nothing serious. I just bought a pair of knee pads a few weeks ago. I dont know why I didnt buy them sooner. I got a pair of huskys at home depot. Also replaced my Milwaukee safety glasses.

I need to buy some knee pads too, but I keep putting it off. I'm turning 30 in a couple months and I'd rather take good care of myself so I'm not completely wrecked by the time I'm 50.

This is the first time I've ever had to go to the doctor for something flying in my eye, but luckily it was not a big deal. It's really changed my perception on the importance of safety glasses, such that I decided to buy some good ones and not leave it to chance anymore. These days PPE is so inexpensive there's really not a good reason to not have it.

Anyway, off my soapbox now.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Been there, done that!

Eye/ear protection is very important!

Wish I would have taken better care of my ears earlier on, tinnitus is no fun. You've got the right idea for sure, it's no fun when you've wrecked your body by 40 either, haha.

 

[loganb]

I've got 2 pairs of these, I like that they're a single, wide strap and doesn't pinch or hurt in those rare times I work in shorts.



Have a pair of CLC leather ones as well I do not like. Not comfortable for me to go from sit to stand alot and not as well padded as the husky ones.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Been there, done that!

Eye/ear protection is very important!

Wish I would have taken better care of my ears earlier on, tinnitus is no fun. You've got the right idea for sure, it's no fun when you've wrecked your body by 40 either, haha.

I hike and hunt and all kinds of outdoor pursuits like that, so I'd hate to be slowed down because I was thick-headed earlier in life. Having kids smacked that into my head right quick. Ha!

I've got 2 pairs of these, I like that they're a single, wide strap and doesn't pinch or hurt in those rare times I work in shorts.



Have a pair of CLC leather ones as well I do not like. Not comfortable for me to go from sit to stand alot and not as well padded as the husky ones.

Good recommendation! My buddy runs a mobile RV repair business and says that the gel pads are absolutely the way to go. I work in shorts all the time (about that safety lecture I just gave... ) and having them be comfortable in shorts is a massive plus. I may have to go check those out in Home Depot next time I'm there.

You guys are doing a great job of emptying my bank account.

 

[gearhead1960]

Tom,

Glad you're OK. Vision is nothing to mess around with. I wear glasses and figure that should cover me, but realize that is probably a stupid assumption. You've inspired me to search for "over the glasses" safety glasses and have put these on my list to buy....thanks!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Tom,

Glad you're OK. Vision is nothing to mess around with. I wear glasses and figure that should cover me, but realize that is probably a stupid assumption. You've inspired me to search for "over the glasses" safety glasses and have put these on my list to buy....thanks!

I wear glasses also, safety squints just don't cover it! I now have a shield and goggles

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Tom,

Glad you're OK. Vision is nothing to mess around with. I wear glasses and figure that should cover me, but realize that is probably a stupid assumption. You've inspired me to search for "over the glasses" safety glasses and have put these on my list to buy....thanks!

Thanks Mark, I'm glad it worked out for me. My vision is a touch hazy in the left eye for now, I believe that's due to the healing. Definitely a wake-up call though.

I know a guy that wears regular glasses and has been hit in the eyes multiple times. No major incidents, but he still won't wear safety glasses because he thinks his specs are good enough. Not smart in my opinion but they're his eyes.

Glad to have inspired a smart decision like that! With safety gear, I take the attitude that you'll never regret taking the extra step, but you might regret not taking it.

I wear glasses also, safety squints just don't cover it! I now have a shield and goggles

It's funny because when we were cleaning up the frame and suspension of the Land Cruiser, there was a lot of loose rust and dirt and detritus under it. My buddy and I started with masks, earmuffs, gloves, and safety glasses but after the first piece of wire wheel got embedded in his cheek we stopped work and picked up face shields.

We spent what amounted to a full week of 12-hour days with hammers, flap discs, and wire wheels cleaning the junk off. Didn't have a single other issue with face injuries. We did pick a lot of wire out of our clothes though. And then there was the black snot.




I had to throw out the face shield afterward because it was as clear as tissue paper. Should probably pick up a new one.

 

[nicholam77]

Tom, not sure how I'm just connecting with your thread here, but everything looks great! I love seeing "normal"-sized garage shops and how they can be maximized. I have a similar-sized garage, house, and kids so a lot to relate to.

A lot of effort put into the floor so far, but at least you have a nice foundation to work with! Mine is a complete lost cause.

A couple things from reading through —

1. Knipex are awesome
2. I like your breeze block fence along the driveway
3. Agree on the track saw, if you don't do a ton of woodworking there is no reason to go overboard. I'm sure the WEN + diablo blade works just fine. I like my Makita but I'm usually trying to be as precise as possible on "furniture grade" cabinets with nice plywood. You will find many uses for it, I'm sure.

It's got me thinking about earmuffs too.

Sorry about your eye, that sounds awful! Safety is something that's become really important to me, too. My dad is in his early 70's with poor hearing. He can barely understand anything my 3 yr old says. Misses out on a lot of conversation. It's kind of a bummer. But he also never wears ear protection around vacuums, table saws, anything really. Even to this day. He likes to blame it on "too many Rolling Stones concerts" when he was a younger man but it's really opened my eyes to long term damage from that sort of thing.

Is it wrong that I'm super jealous of the F-150 Raptor? That is one bada$$ toy.

Subscribed!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Tom, not sure how I'm just connecting with your thread here, but everything looks great! I love seeing "normal"-sized garage shops and how they can be maximized. I have a similar-sized garage, house, and kids so a lot to relate to.

A lot of effort put into the floor so far, but at least you have a nice foundation to work with! Mine is a complete lost cause.

A couple things from reading through —

1. Knipex are awesome
2. I like your breeze block fence along the driveway
3. Agree on the track saw, if you don't do a ton of woodworking there is no reason to go overboard. I'm sure the WEN + diablo blade works just fine. I like my Makita but I'm usually trying to be as precise as possible on "furniture grade" cabinets with nice plywood. You will find many uses for it, I'm sure.



Sorry about your eye, that sounds awful! Safety is something that's become really important to me, too. My dad is in his early 70's with poor hearing. He can barely understand anything my 3 yr old says. Misses out on a lot of conversation. It's kind of a bummer. But he also never wears ear protection around vacuums, table saws, anything really. Even to this day. He likes to blame it on "too many Rolling Stones concerts" when he was a younger man but it's really opened my eyes to long term damage from that sort of thing.

Is it wrong that I'm super jealous of the F-150 Raptor? That is one bada$$ toy.

Subscribed!

Nick! Nice to have you stop by!

I always love seeing what look like ordinary neighborhood garages turned into amazing workspaces. I'm taking inspiration from a lot of places, so hopefully it all melds together into a cool place to work and hang out.

The floor has been a complete sonofabitch, but I've got a plan and I feel like when the weather warms up I'll be able to get a coating down and move on with my life. ***** that it's taken so long but such is life. I've seen the pics of your floor, and I would hate to have that be what I was working with. That being said, I have to imagine there's a certain level of freedom in it. "Screw it, the floor's garbage anyway."

I've used the Knipex a few times and they're a pleasure. I'll definitely be buying more of their products in the future.

I go back and forth on the breezeblock wall. Sometimes I'm okay with it, other times I think it looks tacky. I may paint it in the near future and see how I feel about it then. I have several ideas for sprucing up the outside of the house (gabled roof in the center, cedar shakes under the gable, dark blue paint with cedar shutters, landscaping) so we'll see how they play together. From a utility standpoint it's pretty nice. Keeps the kids corralled and I can't accidentally drive into my neighbor's lawn when it's snowing.

I feel like the track saw was a great investment for how little it cost. If I only use it for a year and suddenly decide I need something nicer, I will still feel good about the money I spent. The Makita or Kreg would be my next choice, but for now it does the job a hell of a lot better than a $150 tool should. The cuts are really clean and perfectly straight, so I can't ask for much more.

Yeah, the eye episode was not a lot of fun. I'm healing up from it fairly well but it's still sucky. I was lucky to have seen the aftermath of many years of unprotected shop work when I got into mechanics/woodworking. My mentors had terrible hearing and kind of crappy eyesight. Neither of them had good lungs because of cigarettes and all kinds of chemical inhalation. They ate like **** and looked like it. As much as I learned how to do things, I also learned a lot of what not to do. I don't want to be that grandpa.

Ha! I'm jealous of it too! I had a Jeep when I was a kid, coincidentally at the same time my dad did. His was red, mine was 90's yellow. My mom caught me in a closed-up, unventilated garage with a can of red spray paint one day. Even then I couldn't keep from customizing things. Makes me nervous to see what Dirk's gonna do with this thing.

Good to have you onboard. More to come!

 

[gearhead1960]

My dad is in his early 70's with poor hearing. He can barely understand anything my 3 yr old says. Misses out on a lot of conversation. It's kind of a bummer. But he also never wears ear protection around vacuums, table saws, anything really. Even to this day. He likes to blame it on "too many Rolling Stones concerts" when he was a younger man but it's really opened my eyes to long term damage from that sort of thing.

Tom, sorry to hijack your thread, but Nicolam77 you need to get your Dad to an Audiologist for his hearing. Hearing aids have come a long way. We really don't know why I suffered hearing loss, but it has progressed over the years. I have been wearing hearing aids for a long time (10+ years) and have recently upgraded to CIC (completely in canal) Bluetooth hearing aids. I can talk on my phone hands free, streaming directly into the hearing aids. I also can stream music or podcasts from my I-Phone. Federal law now compels the Insurance Companies to pay most of the cost of hearing aids. I combine the cost with interest free credit just to lessen the financial hardship, only because I can, not because I need to. He has no excuse to avoid it. It also made a big difference in the quality of life, like not missing out on conversations, talking to the grandbabies, or engaging (when forced to) with SWMBO... . Take it from someone who resisted for years. The stigma for hearings aids is BS as most of us baby boomers need them......

 

[bdbecker]

Bummer about the eye. Glad it wasn't worse.

Another good option are the safety glasses with the foam gasket. I've got a pair of these that I wear whenever I do anything with metal. The gasket does annoy me a little because it kind of feels like I'm wearing horse blinders, otherwise I'd wear them all the time. There are certainly other options, you just need to find whatever fits your face the best.

Amazon.com

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Tom, sorry to hijack your thread, but Nicolam77 you need to get your Dad to an Audiologist for his hearing. Hearing aids have come a long way. We really don't know why I suffered hearing loss, but it has progressed over the years. I have been wearing hearing aids for a long time (10+ years) and have recently upgraded to CIC (completely in canal) Bluetooth hearing aids. I can talk on my phone hands free, streaming directly into the hearing aids. I also can stream music or podcasts from my I-Phone. Federal law now compels the Insurance Companies to pay most of the cost of hearing aids. I combine the cost with interest free credit just to lessen the financial hardship, only because I can, not because I need to. He has no excuse to avoid it. It also made a big difference in the quality of life, like not missing out on conversations, talking to the grandbabies, or engaging (when forced to) with SWMBO... . Take it from someone who resisted for years. The stigma for hearings aids is BS as most of us baby boomers need them......

Bluetooth hearing aids?! Holy **** that's cool! ***** that you need them but that kind of capability is really cool.

I agree too, it makes a huge difference. The aforementioned hard of hearing family friend got hearing aids and it made such a positive change in his life. He kept saying how he should have gotten them earlier.

Also, no worries about taking this thread off the rails. Consider this us all hanging out in my workshop with beer in hand.

Bummer about the eye. Glad it wasn't worse.

Another good option are the safety glasses with the foam gasket. I've got a pair of these that I wear whenever I do anything with metal. The gasket does annoy me a little because it kind of feels like I'm wearing horse blinders, otherwise I'd wear them all the time. There are certainly other options, you just need to find whatever fits your face the best.

Amazon.com

Thanks for the link, I may buy a pair of those too. I looked pretty hard at the ones with the gasket, but I'm going to try out a bunch and see what works the best for me. Nothing wrong with having a bunch of safety glasses, and they're so cheap it's almost a crime to not have them.

I bookmarked those for later perusal. Thanks!

 

[racer-john]

OP, have you tried a "rod descaling gun" to remove rust from things (chassis, etc.)?

 

[wreckdiver1321]

OP, have you tried a "rod descaling gun" to remove rust from things (chassis, etc.)?

I have not. The chassis got six days worth of grinding with a flap disc and many, many wire wheels. Smacking it with a hammer did a lot too. Anyway, after that almost all of the chassis rust was cleared up. We didn't really have many (if any at all) spots that weren't at least partially clean. Since it's a boxed frame, I also used a drain auger attached to a drill to bust the rust inside the frame loose. Then blew it out with compressed air and coated it with Eastwood Internal Frame Coating, which seems to have really cleaned up inside the frame. Perfect? No, but it never will be.

I do plan on coating the outside of the frame with Eastwood frame paint/rust encapsulator or maybe some tractor/implement paint. It's got several layers of Rustoleum rust reformer and satin black paint right now, so it is protected as it sits.

Having dug around the entire underside, I can say that the only are that gives me the least bit of concern is from the rear wheels back. That's what had the worst corrosion, and even then it wasn't terrible. I'll probably reinforce the inside of the chassis in one spot on either side, but otherwise it's pretty solid.

In a year I might pull the rear diff out for a rebuild and cleanup. It's in the worst shape of anything on the car. But the steel on the rear end is so thick I'm not really concerned about it.

 

[racer-john]

A "rod descaling gun"will save a lot of hammer weilding on chassis, gear boxes, and steering boxes and do a superior job, from experience. IMHO.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

A "rod descaling gun"will save a lot of hammer weilding and do a superior job IMHO.

Wish I had known that a year ago

We don't deal with rust at all really here in Montana. We've got winters like everybody else up north but we don't salt our roads and we have low humidity, so stuff doesn't really corrode here. This project is way outside my regular comfort zone. I've not had to de-rust something before.

Our original plan called for just wire wheeling, which is how it started, but my buddy discovered hitting the frame with a hammer worked well to find weak spots (there was really only two), but it also worked to knock rust scale and flaking undercoat off. We had no idea. So out came the hammers. But the majority was still done with a wire wheel and a flap disc.

 

[racer-john]

"But the majority was still done with a wire wheel and a flap disc."
And a lot of dust.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

"But the majority was still done with a wire wheel and a flap disc."
And a lot of dust.

So. Much. Dust.

We wore respirators, earmuffs, gloves, the whole nine. Completely covered my brother in law's shop with a thick red dust. That was fun to clean.

 

[jbrentd]

You’ll be so glad you spent the extra time to take care of the rust. I had a bunch on my project car, but it was on the inside.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

You’ll be so glad you spent the extra time to take care of the rust. I had a bunch on my project car, but it was on the inside.

I'm really glad I'm taking the time to do it. The rust is mostly gone now, just a tiny bit left on a few body panels. Cleaning up the frame and suspension was the big challenge. A lot of time with grinders and such. The body rust isn't terrible all things considered, so with a little metal and paint work you'll never know.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Today's update: buying a cylinder of MIG gas is expensive.

I stopped by the local welding supply and discovered I need to buy a cylinder and pay for the fill, which works out to like $350. My local AirGas wants about the same. Nobody here in town does a lease/rent option, at least for a guy like me. So I'll have to buy.

Good news is you can actually buy a tank of MIG gas on Amazon! Who'd have thought? $290 shipped.

Amazon.com

 

[OutlawDrifter]

What size of bottle?

 

[jbrentd]

Yeah, I was a little surprised when I converted from flux core that my 80cf of 75/25 was more than I paid for the cheap HF welder. But at least the refills aren't as bad.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

What size of bottle?

80 cu ft.

Yeah, I was a little surprised when I converted from flux core that my 80cf of 75/25 was more than I paid for the cheap HF welder. But at least the refills aren't as bad.

That's the nice thing. Right now refills at Airgas are $65. It's worth spending the money for sure, I was just surprised.

 

[racer-john]

Wreckdiver, when MIG welding, be it flux core or bare wire, clean your metal of all rust, paint, oil or grease and wipe with acetone, spot for your ground clamp also. Will make the weld much easier to do, cleaner looking and stronger.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Wreckdiver, when MIG welding, be it flux core or bare wire, clean your metal of all rust, paint, oil or grease and wipe with acetone, spot for your ground clamp also. Will make the weld much easier to do, cleaner looking and stronger.

Good tips. I worked as a shop hand (read: *****) for several years for a guy who was just an unbelievable fabricator. Most of my basic welding tips/fundamentals I learned from him, including most of that. But he never used or suggested using acetone/solvent to wipe down the metal first. That's a great idea, I'll try that. Thanks!

Nice slow Saturday start for me. I got up with my kids and sent my wife to work with fresh coffee. Made some bacon and toast, then sat down to watch the news and hang out with my boys. Good day so far. I'd like to run out to the workshop and start tearing into the Land Cruiser a bit more. Maybe finish editing my photos so I'll stop using my damn phone to record everything. I have a tendency to get lazy with photo editing, which stops me from picking up my real camera and using it in order to prevent the backlog. Stupid.

Last night after work I had a sighting of the vehicle that started my whole obsession with remote travel and the whole overland thing. I bought this 2001 Land Rover Discovery II in college and modded it to be a useful overlander. Along the way I discovered Expedition Portal, Expedition Overland, 4XOverland, Camel Trophy, and all manner of other avenues to chase. I was hooked. However, being a Land Rover, the rig was replete with endless problems and gremlins that I had neither the time nor the money to chase down constantly. Thus, I sold it for my first Japanese truck, a Nissan Frontier. Thus began my love affair with Japanese 4x4s. The rest is history. All that being said, I will always have a love affair with the Discovery's original iterations. Such a cool vehicle. If it was even 70% as reliable as a Land Cruiser or even my Frontier, I'd still own it. This is that very vehicle, still driving around but in worse shape than I left it unfortunately.



After the close encounter of the nostalgic kind, I went out and picked up a new service cart. Last weekend saw me spending way too much time working on my knees and with my back hunched. No more of that ****. I need a mobile, temporary worktop, so I decided to get a service cart since it's been on my list for a long time anyway.



I installed the top tier upside-down on purpose. I wanted a flat worktop to set things on, and a tray is pretty much useless to me. So upside-down it is. I think I'm going to run out to Lowe's today and pick up a project panel or piece of plywood to make a thicker top to add to it. Otherwise it's exactly what I needed. Keeps the tools and parts organized and mobile. This will be really useful for projects in the future.



Hopefully today I'll get some more work done on the Land Cruiser, the workbench, and the cart. We'll see what the weekend entails.

 

[Vette60]

Really enjoyed your posts...I like the Land Cruiser a ton. That's something that I would love to get into, but need to get some other things straightened out first. Look forward to more!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Busy weekend, as if that's abnormal for me to say.

The kids and I stopped by Lowes to get a chunk of project panel to use as a worktop for my service cart. Lowe's sells these edge-glued project panels that I've used for tabletops and various other projects multiple times, and I've always found them quick and easy. For this project, I was able to pick up a 3/4 x 18 x 36" panel rated as "paint quality" for $10. "Paint quality" is a marketing term for "****" I think, but I spent some time picking through the pile and found a good one.

I've also started buying my boys some tools. This weekend they got their first adjustable wrenches. I plan to slowly build up a tool set for each of them with hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. At some point they'll get their own little toolbox. They both are showing interest in repairs and fixing things, so I'm going to try to foster that. They have yet to let go of their wrenches, and Dirk keeps running around the house trying to find stuff to "fix."





When we got home, it was nap time, so I set Bram down and Dirk got to hang out in front of the TV for a while. Still holding onto his wrench, by the way. I got the panel out to the shop and had to trim it down for the cart, as it was about 6" too long. Perfect excuse to drag out the track saw! Right? Right!





It worked pretty well with the shop vac hooked up for dust collection. Better than I expected actually, though using the hose that came with the vacuum was a hassle. I need a longer and more flexible one to make life easier. I have a few ideas. A Dust Deputy would help out in this instance for sure. Not high on the priority list, but something for me to toss around. I don't really need a fancy central dust collection system as I don't do all that much woodwork, but as I do a little more I'd like to have a small system to keep things neater.

I started by trimming a bit off one edge to get it clean and square, then flipped the setup and took the remaining material off. I tested finishes with the scrap piece, trying to decide if I wanted a bare oil finish or stain. I ended up going with the stain since I think it looks nice and will match my workbenches. And the pallet wood on the wall.



I dragged out the RO sander and cleaned up the worktop, then laid down a light coat of Varathane Jacobean stain. As the commercial goes, "I use that **** on everything." With that drying, I drilled five holes in the top of the cart, one for each corner and one dead center. Once the stain had dried enough, I set the worktop in place, drilled pilot holes, and secured it with screws and washers from the bottom. Then I applied the first of two layers of tung oil to finish it off.



As the tung oil dried, I shifted my attention to the workbench project and cut down the other upright. Then I did a little grinding to clean up the weld area and stitched the supports back together. I think my welding is definitely improving, even with just using flux core. Big thanks to @kaymccampbell for the suggestion on dialing up the power for a better weld. I think it worked!



With that done, I shut the lights off and headed inside to hang out with my kids for the night. I did manage to sneak out to apply the second coat of tung oil after a few hours. I know it says to wait longer before you apply the second coat, but I had the piece parked under the shop heater and the humidity is about 20% right now, so things dry quickly. Regardless, this is going to get abused, so perfection isn't really necessary.

And that was just Saturday!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Did you buy a SAE or metric adjustable wrench? You gotta have both ya know