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Finishing my Buick Shop


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9 hours ago, JoelsBuicks said:

Yep, it would hold water - although the ends and seams aren't sealed.  Probably should have run it the other way.  At least conditions here that create that kind of sweating occurs rarely and this will be further attenuated by a fairly well sealed airspace above the ceiling.  I'll watch for drips.

 

 

 

I ran ran mine in my welding shed the same direction but have vents at top and bottom for air flow. I don't see cause for worrying about that much sweating in that small of an enclosed space and even if it does, your rafters are treated, metal roofing is galvalume and screws stainless... don worry about it....

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Yes, and this reminds me that I need to post some bloopers.  I had a trim piece made for this and I'll take a pic today to show you what I did.  So yes, rain water there but not seeping through.  Still, bad design - it's what I get for changes things late in the game.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I took a short break from the shop to attend to my orchard and garden.  I also sought a second opinion on the pricing for the high lift garage doors and I'm glad that I did.  Another installer added only $200 per door for the high lift instead of the $700 quoted by another.  I bought all four doors and had three installed.  I will install openers on all of them and install the talk door to save $2100 in labor.

 

 

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Well, give it a month and it will be so warm here you'll not want in there.  In all seriousness, one thing I'd like to do is open up this

place to be used by anyone who is in this hobby and close enough to benefit from it.  I'll have a first rate down draft paint booth that will be available as well as working space and even living space.  I've got tools of all sorts to share and I'd hope that I could help others and get help from them on projects.

 

My woodworking shop, just 75ft away from the new shop is well equipped to rewood the old cars and with over 2500 sqft, will have room for at least 2 car bodies and room to spread out.

 

 Nearly 40 years ago my uncle got me started on this old car hobby.  Together, we restored VW Karmann Ghias and the older VW Beetles. I loved working with him.  College, career, family and life in general separated us and finally his recent passing made that permanent.  On his deathbed,  he wrote a note to his wife that said, "give the Buick to Joe."  This is in reference to his one owner '68 Electra 225.  

 

My wish is to be able to share my stuff and time with others similarly interested.  As far as that barn warming, I'm thinking of a way to extend the invitation to all Buick enthusiasts passing by enroute to OKC for the 2019 Nationals.  Until then, I'll open the doors for

anyone at anytime.  And if you find you need a temp space for a car you've purchased, I can help and none of it will cost a dime.

 

Thanks again,

Joel

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KC, I don't recall the name or Southway.  I don't get to OKC much anymore.  Many years ago, the Governor appointed me to the State's Air Quality Board for a seven year term.  All of our dealings were in OKC but I got in and out quickly as the political and bureaucratic scene was its own sort of swamp.

 

Is Langley still in OKC and would he be a brother or uncle?

 

Tulsa is the big city nearest me.  Those two cities are far apart in many ways.  You certainly won't find any sawmills around there!

 

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

It's been a while since my last update, slow progress now that I'm back at it solo.  Also, I've had many other things to tend to, like my garden and orchard -ugh, everything wants to eat up my peach trees!

 

 I'm about to get electrical service to the shop.  The electric company gave me a new 400 amp meter box.  From this box, I'll run my wood shop with a 200 amp panel and my new building will have a 200 amp panel.  As you'll see in the pics, I have this wired up and ready for power. No permitting requirements here and I can do this work myself but it still has to be done right. 

 

The power comes in underground and in a 3" conduit.  I dug the ditch for a 36" line depth and installed the conduit.  Power company will install service line in the conduit.  They will also abandon the existing feed to my woodshop and I will have to pull up that line and tie into the 200 amp disconnect box that is next to that meter.

 

I installed (roughed in) two Fujitsu ductless mini split AC/heating systems.  These are multi zone units needed because I decided to  make the storage space above the rooms into rooms themselves.  I know, more work. 

 

 

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Thanks Ben.  Not sure why but when the Amish crew left and the door installers finished, I needed to get away from this project for a little while.  I began designing the electrical portion and faced so many questions about service entry that I couldn't answer and just too ignorant to know what to ask.  Also, I found myself needing to make decisions about what will go where electrically speaking.  I felt like I was too busy driving to stop for gas.  So, I gave it some time to think about what I wanted.

 

And there's more.  While retirement has so far been fantastic, I have only started coming to grips with the reality that after 35 years of a sit down job, I just can't physically pick up where I once was in 1982.  I knew it wasn't going to be easy but impossible is a better word to use.  My body is in pain and it's not getting better.

 

Hopefully, progress will be steady and I keep you all informed.

 

Thanks,

Joel

 

 

 

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One other thing,  a few weeks ago, I found a 37 Buick coupe for sale about 450 miles from me.  It was said to be complete except for an engine, tranny, and torque tube.  The rust was reported to be minimal and the pics showed only a little rust.  I confirmed a sale price and hooked up the trailer and away I went.  After 10 minutes of looking at this car, I left in disgust because the rust problem was enormous yet elusive to a camera.  Thank God I didn't pay a dime but I was kicking myself pretty good for that one.  Oh, and here's the deal, I have a '37 engine, tranny and a torque tube for that coupe !

Edited by JoelsBuicks (see edit history)
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  • 3 weeks later...

I told myself, and many others for that matter, that I would be going with LED lighting in my shop.  I didn't.  I ran across a deal on T5 high output fluorescent lights.  They are 6 bulb, 2x4 fixtures and were used; taken down and replaced with LEDs.  At nearly 24,000 lumens per fixture, my LED equivalent cost would be 6 times higher per lumen.  Even if I had to buy all new bulbs in the next year, I'm still at a fourth of the cost.  I further justified this by convincing myself that in just a few years, LED options would be less costly as supply begins to surpass demand.  How's that for reasoning?  Oh, one more thing, the op costs for LED is much less but it is not my intention to have all of these burning all the time.  Now for the pics; not all are wired up yet.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

So far I have 29 of the lights installed and I have them wired into switches.  It's been a slow go working near the roof of this hot building.  The lights are very bright and I'm happy with them.  There are 6, 20 amp circuits just for the lights; all of them burning will draw 81 amps.  As such, I will install three more fixtures, evenly spaced and down the middle of the building for "minimum" lighting.  I don't want to pay for 81 Amps of lighting.

 

I installed openers on all 4 overhead doors and now working on a gutter down the front of the building.

 

It's been a slow go doing this solo but I'm steady.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just as brief update, mostly so I don't forget how to post.  I have completed the gutter and downspouts along the front of the building.  Oh how I wish that I had the gutter installed during roof construction.  But, I thought I wouldn't need it.  Mother nature's spring rains were a hard learned lesson on the value of a gutter.

 

I installed the walk door and an old combination door lock that had been slumbering in a storage box for the last decade.  

 

My wiring work continues inside and competes with my tomatoes.  So far, the tomatoes are winning; having canned 99 quarts and 44 pints so far.

 

The lights you see in the porch area were given to me when I bought the used T5 fluorescents.  I love the old galvanized look of these lights and will install LED bulbs in them.

 

I'm in the process of trying to acquire another '36 Roadmasher.  It's in very tough shape parts-wise but very little rust.  The good thing is that I have nearly all the parts to put her together.  I'll soon be making  another set of wood for a RoadMaster and might as well make two or maybe even three.  

 

Take care and be safe,

Joel

 

 

 

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Love those galvanized lights! I installed gutters on our two story house and pray they outlast me. Hadn't had that much fun since I installed the lightening rods on the tin roof. So I feel your pain. 

Looking good Joel, lookin good! Love the colors! 

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Joel,

    I just came across your posts and read all of them this morning.  I am very impressed!  You are truly a Renascence Man! 

 

I just wish I had been following it sooner as I could have confirmed your correct selection of your garage door openers.  I installed the same ones on the RV door of my Buick barn & the double garage door in my home shop.  I especially like the automatic dead bolt feature that comes with these openers. 

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Joel,

 

Your garage looks fantastic, and I really like the lighting set-up.

If you were a bit closer I could help you fill the vast emptiness, but really, the place looks geat.

 

Be careful on those ladders - last January I was repairing a rain gutter on our house - twisted - feet went between the rungs as the ladder turned. Then, with tools in hand, my rate of acceleration increased in reverse proportion to my elevation. The result was a Rotator Cuff torn in three places, and a Torn Bicep. Dealing with therapy is painful, and I'll likely never regain full strength or full range of motion. For a time it was even difficult to drive a stick shift, but that is improving.

 

Be careful on those ladders-

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Folks, thanks again for the very nice comments.  Marty, I will think about what you said the next time I'm on a ladder.  I'm not real good with heights to begin with and Ive always got one hand full of tools.  Also, injuries these days seem to last for months.  You'll notice that I have rolling scaffolds; I try to use them for elevated work when possible.

 

Mark, I love the wall mounted door openers.  Three of my four OH doors could not use conventional openers and so I installed these on all four.  No regrets so far and I also like that automatic deadbolt lock.

 

Thanks again,

Joel

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Mark and thanks for your concern.  We are far enough away to not be impacted but my heart goes out to my many friends in Houston and the Sweeney TX area - where my former employer has a large refinery.  

 

In fact, Just today I talked with my best friend who lives in Fulshear Tx and he has been asked to evacuate.  He chose to stay because his 96 year old mother-in-law is very sensitive to stress and so he is taking a chance.  While he is on high ground, he will be isolated.  He has his generator and food and water supply ready.  He also has his 95 year old father-in-law there as well as two young kids.  That's a very tough decision he has to make.

 

i have no plans for Hershey but would love to attend some day.

 

thanks again,

Joel

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  • 1 month later...

Well I'm glad you asked.  I'd call it fairly unremarkable progress but steady nonetheless. I have been working on completing the wiring and I'm about 90% at this point.  I'm amazed at just how much wiring and how many circuits it takes to do this job.  It's also expensive and a shop this large has at least 2000 linear feet.  

 

My my plan is to get the internal rooms ready for insulation, plywood and Sheetrock.  I will hire these done very soon I hope.  This also includes the completion of the paint booth.  

 

I recently used the sawmill to make 2x4's for framing the upstairs rooms.  I think I mentioned earlier that I'll have two climate controlled rooms upstairs.  One room for recreation and the other either for storage or both.

 

Here's a few pics that I wanted to share.  I put old style 300W bulbs in those porch lights.  Nostalgic reasons only; LEDs are coming soon.  Also, I decided to leave the emergency lighting function for the main lights.  When I turn these lights off, a battery will keep one bulb lit until the battery dies. Lastly, I installed three more fixtures to provide minimal building lighting in the main portion so that it doesn't cost me a fortune to burn a bunch of lights when I don't need them.  

 

Thanks again for asking!

Joel

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  • 1 month later...

I think that October rain was the last substantial rain as it is very dry here now.

 

Just a bit of progress to share.  I don’t know where the time goes but it seems like I’ve entered a slow motion parallel universe.   Better planning would probably help.

 

Inside my shop there will be two upstairs rooms that will be climate controlled.  Although these have yet to be framed in, I decided that a good set of stairs were in order to safely access that space.  

 

The stringers for this stair case were sawed on my mill.  Each tread is made from glued up boards in a ‘cutting board’ style.  They are 13” breadth, 1-3/4” thick, and the stairs are 36” wide.  Step height is 7”.

 

I decided to clad the rough sawed stringers in walnut.  This isn’t finished but it’s getting close.

 

 

 

 

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Once again I say thanks for the kind words.  Unfortunately, my artistic, right-brain atrophied during 5 years of engineering school indoctrination.  It’s not been an easy recovery but I try.  Retirement is helping; I’m amazed at just how much ‘off hours thinking time’ I was spending for my job-but not anymore.

 

Pics below show some more stair progress.  The walnut was sawed on my mill many years ago.  It’s plentiful around here and I have enough for about 8 lifetimes.  More yet to do but getting closer.  Handrail will probably be walnut but supporting structure - I have some thoughts but that’s all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I’ve been trying to get my internal rooms finished.  There are two rooms downstairs and two rooms up - yet to be framed-in.  They will be climate controlled and right now, I wish they were done!  I want to get my Amish friends back here for about three days work.  Then, it will be time for sheet rock and taping.  The pics show the two downstairs rooms; together they are 25 x 39.

 

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