JoelsBuicks

The crew needed one more person to help handle the 44'-4" long roof sheets. That was me and I amount to about 75% but we got by. We roofed the whole north side and that included rolling out the 3" insulation blankets. Pics below and more to come.

Progress pictured as of end of day today. Metal on three walls, none on roof. Rolls of roof insulation came today. Windows are in. Colors are Ash Gray and Royal Blue.

Or, go to eBay and search for "1937 Buick trunk" and you'll see four or five listed.

One other thing, has anyone here built a sandblasting room or hut? I'm spending a fortune on once-through blasting sand for the big stuff. I need a way to recycle but everything I think of turns into a solar kiln ?

I'll go ahead and expose some soft underbelly here. I'm a retired chemical engineer, not a mechanical, civil, or structural guy. When it comes to permanent braces for this building I'm left with guessing and probably overkill. There will be two lateral braces on the bottom of the trusses that run the length of the building. These keep the trusses upright. There will be diagonal braces at the end walls to give them strength across the bottom of the end trusses. Then there will be diagonal braces cut into the back wall. I know that the metal skin provides tremendous strength holding the planes flat and square. Of course wind is the concern, not snow. If it gets in the way of one of our tornados, it won't hold up. i have an ambitious stretch goal of bringing six cars to OKC in 2019. This will require finishing restoration of four Buicks. I would love for one of them to be my '36 Series 90. I can't wait to get this project finished and put into use. Aside from fixing the radiator in my '60 last week, I haven't worked on one in two months.? Oh, forgot to mention that I didn't have my iPhone with me today so no pics. But, will promise some nice stuff tomorrow. Crazy how much I rely on this phone! Thanks again for the nice words. Joel

Pete are you talking about the recessed areas where the stainless strips go? My 37's are body color including the spaces between where the stainless goes. Joel

I had a catastrophic failure of the valve and I recall sending it to a guy who specialized in rebuilding these. Mine is a 60 Electra w/o AC. The job wasn't bad at all and The manual was very helpful. I also recall that it had that smell for weeks before it dumped into the floor. My core was good. Fine automobile you have, I drive mine almost every day - over 200 miles just today. Take care, -Joel

Frank, do you or anyone else happen to know if these will fit a 36 RoadMaster? I know that Centurys have 15" wheels while the RoadMaster and all others are 16". But what about the drums? Thanks, Joel

Is there a story about that area that has been cut out? There are a few jobs that I just wouldn't want and one of these is a roofer. Here in Oklahoma there's a lot of asphalt shingle roofs being converted to metal. They look pretty good when they are well trimmed. I've heard that insurance companies will give a break on costs. That's probably localized to this area where high winds and big hail are common. I once had a dog and I'm sure she was fascinated with my roof. It's all she ever talked about.

It seems to be bigger with the framing in place. The height surprises me also. 70 mph winds predicted tonight. The crew left it well-braced. My future paint booth is now framed in as you'll see in today's pics.

Rain early today but crew started about 9am. All rafters are up as are the end walls. The sheathing boards will come tomorrow and Wednesday and then framing on the paint booth. Metal arrives on Thursday and things will begin to take shape.

Thank you. I badly wanted to take my iPhone camera out there and get shots of the four-person crew. It's widely known around here that they do not like to be photographed. That's my Dad in the red sock cap, inspecting the day's work. By the way, the peak is about 23' tall and that south wall is about 14'.

Today's progress included the raising of the south wall and parts of the end walls. 2x8 rafters were placed and quite a few sheathing boards were nailed on. The building was straightened with a stringlike and cross braced in several spots.

Today I ordered my metal. It will be 26 gauge R-panel. There are numerous pieces of all kinds of panels and trim material that are needed. I spent a full half of two days with the 'parts list' and then a full hour with a consultant that works for the metal supplier. And, don't forget the stuff like tape seal, urethane closure material, and gobs of lap and structural screws. I read several spec and installation bulletins and still feel ignorant about it. Truthfully, this isn't much fun to me, especially with so many Buicks waiting. Oh, I forgot to mention that I ordered the insulation today. It's 3" with the white vinyl back for the roof only. The good news is that they cut to your specified length. Bad news is that's another hour of calculating. This will all go fast now.

"What a difference a day makes; 24 little hours...." Well, my Amish framing crew showed up! They started Tuesday, got rained out Wednesday, and worked a full day today. I can't say enough good things about these folks. I grew up amongst them but they pretty much keep to themselves. After all these years, it's still an interesting experience. By the way, they are fascinated with the sawmill. I'll let the pics speak to the progress. I won't photograph their face, respecting their beliefs.

I can see that although I'm now retired, I get no breaks from you guys. A few days ago, I attempted to post a video of the mill in action but the file was way too big. I was in Chickasha with my brother, we are the two tallest in the pic. I asked two people for Ben and neither knew you. I was gonna ask the guy with the 50 Buick on his shirt but he was in deep conversation. Later I read he was you! I'll be honest about Chickasha and say that Buick parts were elusive. I did score a 31 headlight with a good solid bezel. There'll need to be a good reason for me to return. Maybe I just need to learn how to shop these meets. i got shop progress to report, see next post. Thanks, Joel

Visiting inlaws in Yankton this week. Here's some pics of shop progress; we'll get back to it after we spend a day in Chickasha. The stud walls will form two internal rooms each the same size, about 18.5' x 25'. Both will be climate controlled; one for a living area and the other for a work room, capable of accommodating a buick. There will be a half vaulted ceiling and storage above the flat portion, about 16' wide and 38' long. Hopefully I'll have more to share soon. -Joel

Yep, got three '36 RMs and the number is like Tom said. -Joel

Sorry John, didn't see your question while I was replying. My guess is that the saw works is about 1925. That would include the carriage and drive mechanics. The engine is 1950 international six cylinder. I replaced the original structural wood wood with steel.

That's some beautiful cypress. It's called wood of the Pharoahs as it was the wood of choice for burial coffins - it is rot resistant. It is also stable, strong and lightweight. When used on the exterior, it will turn gray and remain sound for more than a hundred years. The sawmill that sawed those boards had a couple minor issues. First, at least one tooth was knocked to the side and caused the exacerbated saw mark that is repeated every revolution. Second, the reverse saw mark pattern can be one of two problems. Most likely, the saw has a slight wobble and it touches the logside of the wood as it passes the backside of the saw. One thing you can do is turn the board over and see if that pattern is on both sides. My guess is that it's not. I have never sawed a railroad spike but I have sawed several of those white porcelain electrical insulators grown into a tree. They are extremely hard and will wreck a set of teeth. Take care, Joel

I'm curious about how much of this you drew out and planned in advance of the work? It's so well proportioned and the colors just seem to work. Do the double doors have a galvanized metal clad or is that a painted wood? It's very classy and I can't wait to see more of it.

The sawmill got a new set of teeth yesterday. I'm posting some closeup pics of the 48" blade, also called a circle saw or just "the saw." A saw wrench removes the crescent shaped shank which wedges in place and holds the tooth, also called a bit. These are high speed steel bits and are easily knocked down by nails. To sharpen them, just use a flat file. If it's damaged severely or if several bits get knocked down, it's time for a new set. A new bit is about 10/32" wide at the tip and the saw plate is about 1/8" thick at the outside but nearly double that at the eye (center). The kerf must be wider than the saw to keep the saw from rubbing in the log side. Rubbing makes heat and heat causes the saw to lose its tension. Im trying to get used to being retired. Ok so far but less than a week into it. Thanks! -Joel

A whirring sound from the starter would almost have to be a starter motor running without the bendix engaging the flywheel. It's hard for me to see how this could be happening unless the solenoid plunger is sticking or not powered and therefore not moving the starter gear to engage the flywheel. Somebody can help me recall this correctly, but I believe that the starter's solenoid does two things simultaneously; it pulls the major contacts together (that gives battery power to the starter motor) and it pushes out a plunger that mechanically leverages the bendix into position. There may be some points-like contact(s) under that solenoid cover that may not be acting correctly when it is hot. If this were mine to deal with, I'd first remove the solenoid cover and see if I could watch those points do their thing. I wish I were looking at it as I can't seem to recall how feasible this would be but my bet is that the problem is in that area. Maybe others will know. Good Luck. Joel

Withdrawal symptoms got the best of me. Does this thing work?

Not sure why I call it a barrel saw but it's nothing more than a worm drive skilsaw. Those boards on the trailer are ripped on an angle and will sit atop the supporting walls and will hold up the 2x8 rafters. I'm lazy and didn't want to notch the rafters and I think notching takes away some of the strength. I cut that angle on my 20" band saw fitted with an aggressive blade. I will need nearly three hundred feet.