I completely rebuilt my old shovel head in the kitchen and back deck at the old house. Kinda stinky but cool as hell. I used to park my other harley in the living room over the winter. Had super bowl parties and that was my seat. No stink At my dads funeral he had his bike there next to the casket. He always said he wanted to be buried with it. That didnt stink bad but it was cleaned and drained. Smelled like fresh wax.
In the late 70's a mate worked Diablo Motors in Sydney who regularly imported containers full of engines & parts from the US......I called in to see my mate one afternoon at his evening job as a chef and sitting in the bar area of the restaurant on a small stand was a complete Ford 255 Quad Cam Indy motor, complete down to all lock wired bolts, plugged injection trumpets and bundle of snakes exhaust back to the collectors.........he explained that it came in the last container and had already garnered an owner back in the US and was catching a plane the next week.......till then it was a conversation piece before dinner.........andyd.
I swapped a rough 1930's dirt track Sprint Car for a hand carved Cigar Store Indian, by my friend Pete Wing. Pete was a HAMB member, really liked the Cycle Car thread here, he died in a Morgan 3wheeler wreck, we miss him every day. Bob
Not an engine but when I remarried 30 years ago I had two finished out and painted Model A rear fenders on my dining room table. After a brief discussion they were moved to the garage and wrapped with blankets until time to mount them.
There’s a bar in Appleton, Wisconsin that’s has a whole fire engine in the middle of serving area. That’s what the stack the bottles there. Partied there more than once. Bones
When I was married to my first wife, I rebuilt a 283 in the kitchen one paycheck at a time. Trust me, I heard about it everyday til it got paint and chrome. One day I came home early from work and she was dusting it watching a soap opera.
In the early 70s I had a 289 in pieces in the bedroom. Also in early 70s built a Ford toploader in the living room of mobile home. While stationed in England (83) and living in base housing, I built a Mini engine and gearbox in the dining room. When we moved up the street, the wife wouldn't let me bring it in the new place so I put it in my Mini. In years past when I didn't have a garage, I stored parts under the bed. Right now, I can see my new brake discs, etc. for OT truck sitting in the living room. They just came last week and haven't taken them out to garage yet. I used to tell the wife I had to keep the parts in the house due to condensation, etc. in the garage or shed. That doesn't work now since the garage has heat and a/c. I knew a guy that built his sbc in the living room of his mobile home, but had to take it back apart because he couldn't get it out the door.
I used to keep my big tool box in the kitchen. When I moved in with the better half she had me build a garage, but she has a Lincoln Tail light mounted on the den wall, I hooked it up to light up with a wall switch. I consider her perfect except she bleeds blue, I bleed orange.
I wired my CB750 project in the living room at my old house. Now I keep my 59 VBA Vespa in the living room. Running driving scooter, but its just cooler in the house.
I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of the auto-parts-as-furniture aesthetic. Just as I like to customize my cars, I like to customize my house. In fact, as I write this there is a concrete crew at my house pouring new walkways and finishing my pool patio. I don't feel compelled to have a theme per-se to my home, though I am definitely a fan of mid-century modern and Scandinavian design, which is reflected in my choice of furniture and decor, not the style of my home itself. I think there are some real nice examples here of tasteful use of parts/engines as decor, as there is beauty in the mechanical nature of these items. But I think it can get kitschy and cheesy real quick. No different than having a sports team themed "man cave", which is another term that turns my stomach. There is nothing unmanly about having a beautifully decorated home. If you hate the term "Man cave" as much as I do, or just want a good laugh and aren't a sissy to be offended, look up Jim Florentine's rant on Man Caves on youtube. It's worth a listen. When you're not in work or around small children.
The Jalopy Journal
