Folks Of Interest How many of you are true garage builders ?

This is where I work on my cars. I can generally get an hour or two after work to do it, but I am just happy to have something indoors. I just recently added shop lights and what a difference that made. I have been wrenching on my back for most of my life. Hopefully I will get to the point where I have a lift to work under, but dreams...

-Austin

 

I am 72 and I have always built my own stuff. If upholstery is needed I either do it or trade for it most of the time. I build my motors and do my frames. I have to farm out machine work.

 

I do everything except chrome. Nobody works on my cars, new or old. I also prefer used parts to new.

 

Like many others here I do everything myself here. Body, paint, welding, fabrication, engine building, etc.
Now that Lebaron Bonney is bankrupt I will have to farm out my interior work if I build another car in the future.
I do farm out chrome work if needed, everything here is done here by me.
The house, the shop, the cars, all have my stamp on them.
Probably 2 dozen cars + completed since the mid 1980's and doing only '34's since the late 1990's.
9 currently in the fleet.
It's been fun, it's been interesting, it's been educational, and I have met some great people who share the passion along the way.
It doesn't get any better than that.

 

I think we've met. I listen to guys at car shows talking, many many many builders and If you listen, usually full of BS, especially on the engine build part. But that's the fun part sometimes, people are interesting, takes all kinds in our fun hobby. When asked, I always say, bought it, made it mine with some changes, RARELY hear a similar comment. Even the men I know tend to talk about the car like they built it, 2, I can think of, I went with them to buy the car, all they've done is polish it. BS seems to go long way in our hobby, have a Total BS car guy here that shops hard, buys nice cars, sits on them, drives them, never fixes, improves a thing, jacks price way up, BS buyers to the max and I'll be damned if he doesn't sell them, makes good/great money consistently.

 

We do as much as we can here at Tooshedz Speed Shop. And Learning every day.

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I build all of my stuff, although this current car I’ll probably farm out the finish body work & paint


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Another “do it yourselfer” here. This is how I find my escape. Between a full time job, a wife and two daughters, the garage becomes my escape. It’s not really an escape if you’re paying everyone for your therapy.

 

I've built ten cars, I do everything but engine work and finish bodywork. I had a large shop, moved from the city to an 18X30 shop, and have built three cars in it. In the end, if not for being ripped off royally by a "rod shop" when I started, I may not have ventured into the realm of total builds, but after being taken advantage of, I took the attitude that if I could be charged for poor work, I knew I could at least do better. For that, I thank East Road Rods for my start, I have learned a lot in 40 years, yes, I build my own stuff.

 

Built in my two car shop. Everything except final body and paint and the upholstery.




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Do basement builds count? On a 17 year lakester build my partner and I did all the work except welding that the drivers life could depend on. We tacked tubing in place and a professional would come and TIG in place.We built it in my basement then disassembled it and reassembled it in my 2 car garage. I had a part time job and I would have to flip hamburgers for 5 hr so he could weld for 1 hr.

 

Is there another way? Just kidding. But yes I enjoy building Hot Rods so that's what I do. Nothing against the Checkbook bunch either. They always have the coldest Beer and a Lawn Chair at the ready.

- Tim

 

After retiring I built myself a new garage including the electrical and hanging sheet rock and have built everything on my 58 except doing the machine work and trans build, including the body work and paint but have been held up because of doing kitchen remodel and other home repairs, now it is time to get back to work and get the wiring done so I can get it driveable!

 

I have been a part of several garage builds, residential and commercial.
'built custom homes for many clients under a few different contractors,
'built parking garages below and above ground too.

I've also built a few cars from scratch, doing all the design, fabrication and assembly in my own garage.
I do not do my own machine work, final paint or finish upholstery.

 

I do all my own work. I'm no Squirrel or 31Vicky with a hemi but to some they think I am. And these are car guy's that think they are car guy's. I sometimes have real issues with guy's like that and I shouldn't. But like Karma goes. I'm the one that stay's off the back of a flat bed no matter what it takes. Just this weekend the battery finally after many years of service showed it's dying self. No time to get another so I thru the Honda 2000 and battery charger in the trunk and off I went. The surprised look when I refused a jump then opened the trunk and fired off my generator.

 

You have a garage? I'm a driveway builder.

 

^^^^^ Been there.

 

Does this qualify....

 

I do all of my work in my garage. I build my engines, transmissions, build my chassis. I don’t do upholstery. If I couldn’t do my work, I couldn’t afford to have my car. I’m thankful that I was an auto mechanic, this just comes natural to me

 

Yep, do all my own work in a shop built by my friends and myself....just finishing up a 27'by 37' addition....and drug home 2 donated 12' by 24' buildings in the last year....NEVER have enough storage!....( or old cars/trucks!!)

 

Making it look easy is the hard part.

 

Compared to most of you guys, I’m just a hack! I do most everything in my one bay carport except transmissions and upholstery, I farm those out. I truck from Sunday afternoon until Friday afternoon, so I don’t get much shop time with my other homeowners duties. But, I’m slowly building a 22’x40’ carport onto what I have now, hope one day to enclose it. Dirt floor for now, planning on pouring the floor myself. And I’m doing it all by myself, ever handled 24’ 2 x8’s by yourself?

Hoping to semi retire in two years, maybe I can get some stuff done then.....

 

Wait......we need a non-paved driveway build thread !!!!

 

Building my 4th vehicle in a 2 car garage. I had to farm out my engine build since I know nothing about flatheads. Most everything else I do on my own. Have to get creative with mobile work stations so I made a welding cart thats mobile and a separate 600# portable welding table that holds some metal forming tools.

Always envious of you guys with bigger shops but wouldn't tat always be the case, regardless of what I had?

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All my cars were built in my back shed (20'x20') however all were painted in a spraybooth. I do the majority of the work and only outsource on rare occasions like electrical and final paint.
Up until recently I worked full time so timing was the key, now I've retired, for the time being, I'm not under the pump as much now.

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just taught myself upholstery this year, couple yrs ago taught myself electrical. theres a lot of room for growth but im broke so i figure out how to do it all at home. most projects done in gravel, upgraded to our 3 bay shop (only 1 pad poured) im also pouring a pad under my carport down at the house. my 47 and the 53 will be the first 2 projects ill do 100% of the work on start to finish, drivetrain, body, paint, electrical and interior. even learned to mount and balance tires at home with no special tools!

 

I build at home because I can’t afford to pay someone anymore. I’ll be learning to paint in the next few months so I’ll be down to farming out interior work to someone who has the equipment and know how.
r


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I do most of my own work, that's why they will never get done.

 

Every car I build in my barn or outside in the drive way I have a connection with... It makes me proud of my hard work and countless hours. The one car I bought off a guy who did most of the work... I really never feel like it’s mine. I feel like when you pay a guy to build your car... it’s his car and your just buying it. If I had to sell something to make ends meet, it would be the one I didn’t put together for sure. On the flip side... it must be amazing to go pick up your dream car and drive off into the sunset and not having to drag some rotted out piece of junk out of a yard.