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

I have building my own stuff in my own garage since about "69'. Started taking on side work about 1971. My philosophy is "if God didn't create it, I have to try and fix it." That T-Bird in my profile page is chopped. That Ranchero behind was barely a vehicle. I'm still doing side work even after being retired for almost 12 years. I tell people building cars is an addiction. I'm on medication for it, it's called beer.

 

I do my own work here also... Cant do machine work or UPH but everything else.

Cant say I have any "Hot Rod' full builds as such like the most of you have done, But have done a lot of wrecked cars as builders. It gets Xpensive when you have to farm out work to be done. and I am a cheap basterd

 

Hi HAMB folks....
Not really a garage builder per se...my dad was a builder...he would drag (vintage now) old Mercedes Benz's home with blown up motors and fix them up for daily drivers for the family to use...I am more of a parts replacer as my dad would call it...I take broken parts off and put not so broken parts back on...cross my fingers and hope it works when I am all done...
I grind.....I cut...I weld...I hammer...I buy parts...I grind some more...I cut some more....I reweld some more...I hammer some more....I buy more parts...that is the cycle I run in....

My current puzzle pieces...

MikeC

 

I read this and think is there anyone on here that will admit that they just buy a car. I believe that it is a pride thing when you build your own car. I have built mine from the ground up, haven't done the motor work yet, but when it comes time to I will. Even if I bought the car of my dreams, im sure that when I get it home its coming apart to change something I don't like then it turns into a project.
Tony

 

I don't have a paint booth or sewing machine . The rest was done outside or in my 2 car garage.

 

Nice shop, nice car. I have built stock cars in far worse places when I was running for national points. If it was raining and my outside tarp was blowing in the wind, no work would be done until the rain stopped.

 

Very nice. I wish I could have started with that much.

 

All done in the home garage here.
Chopped , channeled, chassis fabrication from scratch.
Lots of work still to go!

 

True garage builders? My garage is 40x100 with a 30x35 canopy out front. I paid a crew for the concrete slab then rented a forklift that goes up 24 ft. The first rental store I called told me " You have to have a qualified operator. Do you have a qualified operator?" CLICK. I hung up on his stupidity. The next rental store said. "$600" I said I will be over to pay you in a few minutes. I showed my 9 year old son how to operate it and he performed flawlessly. There's your qualified operator. I stood the engineered steel up and put both boys on ladders to drop in the bolts for the purlins. I did get a crew to put the sheet metal roof on then built the walls, wired it and built 2 upstairs storage lofts 20x20 and added a 17x20 insulated room for lathes.mill and machinery. Yeah I also do Everything to my cars except boring, turning cranks, and automatic transmissions. I have driven antique/hotrods ONLY for 51 years. No modern cars unless you count my newest car a 1966 Chrysler convertible which has been in the family for 47 years

 

That's what just happened to the wife's 55. It was a nice restored original car. Now, it is blown apart getting nosed, decked, handles shaved etc. What have I done?

 

Root - you know I am or was a garage builder until I don't have a garage anymore - Dang Okie weather = Moving to Tenn. in a week - I'll start over there - Jaxx

 

Does building garages count?

 

My grandfather and I do pretty much everything we can do at the house in the garage. Though we will farm out upholstery work. About the only thing we cant do. Taboo was the first car in a long time to have the paintwork farmed out, still did all the bodywork beforehand but wanted a pro to do the final go over and spraying, but most cars in the past have been painted at the house. Last full project was this 55 and were able to borrow a rotisserie. First time ever using one and will probably be the last.

 

I build them in the garage....this is where I'am now on a 59 Chevy Wagon. I do about 2 cars a year.... hobby and crazy money...I take them and make nice drivers, not full restoration, have to keep the sell price affordable to move them easily...play with them locally then sell....Two of them went to Norway and Sweden.

 

I build everything myself. I do it old school from junk yard parts, no kits for me. The power windows in my 49 are from a 70 Cadillac, not a kit. Made the crossmember trans mount, and all the other parts. I do everything but the upholstery and chrome. I will paint it myself also, already did all the bodywork and chop.

 

I'm pretty much a one man show. I do get help when I want to learn something new that I haven't tackled before but most all I've done right in my lil' shop. All fab and paint and bodywork, wiring. Motor went to machine shop but assembled by me. I'm kinda hack but I fake it until I make it. I figure if another man can do it so can I. My seats were outsourced to a shop though. I take pride in being able to create something cool. I wish I could have done the lettering and pinstriping but I have no skill in that area.

 

I've had some help with getting some fab work, and hopefully I can get some help with the body work, but I plan on doing it all my self for the same reasons.

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Me

 

I was a mechanic right out of high school. I learned rebuilding motors was expensive, and usually really good motors can be found. These days, I'm still buying good motors, just not with the same accessories as the old motors were.
I used to dirt track race, learned a lot of stuff there. Was a heavy machine repair guy in a forge factory, earned a lot of stuff there. I like to weld. I know how to do body work, I just can't stand doing it very long. I buy cheap paint and can run it all. By the time the cheap paint is wore out, I'm ready for another round of body work, and the paint gets more effort. Lots of seats don't need upholstery. Most of the stuff I'm building right now are trucks, most have a headliner kit available. Door panels I can make. Insulation and carpet on the floor and we are good to go. I have been known to trade work I enjoy doing for work I'd rather not do, especially since I'm getting older.

I do everything to my standards, it may not be up to your standards, but that is not my problem. I drive the wheels off my stuff and with about 3-4 exceptions, all have gotten me back home on its own power.
You would not want to see a garage if I built it! After renting garages for the first 20 years, I started buying houses with garages. Gene

 

Nope.

 

I was lucky enough to have a great mentor who taught me to do things myself, including building the two car garage/shop addition on my house. Lots of vehicles over the years have been built, modified or just repaired in my garage. I’m especially proud of my ’52 Chevy pickup, I did all the welding, fabricating, bodywork and paint, mechanical and electrical, and even built my own dual exhaust. I did pay to have the glass installed and the seat reupholstered. It took 6 years to build and too many hours to count, but when people ask me who built or painted my truck, its nice to say, “I did, at home in my garage”. I’ve had lots of good times in the garage, my buddy teaching me, and later me teaching my son how to "do it yourself".

 

I do some tinkering that is about it on my 36 Ford on things I can handle. The major stuff I leave to one shop here in town.. Hats off to the guys that do it..

 

Well, I've always done all or almost all of my own work simply because I was too friggng broke to be able to pay someone else to do it. That goes for my hotrods/customs and the dailys.
It's never been out of any misguided concept that If I paid someone to do something I wouldn't have full bragging rights. That is BS it was because there was no money to pay anyone outside of the engine work or trans work I couldn't do myself.
That said, there is nothing wrong with doing each and every step of the build yourself if you have the skill and access to the equipment to do it.
The one thing I don't like on the Hamb is the handful of guys with crap cars that show no work done at all in their avatar who never post any progress threads and never post a photo of their ride going anywhere but are the first to badmouth anyone who has paid someone else to do work or bought a pretty well finished car thinking that they get "garage builder" creds for the bad mouthing and you damned well know who your are that I am mentioning.

 

I did everything , in the basement and garage of a bi level house . I was in the process of raising 2 kids , and the babies always needed shoes . I painted it in my driveway outside , good or bad all came from the Death Row Speed Shop

 

Roothawg, I was always proud to do as much as I can but it is important to know your limitations. In the late 60's my Brother and I would help each other with our cars. After joining a local car club we found a wealth of talent and comradery to share that continues today. With age we all find some things are not as easy as they used to be so help from friends is always welcome. I mostly enjoy the creativity aspect with design and fabrication. Each build continues to be a learning experience. The reward for my builds is when I am behind the steering wheel and get those random thumbs up of approval.

 

I built my own 30x40 garage with my neighbor's help. Does that count? Also did the 34' addition to the back side. Did the dirt work to the wiring. Poured part of the concrete even. If I don't put a lot of sweat equity in my projects, I can't afford to do them, it's that simple.

I have done everything on car builds thru the years at one time or another. I've done upholstery, paint, chassis fab, body work, built engines and trannys, wiring.....whatever it took to get it on the road. Couldn't afford to have it done by somebody else. Might not have been done 100% right every time but it was done and drivable, plus I learned something on every build. I like to challenge myself to learn and do better than the last time.

My latest build has more store bought parts than anything else I have ever done. I'm also farming out the majority of the paint and most likely the final upholstery. Link to my build thread for those that haven't seen it. Be warned, it's heavy on pictures.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-32-5-window-project.1104121/

I would rather build a car from scratch than about anything. Have built dirt late models and modifieds from piles of tubing and aluminum sheet. The carpentry stuff I would rather leave to others.

SPark

 

...built this barn by myself in 30 days, except for some help with concrete, rafters and roof sheeting;...of course that was over 20+ years ago.....have built well over 2 dozen cars all by myself except for help bleeding brakes...all using used or junkyard parts; but not in this building,...all I build in here is more piles of "junk".

 

I pretty much do it all myself and currently teaching myself how to paint. I do the engine, upholstery, assembly, detail work, and rebuild restore all my dash gauges both cosmetic and functional and steering wheel restoration. My weak point is body work and blocking I had a friend that taught me a lot over the years before he passed and continue to build on that knowledge. Always new stuff to learn.


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One of the most important things I learned from an Old Hot Rodder was the fear of messing something up or driving the car. He changed my attitude that if it isn’t Perfect the first time or to my liking just redo it, if it breaks fix it, if you wear it out from use rebuild it again since you did it once before.


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I have built 8 body off the frame cars for myself in the last 25 or 30 years and do not know how many other projects i helped my friends with. Seems i would rather build than drive