Great post and timely... back in my garage heaven after a focusing on those other things for the last year.
Last fall I repainted my car in a real paint booth thanks to a kind body shop owner! Thanks Brian! Since I had a booth and not in my garage I wanted to attempt a Winfield full fade paint job, red candy over gold with a gold pearl flake final coat. Another gallon of clear over that so I could cut and buff it out. Well, it turned out pretty good, but being a big car (19 ft long) cutting and buffing takes a long time. Re- buffing and straightening the stainless trim and refinishing a grill I haven’t assembled in over 15 years has taken most of the summer. What has been most satisfying is wet sanding with 1500 grit ( by hand) as I don’t want to sand through my clear coat. And being satisfied with the smoothness of it. I then carefully wet DA sand with 4000 grit. It’s almost shiny again. The time has come, out comes the buffer and compound. In just minutes a deep gloss comes through. The panel that hours ago was bumpy with orange peel, a few specks of dust and the occasional small run is now flat and mirror smooth. A few hours have gone by. Tired muscles and body, but I force myself to put my sanding supplies away along with the air tools, buffers, rags and supplies. Before I start the car to return it into the garage I take another look at the one finished, glossy panel before parking back indoors. Only eight more to go!
I share this "Christmas-like" feeling! I finished building my (very small) garage last November and moved in around Christmas time. What better gift than new tools and equipment? Isn't using them for the first time like riding the bicycle you just have received for Christmas? But I think the real Christmas break is when I can join my friends for 3 or 4 days of intensive mechanics in Burgundy. A 4 to 5 hour journey to get there, spent imagining everything we'll be able to move forward on, the topics we need to discuss, the latest news from other friends that we mustn't forget to share, the latest project idea we've been thinking about... before to be in the shop from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., working non-stop on one or another project (like our Bunce H modified '59), stopping only to eat some good food and drink coffee or glasses of wine on the office of the shop (some pictures found on the HAMB helped in the decision to build it!). Pure pleasure for a few days with buddies bound by a common passion, moving forward together on projects. Each one, with their own areas of technical (and culinary/wine) expertise, is like the Santa Claus of the 2 other one! Hopefully, our wives aren't (too) upset about these moments when we disappear. That's also the magic of Christmas!
So true. Just yesterday, I checked to see how far back my first post was. Seven yrs almost to the day. A lot has happened in that time. I remember my neighbour asking me how long it would take when I pulled up with a trailer full of Model A bits. I confidently said max two years! lol! Yes, I wish I was done a long time ago, but in reality it’s not the destination, but the journey. It’s almost as much fun doing the research, looking for and travelling to get parts, and the best part are the folks you meet along the way.
I work on old cars for a living & yet still crave time in my own shed working on one of my projects. The clutter that's accumulated due to limited time & discipline (don't put it down put it back a friend often says to me) to clean up hinders some of that joy, but some good tunes & a lazy day tinkering is a joy. This is at a time where it was reasonably tidy As time goes on, I am learning to enjoy the journey, rather than race to the end.
Love being in the shop, working hard or just tinkering. Always listen to music while I'm out there. It's my hobby, sanctuary, and therapy.
Everything gets modified in mine, if Rocco would stay still long enough he'd get hot rodded too. No exceptions!
all of this AI created or assisted music is utter sh*t ! it is soulless, worthless, animated cr*p. If you wrench to that music your hot rods will end up looking like a total artificial nightmare. Do the real thing. Artie Shaw, Charlie Christian, Stan Kenton, Dave Brubeck, Ella FitzGerald, Edgar Hayes, Cab Calloway, Bix,.... why would you waste your time on artifical plastic trash, when you can still have the real thing ?
Wait......you think ahead.....plan.....strategize.....make lists.....etc before a full day in the garage.....are you some sorta commie or what ??? I think I might just have figured out why at age 79, I have hardly ever finished a project !! Have fun
I really like to be me. it feels great to embrace real music, support real life bands, and real musicians and give back the music to the people as it was meant to be. Take this
thx for the link, will dig deeper! checked a few of the videos already and yes, that is what I think to be real music made by real artist, for connecting real people. Music like that fits the souls of our Hot Rod and Kustom cars much better than any generic second hand AI mash up. The link I posted above was Edgar Hayes' 1938 recording of Swinging in Promised Land.
I loved my days alone in the workshop. Since my wife’s stroke a year and a half ago, that time came to a halt. I haven’t had solo driving time since then also. …not complaining, life happens, we get old and can’t do all we could before. 79 now.
Your story rings SO true Joey. I am on holidays and have spent most of it helping friends with their projects and finishing a massive renovation on my house and garage. This last week, I have finally been able to spend all my time on my 284cu flathead build. This is to replace the worn out stock / original engine in my 39 coupe. This engine has been a year long project. Today will be gapping the rings and then installing con rods to pistons and completing the rotating assembly. Last night, I couldn't sleep. Thinking about the steps I would be taking, ring gap specs, and....... if all goes my way, what step would be next after the pistons are in. And yes, my mind wondered to what music would be on the radio. I am feeling like it is a Frank Sinatra type day today. Thanks for your post, I am going to go walk my dog and head into the garage now.
“You know how it goes. You’ve been busy. The “to-do” lists have been long. That thing called life has taken precedence over your project. The project is waiting, patiently, in the corner of the garage.” “Before you go to sleep, you imagine how the day will go. This part can be difficult, because you’ve had days like this before. You’re well aware that they don’t always go as planned. A missing piece, a long-lost tool, actually believing two of the worst words in hot rodding (“bolt on”)—calamity has no limits.” Hello, I knew my wife was going to be busy planning a “get-together” with her sister. Two sisters together was going to be a nice time, I called it a “Gabfest.” They both are articulate and know what they each want in life. Since my wife is the oldest, she usually has the better ideas, but together, there is going to be a constant “rumble” from the upstairs. I was safely in the lower garage area trying to get around the fact that I/we had driven our trusty 1965 Chevy El Camino from the fall of 1964 to this day and put on about 120k worth of coastal cruising up and down the California coastline. Plus, many road trips to Baja, Mexico for some solitude and relaxation. These days, that foreign beach side place does not necessarily give off the correct vibes to make things worthwhile. So, we have created a space for our own method of relaxing, block out the world and get busy doing a task or two, or even taking a nice nap looking outside at the blue sky and surroundings. Jnaki But, this day, in our 20s, our trusty El Camino was making some noise that could be pinpointed to a crappy water pump. Up to this time, we had to do “absolutely, nothing” to the whole car, other than gas, tires and a direction. So, it was puzzling. Earlier in the day, we had talked about getting a new car replacing the trusty El Camino. It was crowded to take the El Camino with three adults sitting in the seat. So, we had to endure a trip to a local favorite restaurant for lunch or upcoming dinner, after the gabfest was finished. I told myself the fix it was only going to take a few hours, although a few hours of the get together would fly by in no time… ha! Ever been to a drive through window, go up to the pay and pick up window? But, without ordering anything? The look on the cashier/server was funny to say the least. She had to wait for the car interior conversation with the two gabbing sisters to finish, prior to telling them, they did not order anything at the outside menu board… ha! So, I knew, back then, I had to have the El Camino fixed prior to dinner time. The water pump was giving me some inclination with some squeaky noises coming from it and the local auto parts store had the exact replacement on their shelves. So, I got busy in the garage. Note: Everything went according to plans, other than the water puddle on the floor of the garage. And in no time, I was washing my hands, getting ready to drive to the local favorite restaurant with all of us, together. I had finished and proudly fixed the squeaky noise and now, it was running as smoothly as it has been since the fall of 1964. It had 120k miles and within 5k more miles we had decided to sell it to a young neighbor looking for his first car to go surfing and tow his little sailboat. The El Camino had served me/us well over the 12 years of ownership… YRMV
Being a shade tree mechanic in Michigan makes winter projects pretty difficult. Usually I work on interior projects in the house or find a model until it gets a little warmer out. I have a harbor freight portable garage that I recently converted into a work/ storage space so that gives me a few things to work on in the winter
The Jalopy Journal
