I need some help to suprise my husband

Hi everyone. My husband is on this message board all the time so I'm not going to introduce myself because I'm here to get some info to suprise him. We just built a house that has a room above his workshop. I want to suprise him by making a cool vintage car themed gameroom/tv room and want to know what you fellas would want in it if it was yours? I already knows he likes black and white photography of old cars and also just old photographs of car lined streets from the 50's. If you know a good place to purchase prints or posters of that please let me know. I would appreciate any input you guys have so I don't think I'm giving my husband a cool room and it is really just a girl version of what I think is cool. Thanks!

Oh by the way I'm sure a few of you will read this and wonder if I'm your wife....but you will never know.

 

i bet i would becasue you described the space. id say buy him a keggerator

 

neon signs are always great in a garage space....the older the better.

 

buy him a fire truck ........

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5095897#post5095897

 

http://www.aprilmayphotography.com/

 

Hey... PM me your address and I will send an extra Texas Thaw Drag Race poster to hang in there... that will be a start...

 

just get him some vintage land speed car or a front engine dragster with some history to hang on the wall for a conversation starter

 

Oh by the way I'm sure a few of you will read this and wonder if I'm your wife....but you will never know.[/QUOTE]


yeah i do know..i do know your not my wife..
bummer too..

1 i dont have a room over my shop..that would be sweet..(give him a firehouse pole to slide down to the shop on, and maybe some fun for you too
2 i dont live in Texas..

cool idea..s

 

Pool table, BIG flat screen TV with Speed Channel, Old metal signs and race posters, a cool cabinet for collectible stuff, Neon signs, stripper pole (hey you both can enjoy that one) and one of these http://www.corbin.com/furniture/mc.shtml

 

Sure as hell already know you're not my wife. Don't ask me how I know.

 

check out this thread, everything you ever need to know
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=336549

 

Comfortable chair (s) one wall of shelves for magazines, manuals and other cool stuff.
Something to play his favorite music on the way he likes to play it.
Cool photos or prints as previously mentioned. They have to relate to what he likes in the way of cars though.

Maybe a tv with dvd and or cable and or vcr so he can check reference material.
Hookup for computer if the wifi in the house won't reach.

That's what I'd want in mine. My dream garages always include a den/library where I can put my manuals, books, magazines on shelves and organize them so I can find the info or article or photos I want to check out. And my wife would love to get my magazines out of the living room when they get a couple of weeks old.

 

A 4 drawer file cabinet, a small refrigerator, a good stool.

 

[FONT=comic sans ms,verdana,arial,helvetica,times new roman,palatino]Artists[/FONT]
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And don't forget this guy...
http://www.jeffnorwell.com

 

if you lived closer, I would make you some cam lamps and a coffee table out of a block or something like that. Go to a swap meet and find the oldest parts of cars that you think are hideous and not worth a penny and buy them. Those will be the things that can and will be the coolest. Whatever you think ****s, he will think rocks (at least that's the way it is with my wife and car). Agree with the neon signs and don't forget somekind of car clock (so he'll know when he's been in the garage too long)

 

exactly what he said.

 

If you really want to suprise him post some pics of yourself on here and see if he finds them!! >>>>.

 

T.L.,

I have gotten a lot of photos from a guy named Paul Gilbert in Dearborn, Michigan. His business is called Michigan Views...I'm not sure if he has a website- the one that I found on Google under that name is a different Paul Gilbert. Anyway, his number is (313)561-9887. He does a lot of art shows and craft shows, which is how I know of him. Might see if he has a website or catalog, maybe.

He specializes in reprints of (mostly) Michigan photos from the late 1800s through around 1960. He prints a lot of things from ***embly lines and other Detroit auto memorabilia...I have some really neat shots of Henry & Edsel Ford, the old Ford Rotunda, Ford ***embly lines, etc. These are pretty much what catch everyones' eyes in the "man cave".

Oh- American Graffiti posters & metal signs are good. Originals are sometimes $$ and a lot of the repros are really cheaply made, but one good source is http://www.anderooney.com/ You can find her signs on eBay fairly often.

 

Talk to twotallokie on here. He has alot of cool signs for sale.

 

yeah, that's my vote

 

Pinup is a key element to any man's relaxation room. There's a ton of it available online or at the swap meets. If you're crafty enough you can grab some old men's magazines and frame up the centerfolds yourself.

 

I like original magazine ads of my car. I got them hanging all over the place. I say that is one thing a cars guys "man room" needs. ebay is full of them, and frames are cheap.

 

I think your idea is one of the coolest things I have ever heard a wife do for her fella! Alot of folks have mentioned the old style metal signs- those are always cool. I kind of like pedal cars, antique and wore out, or new- those are always good. If he has any old speed parts or other items that he has been collecting a nice gl*** door cabinet to show them off is always a good thing. And finally as mentioned like a million times already neon is very well recieved.

 

Sorry I just thought of another one..........Wait for it..........


....LEG LAMP like the one in the movie a christmas story!

 

Find a picture of his first car, or first few cars. Maybe your not from TX?

 

As said, if he has a lot of reference material (books and mags) good strong shelf units would make his day. A display case too if he has a bunch of old parts and/or diecast.

He should have a comfy chair and a good reading light to go along with this.

Next up, if he doesn't have a stereo for the garage eek pick up something at a yard sale, and some big speakers. Burn some CDs of his favorite music so he can just hit play and random and not touch again with greasy hands.


After that, the decor will be ready to work. You gotta have the 'bones' first though. If you carefully cover all the walls, he may be less likely to change stuff up to suit the other things mentioned.

 

BTW, the H.A.M.B. calendars have some beautiful photography. http://jalopyjournal.myshopify.com/products/the-2010-h-a-m-b-calendar

 

I like old car models and hot wheels, alwas planned to build a gl*** topped end table out of a flat head four cylinder engine that came out of my Jeep... In my office I have a piston & connecting rod and and old speedo on a shelf with a bunch of hot wheels for decoration.

I second the recommendation of framed pictures of cars he's owned, I do that too.

 

Buy him an old tool box, stuff it full of cash and tell him to go to every swap meet, junk yard or car show he can find and buy parts for his ride.

But seriously, some of the best stuff is in the Antique shops. Old tools, look for Snap on or Craftman names. Old signs with Sinclair (big dinosaur) Esso or Texaco. Find a service sign with his Car's make (Ford, Chevy, Mopar etc.). You can search "vintage" furniture on CL or Egay and get a few hits too.

If he has a favorite show try and replicate it a little bit but not too much. If its the Munsters get a picture of the Munster Coach and Grandpa's Dragula.

Shelves and display cases. I've seen old grocery store gl*** display cases filled with old car models, old car magizines, shift knobs, whatever the guy likes. If he has parts that he isn't using right now, but he likes having them around like hemi valve covers, he'll need a place to show em off to the others that appreciate hard to come by parts. Things that you wouldn't want in the house but he'll show off to his friends like engine parts, speedometers, steering wheels, grills etc..

And a print of Robert Williams' "Hot Rod Race." The bigger the better.

 

****! Hahaha just kidding.