Technical What are you working on?

Ha! Mine has castors on both ends but since I work in the gravel it would probably be better without them altogether!

 

I don't have an engine hoist, but I do have a couple chain falls on trollies
One near the door to unload stuff out of the truck, the trolley on that one can only travel the width of the garage door because of the overhead garage door tracks.



The other is about the half way point inside the garage, this one can trolley the whole width and I've actually picked up front ends of a couple cars with it.
I can pick the engine/trans straight up then just slide them over, right over the fenders and put them wherever out of the way.

 

I just put an I beam in my garage too, It's awesome.

 

The car I'm working on, but not a current construction photo. I'm still mentally working out some of my issues.

 

That last photo is the halfway point of my garage and I'm standing on top of the old apartment that was built inside.
I gutted the apartment and added a beam in there when I removed the support walls, that beam is nowhere near as big as the ones with the chain falls though.
I doubt I'll ever hang anything off of it since I have the others in close proximity.

 

Guilty, even lifted the shell of a more door Chevelle with one onto a trailer to haul away.

 

Man that picture looks identical to pulling the 235 out of my 57 when I was 14. Same color and all

 

James, where did you move to? I hope you've found the new location accommodating. I know that you'll not miss the long commute. Other than listening to music, the time spent on the road each day is just wasted and the traffic wears on you. I've spent some time in Columbia the past few months visiting my son and damn, it's a busy town - and that's during the summer when most students weren't packing the streets.

 

Upon closer look, that’s either made for lifting or an extremely over built swing set. I was using a store bought kids swing set.

 

I moved everything home. I have a shop in my basement and have a 24x31 car port to erect for some more work space.

 

Were talking about cars, correct?

 

I was talking about cars, but you can let your mind wander wherever you let it....

Meanwhile, back to cars, I got the new carpet in. Makes the rest of the interior look rather bleak.

 

Just sent this one back to it's owner today. Made some patch panels, fixed some rust, hammered out a few dents, shot some leftover paint. 4 different colors of Acrylic Lacquer that was on the shelf mixed together to get enough for the dark copper color (2 golds, Carmine & flat black). Some cheap enamel satin black to finish it off. He wanted the "rat rod" look. he should have left it alone. There was a time I was a pretty good bodyman & a decent painter. Those days are gone. I have no interest in doing this for anybody anymore. Back to my projects.

 

"You get new carpet, now you need new drapes."
- my father

What I'm working on is trying to find time every day to work on my projects. Even if it's just an hour. Even if it's just cleaning and organizing the shop or fixing the electrical cord on the drill.
There's always something to do.
When you don't know what to do...
Just do something.

 

Got my lift leveled and mounted today. This sure was a big day for me.

 

Hey... I could do this for a while.

 

Good therapy Ricky

 

Good exercise, too.
Big congrats on your lift!

 

Thanks, another step to a new chapter in my life.

 

Congratulations! I've got a friend in my neighborhood who just retired within the past year who was head mechanic for decades at the metro area's biggest Lexus dealer. He is doing just fine at his home shop with a two-post lift and an adequate home shop. Happiness is no commute and plenty of projects to keep you busy.

 

My plan is to use my equipment and tools on my DD and my race cars.

 

Since the closest thing to working on anything lately was washing my truck on Wed, is it too late to jump on the engine hoist thing?

I have one that looks just like the one a lot of you guys have. There used to be a tool auction every 6 months or so around here back in the 1990s. Just before I opened my welding shop I bought a bunch of equipment I thought I would need at one of those auctions. After 30 years, the only thing still remaining here is the engine hoist and the 3/4" socket set I bought. The socket set hasn't seen much use, but it was worth every cent I paid for it whenever I used it.
The poor old hoist has seen some hard use. I've replaced the casters as few times, and the lift cylinder leaks enough I need to fill it before I try to lift anything. Fortunately, that isn't often any more. That hoist has switched out a lot of motors, lifted a lot of heavy items into and out of pickups., lifted pickup beds off truck frames, ands it has moved a lot of car and truck bodies. About 15 years ago, when I replaced the 2nd set of caster wheels, I extended the length of both forward legs and I also extended the length of the lift arm so I could lift off 8' truck beds. Then I added a stud on the top of the lift arm and put a 7' long 4" x 6" wood beam with a center hole drilled through the wood beam and I use it to lift truck cabs. The pictures are when I was mounting the cab on my 49 Dodge. The cab was lifted on and off the frame 4 times that day, each time pulling it away from the frame and cutting the floors and firewall and being pushed back over the frame and lowered again, until it sat where I wanted it to. The cab spent the night on the jack stands on the other side of the driveway. Without the lift arm extensions, the hoist wouldn't lift the cab high enough. With the lift arm extensions, the front legs had to be extended too. With the cab high enough to clear the frame, things get a bit scary, a strong gust of wind can put you out of balance. The seams in the driveway make it down right nerve wracking, the 3" front caster wheels can stop rolling at the seams. Fortunately, by the timer the caster wheels reach the driveway seams, I have already lowered the cab a lot. Usually I was doing this alone. I have abused this hoist a lot, it has done me well. Probably the best $150-$200 (or what ever I paid for it) that I've spent over the years.

 

Welded in a basic 5-point roll bar a week ago. The tech guys were leaning on me for awhile about where the car is running with nothing but lap belts. Should put me good to 10.00.

 

Nice , I have the same task at hand with the 62 .

 

If your 62 has an X frame, which I think they did in those years you will have your work cut out. I had to weld in one outrigger from the inside rocker to the frame rail so the sidebar would be in the right place. I’m sure you’ve read the NHRA rules about roll bars for full framed cars.

 

Yes I have, my plan is to build the inner rockers out of some 2x4 tubing with outriggers to support them and attach the roll bar and door bar to them. This should give good support and some side crash protection that these X frame Chevys don't have much of.

 

Moving my 55 to it’s new, dry home, Richmond Kentucky to Brownsville by God Texas. Currently taking a rest in College Station.

 

Had to redo this Pontiac 6....someone else rebuilt it and it was barfing water out the exhaust. Man I hate restoration stuff

 

I’ve been moving my shop, just got the two post back up. This better be my last move