Guys I was so proud of this little tiny achievement that my wife thought I was crazy when I brought it in to her "clean house". I know my HAMB brothers would get it, so I am posting some pics. Not your full on fabricating tech thread here, but it got me thinking. My Dad was brought up during the Depression (not now, the one in the 30's)! Anyway, he just never threw out much, we also didn't waste food, money, gas....etc. We mended clothes instead of turned them into shop rags. They became shop rags only upon becoming actual rags. My point is, that's how I was raised and it stuck. Question is this, how many of us are now taking a new look at that old junk that we used to toss in the name of having a tidy shop? I know that just by logging on to this site I'm going to be inspired by the creativity and clever use of resources, but I think times call for an even harder look at what we toss. I am putting together a 61 F-100 short step side pickup. My plan from day one has been to build it as if it were a lakes push truck from the 60's. The truck is bone stock, 3spd, 223 six.....etc. I did put some mono springs on to lower it discreetly, and it has some early slots on it. I am just touching up the former Forest Service green paint. I did the seat in distressed material so that it matched the rest of what is a really clean original truck. The air cleaner at one time or another had been replaced with a POS afermarket number. So time for a new/old one. So here goes, and it would be cool to see some other posts of "junk" living a new and useful life. The base is a stock piece that I pulled from an Econoline (I think). The top was gone, but I didn't toss it. It fit the stock carb on the pusher truck just fine. I went looking for something that would work as a top, the wife has one of those stove top egg poachers that she didn't use and it was destined for the heap, but I had stashed it. So I'm digging around and see this top, it looked like the right size, and that round edge matched the lip on the front of the air cleaner base, cool. It was made of aluminum and when I placed it on top of the base, it looked like the top of a pan..........duh. So some sanding of the top, ZC primer and some truck bedliner rattle can spray over the entire thing and its starting to look good. Down to the parts store for the only thing I actually did not have on the shelf, some trial and error from a patient counter guy, and we matched a filter. Last but not least is the knob that holds it together. The base had a pressed in threaded affair that would have worked fine, but was too short. I had the knurled knob thing (I have no idea where it came from), it was in my stash under the "odd ball parts" heading. I got the threaded piece off, not before pulling the entire support out, crap!. So you may notice that the support is tacked in with my typical welding style, ugly but strong. I drilled and threaded the hole to match the diameter of the metal knob. The knob just needed to be cut to length and threaded to match, viola! The FRONT stamp on the cleaner even matches the filler cap/vent which is sanded, primed and ready for more bed liner paint. Okay, I know I didn't make a belly tanker out of two sheets of scrap aluminum or anything, but I would love to see and hear about some of those little victories that we do every day. We make something from nothing, I think I have what looks like a hundred dollar air cleaner for under ten bucks. Show your stuff................
This car was built of mainly "misfit" parts, cast off by owners whom replaced them with "better" parts. Granted not everything was headed to the trash heap but a majority of very key pieces were.
Some lady tossed a nice Honda lawnmower in my neighborhood, I grabbed it, put the carb in the bath, got it going. Now I have a mower I can lend out and everyone wins
This car was built of mainly "misfit" parts, casted off by owners whom replaced them with "better" parts. Granted not everything was headed to the trash heap but a majority of very key pieces were. Some lady tossed a nice Honda lawnmower in my neighborhood, I grabbed it, put the carb in the bath, got it going. Now I have a mower I can lend out and everyone wins There you go, sometimes it takes a village to build a Hot Rod!!!!! And the lawn mower? You mean we're not just a bunch of low-life, greasy hot rodders? Way to go man, I have found that being generous around here gets me a batch of my neighbors cookies as a reward. I like my neighbor!
My 47 is another example of cast off stuff....coupe that I wouldnt even call a parts car and a 4 door that was picked of all its good stuff that the last owner could use on his coupe ...after it sat outside for 30 yrs... Sedan when I got it Rotten ol coupe carcass Most of what was salvaged from the coupe... And where its at as of today... As you might of guessed I have a very hard time throwing stuff away
It never ceases to amaze me how many supposed car guys would look at those two Fords and just see worthless junk - I hear from them constantly with my eBay listings. For some reason a lot of them tend to be from Michigan, what that means exactly who knows. But it's good to see there are still people who get it, and understand you can make lemonade from lemons.
"But it's good to see there are still people who get it, and understand you can make lemonade from lemons. " Hell, on this site people make lemonade from rotten tomatoes!
Thanks ! When the old farts accuse me of "ruining" a coupe I am gonna tell them its a super rare 47 Monarch (canuck merc) that was mint before I cut it up
koolkemp, pretty damb impressive Thanks guys decent cars are expensive and rare around here ...and I cant afford them anyways but my time is free and I like to weld lol! Rustynewyorker I wanted that rusty 58 Chevy delivery you had a few years back soooo bad !! I have wanted a 58 Delivery since I was 13 ...if I ever find enough tin to build one I will. Do you know if it got saved? I would have pieced it together with a 4 door...ahh dreams.
My mom used to tell me that "you can't make a silk purse out of a Sow's ear", if she were still alive she wouldn't believe the stuff you guys do on here.
I'd already subscribed to your build thread, tho if I hadn't been, I would be now! Amazing. Having built all my stuff from nothing, and heard comments like, "It would be easier and cheaper to start with a GOOD body!", hat's off to you! Oh, nice air cleaner that started this thread too! Brian
I try to find a use for everything before it gets recycled. I used and old lamp for a rear bumper and air cleaner housing.
Thanks. I think? The frame was pulled out of a field in Nampa, Idaho. The engine came out of a 29 A that was going to be tossed in favor of a 350. The exhaust came from a broken 36 drive shaft. A junk Model A frame gave up the brake mounts that were grafted into the TT frame. The cross-members, front, mid, and rear were all from scrap. The rear spring was donated because he couldn't sell it. The whole windshield was created from cast off junk parts. Even the steering column mount is an old scrapped shackle. I could keep going... hahaha.
Thanks, I got the gaskets and hoses in today, should have it pretty much together next week, I'll shoot some pictures along the way and post a progressive look at it. BTW, really happy to see the posts on here. The orange juice from rotten tomato's comment made me blow beer out of my nose! Amazing stuff you guys, show us more. There is some real talent around here making something from nuthin, I love it!
i currently work for toyota in pre delivery and i am constantly "salvaging"stuff that gets thrown out from new cars (i sometimes wonder if this has been going on since cars were being mass produced{model t ford}and iff so think of all the good nos parts that went into the bin). I may not use it today but it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it
Man that bead roller is bitchin! That motor and drive assembly looks familiar, like from an appliance or something. I personally have had stuff around for 30 years and eventually used it. I find this practice useful around the house too. How many of you have found something out of a free box at a garage sale. or even bought something super cheap and turned it in to a cool part? Having a job where you can bring home anything "new" that's tossed must be the S**t. Gear heads in general are one of the most creative groups in existence. A long line of history goes back to modification of our cars, and keeping it unique or "never seeing another one like it" is part of the fun. Please show us more stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I always save junk ,Thats why Im in the garage all the time .And I admit I too have a lid from a pot that Im one day gonna make an aircleaner out of .My dad even made hubcaps out of pan lids And drilled the center for caps ,I guess it runs in the family .
The Jalopy Journal
