Projects Budget Workspace - Doing More With Less

Installed headers and glasspacks on the street at a 'friend's' house back in the '70s. Drove one side of the car up onto the sidewalk and crawled under in the gutter to work. He wasn't much of a friend, wouldn't come outside to help because it was very cold. Army field jackets with button-in liners were dirt cheap back then.

Thanks for the inspiration, Dave! Had a little scare this year that turned into something less threatening but still need to follow up sooner than later.

Joe

 

That’s brutal

 

Identical to Grandpa Lester's tractor shed, Danny. Parked his old AC D-10 in it until he built a drop roof off the hay barn. Use to dig around in his old tool boxes when I was a kid. He taught me how to clutch and drive on that old tractor out in the cotton field. Good memories

Joe

 

Similar thing for me, dad brought out a bunch of cardboard to block the winter wind. He then pulled out the turbo heater and turned it on.
Was pretty toasty as I was under HIS Pete buttoning up the fresh radiator we stuck in it.
To be fair, it was a Sunday evening and he needed to work Monday morning.

 

P-Coat was first warm jacket I owned. Belonged to Pop when he was in the Navy. He never wore it so I nicked it
Field jacket was standard apparel in Winter, especially when the heater core blew out!

Joe

 

I was never much for organization or convenience. I worked on cars on the driveway next to my folks garage for years, out in the open. Later, I built my ‘32 5W and my ‘53 Stude in a one car garage at a house that I rented. When I finally bought a house it was a 1941 600 sq ft house on top of three one-car garages. I thought I bought the perfect house. I used one garage as a tool room/machine shop/assembly area, the middle one for working on the car, and the third for storage as it had the washer, dryer and water heater in it. I built chassis, custom headers and exhaust, suspension work you name it, in that 1 car work space. Looking back I don’t know how I even got the doors open! My neighbors saw the flashes from my welder late at night and thought I was some mad scientist. Those were good days. In 1994 I opened my business and had a real shop for 14 years, then retired and moved north.
These days I have a nice 30x40 2 story shop and plenty of concreted area to play on but looking back, working conditions or lack of tools or space never stopped me from enjoying building stuff. I still own the little house in LA, and I still build stuff when I go down there.
My buddy’s slowly progressing flathead powered ‘29 Tudor chassis lives there….

And the newest resident (until I can bring it home)……