Projects Have You Ever made something just to take your mind off Winter?

i like to rebuild things that no one else even bothers rebuilding, or just sends it off for someone else to rebuild.

like master cylinders, fans, wiper motors, etc, even old cassette players. i need to buy a lamp cord for my clock still.

 

A kid.

 

It needs pinstripes.

 

Hello,

That is funny. It has been unusually cold this winter for So Cal, but socks? Ha… Our current tile floor is cool in the summer and in the winter, feels just right walking around barefoot, as usual. My wife likes it warmer and our heating gas bill has taken a giant hit, but relief is on the way. The tile guys put in a great moisture barrier and it keeps the normally cold tile fairly neutral.

Granted, it is not 14 degrees below or frozen scenes for days on end. The only frozen we see is perhaps a movie or ice cubes in the freezer. Ha! Our coastal location takes the brunt of the major storms coming off of the Pacific Ocean. Then, after pounding us for a few days, joins forces with a system coming down from the cold North and attacks the Midwest and East with a fury.

But in looking back to our starting a Gas Coupe days, we started in November of 1959 with our newly purchased neighborhood 1940 Willys Coupe. When we got it home, the backyard garage had been our project in the early winter to get it ready to roll in the Willys Coupe and be able to shut the big door. We did not insulate the bare wood frame walls. It was just a simple cedar tongue and groove exterior wall for enclosed heat.

That old standard pour concrete floor from the 40s house build was… “as cold as ice. ” It was socks, tennies or desert boots plus gloves and a warm jacket. Gas welding/cutting and flying sparks had nothing on us, we were well protected with the layers of clothing. Even with the garage door down, that old concrete felt like an ice cooler at the local small market around the corner. A small electric heater would take days to heat up the area where we were always working.

Jnaki

So, yes, we did start in the cold portion of the winter months for the 283 SBC build with 6 strombergs version of the Willys Coupe. Just to be in the same category of aluminum swirl technology, a nice strong finger inside of fine steel wool or fine wet/dry sand paper improved the looks of a small under dash instrument panel. I made a swirly pattern on our under dash oil/water combo gauges in a small housing. Not machine turned, but teenage hand turned for the custom touch inside.
All of that custom work was down the drain on an August 1960 Sunday morning in the aftermath of our Willys Coupe. Nothing was left of the bracket or gauges from the intense heat.

 

I built this model car. It was put together poorly and sold on ebay. I bought it, took it apart and made it into a copy of the "Moon Rocket. I have an original magazine that I purchased as a kid to use as a reference. I also looked it up online and used those images as well.

 

Heck, I’m waiting for the comeback of 8 tracks and reel to reel players! Good on ya.

 

Building a pulling garden tractor from cast offs. Doing it the hard way with absolutely no time frame for completion. I have a new grandson on the way so I have at least eight years to finish it.

 

Im glad 8 tracks always just work, cassettes are so finicky and problematic. And you can never have quite the right belt length now, so unless its original it always plays a little fast or little slow. In my opinion, the 8 track is better tech than the cassette because of its simplicity.

For some examples.

 

Fire

 

I got back working on my Tokheim model 39 tall gas pump. I got it in a trade and I disassembled it 20 years ago. I've redone a few for friends over the years and this winter feels like the right time to finish my own.