My Truck

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Well today was full of a lot of progress overall. The contractors that put up the buildings for Keen's Portable started assembling the shop and got about halfway done. They'll be back to finish it all tomorrow afternoon. Also, the truck will finally be coming to the house on Sunday so it can enjoy it's new home. My Grandpa also gave me my Great-Granddad's 1947 Farmall Model A Tractor today which he also taught me how to drive when I was about 8 years old. He received the tractor when my great-grandma passed a few years back and decided that since I like to restore old things and fix them, that he'd give it to me. It's currently sitting under a lean-to with a bunch of it's implements, at the old farmhouse up the road. But I'll fix her up and get her running like a top, that way we can use it around the farm again and bring one more forgotten family artifact back to life.

Unfortunately though, that damned hood is still giving me problems even after paint. They didn't let the nuts for the hood hinge bolts set right, so now the nut presses against the surface of the hood and makes a very noticeable rise in the body work. Looks like a harsh outward ding.

But back to the good side of things, I'll be sure to get some pics of the new shop and of the truck once we get it here to the house and off the trailer. And don't worry, the tractor's not going to be much of a project. I just want to get it running so I can get a small garden going next year for the family and cut back on paying for vegetables. So the focus will be on the '63 regardless.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

The new shop went up here at the house on Friday. It's a 26'x30' building with two 10'x10' roll up doors and one walk-in door. I'm still tring to organize everything but here are some pics of us getting the truck home and into it's new home on one side.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

[Captainfab]

Nice looking shop

You guys have way different building codes down there. But then again you don't have to take snow loads into consideration

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Thanks Cap! And no, snow loads and Florida don't really mix. The main thing here is wind rating.

[jgh64pkup]

wow i love the shop
now you need some wheel studs

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Originally Posted by jgh64pkup

wow i love the shop
now you need some wheel studs

I agree. I'll probably just stick a jack stand under it and let it be right now. It'll need some paint touch-up's later on and it will save me having to yank the nice wheels and putting the old steelies back on for the venture. I would definitely love to see them on the truck though.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Man, I still don't have those wheel studs. And hopefully we can finish the electrical in the shop in the next couple of weeks. I'm ready to get things going again but it's just been too damn hot out there.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

New Years Resolution! To finally get a lot of work going on this thing and get it done.

[61_FL_Apache]

I have spent the last hour or more looking at all the progress on your truck.. It looks great. Love the new shop too!! I have simliar pics when my shop was being built too. Looking forward to the completion of your truck!!

[198plus]

Nice Shop !!!!!!!

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Thanks guys! Hopefully I can get things going again with my next paycheck.

[Strodder]

Shops looking good Twiggy

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Thanks Dennis! Finally getting the electrical finished and can just put the heater out there and get to work without breaking a sweat.

[Strodder]

Don't forget to run 220 for your welder, and compressor. I have outlets at 3 places in my shop.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Yeah we've got that all taken care of. The main thing now is getting the sink finished and installed and then buying the lights and putting them up.

[Strodder]

Here's an idea for you. To the right of the sink is my urinal. I dug a small septic tank with a 30 gal plastic trash can. I dug the hole, and filled the bottom with rocks and sand. Then put the trash can in that I drilled lots of holes in it for drainage. Then surrounded the can with sand and rocks. It works perfect for the sink, and urinal. I have a fauset on the sink that pulls out. I use that to flush the funnel.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

That is a pretty good idea with the urinal. Down here we just take care of that business outside, but we don't have neighbors to call the cops on us and be all in our business. It just sucks if it's pouring down rain.

As far as drainage for the sink goes, we're just putting a pipe out the side of the shop that drains down about ten feet from the foundation into a small rockpile.

[Strodder]

That would work. I'm on a acer and have chain link fence in the back yard. Everybody could see me taking a wiz.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Yeah you might make a few enemy's that way.

[Strodder]

Originally Posted by TwiggyTheDrummer

Yeah you might make a few enemy's that way.

Or pick up woman.

[likaroc13]

looks nice Twiggy...curious where you got your 4-tier storage shelves? and how's the quality?

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Originally Posted by Strodder

Or pick up woman.

Wait, you live in California, you better be careful or you might pick up a man that don't want a woman.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

looks nice Twiggy...curious where you got your 4-tier storage shelves? and how's the quality?

They're some of the Real Organized units from Lowes. My 10% employee discount sold me on them. And as far as the quality, they're pretty good but I'm always hesitant of putting substantial weight on it because I've had customers bring the arms back in and have seen that extremely substantial weight plus crazy Florida heat equals a broken support and a collapsed shelf. I"m going to end up building some MuscleRack style shelves or just buying a few though. They hold up somewhat better and can handle the weight.

[TwiggyTheDrummer]

Dad and I have been piddling around the truck lately trying to get things going on it again. It came to the point today that I had to walk out of the shop and work around the farm before I broke something. I'm just ready to shove that hood through the front of US Body's shop and tell them to shove it. One of the nuts that they set for the hood hinge to mount to on the underside of the hood popped inside the mold and won't tighten down. Instead it pokes the surface of the hood and has made a very noticeable mound on top. I'd say it sticks up somewhere between 1/16th of an inch and a 1/4 of an inch from the rest of the hood. I could kick myself around the yard for not just using the original hood and instead going with them.


On a better note, I'm going to be changing out the wheel studs soon and am working on the wiring piece by piece. Unfortunately, wiring is not the fastest job for me.