It won’t be the Big Tire Garage, but my little slice of workshop heaven. Big enough for wood working, metal fab, and maybe winter storage for the Mule..
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Installed a truss on a friend’s Dana 30 front axle.
Installed a truss on a friend’s Dana 30 front axle. I must admit, my welding is a little out of practice. These could look a LOT better. They’re structurally sound, but I can do better. A few of these are going to get ground out and redone.
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One of the few victims of my torch.
One of the few victims of my torch. Good thing these control arm ends are all being replaced!
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An invaluable tool for disassembling this rusted lift on the Jeep.
An invaluable tool for disassembling this rusted lift on the Jeep.It ain’t tight if it’s liquid!
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No matter how hard I tried to get this lower control arm bolt out, it wouldn’t budge
No matter how hard I tried to get this lower control arm bolt out, it wouldn’t budge. It had rusted to the inner sleeve of the bushing. Tried welding on another bolt, all it did was spin. Welded on a piece of steel to that bold, as well as a piece perpendicular to this, and beat on it with a mini sledge. Nope. Wasn’t budging. Had to use the cutoff wheel between the frame side mount and the LCA.
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Sending all this mess, and then some, to 440 Powder Coating
Sending all this mess, and then some, to 440 Powder Coating in Willoughby, OH to be media blasted and coated again.
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It’s about to get real!
We’ve decided to move ahead with the workshop!
But this was nowhere near an easy process, and we haven’t dug a hole, poured any cement, or driven a single nail.
After we got the plans done, and copies made, I contacted a number of contractors to bid on the project. The estimates coming back were ridiculous, to say the least. One even suggested it was going to be over $50,000. Um, yeah, nope! Three walls, a pad and a roof. No heat, no electrical, no insulation. That’s $90 a square foot!
I did have one contractor that was willing to work with me, and had done some work for a friend, but it was still more than I really wanted to spend. I thought his price was fair at around $35,000, but it was just too far over the budget.
So I started looking into what it would take to contract this myself. I would hire a concrete sub and a carpentry sub. I would take care of all the permits, etc. A friend of mine, Andy, had hired an Amish construction crew to build his shop. I contacted him and he gave me a really good price for his crew to do the build. But I would have to provide the materials. And I still hadn’t found a concrete sub.
I must have called 8 different concrete contractors. Two called me back. One came out and did measurements, but never called me back with an estimate, even after repeated attempts by me to get in touch with them. I got the feeling none of them were interested in a small job, even in a slow period.
I finally found someone! After talking with the Amish carpenter, he game be a lead, which ultimately led me to an Amish concrete contractor. He had his own equipment and was interested in doing the job and gave me a great price. He starts digging next week while the weather is still reasonable and the ground hasn’t frozen.
Next step will be to figure out a materials list and get that ordered and delivered for the construction.
Front End Friday!
Front End Friday!Built For Whatever taking on a whole new meaning. Pack out what you pack in!
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Exciting things happening!
These old springs have seen better days.
These old springs have seen better days. Replacements will be coming soon. Debating on if I put these in the blast cabinet and paint them before I try and sell them. They’re still in good shape, just some ugly surface rust.
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