Monday, January 17, 2011 at 9:49AM It's happening.... Just lots of behind the scene's stuff right now that is burning up time and advancing the cause. However I thought it might be time to toss another little GEM up for your review? 1966 PDA Meet at Lions... Winners Circle... Heros?? Well to me I say yes..
A Big Thanks to Don Gillespie for this Breathtaking Image.....
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 8:35PM Machine tools.... How exciting can this be??? Well there are tons of these things lying around and there is only a dedicated few folks that like to drag them out of the mud and give'um a new life. Reluctantly I'm one of them.... I had had it with my JET lathe.... I bought it new and fought it until the day it was gone. I mean, what a piece of shit! Never would repeat like it should and was always a challenge. I was able to get good parts out of it but it always put up a fight. So I called a friend and asked for help, I couldn't take it any longer... I had to have something new!! Along comes a Craigslist ad and then along comes these machines.... Why did I buy both? Well it was kinda like a package deal ya know?? I went for the lathe but after giving the low ball offer it was tossed back in my face with basically a "take this as well for the same price....." Hmm.... Well OK... I guess I'll make it work.. Knowing that I had a great milling machine already I knew I didn't need another, but, this one was so much more and when it was restored we would have a winner! Right... When It's restored....
So we begin.... Tearing shit apart and wiping everything down. Can a machine really be this dirty?? Who the Fuck let this thing get to this point? Well.... Sad but true... This was a shop that was focused on making money... Not making clean machines. So we are just about at the point of turning this PIG around and getting it on the road back to recovery. How the folks that do this for a living make any money I will never know... This has been a HUGE task and I will certainly be happy once it's finished!
But there is hope... After all this scraping and scrubbing, 3 gallons of Lacquer Thinner Later and at least 300 shop towels we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Paint is not so important in these machines.. Only for looks ya know. But the shit that matters is still in fine shape. And after a little RED scotch brite pad and WD-40 we start to see what's still there and ready for active duty. Perfect ways and factory scrape marks! Score... We knew it was there! Just had to find it...
More News Soon...
Monday, December 20, 2010 at 6:56PM Hey Gang....
Well it's about time to start a new project thread. So here's the deal! It's been about 6 years since my racing days ended and I kinda started getting the bug again. But this time it's going to be different. I know that building another Race Car and going out to really compete is out of the question with my Wife and Financially it just doesn't work. But I MUST have another Dragster.... I miss the days of walking out into the garage and staring at my '68 Shoemaker Car.... Time for another one but what route to take??? I called up a long time racing friend to discuss the general idea and told him that towing down for the Cackle Fest deal would be a hoot! He agreed and said "Pick one and go for it!!"
Easy....
The Beebe Bros, Vinson, & Sixt Car....
So the story begins...
I have had the July 1966 Issue of Drag Racing Magazine since I was a little boy and have always wanted this car... My Favorite of all time!!! The original car is now 100ft below the surface of the Earth in Australia so we're going to need to start fresh. I will try to post as much as possible along the way and keep y'all in the loop. It won't be as fast paced as my Shop Truck Project but it shouldn't take too much time!
Follow Along Right Here!
Fire the next pair!
Robert
Monday, December 20, 2010 at 3:23PM True... Ya gotta have a solid RIG to fetch parts and gather up the goods!! Well here's mine.... And if ya like more detail you can click here and see how it was built:
"The Build Thread"
Me and My Rig....
Monday, December 20, 2010 at 2:30PM Welcome to my new Blog... Hopefully I can get this straight and share the adventures of what goes on inside my little shop! Race Cars, Live Steam Trains, Etc... Always something going on with me and I want to allow folks to follow along.