New compressor is up and running!

Thanks Bill.

When I bought this old place, moved in Sept 1, 2008, the 50 year old garage had a gravel floor and one outlet.

The windows were boarded over, opened up one, and will cut out one more later this fall.

My partner I did the bike with and the one with the bare frame that is not up, setting behind, is a licensed electrican, so now it's got it's own 100 amp service so I have plenty of juice running out for 220v etc.

I laid 1975 pavers, over the gravel and put down sand to set them last summer.

The total cost of the floor, pavers and setting sand was under $800.00.

For an old man of my age, that was one heck of a job! But, well worth it.

Since it is a "working shop", cleaning is easy, called an electric leaf blower!

LOL!

Works, I painted all the parts of the AllState in there and has only a few dust nibs.

Have yet to color sand and buff the 2K, may never do it as the finish is better than what the Puch factory sent to Sears.

What is seen of that bike is just as I shot it in late May and has only Fast Finish on it, be it paint, chrome, aluminum, tires, etc(which are the original 1963 tires it came with)

Grumpy
 
Ron Ketcham said:
I laid 1975 pavers, over the gravel and put down sand to set them last summer.

The total cost of the floor, pavers and setting sand was under $400.00……

Since it is a "working shop", cleaning is easy, called an electric leaf blower!

LOL!
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Gotta love it when it turns out so nice and economical! I can definitely relate to cleaning the garage with the leaf blower! :xyxthumbs
 
Yeah, right!

I used to keep bottles of such, that we private labeled for some of those folks.

These days, anything I know is heat sensitive, I keep in the basement where it's nice and cool.

A little wet, but the trout I raise in that old leaking basement makes them happy and I trade them for some good, old, Iowa corn fed filet migon's.

LOL!

They don't call me Grumpy for nothing!
 
It's ok for the money. First one had a problem, bought on-line. They paid to ship it back to Cal. and sent me a new one.

It's the 220v unit, with optional gas as flux core is messy, etc, so run a CO2 and Argon mix for steel.

I may upgrade to a Hobart later this year. A buddy has a three year old Hobart he will sell me as he is moving out of country for a few years.

My Lincoln stick welder is out for some repairts, goes under the welding table.

That table weighes 400 lb and has a one inch machined steel top. Was part of a converyer system a company made changes to.

You put anything you want in that vise and beat the heck out of it, the table won't move.

If I had all the money in the world, would add a tig and a plasma cutter.

For it is as they say "He who dies with the most toys, wins!"

Grumpy
 
I love it! Ron, you have a true working mans shop. I love picking out all the cool toys and gadgets. You have everything!



I wish I had the talent to weld. I just never picked it up again after shop class was a distant memory. (Ok, so I did do some arc welding but after accidently I welded a piece of steel to the bumper of my dads Jag E-Type I gave it up. True story.) The skill does come in handy once in a while.



The new air compressor is a monster! Given the right nozzle I think you could blow your whole shop into orbit. The sandblast cabinet is nice. That's what I want but can never seem to justify the space it takes up. (You never know when I might want to squeeze one more car in the garage.) Yours is a little fancier than mine. :)



My Grandfather, a Swedish immigrant who moved to Michigan when he was young, started a repair service that kept the family fed for many years. Long after he retired the garage was still around and it reminded me a lot of your place. The walls were covered in tons of tools and parts and things. It was like treasure hunting when I went there each summer to visit as a kid. Now much of that is in my Dad's garage here in St. Louis and it looks and smells much the same. Ahh, memories.



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Axel Bloomquist, the original car guy.

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I guess working with mechanical things gets in some people's blood.

My folks never intended for me to do what I did while growing up, but once my Mom saw that I was as creative with a welder and paint gun as I was with some artistic talent, Dad picked up on it and both supported my "hobby".

Never made a living doing any of it, ended up in sales/marketing/management, but always had in the back of my mind that come the day, well, that day is here.

I had an uncle who turned wrenches for a living, Uncle Alvin, who moved from Ill. to California in the 60's and made his retirement money out there, turning wrenches!

While I lived out there, lived in apartment type bungalo's and never had a garage.

Loved driving up from Anahiem to Monrovia on a Sat, messing around in his home shop, drinking some beer, learning somethings from the master. Miss that old man.

Have the friend/car nut/buddy who I will do the pop machines for this winter, looking for some gas signs, etc for outside of the garage.

You can't see it, but in the front of the shop, to the left, is a small flower/rose garden I put in and is where the outdoor patio is.

(Out door Grumpy's Pub in good weather- and today is the day for my weekly Grumpy's Happy Hour, with 3 to 10 showing up to have a start the weekend and chat about the world's events)

It is perfect for a metal sign of either Phillips 66 or Sinclair. My Dad had both brands of gas stations.

Also looking for a M&M (Minneapolis Moline) metal sign to put outside as well, since that was his brand of farm machinery he dealt with.

I know too many of my peers who retired, and just sat around, dying very early. Boredom will do that to a person.

Grumpy
 
Grumpy, with all your toys and projects going on in your retirement now, you can't even think of the subject of dying for a mighty looooooong time! ;) Long live Grumpy's Garage and Pub! :)
 
Brad B. said:
My Grandfather, a Swedish immigrant who moved to Michigan when he was young, started a repair service that kept the family fed for many years. Long after he retired the garage was still around and it reminded me a lot of your place. The walls were covered in tons of tools and parts and things. It was like treasure hunting when I went there each summer to visit as a kid. Now much of that is in my Dad's garage here in St. Louis and it looks and smells much the same. Ahh, memories.
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As I recall, Brad, you said that shop was here in Lansing where I am, correct? I wonder if the building is still there....
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
As I recall, Brad, you said that shop was here in Lansing where I am, correct? I wonder if the building is still there....
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Yes, it was on S. Cedar. Can't remember the cross streets. Names like Jolly and Mt. Hope pop in my head. Been too long since I've been back up there. Directly across the street they had a large farmhouse, huge barn-type garage and about 10 acres. As the years passed bits of land were sold off to developers putting in small businesses and strip malls. I'm not sure if the farm house or the small house and garage are still there either. Probably all gone now. Kinda sad.



Here is a pic of one of the cars with the farm in the background.

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And my Dad's ride that Grandpa fixed up for him.

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Oh, and one of my treasures found in his garage. Note the yellow license plate.

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Brad B. said:
Yes, it was on S. Cedar. Can't remember the cross streets. Names like Jolly and Mt. Hope pop in my head. Been too long since I've been back up there. Directly across the street they had a large farmhouse, huge barn-type garage and about 10 acres. As the years passed bits of land were sold off to developers putting in small businesses and strip malls. I'm not sure if the farm house or the small house and garage are still there either. Probably all gone now. Kinda sad.
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Hmm... well there are a few older houses still standing around both Cedar/Jolly and Cedar/Mt. Hope, but I'd have no idea if that particular place is one of them without an address to work from. Very cool that you still have memorabilia from the shop!
 
Those pictures are "cool", I know, I am old and still use that expression.

Live with it guys, I have for decades.



LOL!!



Grumpy
 
Ron Ketcham said:
Those pictures are "cool", I know, I am old and still use that expression.

Live with it guys, I have for decades.



LOL!!



Grumpy
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At least you didn't say "Far out" or "Groovy" :pound:
 
Well, I find it "far out" that you would find what I posted to be "groovy".

I am so "stoked" by your reply.

So much that I find it "neat" to hear such.

LOL!, we got to keep this one going.

Groovy Old Grumpy
 
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