62 Falcon - $5k challenge, how will it rise from the ranger's ashes?

[TheSilverBuick]

I hear you. My tenant moved out last month :*( Moved to Wyoming to be with his kids. Gave me notice, etc, but I just got the last of the minor stuff at the old house taken care of this last weekend. So February is going to be a double mortgage month. I have a possible tentant lined up (a teacher), so that's good, but February's disposable income is down a bit and hopefully it doesn't pan into March.

[STINEY]

I liked your plan of painting the dash/roof, getting the glass back in, do the wiring harness, and toss the mustang donor drivetrain in and get some miles on it.

You can get lots of systems "sorted" by putting some road time on it, tends to chase the gremlins out.

And swapping engine/trans later when you have the REAL engine ready isn't a huge deal.......I should talk, but really, its the little crap that eats my time, swapping a good engine into a already running car is a lot easier than building all the systems, especially when ALL of the parts are untried.

Eat that elephant one bite at a time.

[Russell]

If I where you I would take the lists and start putting goal dates. Kind of like intermediate compleation dates. Ex: fix window channel paint and install glass by X if you are ahead of schedule go ahead and knock out the dents in the roof, if not just "jam" the window channel so the glass does not have to come out when you do paint the roof.

[milner351]

Great ideas guys - I really appreciate the input.

We closed on the house - and the sellers are backing off on the 3 weeks after close need of the barn for furniture storage.

Thankfully - they left behind an old vice on a old metal bench, and another storage bench full of small drawers with a thick butcher block top, a few mini pallet rack shelving units, and some other useful items.

Unfortunately - they did not leave behind the sand blasting cabinet, compressor, etc.

They got out the loads of garage sale / estate sale leftovers from the loft of the barn that I was afraid we might get stuck with.

Let the adventure begin.

[STINEY]

Sweetness!!

Congratulations, and good luck with the tenant search!

[milner351]

Among other things - I need to fire up a cad software of some sort to do a simple shop floor plan layout - try to figure out where to put everything ahead of time.

I think i will finally be able to park the truck inside. I'm already shopping for four post drive on lifts that the truck will fit on - no money to buy one yet - but a guy can dream. 10ft 6in ceiling hit limits just how far up I can lift stuff - but at least I should be able to roll under on a mechanics stool to work on stuff.

[TheSilverBuick]

Yeah the guy I bought my place from didn't leave his sand blasting cabinent or functioning air compressor either =/

[Bob Holmes]

Among other things - I need to fire up a cad software of some sort to do a simple shop floor plan layout - try to figure out where to put everything ahead of time.

You know they have this new system, goes with you wherever you go, easy to set up, easy to change, low cost of entry...










Its called "a pencil and graph paper."

[milner351]

Bob - I still have the green stuff with the grid already on it - engineering paper - Love to use it - but - it's tough to share that format with all my smart friends on the net where good suggestions and ideas usually flow forth and time and trouble is saved by not doing things 3 or 4 times, maybe only twice.

I know I know - scan to a pdf, yada yada - it's so much easier if I can take dimensions of everything and move it around on the screen to see how things fit.

[SuperBuickGuy]

You know they have this new system, goes with you wherever you go, easy to set up, easy to change, low cost of entry...











Its called "a pencil and graph paper."

I know people who can't even operate those

[Silver68RT]

When I had to figure out how to get all my cars under cover I used graph paper and little paper cutouts of all the cars. I just moved them around until I found a combination that worked. I've got 3 Mustangs and a dragster in a 2 1/2 car garage, a Dart and a Barracuda in the shed, and a Charger in the trailer. Low tech works.

[BBR]

it's so much easier if I can take dimensions of everything and move it around on the screen to see how things fit.

Sounds like something I might do.....or have done...... a lot. haha

[milner351]

any one used "sketch up" doesn't seem to be very useful.

I ran cad for years, years ago - what I want is a simple 2-d set up that I can make simple plan drawings with.

Start at a datum - copy line parallel at distance x, etc. then with simple box drawings that represent the size of my benches, toolboxes, welders, band saw, press, sand blaster, etc - lay it all out.

I don't want to go "too garagejournal" on this thing - but I do want to have a plan. The current compressed air piping set up is a decent start but woefully inadequate for what I want to do - at least he put one out the front wall of the shop.

The floor is already painted, already has floor drains (no idea where they go or if they still drain), 100 amp electric service on it's own meter - Commercial rate which sucks, but not going to change it now. I will get some pics up soon.

[SuperBuickGuy]

You should be able to call your power company and get that changed - it's simply a denotation on their computer screens. They will get persnickety if you use a lot of power during the workday/workweek...

[milner351]

SBG - I wish it was that simple.

and I quote "two meters at one address requires one meter to be commercial"

"if the separate structure is not a living space, the meter must be commercial"

It's 9.5% higher rate - it sucks - but at the price of wire - and the hassle required to run the barn off the house
(buried over 150ft including under asphalt driveway)

aint hapnin.