Snow, Snow and More Snow

Actually, that's not exactly it. But it sure seems like it. My plow truck having a very tired engine, and the fact that this month was supposed to be very snowy, and the fact that my garage is full, all led to this silly project:

 That would be a low mile, good running Chevy 350 getting pulled out of my parts truck.

Then, it made its way into the basement (which was a terrible idea... SO much cleanup) where my brother and I stripped it down, cleaned everything up, and installed the accessories from the engine we pulled out of the plow truck

 And then, once we'd got it dressed, back into the plow truck it went

 That was a long, cold, but productive, weekend. The truck now runs great and has a vastly improved power reserve over the tired old 307 that came out. I still have odds and ends to fix - mostly re-routing some wires and muffler cementing the exhaust that now leaks like crazy - but it's close.

This weekend, I took off and went to visit some friends. I did, however, pick up a set of these for my Buick!

And then there was a compressor, a workbench, and a water filter...

Two of those things were petulant children. The other one came out just swell.

I'll let you decide.

My air compressor is 21 years old and it had fittings which looked like this:

And were filled with all sorts of this

Which, of course, won't do.

You should know I have an affinity (addiction??) for Stainless Steel, so I just had to make it pretty. Also note new pressure gauge with correct range (old one went over 300PSI on a 175PSI system??) and new pressure relief valve. Old one was leaking.

Please also note stainless flexible vibration isolation hose. Very nice, and not pricey. Thank goodness for McMaster-Carr (and no I am not sponsored. I wish.)

I also love all things industrial control, so this had to happen

Because, you know, can't be using a 30A breaker as a switch. Not rated for that.

And then, I replaced the blow down valve (and moved it so you can reach it without laying on the floor) and bolted it down with new vibration isolators.

Unfortunately for me, Every. Single. Fitting. that went stainless to the steel tank leaked. Repeatedly. After much adjusting, fiddling, cleaning, and re-pipe-doping, it will hold pressure for 8+ hours.

Also, I hate drilling in concrete. Much more so 3/8" diameter holes. But it's got to be done.

I also spent an hour and framed a large opening into the rafters, so I can get sheetmetal and trim parts that are long up into the loft area.

Then there was the workbench. Ah, so nice. The left side is standard formica countertop, for clean/detail work. The right is 1 3/4" Maple butcher block. For those things that are heavy. Or just need to be hit repeatedly with a hammer.

That there is my Lista tool chest. I bought it on Ebay some years ago For $800. From a helicopter mechanic. That particular model retails for $3800! Well worth every penny paid. Also, my antique Lincoln Tombstone welder. Very. Very. Powerful.

I also spent a large chunk of change on this here

A Wilton Vise 1765 - 6 1/2" Tradesman's model. The best there is, and worth every cent. I haven't had a proper vise in a LONG time.

Then came the water filter. In the end I am glad it was installed. In the middle, I wasn't so sure.

This is what happens when you start this kind of thing at 10PM on a Saturday night, and then realize after you've cut the plumbing that you needed two 90 degree elbows instead of unions... oops. Also, after discovering my house has black ABS plumbing and not PVC SCH40 like everybody else. Got that taken care of.

So now it looks like this.

Which is better. At some point during the sleep deprived install, the inlet hose to the filter was hooked to the outlet briefly... this resulted in backwashing filtration media into my plumbing. Boy was that fun.

Garage nearing completion

So I have been working like a maniac to get my garage all finished up. You know, in time to use the heated space before the winter is over. We're getting very close.

First came the heater. Sterling GG45 (Garage Guy 45,000BTU).

I picked this particular unit because it A.) was the best price on the specs I wanted for made in USA and B.) because it came factory equipped for separated combustion with concentric venting. That means only one exterior wall penetration, and it pulls air for the burner box from outside. Also, offers a roughly 8% gain in efficiency. This thing is working great!

 

 We have it configured to use two 100lbs propane tanks, set up on an automatic switching regulator. It's been cold here, and in over two weeks of run time we've used only about 60% of a tank. I'm very happy, and as I keep finding more and more cold air leaks to plug up with GreatStuff foam (more on that later!) it's using less and less every day.

I've since added a door to the enclosure, but no photo. Oops.

Two things happened next. One, I went all kinds of OCD on the electrical panel and removed it from the wall so I could re-route the ground wire, insulate behind it, panel that section properly... and let's face it, because it was crooked.

We paneled the entire loft in 7/16" OSB, which was a royal pain. Since have put down decking to have a half storage loft.

And finished up the wall panels. As an added bonus, this stuff works just like a dry erase board!

And then, my garage got a new resident. Projects just keep coming!