65 GTO

[Thumpin455]

At least you make it to 10 pm..
I'll help the kid to "dark-thirty" but I'm dragging my ass home then..

From now until October, it gets dark after 2130. So I only go until dark, but then I'm crashed before long.

Wind, solar, and generators. I'd like to find a big Sterling engine to run a generator since I have a constant heat source. Someday stuff, right now I have lots to do.

[STINEY]

, not much power needed, so when I go off grid I have the lights I need already in place.

Planning on DC and bypassing the transformers in those fixtures?

I have visions of setting up my barn with REAL DC LEDs and the right amount of solar feeding a small battery bank, and leaving the lights on 24/7.

Someday houses will be wired separately for DC lighting, in my opinion. AC makes sense for fluorescent and incandescent, but not for LED.

[Deaf Bob]

At least you make it to 10 pm..
I'll help the kid to "dark-thirty" but I'm dragging my ass home then..

[Thumpin455]

No home depot or Costco here, Lowes and menards are the only choices. The lights in using can be daisy chained, thats what I did on both walls. Later this year I'll do two rows on the ceiling too. One wire, up to seven lights. Really bright, not much power needed, so when I go off grid I have the lights I need already in place. Eventually I want another string along both walls about 5ft up on a separate circuit, that should give me plenty of light to work, and if it works good, when I do my downdraft paint room in an adjacent building, I'll use them to light it.

Looks like the control arms wont fit a Pontiac with headers, so back to the ones I had on before worn the stock sized spindles, but with cut springs, not a bunch, just enough to lower the front a bit. I'll find a car they fit and do that one instead, maybe the 68 will work better. Or maybe the Cutlass I'm doing for my girl in Chicago.

Finally got into town today, I hate April weather. Worked on the air lines today, trying an idea I have to limit the water in my hoses. I built expansion chambers and venturii into the system, with the idea of pressure drops condense the water so it can be drained. We'll see if it works this week.

I'm usually wiped out by 10pm now, it's a good thing I don't want a night life.

[DanStokes]

I don't know what Home Depot charges for them but I've been getting them at COSTCO for varying prices depending or whether they're on sale or not - IIRC I paid $23 & change for the last couple. Another advantage is that they come on in cold weather unlike my old florescents.

Dan

[mike343sharpstick]

For garage lighting I would recommend these from Home Depot. I've been replacing all my lights with these LEDs and the improvement is amazing, the price is very reasonable as well. You can daisy-chain them and not have any light degradation so it makes mounting options a bit easier as well depending on where you have power in the ceiling.

[DanStokes]

Let me X2 on Stiney's comments. I'm old and too accustomed to comfort but I appreciate your drive and determination. Rock On!

Dan

[Thumpin455]

Thanks Stiney, there's lots to do yet, but I have the hard stuff done. One thing that bothers me is if I fall, get hurt, or something like that, by the time anyone finds me it could be months.

Got the headers on, what a treat that was, but so much more enjoyable on a lift. The springs sit wrong, so I will probably pull it apart and run the other ones, maybe cut quarter to half a coil off to drop the nose a bit. Worked on it until 9. I'm trapped out here because the Tahoe is broke and I need parts, nobody will give me a ride into town and the red car is buried in snow. One the snow melts I can hey in and get the stuff I need.

I am least fond of April.

[STINEY]

Awesome accomplishment, especially in the time frame. You earned that space, congrats.

[Thumpin455]

Right now it's just 1l2" foam insulation nailed to the rafters. Works ok and was relatively inexpensive. Need to do more to it, and fill in the gaps, but I was running out of time last year. This fall it will get done up better for winter. Didn't have much time to post while I was building, but here it is. Trust me, you wouldn't like to live the way I have this year. Running water and indoor plumbing are the next big projects after the ground thaws and dries enough to work.

[STINEY]

Neat stuff. What did you use for a ceiling in the new shop? Did I miss the build of the shop? Was looking forwards to seeing it go up.

[Thumpin455]

Today was productive, got my shop lights done, need more on the back wall and up front, but it's workable now. I need the GTO off the lift so I can work on the Tahoe, so I'm doing the work I need the lift for. Installing my first set of headers on the lift, much nicer than doing it on the floor. Also putting the F body spindles on, swapping WS6 Springs, steering box and swaybar too, so that means I need these pretty red control arms to get the alignment right. The spring on the top is GTO replacement, the bottom is WS6 original. There's a bit of a difference.

[JOES66FURY]

I was surprised that I could fit as much tire as I could on my car. 8' with 4.5 BS....gives me just enough room between the wheel well lip and the inner well.

These bigger cars swallow tires....I think 10" would look small....but 10" in my Mustang look huge....

glad youre doing well....looking forward to seeing more.

[Thumpin455]

Measured the rear wheel wells, I have room for 6.5" of back space, and 5.5" to the outside. Could I fit 10" wide rims with a 5.5 bs? The possibilities are endless. I don't like the skinny tires in back, so I'm figure out what I want under there. Maybe 9" wide rally wheels with 275 60 tires. Could go wider with the right bs.


Sanded on it some, now is mainly dull yellow. Found high spots to knock down, fixed some bad work, and the dents are coming out. I think I could have it painted yet this month without too much thrashing. Very different than having to do tons of work first. Weather is the main thing holding me up, since its 28f here today.

[Mater]

yeah this "spring" has been insane this year. here down in mt. pleasant we had 1/4 inch of ice form freezing rain this morning