The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Workshops and Garages Tinkering on Other Things in our Garages/Shops

This is a place we can share with one another Tinkering Projects we built other than what we have done with our old stove bolts .

We can share photos or just thoughts about our own Tinkering or reply to others in here about their Tinkerings. This swing is one I built from lumber scraps I drug home from construction jobs ..


Edited September 1, 2023 by Peggy M: We really want pictures. Thoughts are helpful. And explanations are good. But the reason for moving this topic out of the Spoon, as discussed by the Moderators, was to allow for pictures.

My other tinkering projects almost always involve a vehicle of some sort. One of my recent non-vehicle projects was hauling approx 30 bucket loads of asphalt tailings with my small Kubota backhoe. There has been probably 200 tons of tailings piled directly across the street from my house for over 10 years. Various entities have at times come in and got a load or two. The whole lot recently sold to a person I know and he told me to take what I needed. So, 30 trips across the road and back to my 30X50 equipment barn. Makes for a nice mud free floor and all it cost me was time and diesel. Now it’s all for sale by the truck load and hopefully by the end of summer I won’t have to look at it anymore.

Is that like ground up pieces of asphalt? Did you spread it like gravel in the driveway?

My dad knew the county roads supt and he let my dad have some asphalt left over from road surfacing that was still hot enough that one could shovel it into dads car trailer and haul it home a short distance and use it.. We put it on the dirt floor of a chicken house and I used a something to beat it flat ..May be 4 inches thick or so,,, it was warm enough that it smoked or steamed .. If it hardens back up after being hot to use for road work ,,you cant use a pick to break it apart..

As I mentioned in the other thread, I'm currently working to restore a boat.
It's like one my parents had 60 some years ago. It was destined for the dump. I drove 900 miles to Columbus, Ohio to pick it up in mid January (in the snow!)
The wood inside was totally rotten. I've cut it all out and have replaced almost all of it. I still have the transom to go.
As found, and current:

Yes, it’s ground up asphalt road material. I spread it about 3-4 inches thick on the barn floor.

A bit more work on the Mini-Bolt. Got the accessories glued onto the engine. Still doing a little body work on the cab. It came as a 5-window, but to keep it correct to my truck (a 3-window), I glued in the corner windows and am smoothing them off so they disappear. Chassis is almost up to where the big chassis is, although it's not covered in snow so a bit easier to work on.

What a project It will look neat when done ,, reminds me of my 57 Chevy back end .. I had a father in law who bought a boat sorta like that and it was Sea King sold by Wards ,,it had fins on it also he kept breaking sheer pins on the motors that were on it..that was back in 1964 or so..

Wayne, the fins look like the backward ones on a '57 Cadillac.

Are you going to restore it or build it to your specs? By that I mean do you have all the interior stuff like the steering wheel and throttle control, etc?

I'm confused. Did you sand off the brown paint to reveal the green? Looks like they used the same paint on the house trim.

I'm restoring to original. It needs new steering, wiring, lights, cholks, and seats. I hope I can get the motor to run.
The brown was red at one time. The green is the original color just like my parents boat. See photo below.

The kids are entering a pinewood derby in a couple weeks and just found out there is an adult category so they talked me into starting a car. And by "car", of course I mean "truck" because they are inifintely superior.

I took a couple hours this afternoon and roughed it out. Now the glue needs to dry so I can profile the fenders and get it primed.

I need to use the scroll saw more, it is rather relaxing.

Wayne, You had asked about my boat restoration project. It's ongoing...
Mine is a 1970 Boston Whaler Sakonnet. I tried to keep the old motor going (Evinrude 90 HP) but after a $400 towing bill, I elected to repower the boat in '19. Here's a few pics. Some wood working was involved to restore the center console and the bow casting platform. A LOT of fiberglass work was done to the transom. And I replaced all 4 through hull fittings. A fellow 'Bolter, Bo Toepfer, did the transom repair and lent me the tool to do the through hulls with.

I work on most anything but really like old Tractors. This is a Ford 9600 I worked on recently, rebuilt the transmission, 8 speed with Hi and Low power.

That tractor is gorgeous, Craig! Got pictures of the tranny rebuild in the shop??

Here's mine (currently)

That's a beauty!

John, It was a greasy hog back then. After I finished the mechanical work my friend Keefe did the body work and paint.

Does having an explosion of Ford projects at my house count?

http://www.bunchobikes.com/modela1.htm

http://www.bunchobikes.com/40Ford1a.htm

When I'm done with the '40, partial payment will be a '28-'29 Tudor sedan. The body seen in the first pic of the Model A page.

After finishing Dana's '56 3100 I decided to try my hand at another brand, so I started looking for a Willy's Jeep. I found one on Craig's List about 100 miles north of me and bought it, it's a 1953 M38A1. As it turns out it was born into the US Navy, then sold as surplus to my local VFD where they built it into a mini fire truck (I never knew they owned it until the seller told me where it came from). It took me almost 5 years to complete, but I got it back to as close as I could to the way they built it in 1983.

Here's the way it looked when I bought it, then upside down with all new floors, the chassis done and the finished Jeep!

Mike B

If it was white from when in the Navy ,,then it could of been an Officers Jeep ,, I worked at a Camp Riley on the Oregon Coast by Seaside and there was a white on It probably was an Officers Jeep if it came from the Navy ,, I bet it was in great shape when you got it,,,

Thats pretty neat there.. Scroll saw is what one needs for them fenders for sure,..
Post another photo when it's done

Mark, I have a 67' F100 that I finishing up for my BIL. The truck is painted in the 60's GT40 style and has a 508 CI big block w an AOD. I haven't fired the engine as yet, but I had it Dyno tested at 568 HP on pump gas, I enjoyed building this engine.

These Whirley Jigs are what my dad made years ago and this summer I plan on redoing them and making some of my own.

Nice! That's a good paint scheme for that truck.

I'm trying to fire up the blown 302 in the '40 and it has been giving me fits lately. I was told it was ran on a stand. The guy who ran it is no longer alive. Since he locked out the distributor, and probably had it sitting around 30 or so, I brought back the timing 10 degrees and it wanted to kick a little better but just wont go. I feel like the starter isn't up to task, so I might try a new one. It's the last thing I need to accomplish so I can send it away to the new owners. Then, MAYBE, I can get back to my own stuff.

My new “Tinkering Project” showed up today. I promised my Bride I wouldn’t “Buy” another project. Sooo, traded little Bro the Farmall SuperA for his ‘64 CJ5. It’s a old farm jeep that starts right up.

Engine sounds fine and all drivetrain parts work. Water pump leaks, oil line to the oil canister leaks and no brakes. Other than those issues it’s perfect. I’ve been told it needs to be ready for three grandkids on spring break at the end of March.

It’s going to be a drive around the pasture and the timber company roads behind the house. Along with trips to the cabin two miles away.

RonR

I took a window scraper to the hood and was able to uncover the original Navy serial number. It was Olive Drab with Black letters...more than likely it was a SeaBee Jeep as Navy Jeeps were normally Gray like this one (my newest Jeep a 1978 US Navy CJ-5).

The white Jeep was in rough shape when I got it...I did a complete every nut and bolt restoration to put it back the way the fire department built it in 1983. The man I got it from had it covered with an old Army tarp in his back yard for 17 years and never did anything with it. The only good thing was the engine was not hurt, I had it running shortly after I got it home. Everything else had to be rebuilt of replaced...the trans and transfer case were both full of water. The floors and gas tank were rotted out, but I got it wiped back into shape!

Mike B

Looking good What are you using to fill window gaps and such?

Just about finished stripping the 235 block in preparation for taking to machine shop. Despite a little wear ridge at top of a couple cylinders the pistons easily came right out. Also discovered this '55 block uses the easier to find main bearings without center locating nub and required matching hole in block.

Bondo spot putty seems to be working pretty well.

As requested, the final product. It has some flaws, but I didn't want to obsess.

Wow, nice job. Are you going to race it in an open class?

John

The races were today. A grand time was had by all.

That is the color of paint I got as a test for my 58. I am planning to use that green for the main body and that silver for the grill, arrows, headlight buckets, etc.

I have to keep one of my ten 59-65 year old M**c**y outboards working for the 1959 Sande Ace runabout that my dad bought new. The shop actually helps.

The stitched panorama shows 3 walls of the shop.

You did good ,, looks fine.. I and my son built a race car when he was in grade school .. and another one I built just for fun.. I have them in my curio cabnet.. are you building any more cars ?

My last project was the total reconstruction and modifications to a 1960 Hunter 23’ powerboat. Originally fitted with twin 80hp Volvo I/O’s. The hull was the first Deep Vee hull design, one of the earliest fiberglass boats and the inspiration for the Bertram 31 sport fisherman.

Photos taken over a 5 year period.

My father in law back in the years of early 70ies ,,had Volvo engines for his boat and he really liked them and the wife and I went out in the Pacific Ocean fishing with him.. I am not a boat person but beings you showed such a great refurbashing on your boat and talked of it being driven by Volvo's . .it made me think of what I just said

Idaho ... I grew up in our family-owned marina. The Volvo-Penta I/O's were what the high-end "Rich people" new boats had. We didn't sell any of those. We were lowly OMC/Johnson dealers. The *really* rich or high end folks, of course, had pre-World War Two Chris-Crafts with Gray Marine straight 8's. Our family business had a good reputation for caring for/restoring those classic Chris-Crafts. We usually did 2 or 3 every winter. I wish I had pictures ... But here's a couple of shots of where I grew up. Lake Memphremagog. Georgeville, Quebec.

Je me souviens

That is interesting ,,Quite the thing growing up around a boat business..Phots tells a lot about a place.. I grew up around Salmon fishermen on the Lower Columbia River at a littel place called Mayger Oregon .. I still have a nephew who has drift rights on the river ,,it was in about the year of 1967 or so that the father in law changed over to the Volvo motor in his boat.. I think he maybe had a chevy 2 engine before that or a friend of his did.. Funny thinking about the car motors by name were also made for boats , First he bought a Sea King made by Mongomery Wards and it had two out board motors on it.. again the wife and went out of Garibaldi Oregon fishing in the Pacfic .. on the way back he missed a buoy marker and all of a sudden I was thrown out of the boat and when I stopped I was sitting up ,,,,and couldn't understand for a minute how that could be as were in the ocean ,, he hit a sand bar and broke both shear pins in the two motors

I guess I can chime in here᠁ I tinker. I like tinkering. I want a shop just dedicated for woodworking but my woodshop has morphed into a truck shop, a bike shop, and antique machinery restoration shop. I cant seem to not like perfecting a craft, and taking old things (even old bicycles) and bringing them back to life. So᠁ I am off on a timber framing journey to build onto this main 26x36 floor for old trucks, tractors, bicycles and machines. What happened? I suddenly morphed into a Yankee coming from the Midwest, and a pile of rusting scrap and decaying logs to clean up and stick in our house, is treasure to drag home for me. John? Care to weigh in about the latter?

Love that 841 with front wheel assist

Yes. That is a 1959 Ford Elenco 4WD! Collectible in the Ford tractor world. The front axles and drive were created by Elwood Engineering Corp. they bought up the surplused Dodge Power Wagon 4Wd axles, and tied those in through an external driveshaft and transmission inspection cover. Ford eventually liked these and started to produce them in-house but most were add-ons by Elenco. 4WD’s were new and somewhat available to broader markets, but give credit to Elenco for design building these beasts.

This was done a few years ago - and I sold it on EBay to a couple gentlemen from outside Dallas who road tripped up here, took a right turn in Iowa to pick up another tractor for me. Why not? This Elenco was an all out nut and bolt resto from a tractor that was in rough rough shape. They are difficult to find, limited, look awesome and work well. Over-engineered these units were worked hard which may have affected their numbers. In the Ford tractor world the other Holy Grail would be a 1939 aluminum hood 9N. Regarding the Elenco the turning radius was too wide for my use.

1957 Sea Fury update: I've turned the boat upside down and sanded all the old paint off the bottom and sides. I've made the 1st pass with fairing compound and sanded it smooth. Another pass is needed before primer then paint.

Tom -- Beautiful job on the wash stand. Did you cut your dovetails by hand or use a jig? I am working towards woodwork like that. Today I just worked on my new computer table I'm making out of scrap lumber I pick up at job sites.

John, I just love those joints with cutting 3 directions to make a really solid connection.

Thanks Wayne. I had seen that joint in an online video. Took me several tries to learn it. Tonight, I finished my mortising with my cobbled together mortising machine. Slow going but the results were worth it. I still cut the tenons by hand with an antique dovetail saw

I bought this little 1948 vintage Bridgeport a few months ago. Terrible paint in multiple layers, rusty and crud everywhere, worn spindle, bad bearings, but basically complete. I took it apart, scraped paint and rust, replaced bearings, repaired the splines, and repainted it. I just got it back together today and looking for the next project.

The next project is to build something with your Bridgeport!

Is that the factory color?

How much does it weigh and how do you transport and move something like that?

That is a nice little J head. I have one that I started rebuilding before my wife's health problems really kicked into high gear. It is about 85% back together now, waiting for me to make some time for it.

Yours looks much nicer.

Otto: The factory color for that era was a green/blue color that I did not care for. This is a color that I had the paint store custom mix for me. The paint is PPG oil base gloss and I used a Rustoleum white clean metal primer. The machine weighs about 1600 lb and I built a couple sets of wheels, sometimes called skates in the trade, to move it around in the shop. Of course I hired a rigging company to move it to my shop.

Jason: This is an "M" head machine, somewhat smaller than the "J" head. My understanding is the early round ram machines did not have the J head available. The whole machine is smaller than yours, Y travel is only about 9 inches. The table is full size. Its a more lightweight machine, certainly not for any heavy duty machining. Collets are Brown and Sharp #7 which only go up to 1/2 inch size. I like that you took yours apart to rebuild it. I did not remove the knee or saddle, I was not that ambitious. Did you scrape the dovetail ways for accuracy?

Mark

Nice job Mark. We used to have a round ram Bridgeport many (25+) years ago. It utilized R8 collets which I assume would have made it a "J" head machine. Bridgeports are very handy machines. Good score.

John

Thanks John. My first mill when we started our business in 1975 was very similar to this one. It served us well for many years. You just have to recognize its limitations.

Mark

Outstanding. Nothing better than refurbishing old machines and using them. Something to be proud of.

Hi John. I made a jig for those dovetails. That tiger maple was too nice to make a mistake. I made three of the upper sections in pine as mock-ups before I cut them in the tiger maple as a means to dial it in. The reason being, there are two angles to the upper pieces. They splay outward from the bottom to the top, and the sides are angular the front section shorter than the back section. Cutting multiple angle dovetails by hand is a still a stretch for me.

The drawer however has hand cut dovetails. I was working on that when I took the picture. That cherry was harvested here in the yard.

In the end? Cutting them by hand would have been a real button bustin proud moment - and I am working up to that skill level. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

But John, what I am really needing from you is your perspective and insight. I grew up in Ohio᠁ and not a Yankee. But since living here, I crane My neck looking at curbside throwaways , I go through the metal bin at the Town dump on Saturdays looking for throw away, when I go to Tractor Supply I lust after those new blue plastic tarps - thinking: “those have to be cheaper than a putting on a new roof!” Am I a Yankee now? and is this my purgatory born from a past life indiscretion? Can I be saved? Just yesterday I saw a refrigerator dumped in a pond and I said: “ another good eelpout smoker and lost opportunity for somebody᠁” I lie awake at night thinking of these great imponderables and it’s a curse that I’ll be darned is undeserved.

Tom ... just what part of NH do you live it?? No need to answer that publicly ...

Although we DownEast Yankees pride ourselves on our thrift, it's hardly something that's unique to us. I think being a "good ole boy" who recognizes the remaining value is others' "throw aways" knows no regional boundaries. Nor does it recognize gender, race, socio-economic demarcations, or any artificial label be they well-defined or subjective.

I believe it is a state of enlightenment achieved by those who eschew the vagaries of pride, esoteric (and ultimately shallow) notions of social station and other such vague and ill-defined empty self definitions of worth and value to cleave to the self-determined satisfaction arising from getting one's own hands busy with the micro industry of "making" or "fixing" rather than "buying."

Hence, Peggy's and my Life Verse is 1st Thessalonians 4:11 -- "...Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands."

Among my very closest friends are folks from some *very* different nationalities, regions, social strata, races and even genders. Yet we all share this. Shoot -- look at Jerry and I. There are few people I hold in higher regard. I truly consider him as close as a brother (maybe even an uncle -- far be it for me to claim to be his peer). Yet, had we been born in a different time, we'd have tried to kill each other. But, even though I was born and bred a true New England Yankee, and still pretty much identify as such (I don't like to be hugged and I will probably let someone else do most of the the talking ... unless the only person I am with is Hambone and then is is simply not much conversation going on ...), Life's vagaries have led me on a path that has brought me through a lot of different places, cultures and experiences such that I have come to *begin* to see that the quality of personality to which you refer is not endemic to any particular region -- it is the most common thread that seems to be the foundation, and if I may be so bold as to claim the bedrock, of this site and all that unites us and makes us vibrant.

As Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote:

"For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known — cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honoured of them all —
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy,
I am a part of all that I have met."

In short -- I have transcended Yankee thrift. Good Ole Boys abound everywhere. Be proud that you are one!

I have always liked Hank Jr's song, "A Country Boy Can Survive." It doesn't matter if you are North, South, East, West, Urban or Country ... It's a state of mind (Zen, perhaps).

And you are starting to see that "there is no spoon."



Morpheus/Ulysses

Yes. It had a stuck/broken gib for the knee when I got it. I tore it down, put in a new gib, scraped everything, and started reassembling it. I wanted to do a ballscrew conversion on it but ended up doing a new anti-backlash nut instead.

One of these days I will finish it.

I finished my boat trailer. Before and after

I see you lowered the front cradle and put full length pads on it. I guess this wasn't the trailer that the boat lived on in it's former, unrestored life?

It's the trailer I got with the boat. It wasn't set up for the boat, so I adjusted it.

Nice job it looks like new.

John

I like the turquoise on the fenders. Will Vern be pulling this boat?

It's called Sea Foam Green. Same color as the boat deck.
Yes I'm planning to show it off behind my 38.

My Tundra will take it to the river and to the lake.

Figured I'd start a new thread on this.

My daughter and son-in-law (who was instrumental in finding my '51 3100 8 years ago - OMG has it been that long?) bought me a 3100 model for Christmas, so I've been working on getting it put together and painted to match what my regular stovebolt will look like when done. My wife says I've been spending hours and hours on it (but I haven't told her how many hours I have in on the regular bolt. )

Eagle eye Stovebolters will see that the photo on the box isn't a '50, but a "51 because it has wing windows, but the contents were indeed '50 or earlier, as it didn't have wing windows and had a side cowl vent. My truck is a standard cab, and the model is a 5-window, so I installed the corner windows and smoothed over them with some spot putty. Did the same to the cowl side vent area. Also cut some wing windows out of clear plastic and installed them so it matches my big truck. I had all the paint for my regular bolt, so painted the parts with that (Interior, steering column, exterior). I custom mixed some maroon for the seats to match that.

Anyway, here's some pics of progress.

Getting paint on the mini-bolt the last few days. Just about ready to install the cab (previous pic was just set in place to check fit.) The cab needs another coat of Omaha Orange, then I can get to installing the lights, etc. I made decals to match the original logos on the doors, and a Department of Interior License Plate, which I'll install when painting is done.

Love it! Looking great!

Looking good Kevin! Love the decals! I see you spent the time to fill in the corner windows. Nice touch!

My good friend gave me one she picked up from a flea market. I built it last year to look like what I would like our truck to look like when I’m done. Pretty tedious for my tired eyes and hands!

nice job, I love modeling, not as much money as the real thing!

... and no arguments about which carb is better.

Yep, it’s the plastic one that comes in the box. 😁
Nice job, Phil! I see you didn’t get any glue on the windshield. 👍

Wasn’t an easy task. You can buy applicator tips to make it much easier to get the glue on what you want. [Link].

freakin awsome !!!!! love models, ben doing them since 5yrs old. very cool sir!

A couple years ago I decided to build models of all the vehicles I called "mine". Had to combine 3 kits for the El Camino and some of the others are 1 year off but no one but me knows the difference. It's something to do when I want to stay inside.

Very cool Harold.

Just a note to all that per guidance from HQ, this thread (The Mini-bolt project) has been moved to merge with the "Tinkering..." thread in The Tool Chest - Workshops and Garages sub-forum.

Hope everyone can continue to enjoy it in this spot.

Respectfully,

Dan (GTT Mod)

Harold41, is that a Toyota Corolla?

Yes, a '74 Corolla I think the first 5 speed they made. Traded a '72 El Camino for it during the 70's gas shortage. Always regretted it. The model kit came from Japan with instructions in Japanese.

Aahhh so!

At first I thought it was a Ford Cortina but the raised cowl vents said otherwise.

Did you own a Ford GT 40?

Finished the new computer table for the Stovebolt office and brought it in this evening.

Thanks Mark for the mortising tool!!

Oh no, never owned a GT40. That lower shelf has some of the first models I did back in the 60's.
Cars I admired; Granatelli's STP turbine Indy car, GT40 markII, '32 Cadillac. Ferrari 250 GTO slot car, and a couple boyhood toys.

Very nice work John!

Miss Peggy looks pretty tickled to have such a nice large work surface to enjoy. Lots more space for to-do piles, sticky notes and such - haha!

Dan

John! Looks fantastic! Glad you could make use of it!

Finally finished up a serving table for the back porch. Hardest part was cutting all those pipe threads, even with a power threader was a lot of work.