A GDYNETS PUBLICATION © 2009, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles Volume II, Issue 1
Exploring:
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
• Car collecting today • Classic rides
Last month we presented the saga of converting a 2-car garage into a 3-stall car barn. This month, we shall discuss fitting out the newly constructed 3stall car barn. In the process, we shall touch on some tools and equipment critical to enjoyment of car collecting. You are solicited to offer your insights into absolute “must haves” for the car collector’s garage.
• Reports from the field • Oldsmobile
IN THIS ISSUE:
Tools of the Trade 1
GDYNets On the Web
1
Classic Car Pics
5
Coming Next Issue
5
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
After insulating the entire garage, and epoxy painting the floor, the work of making it car collector friendly began in earnest. The first task was to install floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall pegboard. I opted for the heavier 1/4” variety, as I know it will see a lot of usage over the coming years. Every garage worthy of the name requires a workbench of some sort. Mine spans the back wall of the garage for 16’, and then goes around the corner
WHERE YOU WILL FIND GDYNets (me) on the WWW: Dave’s Den http://GDYNets.WEBNG.com
Car Collector Chronicles OldsD88@gmail.com
and runs another 18’. It is constructed entirely out of 2” x 4” stock, and securely bolted to the floor. Inset in one section of the bench is a 20 gal. parts washer. Anyone working on cars will give this item quite a workout. While a parts washer is not a necessity, it is an inexpensive, and handy, convenience. In terms of necessities, no working garage worth its salt can function without some type of compressed air delivery system. In my case, this turned out to be a Porter-Cable™ 7 hp, 60 gal., stationary unit. I was able to find it online for around $450. A word of caution here, it is not the price of the compressor that will get you, it is the shipping charge. Mine, fortunately, came with free shipping. Installing a stationary compressor involves far more than merely bolting it to the floor (A
must as the unit will indeed take a walk right into your car!) and hooking up the electrical. You will need a means of connecting lines to the compressor. In the pic above you will note the beginning of my piping system, above the door. CONTINUED ON P. 2.
GDYNets on the Web
Saved 62 http://www.freewebs.com/ jeandaveyaros
EMAIL:
January 2009
Car Collector Chronicles
http://issuu.com/d.yaros
DAVE’S DEN is a website devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, Indiana. There are also offerings covering the making of steel and U.S. Steel-Gary Works, the U.S. Marine Corps, the M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, Indiana
Police Lt. George Yaros. SAVED 62 is a website devoted to my 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobiles and its founder, Ransom Eli Olds. CAR COLLECTOR CHRONICLES; you are reading it. It is a work in progress.
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE—Continued Here, bigger is better. I used 3/4” black pipe, normally found in natural gas delivery systems. The key is to have hookups where they are useful. This avoids the hassle of having to route/drag hose all over the garage. My system has 4 drops, total. There is one on each side wall, as well as one on the back wall. Additionally, I have a 50’ hose reel in the center of the back wall. The bottom line here is to assure that no area of the garage is inaccessible when it comes to an air hose.
“A multi-meter will prove indispensable in ferreting out electrical problems.”
Once you have an air compressor, you need air tools. Right? The tools I use the most are a tire inflator, a blowgun, an impact wrench and a cut-off tool. Serviceable impact wrenches may be had for a song from retailers these days. There is absolutely no need to buy the biggest and best, but do not scrimp and buy the cheapest one offered, either. The money you save on buying a mid-priced impact wrench is far better spent on decent sets of impact sockets. Yes, I said sets. Do not use regular sockets. The impact wrench will destroy them! Do get both normal depth and deep well socket sets. You will need them, trust me. Another critical tool is some form of Volt-Ohm-Amp meter. These may be acquired at little expense, just about anywhere. A constant source of frustration for any collector car owner is the vehicle electrical system. If you have not had problems yet, you shall. When you do, a multi-meter will prove indispensable in ferreting out problems: Do I have continuity in a circuit? Do I have a necessary ground? A V-O-A multi-meter will answer these pesky questions for you. For maintaining the performance of your ride, two more tools are critical. They are a timing light and a tach/dwell meter. If you want to do a proper tune-up, these tools are needed to get the job done. The use of these tools is made a whole lot easier if you also have a remote starter switch. With it, you are able to jog the engine into the position you need it to be; such as TDC, or on the high lobe of the distributor cam. Everyone who works on cars knows the importance of being able to get that car off the ground. Some means of jacking/lifting is essential. At the very least, a decent 1 1/2T floor jack, accompanied by sturdy and stable jack stands should be in every car collector garage. When it comes to floor jacks, look for two important specs: minimum clearance required and lifting height. With respect to the first, the less clearance required the better. As for the latter, the higher the jack lifts
Car Collector Chronicles
TOOLS OF THE TRADE –
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Continued from p. 2
the vehicle off the ground, the better. However, the key with respect to any jacking/lifting system is safety. Failing to pay attention here, could make for a very bad day, to say the least! Some folks may be lucky enough to not have to concern themselves over floor jacks and jack stands. I have to admit, I am one. I am fortunate enough to have a lift. When my 3-stall car barn was constructed I looked into the feasibility of incorporating a pit. Old timers will recall those. They may still be viewed at quick lube facilities. I found that building code requirements, in terms of electrical, ventilation and drainage simply make installation of a pit financially impracticable in this day and age. When I had my garage “reconstructed,” I did specify the installation of scissor trusses in what was to become the lift bay. Without the uptop space they provided, it would not have been possible to raise a car high enough to get underneath it and comfortably work. In looking for a suitable lift, I was overwhelmed with the multiplicity of offerings/prices. I found one may acquire a lift with an outlay ranging anywhere from $1,300.00 to $9,000.00. Additionally, one may find lifts manufactured in China, India, Mexico and who knows where else? Here again, the maxim of “you get what you pay for” rules. My foremost criteria was safety. If I was going to get underneath my car, I wanted to be damn sure the car was going to stay up in the air. To that end, although old fashioned it may be, I decided to place my trust in an American product. This decision eliminated a lot of the contenders for my dollars. I finally settled on a Mohawk™ A-7, 2-post asymmetrical, 7,000 lb. lift. What clinched it for me was the warranty Mohawk provides. It is 5 yrs. parts, lifetime cylinders. Most lift manufacturers extend a 1 or 2 year warranty. If you are lucky, it may be 3 years. I rationalized that if Mohawk was willing to stand behind their product for 5 years, it might be safe for me to put my car on one and then stand underneath it! Now, let me state up front, Mohawk lifts are not the cheapest lifts available in the market. I was able to save buku bucks by buying mine used. The lift in my garage came from a technical institute that closed its doors after only a year in operation. I had to drive to a neighboring state to inspect it prior to purchase. When I did so, I re-
“If I was going to get underneath my car, I wanted to be damn sure the car was going to stay up in the air.”
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Tools of the Trade – Continued from p. 3 corded the serial number of the lift. I then contacted Mohawk. They willingly told me when the lift was manufactured. As I result, I learned the seller was being on the up-and up with me. That helped to put my mind at ease. My initial plan was to install the lift myself. I began researching the how-to of attaching it to the floor. Little did I know that Wej-it® bolts comprise a science of their own. What convinced me to forego installing the lift myself was a couple of simple laws of physics. 1) Each column weighed in at a mere 1,000 lbs., and 2) I am not as young as I used to be. That combination convinced me to leave it to the professionals. I was more than glad I did, after watching two guys spend 45 minutes manhandling the first column off the flat bed truck and into the garage, with a boom crane! Of course, owning a lift also means there are more essential tools one just has to have. Ah, it never ends, does it? An oil drain pan, bucket or other handy container that just happens to be laying around, would no longer suffice for oil changes. For an expenditure in the neighborhood of 50 bucks I purchased an 8 gal. telescoping oil drain pan, mounted on wheels. I suspect you may have seen similar devices at gas stations, back in the day when gas stations in fact did oil changes. There is one last piece of essential equipment I want to mention. Now that you have the means to put your ride in tip-top shape, you also want it to look good. To that end I purchased a Porter-Cable™ Random Orbital Buffer (Model 7424). As the photo shows, mine came from Coastal Tool. It has variable speeds, and different pads for applying/removing different chemicals. Like the lift, I found the price range of these to be all over the map. Therefore, I strongly advise shopping around for the best possible deal. I have to admit, I was absolutely amazed with the appearance of my car finish after using the buffer. My car is black. As you are probably aware, this is one of the toughest colors to get looking good. I am here to tell you, it did entail an admittedly lengthy 6-step process. And, prior to this I had never clayed a car in my life. Heck, we used to think we were hot stuff when we waxed a car using the Blue Coral™ 2-step process! However, when I was done, one could literally use any panel on the car to shave. And, these results were obtainable by an amateur. Ok, I have had my say. Now it is your turn! I invite and encourage submission of your comments, opinions and contributions. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to: OldsD88@gmail.com _______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!
Car Collector Chronicles
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Jean and Dave at a local car show with their 1985 Buick Riviera (1 of 400) and 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 (1 of 12,212)
Jean’s 1963 Corvair Monza
COMING NEXT ISSUE: • • •
More Tools of the Trade The ‘85 Rivi Collector Car Pics
1960 Oldsmobile 3-on-the-Tree (Dave’s high school ride)