Merry Christmas everyone...

We are going to be closed for the next couple of days enjoying the holidays with our family.

Hope you have a Happy Holidays

Ticking away...

Well, Christmas is approaching fast and luckily, I am almost done with the clock.  Unfortunately, I still have a cedar lined chest to finish for another last minute present. Ugghhh.....

Even though woodworking is a fun and challenging departure from the norm, I'll be glad when the holidays are over.

A Graham Supercharger and the Dodge 218...Rev B

When I was in college, I built a modified roaster, jokingly named the "choadster".  Most people would refer to it as a ratrod, but it was built before all of that really started to get popular.  I always had intentions of finishing it, but never really seemed to get around to it.  Anyway, for an engine, I used a 218 dodge flathead.  It was small, ran well and a T5 5 speed mated up to a tuck bellhousing remarkably easily.  Eventually, after I had the thing running for about a year, I stumbled across a '36 Graham Paige supercharger and knew that it had to be on it.

After some interesting fabrication, I eventually did get it all to work.  It didn't make much boost and probably made as much power as is it took to drive it, but it was different and certainly got people talking.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, and a guy called out of the blue.  He said that he saw the choadster about 5 years prior and had always wanted to put a similar setup on his '37 dodge truck.  At the time, he had no idea who I was nor how to get a hold of me.

It was by a chance encounter with individual that was selling some 218 parts off of craigslist that he found out that I happened to live right down the road from the guy.  And so, a couple of phone calls and visits later, it begins...

This time, I am actually using some technology...boy, does that makes thing soooooo much easier....

The first couple revisions of the mount where made out of wood to just double check my dimensions and get some additional measurements for the model.  I will eventually make it out of aluminum.  The goal is to make it look like it came from the factory with this setup...

Christmas presents....

Why is it that I simply cannot go out and buy Christmas presents like everyone else?  My what my wife jokingly claims that I am a bit frugal.  Well, I probably should agree with her, but there might be more to it than that.

At least for me personally, some of the most cherished and thought full gifts that I have received have been the ones that were handmade.  Whether they were a photo book on the first car I built or something as simple as a Christmas ornament, they all mean something so much more than their material possession.  So, that might be why I prefer to build my gifts instead of buying them.

This year, it's a Grandfather clock.  I know...I know, it has nothing to do with metalworking, but for those who read his site regularly, you know that I like to dabble in woodworking.  Plus, I have always wanted to try and build one.  So, here it is:


I started with a basically just a dial and a rough sketch of what I wanted it to look like.

I used every clamp that I own and I still needed more...

It still needs to be stained and the doors installed, but it's coming along nicely.  The only problem is that Christmas is approaching fast and I still have to make a cedar lined chest for another gift.  Oh well, pressure makes diamonds, I guess.