Bubba's Garage uses UCoat It

One of the first things we do to the floors in our garages is to install an epoxy coating from UCoat It. Over the years we have tried different methods of flooring and UCoat It last the longest and is fairly easy to install yourself. For around $600 for the entire kit for a single bay it isn't cheap but we have yet to have any problems with any of the floors where we have used it. Figure on half a day to do the prep work, a full day for the base coats, and half a day for the finish coat. Most of that time is waiting for things to dry but don't rush it. UCoat It comes in many different color options but we chose beige with a turf UFlek-AF for our Waynesville garage. Next up is to paint the walls and change out the window treatments.

Garage Art at the Mason-Dixon Gas, Oil, Automotive and Advertising Swap Meet

If you are anything like us you are always looking for things to decorate your garage walls. One good place to do that is at the annual Mason Dixon Gas, Oil, Automotive and Advertising Swap Meet in Frederick, Maryland. Held at the Frederick Fairgrounds, this swap meet (also known as the Mason-Dixon Automobilia and Petroliana swap meet) allows you to shop vintage garage collectibles for free.

Why I chose a gas furnace for Bubba's Garage

Should you install a heat pump or a gas furnace in your garage? While a heat pump may be cheaper it really can't handle the large swings in temperatures as you open and close the garage doors. In my opinion modern heat pumps, while much better than the older version, still do better at maintaining temperatures then getting you there. Also when it gets down below freezing the efficiency really drops. We have been very happy with our centralized propane fed gas furnace. If you go this route be sure you keep flammable vapors away from the furnace. Ours is separated from the work side of the shop and the heat ducted into the space. On days like today you will be glad you installed it!

Photos from Craig Naff's Hotrod Body Shop with Ron Covell

It's not often that you get the chance to hang out with one of the world's best hotrod metal shapers, Craig Naff. Add to that the fact that Ron Covell, a fantastic metal fabricator and instructor, would be teaching a class in Craig's shop and you have the potential for a fantastic Saturday. I made the drive over to Craig's shop on the outskirts of Woodstock, VA early in the morning using Ron Covell's Basic Metal Shaping class as an excuse to get out of the house.

Bubba's Garage Gets a Cool New Vintage Looking Sign

Are you looking for something a little different to hang on your shop or garage wall? Then do yourself a favor and check out Dennis Steadman of Old Timey Signs. We met up with Dennis at a car event in Charlotte, NC in the Spring and commissioned him to make us a sign to hang over the door in Bubba's Garage. Soon a hand painted work of art from Dennis' shop in Greer, SC arrived at our door. We couldn't be more pleased at the way it turned out!  Thanks, Dennis!

Installing a Steam Train Whistle in the Garage

For some reason, I like train whistles. The neighbors probably hate me for this passion but I try not to toot my horns too often and never early in the morning or late at night. We installed a large steam train whistle this week in Bubba’s Garage. While we weren’t sure it would work off our air compressor and 1/2” piping it ended up being plenty loud. First up – the train whistle.

Peg sourced this beast from MD Whistles out of Fairmont, WV. It is a Duluth Missabe & Iron Range (DMIR) 3-chime whistle. We then ordered a 1 1/2” to 1/2” bushing from Grainger Supply since we couldn’t find one local. Next up was a United Brass Whistle Valve that I purchased off of eBay so we can pull a cord and make it toot. Add some black pipe from Home Depot and we were in business.

We still need to finish some brackets but the shop compressor handles the whistle pretty well. Bubba’s Garage now goes “Woo-Woo!”

Decorating Bubba’s Garage

So how do you decorate your garage? Are you all business or do you like to have fun?

In Bubba’s Garage we are definitely about the fun! We can’t seem to leave a flea market or a big car show without picking something up to hang on the wall. We also collect diecast hearses and ‘59 Cadillacs that we display on inexpensive bookshelves in the garage. We also like to hang photos of us with celebrity car guys and autographs on our walls. It is a great way to remember past events. What ever you do your garage should reflect who you are.

If you enter your vehicles in car shows you will eventually have a collection of trophies. We purchased some brackets and pre-finished shelving from Home Depot to display them. For displaying our dash plaques we used dry erase boards that we picked up from Staples. A couple of the boards are metal backed so they work great for the shows that give out the magnetic dash plaques.

Working on the ‘48 Ford Tudor

On Saturday, we were back in the garage working on our 1948 Ford Tudor Sedan street rod. This car has so many problems that I don’t think we will ever be able to fix them all but it still is a fun car.  I am trying to think of it as a learning experience. We started out with a Bitchin Products dash but it requires some modifications to fit our setup. To be able to clear the windshield wiper transmission we had to create a bump in the dash top. Using a little muscle and a closet rod, I was able to bend the sheet metal into a nice arc. We then ran the pieces through the bandsaw using a guide to enable us to cut the arc to a 1/2” height. I then cut some circles out of 18 gauge sheet metal and welded them into the ends. We cut the ends to the correct height and finished them on the belt sander. They are now ready for final welding on the dash. The firewall needs some attention so Peg put on her safety gear and began grinding of rust and paint so we can weld some patch panels.

Getting Ready for Winter

Craftsman Professional 357cc 30" Two-Stage Snowblower

After last years massive amounts of snow I vowed to get myself a snowblower for the garage. But it couldn't be just any snowblower. After doing my research I found that the Craftsman model 88830 looked like it would do the job. This unit is capable of clearing a 30" path and has an intake height of 21". The 357cc 4-cycle OHV engine is pretty strong for the deep stuff. 16 x 6.5 X-TRAC tires look like they will give plenty of traction on the hills. With power steering, heated grips, and even a headlight, I may be out all night after the first snow!  Sears had the unit on sale for $250 off their regular price so this beast now sits quietly in my garage waiting for the first storm. It's a little weird buying a snowblower when the temps outside are still in the 90s.

Updating the Jalopy

'48 Ford Tudor we call Super De

Ugly Dashboard

We are finally starting to update Super De to make it a little (read a lot) safer.  The current gauges are mostly mechanical which means there is gas and oil in the cab of the vehicle. Also, the gauges are hard to see. The steering column isn't secured properly and the AC doesn't work. We will be simplifying the layout and reducing the number of gauges to a third of what are installed now.

Déjà vu

It's another weekend and another snow storm. This one is supposed to be big. Bubba's Garage looks so far away with the snow falling as the sun sets. We are supposed to be building hot rods in the off season but all we seem to be doing is shoveling snow.

Working in Bubba's Garage

Winter is coming so I thought a good garage clean-up before moving indoors would be a good idea. Plans are to work on the '48's dash and wiring and maybe start on the Hearse over the winter. Sure could use some help figuring out the mechanics on getting that big motor to fit.

Open Sunday by Appointment Only

Kirk, a friend from work, needed some garage time to swap out the rear on his wife's Mustang. So, I opened up Bubba's Garage for him on a Sunday. We swapped out the axle fairly easily but didn't realize that the Mustang's rear caliper pistons rotate to depress. Oops. Well, looks like Bubba's Garage will be open next Sunday too! It has been a while since I have gotten that dirty in the garage so I absolutely enjoyed myself.

Time Out to Smell the Flowers

Last year Peg decided we needed some color down by Bubba's Garage so we planted a section of wildflowers. They did real well last year and this year they came back. If you decide to stroll past the flowers just watch out for the Orks! This one is a digging Ork. We call him "Dork."

Traffic on the Way to the Garage

The trip down to Bubba's Garage was a little congested today. I had to pause to allow the cross traffic to continue across the path.