Model a habitats

Here is a picture of a project that I helped an older guy finish. George F. wanted a 31 pickup. He started out with a nov. 28 leather back fordor and a Dec. 30 AA. He took them both apart over forty years ago and that was as far as he ever got. He asked If I could build a pickup out of what he had. I said yes if he was willing to buy the necessary parts, such as bed, rear fenders, running boards and aprons. Here is a picture of the cab after he installed a new top. He wanted me to straighten it out without replaceing it.
 
Here it is with the running gear together, with George about to go for a spin. The rebuilt engine had sit in his basement for 40 years. He was thrilled to hear it run for the first time .
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George F at left, getting happier all the time. Neighbors and sometimes helpers, Frank in the center and Walt at the right. Yours truly sort of hiding behind the door. We are getting closer.
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We've got the doors and hood lining up pretty good and the top is looking better. George F. is kind of frugal ,He picked the paint that he wanted at Walmart. Rustoleum looks ok if used with hardner or urethane activator. I used urethane activator here, its hard as nails.
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Getting happier, We hung up the new running boards and aprons and primed and painted the back side with Rustoleum and hardner.
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George, leaveing the shop with his finished pickup. It only took three months and no money changed hands. I got the left over AA running gear and the leftover leatherback parts for my efforts. I did do a little night work to speed things along. I work best, by my self. We all had fun, George treated walt and I to a buffet lunch every day at the best restaurant in town. Rustoleum ain't so bad, notice the reflection of the running board in the door!!!!!
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Garage - I didn't have one for a few years after I sold my previous property.
About 6 block away I located a fire damaged garage that had become a "Chronic Inebriate Problem". I talked the owner out of it, jacked it up and moved it to my new property last fall, September 2010.

Of course I had to test fit my Phaeton in it before I started the move. As soon as we finished the roof it started to snow.

Now it is insulated and I have a nice Siegler Oil Stove 400UR that works really good. My Phaeton fits perfectly.

Darryl in Fairbanks -25 F right now, glad it has warmed up

Nice "period" garage! Love it!
 
I nearly missed this thread. GREAT pictures. Jim Huseby, now where is your habitat?
Here are 3 pics. of my workshop, which took me 40 years to get this far. It has a car room, with 4 post hoist, Corghi wheel balancer, paint spray gear etc and a machine tool room, complete with bar fridge, armchairs and oxy acetylene barbeque. The machine tools are mostly from 1890 to 1960 -American and English, except for a Swedish lathe/mill combo. Collecting them is another compulsion! Thank you all for sharing your habitats. I love the Ford Barn and look forward every evening to reading the newest thoughts, desires, ideas and methods of similar people. SAJ in New Zealand
 

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purdy very nice model A roadster....i like the way you restored that one...love to get into the "A" hobby some day!
 
P.S. Nicely done pick-up. I too, found that tractor enamel (Ford 8-n Grey) works very well with an activator. If you don't use it, it takes "forever" for the enamel to harden.
 
Thanks, Here is a view of the passenger side. The green is rustoleum, right off the shelf at walmart. I used Kirker ultra-glo UA-1600M urethane activator. It was around seventeen dollars per quart at the time I mixed 3 to one with the activator. in other words 3 quarts rustoleum one quart of activator and you've got a gallon. The activator is clear liquid that is about the thickness or viscosity of thinner.This was still a bit thicker that I wanted to spray. I thinned as needed with urethane grade thinner. I sprayed it with a sixty dollar gravity feed paint gun from Smart Shopper in Kentucky. The paint went on pretty good and I didn't get any runs or dry spots. The paint is very hard in a short time. The activator has a similar effect with the oil base enamel as it does with the acrylic urethane enamel at a lower cost. The top side of the fenders were sprayed with Kirker ultra-glo acrylic urethane enamel black and used the same 3 to 1 mix with the same activator.The fenders have more gloss. I painted my 29 strip down cowl and hoor with rustoleum and used universal super wet look hardner. the hardner makes a huge difference. The rustoleum that the activator is used with is much harder like nails. Its not as good as the expensive paints but some just want to ride and save some cash. Georges truck will spend its time mostly inside.
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