My Shop's Two Rolling Bridge Cranes...

[Rex Walters]

Similar story here, but I started and ended with much more modest spaces. My wife still can’t believe I actually got away with the “smaller house, larger shop” downsizing dream!

Paradise indeed. I’m glad I like working on smaller stuff than cars, though. 8,500 ft of HOBBY shop space on ten acres blows my mind!

 

[OldCarGuy]

Similar story here, but I started and ended with much more modest spaces. My wife still can’t believe I actually got away with the “smaller house, larger shop” downsizing dream!

Paradise indeed. I’m glad I like working on smaller stuff than cars, though. 8,500 ft of HOBBY shop space on ten acres blows my mind!

Indeed collecting model cars has its' advantages. So much of the building are needed to store my creations. I have one four-car garage that I store eight or nine cars. It has a 13'6" ceiling height and double stack them using four-post lifts...

Needless to say my two motorhomes take up a lot of space. And share it with my wood shop area. That radial arm saw I purchased when I was 22 years old.

Tight screeze

The enclosed trailer and my tilt-bed trailer are stored five miles from home in another 2,400' garage.

 

[Rex Walters]

Those cars! Wow those are gorgeous!

Sheet metal work fascinates me, though. Leaves me in awe every time — there are some real artists out there. I'm your man when it comes to square and flat and sturdy. Curves ... not so much.

About the only car that could get me into that kind of restoration work is a '34 Rolls Royce Phantom Jonkheere Coupe. Still the most beautiful car I think I've ever even seen photos of.

I'm glad I never bought a radial arm saw. They were de riguer when I started woodworking, but modern compound saws (sliding or not) are so much better (and safer!).

 

[woodchucker]

Indeed collecting model cars has its' advantages. So much of the building are needed to store my creations. I have one four-car garage that I store eight or nine cars. It has a 13'6" ceiling height and double stack them using four-post lifts...

Needless to say my two motorhomes take up a lot of space. And share it with my wood shop area. That radial arm saw I purchased when I was 22 years old.

Tight screeze

The enclosed trailer and my tilt-bed trailer are stored five miles from home in another 2,400' garage.

wait, I think I recognize those. Do you have a daughter that speed skated?

 

[OldCarGuy]

Like any power tool, they all have their safety issues. I have a friend whose father cut off his thumb on Christmas evening with one. I own a 10” Craftsman non-sliding compound saw with a portable stand. Being portable is its' strong point. I purchased a brand new Dewalt 12” sliding compound saw with a lot of tools 15 years ago. Only used it a dozen times and gave it away as I deemed it unsafe. I have all the attachments for my 10”radial. And find it very useful. I found that having six foot maple work surfaces on each side a big help...

There are two kinds of cars in the world,, Rolls Royce and all the rest! 1925 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roaster. One of my favorite cars. Although it has a four speed transmission. I put an GearVender's overdrive unit this RR 17 years ago for higher end speeds.

Rolls Royce totally over built their cars. Look at the number of bolts on this torque tube! No defection there...

 

[OldCarGuy]

wait, I think I recognize those. Do you have a daughter that speed skated?

I have six daughter's and none speed skate

 

[woodchucker]

Rolls Royce was amazing, I remember seeing hydraulic bumpers on a very early Rolls, along with headlights that turn with the wheels, so you can see where you were going. Way ahead of their time. The hydraulic bumpers didn't show up on American cars until the mid 70s.

 

[Rex Walters]

The other Rolls I dream of is Miss Agnes.

 

[OldCarGuy]

In the early years of motor cars, Pre-World War Two, there were two classes of cars. Rolls Royce and all the rest. And if you ever drove or worked on one you would understand. The first Rolls Royce Silver Ghost rolled off theassembly line in 1906. . And was so advance, it remained virtually unchanged except for minor upgrades till 1927, when the Phantom range was launched. It earned its' name Silver because one of the original models (pictured below) had a polished aluminum finish. And Ghost because it was so unbelievably whisper quiet.

Nearly 8,000 Silver Ghost cars were produced from 1906 to 1927. Including, lesser recognized fact that 1700 were actually produced at the American at the Springfield Massachusetts factory. Many of them are still running to this day. This 1925 Silver Ghost Piccadilly Rumble Seat Roaster is one of the 79 that were produced in all those years.

Side note: Charlie Chaplin, Horward Hughes, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jack Dempsey, and Woodrow Wilson all owned Springfield-built Springfield built Silver Ghosts..

A little about the Silver Ghost. Most antique car enthusiasts (pre World War Two) felt that Henry Royce did not start out to make the best car in the world when he designed the Silver Ghost. Rather he just wanted to improve on his older six cylinder to be smoother running and more reliable. He succeeded to produce the most desirable antique car ever produced. Along with being the longest running model car next to the Ford model T.

The 7.4-liter side valve six-cylinder engine is rated at 80 BHP. The seven bearing crankshaft is totally pressure lubricated,, a rarity of its’ time. Along with two head castings with three cylinders each. Each cylinder has two spark plugs. Powered by two distributors. And a quality of a Swiss watch precision carburetor that is as reliable asit is beautiful!

 

[Rex Walters]

LA LA LA LA (fingers in ears) I CANNOT HEAR YOU!

I never enjoyed plumbing nor automotive work, but this thread is like barbecuing a nice piece of marbled Wagyu in front of an avowed vegetarian to see if you can make their stomach growl!

The engine compartment in that last photo itches an awful lot of scratches, if you know what I mean.