Just read a big forum discussion about National Auto Sport Association's (N.A.S.A.) decision to eliminate the Spec Neon class from their lineup.
Are you freakin' kidding me?? I haven't even finished building the car, and the class has been killed?
Great. That's just great.
All ranting aside, the decision doesn't really affect me in the least. You see, the track that I'll be racing at (Waterford Hills) is THE Spec Neon motherland, and will continue as such because they run by their own set of rules - so I'll have a place to race for a long time to come.
I'm still upset by N.A.S.A.'s decision to kill Spec Neon because it means that if I should decide to race somewhere other than Waterford Hills, I'll potentially be "re-classed" into a class where I'm seriously outgunned.
If you consider the fact that the entry fees for a race at some of the national tracks can be triple that of a Waterford race, this reduces the "YIPPEEEE" quotient considerably. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't imagine spending $300-$400 a weekend in entry fees to helplessly trundle along in last place will be heralded as the "BEST WEEKEND EVER!!".
Spec Neon was conceived as a low-cost, entry level way to get racing. This latest move is a baby step away from that. We all know what happens after baby learns to walk....That's right - N.A.S.A.'s going to trip on the living room rug and hits it's head on the coffee table.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Safety = Budget Killer
This weeks lesson is titled "Buying safety gear without going broke". For those that don't know, you can't just race a car in whatever clothes you like. There are numerous safety specifications that dictate what gets worn and where. Your 'average joe' club racer dons the following before each race: Socks (fireproof), long underwear bottoms (fireproof), undershirt (fireproof), 1 or 2 piece full body race suit (fireproof), gloves (fireproof), headsock (fireproof), and finally a helmet (also fireproof). I should point out that probably 80% of race events happen during the summer. That's a lot of layers. Layers of technical wonder fabrics intent on one thing; keeping you alive in a fire - that's it. They are not technical wonder fabrics when it comes to ventilation. Any hotter than say, 70 degrees and you are very uncomfortable in full race gear.
Another thing all that gear is not, is cheap. I'm not knocking the safety gear manufacturers, but I gotta believe that there's a little bit of fear mongering at work in the pricing structure - "Sure, you could pay less, but do you REALLY want to?". Be that as it may, if you want their products, you pay their prices.
Here's a quick layout of the safety gear essentials and their price ranges:
Helmet - $250 - $1300
Suit - $150 - $1500
Gloves - $40 - $200
Shoes - $60 - $120
Underwear - $100 - $400
Socks - $25 - $100
Balaclava - $35 - $120
This list assumes standard safety rules for SCCA style competition, and is by no means comprehensive, but you get the idea. As with all things, the sky's the limit in the upper ranges. A custom-molded helmet for a Formula One driver will certainly not be had for anything near $1300 - more likely $5,000 - $10,000.
The most pertinent fact is that the low prices that I've listed are basically the least you can expect to pay for the most basic no-frills safety gear. Do the math - it's damn close to $700!!
So, 700 bucks and you're getting the cheapest, most basic, entry-level gear - both from a construction and a safety standpoint. Everything will pass inspection, but the helmet's going to be heavy, the gloves will fit weird, the suit's gonna bunch up, the underwear will be ridiculously baggy and itchy. The socks & balaclava will probably be fine, but that's about it. Overall, you'll be wearing uncomfortable crap, and you'll look like it. Now, I'm no fashion snob, but I hate ill-fitting clothing, and you would too if your crappy glove seams were digging into your hands while you're concentrating on getting a 75 mph corner just right with a 'fast as shit' Mini Cooper on your ass.
With this, and the idea of increased personal safety in mind, I decided not to skimp on the safety gear. I won't buy the junk, but won't go nuts either. Unfortunately the price was going to take a jump - a big jump. Basically to get what I wanted, the cost nearly doubled - putting me at an estimated $1200.00 - Ouch!
There was no way I could put that kind of cash down and hope to have any budget left to race. Something needed to be done. As I mentioned in the Tools of the Trade post, I'm a damn good bargain hunter and I'm proud of it. Clearance racks, open box items, floor models, bring 'em on. I have no hang ups about buying used.
And ebay, You don't want to go head-to-head with me on ebay - your ass WILL get kicked. I bought most of my race gear on eBay, and saved a ton of money in the process. Furthermore, I was able to get everything new, and in it's original packaging. Here are some links to the equipment I ended up getting, along with the lowest current prices in red, and what I actually paid in green.
HJC AR-10 Helmet
$299.00 vs $152.00
G-Force 545 Race Suit
$450.00 vs $203.00
Oakley CarbonX Racing Gloves
$125.00 vs $56.00
Stand 21 Race Shoes
$259.00 vs $40.00 (!?)
RJS 2-piece Nomex underwear
$84.00 vs $84.00
RJS Nomex socks
$18.00 vs $18.00
----------------------
$1235.00 vs $553.00
By my feeble math skills, that's a savings of $682.00 - or roughly 55%.
Not too shabby, not too shabby at all....
In your face, MSRP!!
Another thing all that gear is not, is cheap. I'm not knocking the safety gear manufacturers, but I gotta believe that there's a little bit of fear mongering at work in the pricing structure - "Sure, you could pay less, but do you REALLY want to?". Be that as it may, if you want their products, you pay their prices.
Here's a quick layout of the safety gear essentials and their price ranges:
Helmet - $250 - $1300
Suit - $150 - $1500
Gloves - $40 - $200
Shoes - $60 - $120
Underwear - $100 - $400
Socks - $25 - $100
Balaclava - $35 - $120
This list assumes standard safety rules for SCCA style competition, and is by no means comprehensive, but you get the idea. As with all things, the sky's the limit in the upper ranges. A custom-molded helmet for a Formula One driver will certainly not be had for anything near $1300 - more likely $5,000 - $10,000.
The most pertinent fact is that the low prices that I've listed are basically the least you can expect to pay for the most basic no-frills safety gear. Do the math - it's damn close to $700!!
So, 700 bucks and you're getting the cheapest, most basic, entry-level gear - both from a construction and a safety standpoint. Everything will pass inspection, but the helmet's going to be heavy, the gloves will fit weird, the suit's gonna bunch up, the underwear will be ridiculously baggy and itchy. The socks & balaclava will probably be fine, but that's about it. Overall, you'll be wearing uncomfortable crap, and you'll look like it. Now, I'm no fashion snob, but I hate ill-fitting clothing, and you would too if your crappy glove seams were digging into your hands while you're concentrating on getting a 75 mph corner just right with a 'fast as shit' Mini Cooper on your ass.
With this, and the idea of increased personal safety in mind, I decided not to skimp on the safety gear. I won't buy the junk, but won't go nuts either. Unfortunately the price was going to take a jump - a big jump. Basically to get what I wanted, the cost nearly doubled - putting me at an estimated $1200.00 - Ouch!
There was no way I could put that kind of cash down and hope to have any budget left to race. Something needed to be done. As I mentioned in the Tools of the Trade post, I'm a damn good bargain hunter and I'm proud of it. Clearance racks, open box items, floor models, bring 'em on. I have no hang ups about buying used.
And ebay, You don't want to go head-to-head with me on ebay - your ass WILL get kicked. I bought most of my race gear on eBay, and saved a ton of money in the process. Furthermore, I was able to get everything new, and in it's original packaging. Here are some links to the equipment I ended up getting, along with the lowest current prices in red, and what I actually paid in green.
HJC AR-10 Helmet
$299.00 vs $152.00
G-Force 545 Race Suit
$450.00 vs $203.00
Oakley CarbonX Racing Gloves
$125.00 vs $56.00
Stand 21 Race Shoes
$259.00 vs $40.00 (!?)
RJS 2-piece Nomex underwear
$84.00 vs $84.00
RJS Nomex socks
$18.00 vs $18.00
----------------------
$1235.00 vs $553.00
By my feeble math skills, that's a savings of $682.00 - or roughly 55%.
Not too shabby, not too shabby at all....
In your face, MSRP!!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
State of the shop
Another non-car related post. I've been busy and or sick for the last couple of weeks, so very little has been done to the car. Fall is here and we've once again realized the penalty for all those nice trees. In the old neighborhood we could simply rake all the leaves to the curb. Not in the new neighborhood. No...I get to fill up thousands of those stupid leaf bags. Even in my silly little suburban lot, just raking out my flower-beds and some of the heavier areas of the yard can fill 20+ bags and take the better part of 6 hrs.
Since the shop hasn't been used for car building, it's become a haven for things that were just "in the way" somewhere else. In other words - my shop is full of crap and is completely useless until I clean it. And frankly, it's too cold out there. I haven't quite accepted the weather change yet, so I'd much rather goof around with my kid and hang out in front of the fireplace than put on some stinky coveralls and wait for my puny kerosene heater to heat the place up so I can clean the shop.
And that's why it looks like this:
Since the shop hasn't been used for car building, it's become a haven for things that were just "in the way" somewhere else. In other words - my shop is full of crap and is completely useless until I clean it. And frankly, it's too cold out there. I haven't quite accepted the weather change yet, so I'd much rather goof around with my kid and hang out in front of the fireplace than put on some stinky coveralls and wait for my puny kerosene heater to heat the place up so I can clean the shop.
And that's why it looks like this:
Monday, October 29, 2007
A dash of color
All these paint fumes have made me goofy. Want proof? Ok. I decided to paint the dashboard panels of the Neon.
I can't really explain why I decided to do this. It's a purely cosmetic, and needless thing to do. After all, this is supposed to be a race car - I wouldn't even have the stock dashboard if the rules didn't force me to. So what's the deal?
The original idea came to me when I was driving Greg's car in a co-driver race. His dashboard is the stock gray color, and if the sun was blaring down, the glare off of the dash reflection was visible in the windshield. Not enough to block my vision, but enough to be distracting and make me think "When I build a car, maybe I can eliminate that"
As I was prepping the dash panels to go back in after I painted the interior (see my last post) I figured it was a perfect time to give it a shot. I have this great stuff called PlastiDip
It's a rubber coating that comes in a spray can - very handy stuff for rubber coating tools. It's also got a nice flat, textured finish. Perfect for dashboards? We'll see. It took an extra 15 minutes and looks pretty good so far.
Here's a comparison between the old color and the new. I think it's better - hard to tell though.
I think I'm done painting things now.
I can't really explain why I decided to do this. It's a purely cosmetic, and needless thing to do. After all, this is supposed to be a race car - I wouldn't even have the stock dashboard if the rules didn't force me to. So what's the deal?
The original idea came to me when I was driving Greg's car in a co-driver race. His dashboard is the stock gray color, and if the sun was blaring down, the glare off of the dash reflection was visible in the windshield. Not enough to block my vision, but enough to be distracting and make me think "When I build a car, maybe I can eliminate that"
As I was prepping the dash panels to go back in after I painted the interior (see my last post) I figured it was a perfect time to give it a shot. I have this great stuff called PlastiDip
It's a rubber coating that comes in a spray can - very handy stuff for rubber coating tools. It's also got a nice flat, textured finish. Perfect for dashboards? We'll see. It took an extra 15 minutes and looks pretty good so far.
Here's a comparison between the old color and the new. I think it's better - hard to tell though.
I think I'm done painting things now.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Idiot + Spray gun + Toxic chemicals = ????
It didn't take me long to find a use for one of my new air tools. Of course it's the one I have ZERO experience with - the Devilbiss JGA spray gun. Turns out this thing is quite popular in the automotive refinishing world. Pretty much the one every painter has in his kit. It's not the absolute pinnacle of technology, but it's reliable, and gets the job done.
Well, now I've got one too, and have no idea how it works - so I figured it out the same way I figure everything else out.
I took it apart.
Turns out it's just a big honkin' airbrush - I've used one of those before. This has a few more knobs to turn, and moves a lot more paint, but has the same basic functions.
So I've decided to use it to paint the interior of the Neon. Originally, I was going to just use a bunch of spray paint from Home Depot, but at $4/can x 24 cans (estimated 12 primer and 12 topcoat) that adds up to almost $100.00 fast. As it turns out, all the stuff to get set up with real automotive enamel, reducer, hardener and safety gear is about the same, but now I'm set up and future jobs will cost significantly less.
But wait - you can't just go blasting paint around the interior of a car can you? You've got to mask off everything you don't want painted, right? Yes, unfortunately you do.
Masking off the inside of a car is no small task, especially if you're a bit obsessive about things - which I most certainly am. You can't imagine how many little nooks and crannies there are inside the passenger compartment of a simple car like a Neon. I'll forgo the play-by-play and just say that it took me nearly a week of working a few hours each night to get ready to paint. Somehow, I also forgot to take pictures of the inside before paint. But here are a few of the outside:
In the 2nd & 3rd pictures you can see the main reason the masking took so long. The white plastic garbage bag sitting on top of the dash contains the entire interior wiring harness for the car. It starts at the driver's side of the dashboard, runs along the left side of the car, splits under the rear passenger seat, continues down both sides of the car, feeding power to all manner of door switches, fuel pumps, and rear window defrosters along the way. Finally terminating at the tail lights and license plate light. I chose to painstakingly (and non-destructively) pull the entire harness all the way forward, and tape it up in a bag so it wouldn't get painted gray. Why? Because I'm nuts I guess...I wrestled with the decision for several evenings before I finally gave in to my obsessive ways. I just couldn't bring myself to paint over it. It seemed so unprofessional and half assed. I just can't do things that way, and I like to think that the attention to detail and extra effort will be noticed when people peer into the car. Especially when I point it out to them.
So now the car is all masked off and I've got all the materials to do the job. But I've never used pro level automotive paint and let me tell you - it's like a freakin' chemistry class. You've gotta mix all this super toxic crap together, and then you've got the added stress of something called "pot life". As it turns out, once you mix the paint, you've set a chemical reaction in motion, and it cannot be reversed or slowed. The paint WILL cure and harden no matter what. That's known as "pot life". Once that paint is mixed, you've got to spray. If you can't spray, you've got to get it out of the gun in a timely manner otherwise your little chemistry experiment will turn to a solid plastic puck in the gun and ruin it. Soothing thoughts eh?
Undeterred, I set off into uncharted territory. Mixing up automotive paint. It sounds easy enough, but it involves measuring out magical amounts of outrageously toxic chemicals to achieve the perfect mixture that will dry to a nice, even coat. Not an operation for the timid...
Luckily the guys at the paint store gave me an idiot-proof formula to eliminate all the confusion. "You take a quart of paint, put a pint of reducer in it, and add 4 oz of hardener - you should be all set bro" Sounds easy enough.
Well bros, a quart of mixed paint is a LOT of paint - like enough to do one coat on an entire car. I realized this just as I was about to mix my first batch. Unfortunately, cutting the formula the shop gave me down to make smaller batches required more math than I cared for. In the end, I had to reverse engineer the formula the shop gave me - using the following logic:
1 quart equals 32 oz. Add 1 pint (16 oz) to that and you get 48 oz. I've been told to add 4 oz of hardener to that amount of paint. Therefore, whatever the ratio of hardener to paint is, will be true no matter how big or small the batch is. I hope.
Simple math tells me that 4 oz is roughly 8.3% of 48 oz.
Let me share something here - I was not a stellar student back in the day. Furthermore, I don't deal with liquid measures on a daily basis. The above operation required that a fairly large chunk of my gray matter be dedicated to the math involved. I could've used a nap afterward.
No matter - now I've got my percentage - all I have to do is mix up the paint.
Along with the unintentionally confusing formula, the shop gave me a bunch of disposable mixing cups with all these measuring lines all over them. While I was mixing up my first batch, I figured I'd use these lines to make sure I added a known amount of paint in order to make my math easier. Halfway through, I realized that around the cup's brim were graduations for a bunch of different formulas - none of them looking like anything I'd need - that is except for the very last one - 2:1+10%. Dammit, dammit, dammit!
Well, I took some consolation in the fact that I was only 1.7% off.
Using the measurements on the cup, I mixed, I sprayed, I succeeded.
Behold!
Looking rearward - The funny looking "wishbone" is the parking brake cables tied together, and strung to the roof to keep them out of my way.
Looking forward
The trunk
Not too shabby for a rookie eh? I'll do a full "Before and After" when I get it all put back together.
Well, now I've got one too, and have no idea how it works - so I figured it out the same way I figure everything else out.
I took it apart.
Turns out it's just a big honkin' airbrush - I've used one of those before. This has a few more knobs to turn, and moves a lot more paint, but has the same basic functions.
So I've decided to use it to paint the interior of the Neon. Originally, I was going to just use a bunch of spray paint from Home Depot, but at $4/can x 24 cans (estimated 12 primer and 12 topcoat) that adds up to almost $100.00 fast. As it turns out, all the stuff to get set up with real automotive enamel, reducer, hardener and safety gear is about the same, but now I'm set up and future jobs will cost significantly less.
But wait - you can't just go blasting paint around the interior of a car can you? You've got to mask off everything you don't want painted, right? Yes, unfortunately you do.
Masking off the inside of a car is no small task, especially if you're a bit obsessive about things - which I most certainly am. You can't imagine how many little nooks and crannies there are inside the passenger compartment of a simple car like a Neon. I'll forgo the play-by-play and just say that it took me nearly a week of working a few hours each night to get ready to paint. Somehow, I also forgot to take pictures of the inside before paint. But here are a few of the outside:
In the 2nd & 3rd pictures you can see the main reason the masking took so long. The white plastic garbage bag sitting on top of the dash contains the entire interior wiring harness for the car. It starts at the driver's side of the dashboard, runs along the left side of the car, splits under the rear passenger seat, continues down both sides of the car, feeding power to all manner of door switches, fuel pumps, and rear window defrosters along the way. Finally terminating at the tail lights and license plate light. I chose to painstakingly (and non-destructively) pull the entire harness all the way forward, and tape it up in a bag so it wouldn't get painted gray. Why? Because I'm nuts I guess...I wrestled with the decision for several evenings before I finally gave in to my obsessive ways. I just couldn't bring myself to paint over it. It seemed so unprofessional and half assed. I just can't do things that way, and I like to think that the attention to detail and extra effort will be noticed when people peer into the car. Especially when I point it out to them.
So now the car is all masked off and I've got all the materials to do the job. But I've never used pro level automotive paint and let me tell you - it's like a freakin' chemistry class. You've gotta mix all this super toxic crap together, and then you've got the added stress of something called "pot life". As it turns out, once you mix the paint, you've set a chemical reaction in motion, and it cannot be reversed or slowed. The paint WILL cure and harden no matter what. That's known as "pot life". Once that paint is mixed, you've got to spray. If you can't spray, you've got to get it out of the gun in a timely manner otherwise your little chemistry experiment will turn to a solid plastic puck in the gun and ruin it. Soothing thoughts eh?
Undeterred, I set off into uncharted territory. Mixing up automotive paint. It sounds easy enough, but it involves measuring out magical amounts of outrageously toxic chemicals to achieve the perfect mixture that will dry to a nice, even coat. Not an operation for the timid...
Luckily the guys at the paint store gave me an idiot-proof formula to eliminate all the confusion. "You take a quart of paint, put a pint of reducer in it, and add 4 oz of hardener - you should be all set bro" Sounds easy enough.
Well bros, a quart of mixed paint is a LOT of paint - like enough to do one coat on an entire car. I realized this just as I was about to mix my first batch. Unfortunately, cutting the formula the shop gave me down to make smaller batches required more math than I cared for. In the end, I had to reverse engineer the formula the shop gave me - using the following logic:
1 quart equals 32 oz. Add 1 pint (16 oz) to that and you get 48 oz. I've been told to add 4 oz of hardener to that amount of paint. Therefore, whatever the ratio of hardener to paint is, will be true no matter how big or small the batch is. I hope.
Simple math tells me that 4 oz is roughly 8.3% of 48 oz.
Let me share something here - I was not a stellar student back in the day. Furthermore, I don't deal with liquid measures on a daily basis. The above operation required that a fairly large chunk of my gray matter be dedicated to the math involved. I could've used a nap afterward.
No matter - now I've got my percentage - all I have to do is mix up the paint.
Along with the unintentionally confusing formula, the shop gave me a bunch of disposable mixing cups with all these measuring lines all over them. While I was mixing up my first batch, I figured I'd use these lines to make sure I added a known amount of paint in order to make my math easier. Halfway through, I realized that around the cup's brim were graduations for a bunch of different formulas - none of them looking like anything I'd need - that is except for the very last one - 2:1+10%. Dammit, dammit, dammit!
Well, I took some consolation in the fact that I was only 1.7% off.
Using the measurements on the cup, I mixed, I sprayed, I succeeded.
Behold!
Looking rearward - The funny looking "wishbone" is the parking brake cables tied together, and strung to the roof to keep them out of my way.
Looking forward
The trunk
Not too shabby for a rookie eh? I'll do a full "Before and After" when I get it all put back together.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tools of the trade.
This will have nothing to do with the car, but it's "shop news" so I think it qualifies.
Recently, I've had a windfall of tools. Not just any windfall mind you. this is a "grin like an idiot" situation. In the last several weeks, I've acquired a 5 hp, 35 gallon air compressor and a decent kit of tools: 550 lbft, 1/2" impact wrench, 3/8" air ratchet, and a Devilbiss automotive spray gun. Additionally, I managed to find myself with a 90 amp MIG welder. Now, you'll recall that my whole goal in this project is to NOT go broke.
So why am I so happy to have all these expensive new toys? Well, I 've got a bad-ass kit of very capable new tools, and I only had to part with $150.00, and few extra gallons of gas - that's it.
I'm a tenacious bargain hunter, taking pride in never paying full price. I've lost track of the number of items I've purchased at clearance tables, used equipment stores, and even ebay. I'm not hung up on having the newest, fanciest tools. I tend to like proven designs and am willing to let someone else pay the premium price for the fancy stuff, realize it's not what they need and return it to the store, or put it up for sale - at which point I swoop in and pick it up for a steal.
I've been stalking a compressor & tools for several months. You don't dismantle entire cars without some heavy duty tools standing by if you don't have to. I had a few rules that made it difficult to find the perfect setup for a reasonable price: A legitimate 5hp motor, oil lubed compressor, belt drive, and at least a 30 gallon tank. These specs would guarantee a powerful, quiet, and most importantly, reliable compressor.
True, I could just wander down to a big-box tool store, plunk down a paycheck, and walk out with what I needed. On the way home, I could also stop by my attorney's office and pick up the paperwork for my inevitable estrangement.
Nope - I was going to need to find a place where people sold wacky things that you didn't stumble across every day. Sounds like a job for eBay - home of wacky crap for sale. I found plenty of PERFECT compressors and tools for great prices, but guess what happens when you try to ship a 200lb hunk of iron across the country? Back to the attorney...
Enter craigslist - the perfect place to buy crazy-ass things like heavy, second hand compressors. After several failed attempts, I finally found a compressor that met my specs. Better yet - it came with a bunch of tools! Unfortunately it was a good hour's drive north. But the price was right, and eventually I bit the bullet. I drove up and handed a very nice guy named John his money. I loaded up my well-used, but bulletproof compressor and air tools, and drove home - grinning all the while. Similarly spec'd new versions of what I just bought would have cost me at least $600.00. Not bad, not bad....
She's no beauty queen, but she'll work for a long time to come.
So that's the compressor and tools, what about the welder? Well, I paid nothing for the welder. Yep - free.
There's a great section of craigslist titled "barter". This, along with the "free" section are my two favorites. You literally never know what you'll find there - my favorite so far has to be the "Free Milk - 1 Gallon" I don't know the circumstances that brought this about, and it's probably better that way - but I digress.
One day, in the barter section, I found an ad titled "looking for wood carving tools and a dremell or rotary tool - $1" I have multiple Dremel's, so I clicked on the ad. Long story short (for once) this guy needed a Dremel and some bits and had a brand new 90 amp welder to trade for it.
I jumped ALL OVER this deal!
I have no real need for a welder right now, but I've always wanted one. Plus, it can't hurt to have one around if I'm rebuilding cars, right?
In the end, I managed to trade a 25 year-old Dremel and a box of bits that I bought years ago (approximate value - 30.00) for a practically new MIG welder (approximate value - $130.00 - $150.00). I know, I can't explain it either.
I honestly felt bad on the way home from the trade - so I picked up a cheapo "flex shaft" attachment for his "new" Dremel and offered to send it to him.
So that's it - $600 - $700 worth of tools for $150.00. My face hurts from grinning.
Oh, and I've got a few more deals in the works - one for a running, low mileage SOHC motor for the Neon, and another for some powder coating work. Potential cash outlay? $85.00
Owww, my face....
Recently, I've had a windfall of tools. Not just any windfall mind you. this is a "grin like an idiot" situation. In the last several weeks, I've acquired a 5 hp, 35 gallon air compressor and a decent kit of tools: 550 lbft, 1/2" impact wrench, 3/8" air ratchet, and a Devilbiss automotive spray gun. Additionally, I managed to find myself with a 90 amp MIG welder. Now, you'll recall that my whole goal in this project is to NOT go broke.
So why am I so happy to have all these expensive new toys? Well, I 've got a bad-ass kit of very capable new tools, and I only had to part with $150.00, and few extra gallons of gas - that's it.
I'm a tenacious bargain hunter, taking pride in never paying full price. I've lost track of the number of items I've purchased at clearance tables, used equipment stores, and even ebay. I'm not hung up on having the newest, fanciest tools. I tend to like proven designs and am willing to let someone else pay the premium price for the fancy stuff, realize it's not what they need and return it to the store, or put it up for sale - at which point I swoop in and pick it up for a steal.
I've been stalking a compressor & tools for several months. You don't dismantle entire cars without some heavy duty tools standing by if you don't have to. I had a few rules that made it difficult to find the perfect setup for a reasonable price: A legitimate 5hp motor, oil lubed compressor, belt drive, and at least a 30 gallon tank. These specs would guarantee a powerful, quiet, and most importantly, reliable compressor.
True, I could just wander down to a big-box tool store, plunk down a paycheck, and walk out with what I needed. On the way home, I could also stop by my attorney's office and pick up the paperwork for my inevitable estrangement.
Nope - I was going to need to find a place where people sold wacky things that you didn't stumble across every day. Sounds like a job for eBay - home of wacky crap for sale. I found plenty of PERFECT compressors and tools for great prices, but guess what happens when you try to ship a 200lb hunk of iron across the country? Back to the attorney...
Enter craigslist - the perfect place to buy crazy-ass things like heavy, second hand compressors. After several failed attempts, I finally found a compressor that met my specs. Better yet - it came with a bunch of tools! Unfortunately it was a good hour's drive north. But the price was right, and eventually I bit the bullet. I drove up and handed a very nice guy named John his money. I loaded up my well-used, but bulletproof compressor and air tools, and drove home - grinning all the while. Similarly spec'd new versions of what I just bought would have cost me at least $600.00. Not bad, not bad....
She's no beauty queen, but she'll work for a long time to come.
So that's the compressor and tools, what about the welder? Well, I paid nothing for the welder. Yep - free.
There's a great section of craigslist titled "barter". This, along with the "free" section are my two favorites. You literally never know what you'll find there - my favorite so far has to be the "Free Milk - 1 Gallon" I don't know the circumstances that brought this about, and it's probably better that way - but I digress.
One day, in the barter section, I found an ad titled "looking for wood carving tools and a dremell or rotary tool - $1" I have multiple Dremel's, so I clicked on the ad. Long story short (for once) this guy needed a Dremel and some bits and had a brand new 90 amp welder to trade for it.
I jumped ALL OVER this deal!
I have no real need for a welder right now, but I've always wanted one. Plus, it can't hurt to have one around if I'm rebuilding cars, right?
In the end, I managed to trade a 25 year-old Dremel and a box of bits that I bought years ago (approximate value - 30.00) for a practically new MIG welder (approximate value - $130.00 - $150.00). I know, I can't explain it either.
I honestly felt bad on the way home from the trade - so I picked up a cheapo "flex shaft" attachment for his "new" Dremel and offered to send it to him.
So that's it - $600 - $700 worth of tools for $150.00. My face hurts from grinning.
Oh, and I've got a few more deals in the works - one for a running, low mileage SOHC motor for the Neon, and another for some powder coating work. Potential cash outlay? $85.00
Owww, my face....
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