(04-23-2010) WOOT!!! Virtua Racing DUAL!!!

Tonight I finally got the DUAL part working on the Virtua Racing cabinet - before it had been a strictly solo experience. Lots of tweaking to do to fix a few problems, but it's a lot of fun as it is.

(04-03-2010) Josh's car

Flash, Josh and I put graphics on Josh's stock-car. I think it turned out pretty good. Good luck with the racing, Josh.

(03-26-2010) Goose approved!

Goose finally got to try the kart out for the first time. He had a good time, until he bit his tongue while driving. Oh well, live and learn.

(03-24-2010) The Dragon is Loosed!

Today I finished up the kart and even took it for a couple of quick test laps around the house to make sure everything worked. Then I pulled it back inside and put it to bed until The Goose comes to give it a try this weekend.

On other fronts, I've been working on the Virtua Racing machine, trying to get both sides of the game working. So far no luck.

(03-12-2010) It's not finished!!

Goose was none too happy that the kart wasn't finished, as you can tell by the fine Pakistan steel he wielded against me. I was able to manage a stay of execution by promising to finish the kart soon. :)

(03-10-2010) Seat for the blue dragon

Made a seat bottom for the blue dragon last night. I now know why I don't do upholstery work for a living. It's definitely not a great job, but it will work for this old kart. I have the seat back cut and ready to stuff and cover. Soon it will be down to putting the motor back on and having some fun!

(03-08-2010) The Blue Dragon

I made some graphics to the go-kart using the vinyl cutter.

I also go the stuff for the seat today, but just didn't have the time to make that happen.

(03-06-2010) Ol' Yeller becomes Ol' Blue

Saturday I spent sanding and grinding and painting my son's go-kart. It's still a $25 go-kart, but it looks like it could be worth almost $50 now.

I still need to make some new seats and repaint and install the motor. Hope to have it ready for next weekend when The Goose (my son) arrives.

(01-23-2010) Dad's truck continued

This past week I have been working on the old truck, just giving it a good tune up. Did an oil change, put some stop-leak in the power steering pump, new spark plugs and thermostat. Also did some cleaning of the truck and installed a under the hood for emergencies. The old truck is shaping up. Looking forward to having it on the road.

(01-19-2010) Dad's old truck

My brother Dave and his wife, Audrey, gave me an old truck, but it's not just any old truck to me. It was my dad's truck. It's in dire need of a little TLC to get it road worthy again. I installed a new alternator and have a list of other things that need to be done, but hope to have it on the road again, soon.

Thanks Dave and Aud, you guys are awesome - but you already knew that. :)

(10-01-2009) Home Automation continues...

Edit: I've decided that this really doesn't fit on my "shop" page. So, all future posts about home automation will be posted on this page: Don's Home Automation


Last night, while fighting off a cold, I worked on an X-10 interface for the CM11A, and it finally works. So, now I can use the PC to turn on and off lights and other devices. I have yet to weave it into my main home automation program, but the hard work is now done.

Current interfaces for the Weeder W800RF and the CM11A are working. I think the CM17 (aka The Bottlerocket) will probably be next - but I want to make it part of the CM11A interface, so that both the CM11A and the CM17 are on the same port.

For those who don't know: The CM11A sends/receives commands through the power lines, while the W800RF receives wireless signals and imports them into the PC. The CM17 is the opposite of the W800RF, it takes commands from the computer and creates wireless signals to control X10 devices.

(09-27-2009) Blondie's new treads...

Put new wheels and tires on Blondie today. I think they look fairly good. The pictures are a little blurry because I took them in low light, but you get the idea.

In other news, I tried installing a USB drive on a Wii this weekend and using USB Loader 1.5. I hadn't tried this before, but it works great. Also, the ISO images that store on the USB drive are much smaller than I anticipated, so you can save a bunch of games on even a small USB drive.

(09-14-2009) Slacker...

I've been slacking when it comes to working in the shop lately, but I have been working in the house adding motion and open/close sensors throughout, as well as cameras to monitor everything. I wrote custom software to monitor everything, send tweets / text messages when events happen as well as trigger sounds and speech (via voice synthesis) when these events happen. I have a few more things planned. Adding support for 3 more cameras and monitoring all doors, as well as glass-break sensors are in the plans. Just for fun, I'm planning to add an IR transmitter and setting a timed event for sending the Roomba out to clean the floor every day at a specified time.

Lots more home-automation stuff in the queue, but who knows when I'll have time or money to make it all happen.

(08-21-2009) Swap Meet Time!

Had a great time at the swap meet in Springfield, MO. Here are a few pictures that I took until my hands were too full to take pictures, which didn't take too long. Great time! Everyone who enjoys old cars and memorabilia should attend!

BTW, if you see that Model A for $250, back off, it's mine. :)

(08-15-2009) '32 Truck - cab reconstruction

Saturday, Flash and I worked on putting some wood back inside of the cab of the 1932 truck. We got a good start, and while no one will think it's a factory install, it will keep the truck from tearing itself apart when we drive it.

(08-12-2009) Virtua Racing lives, partially...

Last night, Goose and I, resurrected one side of the Virtua Racing machine. We took the best boards from the VR Twin and made one fully working side. We also found that the fan that cools the boards on one side is dead (probably the cause of the death). After a little cleaning and monitor adjustment, the game looks and plays great!

(08-06-2009) Working on Virtua Racing

Last night, Goose and I started working on the Virtua Racing machine. We drilled the locks on the base of the machine and blew out some of the dirt and grime with an air hose and checked the system boards. The first player board smells burnt, but I haven't removed the boards and examined them to see where the problem lies. Maybe next week I'll have some time to look it over.

(08-01-2009) Another project...

Jody and I drove down to Texas (Thanks Jody! How much beer do I owe you?) and picked up a Dual Virtua Racing cabinet on Saturday. It was a looong trip, but it's home and it's working (well, sort'a). Can't wait to get both sides of the cabinet working (only one side works, and the 3D rendering seems to have some issue).

(07-31-2009) '32 body work...

Flash and I started removing the body from the '32 to check the wood and see how bad it is. Most of the wood is still there, but it's very dry-rotted. Flash is going to work on building some new wood reinforcements and put the cab back together.

(07-30-2009) More video of the '32 running...

Flash took the '32 for another run and I just can't get enough of watching this old beast run around the farm, so I thought I would post it for everyone to see.

Special guest stars in this video are Papa J and Uncle Jack. Glad you boys came by to see 'er run!

(07-30-2009) Let's run'er boys...

Flash and I got the old '32 Chevy out and ran it around in the driveway a little. Just for fun, here is a little clip of the old '32 taking it's first real steps out of the shop.

(07-19-2009) Clean up time...

Not much has been going on in the shop lately, but with the addition of the '32 Chevy truck and working on the Beetle the shop had become quite a mess. This weekend was clean up time. The shop isn't really clean, but I think it's clean enough that some work could be done again. :)

(06-20-2009) Rods and Relics show in Branson, MO

This was a great show, hosted at Area 57 in Branson MO, with lots of great cars that were lovingly envisioned and created. I was very fond of the straight six with a turbo - that was really cool! There were lots of people having a good time and enjoying some classic music with classic cars. Wish we could've stayed longer and talked to more people, but it wasn't to be. At least I was able to snap a few pictures to share.

(05-02-2009) Beetle's new shoes

We test fitted the Beetle's wheels this weekend. The front is sitting way too high, but I think t will be an interesting look. Flash mounted a tire from his race car on the back wheel of the Beetle so we could get a good idea of the stance. Gotta slam that nose about 2.5 or 3 inches...

Friday (05-01-2009), Flash picked up a 1937 Chevy 1 ton truck frame to act as a donor for the 1932 1.5 ton. No pictures yet, but the frame is interesting - might make a good start on a rat-rod.

(04-30-2009) slow...

Progress has slowed down on the Beetle. The wheels are done, but not much else has happened. The floor pan is scrubbed and ready for welding, POR-15 and paint. Not much else to report.

(04-22-2009) Rinse and repeat...

Another night spent masking and painting wheels and grinding on the floor-pan of the Beetle. More rust holes found... Removed some more interior bits, and most of the floor is prepped for POR-15 now. One heat exchanger is being a pain to remove. Once that is out the Beetle can get a little welding, POR-15 and interior paint. Also, I ordered the "Viper Red" for the interior today.

No progress on the '32 Chevy. Flash hasn't had time for trivial things like tinkering on the Chev, and I promised not to touch it as a project until I have the Beetle done. Maybe that's why I've been motivated to get the Beetle done. ;)

(04-21-2009) Deconstruction continues

I wire brushed part of the floor pan, and uncovered some nice hidden treasures. A line of holes along the edge on the driver's side.

Also, I did a test paint on one of the wheels to see how they're going to look. Not sure I like the black...

(04-18-2009) Spring is here...

This weekend I ripped out the interior from the Beetle. Chiseled out the old tar-based sound dampening material and found a few rust holes in the driver's side floor board. I also finished polishing up the wheels and they just need paint. Hope to paint the wheel centers and POR-15 the floor boards this week.

On the 1932 Chevy front: Flash rebuilt the carb and the fuel pump. The fuel tank was still in great shape, so we have a fully functional fuel system now. I need to pick up some gear oil and some carburetor springs today to finish up the known issues.

(04-15-2009) The next step...

Last night I worked on polishing another wheel. It looks fair, but a heard of people came over to see the 1932 Chevy and I didn't get much work done.

Flash rebuilt the fuel pump and it works great now. Need to finish the engine repairs (carb rebuild, cooling system, oil change), but it's getting closer. Also, talked to Jerry this morning about a '37 donor truck for some wheels and tires.

(04-14-2009) Parts arrived.

Bob at MarxParts.com wasted no time getting the parts in the mail. Sometime this week we'll get to putting the parts on the old truck and see what happens.

(04-11-2009) Wheels, 1931 Truck, Vinyl Cutter and other stuff.

Saturday was a busy day. I stripped the paint off the wheels for the Beetle. Flash worked a little on the old '31 truck, and Bob at MarxParts.com gave me some more good information (Thanks Bob!!). Also, got a line on a '37 Chevy truck for parts, so we'll see if that pans out.

Witt and his friend, Joe (sorry if I got the name wrong), came by to check out the '31 Chevy and hear it run. They also enjoyed looking over the 911 with the Chevy 350 in it. That was a lot of fun.

The new vinyl cutter arrived on Friday and so I spent Saturday getting it set up and testing it out. Pretty cool little machine, now if I can just knuckle down and learn the software.

Other than that, I spent the day mowing the lawn and just trying to catch up around the house.

(04-09-2009) More work on the wheels.

Spent a little time finishing the rim of one of the wheels for the Beetle. In the picture you can see an example of before and after. Didn't have much time to devote last night, but it looks a little better. I think it's passable for the Beetle.

I also got all of the information I need from the old '31 truck to order fuel system parts. Bob at marxparts called me this morning and helped get the order together. Great place to find your vintage Chevy replacement parts. If things go well, this may be enough parts to get the engine up and running completely. Bob informed me that the engine block was a 1930 (January 10th, 1930 if the casting numbers are correct). Bob is a wealth of knowledge on these old engines. He really amazed me with knowledge of each year's changes to the engines.

(04-09-2009) Progress?

So, last night I started working on the rear wheels for the Beetle project. They're smoothing out and looking a little better. I placed the wheel on the car, and ran the car as a makeshift lathe to smooth and polish the wheels.

On the 1930 pickup things are progressing. Found a place that has lots of parts for these old trucks, but I found that the truck isn't a 1930, but it's a 1931 or 32 model. It was built in Kansas City, Mo. and came from the factory with dual wheels - but that's about all you can gather from the VIN tag. As soon as we figure out the exact year, we can order a rebuild kit for the carburetor and fuel pump, as well as all of the rubber needed to cool the engine.

(04-08-2009) 1930 progress...

Flash has been working on the 1930 Chevy truck. Yesterday he unlocked the transmission and today he pumped up the oil pump to make sure it works correctly. I ordered some parts (key switch, resistor to save the coil from the 12v battery and a valve cover gasket, oh and a service manual).

Still lots to do: fuel system (tank, pump, filter, carburetor), cooling system (radiator, fan-belt, water pump), clutch (probably stuck from the years of sitting), tires, brakes and some wood work to save the cab.

(04-04-2009) The 1930 Chevy LIVES!!

Flash and I worked for on the 1930 Chevy truck today, and it now will start and run. We slowly went through everything: freeing the motor, checking the starter, checking the valves, checking the coil/plugs/wires/points and finally by pouring gas directly into the carb and firing the engine. But, all of the original equipment was used (coil, points, spark plugs, plug wires, etc.) and it runs! The starter works great! The engine runs great! This video is of the very first firing of the engine.

(04-03-2009) Who's the April fool?

I'm the fool... A new addition to the projects - a 1930 Chevy 1.5 ton truck. Rat rod? Street rod? Original? I don't know which direction to go right now...

It's been sitting in a barn for 50 years and is all original. No real rust, except for surface rust.

(03-23-2009) Do these wheels make my ass look fat?

Finally was able to test fit the wheels with the fenders on. The back wheels stick out almost 7 inches past the rear fenders and the fronts stick out about 4.5 inches too far. Not sure what I'm going to do. Cut the fenders? Go fenderless? Run the fenders as is and go for the fat-tire look? Just have to do some playing and figure out what works the best... The best solution would be to make some fenders that fit the wheels, but...

(03-22-2009) What's going on...

This weekend we had a movie day in the shop on Saturday. Lots of great food (Thanks Shanon for being so great!!!), some interesting movies and a great time with friends.

Sunday, I spent most of the time cleaning up and mowing the yard. On the good side, I did get a media center PC up and running in the living room and Jayme's Ms. Pac-Man machine is working again. On the bad side, my wheel adapters didn't work out of the box, but I think they will work with a little massaging. Also, I stripped the paint and gunk off one of the wheels for the Beetle and started sanding it and polishing it.

Earlier in the week, Jody, Shanon and myself went to Eureka Springs so that I could work on video games and pinball machines. Fixed a couple of issues and dropped off an NBA Jam machine that had been in the shop all winter. I picked up a Ms. Pac-Man machine while I was down there that would reset itself after just a few seconds of play, but it appears that it just needed a little cleaning of one of the switches to fix this issue. Thanks to Jody for helping me out and letting me use his truck to haul everything.

(3-15-2009) Beating and banging on the Beetle

Did a little envisioning of what the wheels might look like on the car. The back wheels are 10 inches wide, but the wheels don't have any tires, so the front wheels were used in the picture and just rolled in place to give the illusion of the wheels on the car.

Did some more grinding on the welds and sanding the filler. The rear sections are shaping up and getting close to being ready for primer and paint. Not sure if I can use the rear fenders or not with these new wheels.

It was a good day working around the house and on the car while Shanon, my babygirl, and my son, the Goose, were playing basketball and Wii Fit. Every day should be this good. Good times like this never last long enough.

(03-14-2009) It's warming up!!!

Spring is just a week away. The showers are starting to fall, the trees are budding out and temps are on the rise! That means soon I'll have no excuse not to finish the body work on the Beetle.

Shannon came over yesterday and finished installing the heater in the shop. He did a great job, and it will be great if we have movie day out in the shop on a cold winters day - like next weekend for example. :) I owe Shannon some beer for helping me out.

(03-03-2009) It's been far too long...

Nothing much has happened for the past month. It's been too cold, icy and snowy to spend much time out in the shop right now, but the weather is getting warmer and my thoughts are turning to getting the Beetle back on the road.

Flash just called to let me know that he had done a bit more welding and patching on the Beetle and that I should get my butt in gear and finish it up. Good motivation!

On February 13th, Flash and I did go look at a 1929 Chevy as a rat-rod project. It was a bit too much of a project for me, but the guy who owned it was very cool. We could have spent all day talking to him, and in fact, we almost did.