Thought My Jimmy Was Big

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Oklahoma_k5

Here is one from a few years ago.

Nice Blazer,then and now!

Originally Posted by manimal

Tim, you do some nice work!

Gee,thanks! I just do work and don't want any complaints

I went up to my mom's for Thanksgiving. It's a small road trip. Here's a bit of hiway video:

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by manimal

Tim, you do some nice work!

Yes, he does! Pretty dang with wood, concrete, metal, and plastic. Wish I had those kind of skills.

Dig that video Tim. Looks like some pretty country out there.

[special-K]

It is nice up there. When I say up it's nothing like the Rockies,but it does remind me of the not so far up parts of the Rockies where there are ranches and homesteads. That place off to the right is my favorite along the way. Too bad the interstate runs so close. The house sits up on a knoll and the creek takes a u-turn around it. They even have their own covered bridge. The old road is a great trip up and down the mountains. I really like to take that route when I have time. The road was originally cut in the 1700s,but mostly used existing Indian trails,since they had pure common sense in their time. It can get boring watching video of rolling down a hiway. But,when I drive places I often think it would be cool for others to see what I'm seeing. It's never the same as being there. It even sounds different. I'd call it a hum more than a rattle sound inside the Jimmy. The video makes it sound like the cab of a big rig. I guess that's kind of cool. I wondered how it would turn out being hand held while driving! Don't worry folks,I was able to watch the road. Never hot a rumble strip,did I??

Here's another. It's not as pretty. It's farther up the road climbing up into Garrett County. It's up and down over five mountains till you get here,then it feels like you are up on top. There are valleys between the mountains but the tops are more spread out and flat. Lots of farms on the tops. You see the town of Frostburg off to the right:

[special-K]

Not much to read this morning,so I'll add to the randomness here. I just got done doing repairs on this Victorian replica. There were leak problems that became very obvious during Hurricane Sandy,which was a blessing. I went to caulk and flash but ended up repairing a couple walls that had slowly rotted over time. Oh,and I drove my Jimmy there one day!

[splehigh]

Just found this thread. Very nice work Tim. I didnt know you were so talented with restoring old structures.

I bet you have more pics of Jasons truck than he does. Lol

[special-K]

Yeah,he doesn't even take pictures of his stuff (that he keeps),does he? He just takes pictures to sell,heh heh. I don't have any pictures of any of yours. This is the perfect place,so why don't you show them? fter all,the topic here is how big that Mercedes looks next to a lifted K/5.

BTW,Steve,do these pictures look familiar?

[special-K]

How about this?

[travz500]

I had a 87 blazer that was stock we pulled the stock fuel injection off and installed my 450hp 355 8" spring lift 38" boggers and 3/4 ton axles it was fun now the lift is on my 65 chevy

[splehigh]

You did a nice job with that stone. I cant see the second set of pics. I'll have to check them out when I get home from work.

Next time I'm over at Jasons I'll take some pics of my truck and then post them on here. haha

Did you see the silver diesel of his yet? Pretty nice. I told him the tow hooks looked better when they were painted blue. Lol

[special-K]

He didn't even tell me he got a diesel. I haven't been by there for a long time. Yeah,take a picture over there

Hey travs500,now that "was" no doubt a big Blazer...now a big '65!

[68Timber]

Is that your friends house? I see his GMC in the drive. Or is he helping that day?

[special-K]

Yep,that's the same truck and it's his place. Behind the truck you can see fresh excavation. There now stands a nice big pole building/shop. I'm jealous!!

[Stoney]

Any updates?

[y5mgisi]

Special, Can you tell me what makes up the 2" lift on your buddies truck? Thank you!

[special-K]

He put 2" lift springs up front and the longer (56") heavy duty option Suburban springs with an added leaf or two.I'll have to ask him just exactly what,again. Truck now has a built 350 w/TPI. 4L80E/NP241 out of my old '91 diesel Suburban next.

Hey Steve,where are the pictures? It's not like your Vette hasn't been there as much as at your house...Sorry. I can poke at you,right? I like that thing and it's only getting better.

I put new boots on my '92 up there last fall...and a complete left side knuckle assembly. Truck needed new brake hoses for a bit too long. I discovered cracks in the rotor. The bolts holding the hub assembly to the knuckle kicked our butts! Did not want to let go after all these years. I left defeated that night. Was on my way up with new parts the next morning when Jason called and said I might as well return them. He pulled the whole assembly off to put the impact gun to it and broke a bunch of sockets and extensions! 3 or 4 tools! Nope,definitely not coming apart. It was time for a ride to White Horse (Brown's) for a used assembly,caliper and all.

[y5mgisi]

THanks! Im curious, do they happen to be the 2" tuff country ez rides in the front? I would like to know how it rides in comparison to stock. Those are the springs i plan on running on my 78.

[special-K]

I doubt they are. He uses the truck to haul,so probably went with heavy duty.

Doggone! Looks like I better pay up with Photobucket. Just before it was time to renew (automatically) I had to kill a card number due to a suspected scam and get new number issued. Apparently was the card# P-bucket had. That sucks!

[brans72]

Love the truck! Actually have a STC 5 window soft top in my garage with tinted windows! Still debating to use or sale cause I like your top better actually! Cool Truck and love seeing your builds always. Brandon

[special-K]

Hey,pictures came back! (and I haven't resubscribed,yet) What color is your STC? Be prepared to pay more for the Softopper. It's a tough pill to swallow,but that was summer '11 and it seems to be holding up great. I push the snow off every snow. It has not come off since installed.

To stay off topic,look at this sketchy mess I'm dealing with now for work>>

[brans72]

Black in color. Just wish windows rolled up like your instead of the full zippers. Whoa so you like restore old house etc? Looks kinda like barn at wife parents when they had it pulled etc to make it straight again after like 90 yrs. Cool pics there!

[special-K]

This feller is dead now,but his wife lives on...90 now. Back in the '60s the farm next door was sold for development,his barn had burned down,so he got permission ti take the barn. He used planks,ivory soap,and a tractor to pull the barn to his place. I guess his block work wasn't so good,plus the type of soil and the grade running down to it didn't help. ll but one of the three block walls blew out. Fixing it was his last project. He was a medical research scientist (world renown) and a gentleman farmer. He did all the work around the place and I have to say,he was no builder or engineer. I give him props for being the type to take anything on,but boy oh boy,could I have taught him a thing or two. He discovered the process used to freeze and store blood,making blood banks what they are today. But,please,step away from that hammer!
So,the daughters didn't feel the barn is worth saving but their mom doesn't want to see her husband's efforts lost. Makes sense,too,because if it fell it would be a huge mess and a deterrent and big expense to anyone looking to buy the place later on. I'm doing the minimum to keep it standing. No block work,just posts and beams. His repair on this end wall totally blew out. It was under graded in lumber dimension as well as construction. It was not tied-in at the top worth squat,so in the middle it was pushed in about 3'. That whole corner is resting on a single 6x6 with what's left of the 4x6 beam that ran across the top. Look at how squashed that poor 4x6 is. If all that weight wasn't on that post the while wall would have pushed in and the corner of the barn would have come down. The floor is just floating,not tied to or supporting that post and beam wall above. I put temporary support under each floor joist,then supports off the floor to cross beams anywhere I could. It's all mortise and tenon and all the weight depends on how strong those tenons are. The wall had been suspended under it's own strength,so not a terrible concern there. What concerns me is that single corner post of the barn only supported by the post I need to remove directly under it. Nothing at all is tied into that corner post that I can jack up. I have the temporaries I mentioned,then a 6x6 block bolted through to the barn corner post that I'll place a post under to jack it up while I place a new continuous 6x6 post up under that corner. Then I will bolt a 4x6 to it as a jack to carry the beam,which will be three 2x12s with 1/2" plywood sandwiched between to make a 5 1/2" wide x 11 1/2" tall beam. I'm putting 6x6 posts every 8' and bracing the heck out of it all. No plans to back fill. I'd like to cut the grade away. But,for now I cut a swail and built a berm around the two sides to divert water from running under the barn.
Now,the real problem is across the front where it hasn't blown out yet. They're not even talking about addressing that and it's the bearing side. Just look at that one 4x4 bow!! That wall is under so much pressure it's screaming for mercy.
Here's that poor squashed 4x6. The hardware store loved this feller. He had no grasp of the physics involved in building structure. He figured as long as you used a hardware store bracket he'd call it good.

[special-K]

Here's the berm/swail and another example of his hardware store structural integrity

[special-K]

The block work on the "good" wall. Check out the lack of bond joints. I imagine the other walls had the same "technique" used. The man should have read a book on it first. The mind of a researcher goes where no man's gone before. There's still room for that in construction,but the basic principles were worked out long before Christ was born. Here's another picture showing the not so good block work on the small addition

[special-K]

C'mon spring

[Boog]

Wow Tim. I had no idea just what kind of work you did. I thought you were mostly a finish work guy. Siding and gutters and all. I commend you for taking on these old structures. Most people now days are not interested in maintaining an old outbuilding. They'd prefer to tear it all down and start over and maybe try to give it the old time look. You have great skills in returning those buildings to an upright stance while not having it come down on you.