Hello from Iowa

[crashfarmer]

Hello, my name is Randy and I reside in Greenfield, Iowa.

I came to this forum with a desire to learn more about shaping some metal. I have a big interest in old cars and just about anything mechanical with some age on it. I'm not real interested in the new stuff. My interest in cars has prompted me to buy several older vehicles over the years. Most are still pretty much in the state I bought them but I'm reaching the age that if I don't start on them soon I might run out of time before I get them done. Maybe I went wild with the buying, I don't know.

The best of my collection of old vehicles is my 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe 2-door sedan. It's not perfect but it's a lot of fun to drive around. I've had it in several parades and a few car shows.




If it dries out this afternoon I should go out and put the starter in my 1987 Chevy El Camino. I should be driving this one soon but it does need some bodywork. Yes, it's sitting in my back yard.


I have a 1969 Lincoln Continental and while it isn't perfect it is also a lot of fun to drive around. It would be fun to do the bodywork it needs sometime.



I have a 1965 IH Scout along with a 1963 that I bought for parts. I've been thinking I'd be having some fun with the Scout for several years now but things move slowly at my place and I work a lot of hours.


Hopefully I'll get around to my 55 Ford Courier. Completed versions of it dance in my head. My wife called it a life sized model car when I brought it home. I have several 55-6 Fords, one of my favorite cars including the 56 my parents bought new and the 55 that I bought when I was 16, that one is still sitting in the shed where I parked it when I was 17. That's the sedan delivery sitting on my 1972 Ford truck the day I brought it home.


My 1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan the day I brought it home. It's hooked to my daily driver 1986 Ford F250. I won't put up pictures of all my 55-6 Fords since it will get a little redundant. But as another forum put it, "with no pictures it didn't happen", so I thought it was appropriate to post pictures on the introduction.



I had to have a shoebox Ford so I bought this 1950. My uncle had a 49 2-door that he put a Thunderbird engine in and I remember that thing would fly when I was a kid. That is my 1940 M Farmall behind the 50.


I should work on my 1959 IH pickup this summer. I got the stuck engine freed up on it last year. Needs some bodywork and patch panels are hard to find for this. I do have a 1958 one ton for parts.


I have more stuff that I want to work on sometime but it would take a lot longer and I've probably exceeded the allowable space for an introduction thread anyway. If you've taken the time to read down this far you get the idea anyway. I'm getting pretty interested in banging on some metal.

[David Gardiner]

I don't know what to say Randy. Welcome to the forum. Lots of nice projects in lots of nice space.

David

[crashfarmer]

Thank you David.

While I haven't done a whole lot of metal shaping I have done some of what would be more appropriately termed fabrication. I own a big old Forney stick welder. I bought it at a farm auction years ago for $54. A few years ago I got to thinking that I wanted a wire welder so I went and bought a cheap Harbor Freight unit for $99. I thought I'd try out the wire welder idea without much outlay right off the bat. I ended up welding numerous items with it. I replaced some rusted out sheet metal on one of my seeders. I fabricated and welded in new floors in an old Chevy pickup that I owned at the time. I even repaired a salt shaker holder for a McDonald's restaurant with it. I used it a bunch until it started to blow out a fuse inside the unit. Then I went and bought a new Lincoln wire welder since I knew how well I liked having a wire welder.

[Doug M]

Hi Randy.

Welcome to the forum.

I'd say the $99 for the HF welder classes itself into a test to see if you should spend for the Lincoln. Good choice.

We tend to share our tool experience here and some like it one way some another, like is normal. Do you have gas for the wire feed? you'll have less splatter to clean up with gas. But that's down the road-

Nice set of projects.

[Peter Tommasini]

Hi Randy welcome to the forum
Peter

[David Gardiner]

Originally Posted by crashfarmer

Thank you David.

While I haven't done a whole lot of metal shaping I have done some of what would be more appropriately termed fabrication. I own a big old Forney stick welder. I bought it at a farm auction years ago for $54. A few years ago I got to thinking that I wanted a wire welder so I went and bought a cheap Harbor Freight unit for $99. I thought I'd try out the wire welder idea without much outlay right off the bat. I ended up welding numerous items with it. I replaced some rusted out sheet metal on one of my seeders. I fabricated and welded in new floors in an old Chevy pickup that I owned at the time. I even repaired a salt shaker holder for a McDonald's restaurant with it. I used it a bunch until it started to blow out a fuse inside the unit. Then I went and bought a new Lincoln wire welder since I knew how well I liked having a wire welder.

Wire welders are great but I use gas welding most of the time because it is quick, I don't get much distortion and its easy to dress out...



David

[HEATNBEAT]

Hi Randy and welcome!

[crashfarmer]

Originally Posted by Doug M

Hi Randy.

Welcome to the forum.

I'd say the $99 for the HF welder classes itself into a test to see if you should spend for the Lincoln. Good choice.

We tend to share our tool experience here and some like it one way some another, like is normal. Do you have gas for the wire feed? you'll have less splatter to clean up with gas. But that's down the road-

Nice set of projects.

I have the gas setup for the wire welder but I need to get a bottle with gas in it.

Originally Posted by David Gardiner

Wire welders are great but I use gas welding most of the time because it is quick, I don't get much distortion and its easy to dress out...



David

I do have a Harris torch but a barn fell on my oxygen bottle (along with several engines and most of our bicycles) and I haven't dug it out yet so I haven't used it for a while. I should get the loader tractor out one of these days and dig that stuff out.

Looks like a nice job in the picture. You have the skills.

[Jere]

Hello Randyand welcome to the site.

Jere

[Oldnek]

Hi Randy and Welcome

I really do you admire your space and cars also.

Cheers John