This Just In...

Putting the VW Type 3 body on the Mazda Miata chassis - Project Frankenwagon, Part 5

Submitted by Dan on Mon, 02/04/2019 - 16:49

This was a big milestone for this project.

vw volkswagon type 3 squarebody body removal lift chassis

Getting ready for the chassis swap - Project Frankenwagon, Part 5

Submitted by Dan on Mon, 02/04/2019 - 15:51

With the Miata's wheelbase stretched to match the VW's I started prepping the rest of it for the body/chassis swap. And I got the Type 3 Squareback ready as well. 

vw volkswagon type 3 body parts

The wooden garage floor saga: How I rebuilt the wooden floor in my work shop to support a small car

Submitted by Dan on Fri, 01/25/2019 - 10:37

With the house remodel finally finished after two years, I really wanted to use the work shop as a garage for a project car. But the problem is that the work shop, although it has a garage floor and concrete driveway leading up to it, has a wooden floor that absolutely could not hold up even a small car. I decided to change that!

 

Change of plans! Project Meetle is no more, say hello to Fenchy the Frankenwagon

Submitted by Dan on Wed, 01/16/2019 - 13:56

At the last second, I decided not to use the Super Beetle body for my Miata chassis swap after all, and instead use this beautiful gem: a '67 VW Type 3 Squareback.

VW type 3 restoration squareback 1967

Putting the Stretched Miata back together - Project Meetle, Part 4

Submitted by Dan on Wed, 01/16/2019 - 11:03

After cutting it in half and pulling it apart 6" to get the wheelbase I needed, it was time to put it back together. This meant new driveshaft, a bolt-on extention for the aluminum PPF, extended fuel and brake lines, etc.

driving a stretched miata miatakart deathkart

Frame rails on a Miata! Project Meetle, part 3

Submitted by Dan on Thu, 12/06/2018 - 17:00

Before I can put the Miata that I cut in half back together, I needed to build and install frame rails. Here's how I did it.

How to cut a car in half - Project Meetle part 2

Submitted by Dan on Mon, 11/19/2018 - 11:15

Ever wanted to know what it takes to cut a car in half, and then put it back together again? 

How to make a DIY wedding alter/arbor/arch/whatever

Submitted by Dan on Fri, 11/16/2018 - 16:52

My wife (or I guess she was still my fiance at the time) asked me to make the alter for our wedding. Or maybe it's called an arch, or arbor. Whatever it's called, its the big tall thing you stand under at your wedding ceremony.

This is how I made it.

diy wedding arch arbor altar wooden timbers

Project Meetle is officially underway!

Submitted by Dan on Tue, 11/13/2018 - 15:33

These two cars will become one.

Unconventional Chassis Swap Idea, part 2: Beetle + Miata = Miatle? Mazbug?

Submitted by Dan on Wed, 11/07/2018 - 17:01

I go further down the rabbit hole, and I've acquired my victim: a '73 Super Beetle.

New crazy idea: Unibody chassis swap! Dropping classic body shell on top of a modern car unibody and running gear

Submitted by Dan on Mon, 10/29/2018 - 16:13

I've done lost my mind this time. 

avanti body shell on to of electric Nissan Leaf

This Old Fixer Upper, Part 8: The Kitchen!

Submitted by Dan on Wed, 09/26/2018 - 14:45

How to overhaul a kitchen, from floor to ceiling. Or, "how to polish a turd." Everything we did in 6 months: All new plumbing. All new electrical wiring and outlets. All new ceiling lights. All new appliances. New flooring. New cabinets and countertops. New garbage disposal and added a switch to control it. The interior doors where all renovated. Backsplash tile and paint. Removed the ugly AC unit that was in the wall (not the window, the wall) and patched up the drywall. Added a heater duct from the furnace to the kitchen (it used to be heated with baseboard heaters). Knocked down a closet that was taking up space for the kitchen table. Range hood vented through the roof. Custom cubby in the wall for the fridge. New baseboard trim. And more....

diy kitchen remodel renovation old home low ceilings modern wooden countertops

DIY Butcherblock Kitchen Countertops

Submitted by Dan on Tue, 09/25/2018 - 16:06

From the beginning, Logan and I knew we wanted wooden countertops in the kitchen. Thankfully, they were also fairly affordable compared to grantie or a similar stone countertop. And because they're made out of solid wood, I could do all the work of cutting and fitting them myself. Which is exactly what I did.

DIY kitch countertop install wooden butcherblock

This Old Fixer Upper, part 7: The Living Room

Submitted by Dan on Thu, 07/19/2018 - 15:23

We ripped out the living room carpet on the first day we got the keys to the home in December 2016. But we were't fully finished renovating the living room until May 2018. How did we do it? Stay tuned and find out on this exciting new episode of This Old Fixer Upper! 

diy drywall living room old house renovation

Project Cherokeeper: Blown Head Gasket! Time to Rebuild the Jeep 4.0 Engine Top-End

Submitted by Dan on Thu, 07/19/2018 - 11:06

An overheating issue really had me stumped for a very long time. It had the characteristic of a mild blown head gasket (it would only run hot on the highway, no other problems), but non of the physical symptoms - no coolant visible in the oil, no oil in the coolant, no smoke in the exhaust, compression was great on all cylinders (cold engine), it passed the combustion "block test" both with the rental kit from a parts store and when I took it to a local garage with an emissions test machine, and it passed the cooling system pressure test. Finally, I sent an oil sample to a lab and they said there was signs of coolant in the oil - not a lot but enough for concern. Off with the head!

jeep cherokee 4.0l engine head rebuilt top-end restoration blown head gasket

One Day Build: "Stow and go" storage system & cargo platform for my Jeep Cherokee overland rig

Submitted by Dan on Tue, 03/27/2018 - 11:59

As Jeremy Clarkson would say, my genius knows no bounds.

4 Wheeling in Kansas on the Kaw River and Tuttle Creek

Submitted by Dan on Fri, 03/02/2018 - 10:05

If you live in Kansas and like 4-wheeling, there aren't a whole lot of optoins. Tuttle Creek and Kansas Rocks are two good choices though.

Tuttle Creek Kansas 4x4 offroading in a Jeep Cherokee

This Old Fixer Upper, part 6: Restoring the Antique Douglas Fir Floorboards

Submitted by Dan on Tue, 02/13/2018 - 15:17

When we bought this house last winter, we did it assuming that there was a hardwood floor underneath the carpet. We were right: antique douglas fir planks! But repairing and refinishing them was not easy. We made a few mistakes, and one of them I can honestly say was the biggest mistake we've made yet during our renovation.

DIY roof rack rails for my Jeep Cherokee XJ

Submitted by Dan on Fri, 01/26/2018 - 11:49

I just bought my first welder. It's an inexpensive DC inverter stick welder from Amazon, and at $170 I think it's a really really good value. Before I move on to building my own custom bumpers, I wanted a smaller project to practice on first. So I chose to replace the stock roof rack bars with a custom one. The one I build will have removable crossbars, and the crossbars create a high amount of drag on the road, so it will also be more aerodynamic as well as stronger and better looking. 

building a custom diy jeep xj roof rack rails

This Old Fixer Upper, part 5: Restoring the staircase

Submitted by Dan on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 15:25

We completely gutted the stairs down to the stringers and rebuilt them. They challenged me at every step along the way - no pun intended. I had to use every tool I had, every skill I knew, and every ounce of my patience. Do not try this at home!

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