In my last post I was waiting to see how various things evolved over the Christmas period. Well, I can now say is that all I have is GOOD news to report!!! I almost don't know where to begin. Parts have continued to flow in before, during and after Christmas. Axles, hubs, brake parts, transmission (being delivered today), differential, seat heaters, and some smaller things. I'll post some pictures later.
Now the really big news! I picked up my frame and suspension parts from the powder coater yesterday. I called him in the morning expecting to hear that he still hadn't gotten to it. I was floored when he said everything was done and ready to be picked-up. On the outside, I kept my cool, "maybe I'll come by this afternoon to get the stuff" but on the inside, I was thinking, "I'll be there in 15 minutes!".
Laurie kept me company on the 30 minute ride to the shop. On the way, we had to pickup my trailer that I had stored "off-site". I was worried that it had gotten completely snowed-in and we wouldn't be able to dig it out. Fortunately, the snow had mostly melted and we didn't have any problems getting the trailer hitched and on the road.
As we pulled up to the shop, we saw a small camera crew filming outside, but didn't think much of it (I didn't anyway -- I was there to get my parts and nothing was going to distract me!). More on that later...
As we entered the shop, there was my frame on display for all to see! It looked great!
Most of the smaller parts I had done in a cobalt blue for some splash.
Here I am with Bill, the owner. He's very proud of the work his shop does.
We were able to use a forklift to get the frame out to the trailer and then three of us lifted it into position.
The ride home was uneventful and we got everything safely back into the garage. Ready to start work...
And here's a close-up picture of the finish so you can see how it looks.
Now back to the camera crew. They weren't really there to film my project, but I think they did take some footage when no one was looking.
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| That's me and the frame in the background |
This shop has been commissioned to fabricate the bronze plaques that will go around the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero. These plaques will have the names of all those who perished during the attacks. They were working on them while we were there and the camera crew was filming for a special that will air on the History Channel during the upcoming anniversary. There will be about 150 sections when it's completed and they will encircle the reflecting pools. The bronze will be heated and cooled so it is always comfortable to touch, and the names are completely etched through and backlit. Here is a picture of one section.
This unit is about 3 feet tall and 7 feet long. It was quite moving to see them all lined up in the shop. For Laurie and me, we got to see a little history in the making.
Wow, looks great! Just a quick question... isn't it time to start ASSEMBLING some of the parts that have been ACCUMULATING around here? There's high demand to see this "baby" on the road, the sooner the better!
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