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Post by hanks73340 on Feb 24, 2021 8:45:03 GMT -5
I will bring up some warmer weather for ya Dave so you can be outside when working. Been down in Florida for the past month. Sounds like ya have a good plan to get things going.
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Admin
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Post by Admin on Feb 24, 2021 8:46:25 GMT -5
Yeah, I figure this will put me back a year at least as far as auto related activities go.
I like my stuff. The garage is my space, so everything in there is something I've made a conscious decision to have or keep. And I tend to get attached to things. Like my work benches. Just 2x4 frames that are 35 years old. But my best friend and I built those in a lean-to at a storage facility when I first bought the Charger. It's where I began working on the car. Then I moved them here to Michigan with me and installed them in the pole barn at the house I was renting. Then I moved them here when I bought this place in '93. So while they could go away, and it wouldn't be a big loss, I'd hate to do it. (Adjuster tells me they will stay, but be sealed and painted).
But yes, some stuff I'm just going to have to let go. You can see in that first photo the shelf above the door. There are several others like it around the shop, right up by the ceiling. So probably the worst smoke damage. Some of that petroliana came as a bulk buy, and while I like the history of the pieces, I'll probably let some of it go. But on the shelf in the picture, many of those items are ones I used as a kid, or are from my Dad's garage (Anyone remember Vicker's gas stations, and their Big V motor oil?). So while the remediation company will list an old oil can like that as a loss for the adjuster ($2?), I'll have to pull that one back and clean it myself if I can.
But, every time I do that, I'm just extending the cleaning process for myself, adding to my work load. So I'm going to have to be selective.
I don't mind the work. It's the decisions that I will hate.
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Post by CDN72SE on Feb 24, 2021 14:36:43 GMT -5
Was stepping through your thread and wasn't expecting to see what I saw here.
Very sorry to hear about the fire, that's terrible.
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DynoDave
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Post by DynoDave on Feb 24, 2021 18:30:41 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the feedback and support guys. I appreciate it.
Didn't do to much for the garage today. Just opened the overhead door about a foot and left it that way all day. Just closed it, and it's a LOT better after airing it out. Still smoky of course, but not quite so overwhelming. So we'll be doing that again for the next few days for sure. Picked up a couple of blades / bits for the H.F. rotozip knockoff so I can finishing cutting the door open. Also picked up a few things for mounting a couple of new smoke detectors.
Still waiting for amazon to deliver the ozone machine.
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DynoDave
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Post by DynoDave on Feb 26, 2021 15:06:36 GMT -5
Continuing to make progress, though most folks would have a hard time telling. Ozone generator arrived and has been put to work. Does a good job of killing smoke odor, but it comes back after a few hours. This was expected, as the smell won't go away permanently until the shop is gutted and redone. I got insurance on an old truck I was going to work on this spring, and had it towed to a shop. It's going to cost me more, but at least it will be done. And it's in the way of towing the Chrysler out of the garage on Tuesday. Also getting info on insurance for the Chrysler. My son and I will work on moving parts away from the Chrysler this weekend. That's a fair amount of stuff, including a fully dressed 8.75" axle with leaf springs. We'll also finish cutting that door open so the car can get out. I took a few minutes this afternoon and raked up the small mountain of leaves that had collected under the truck. It's funny what is heavily smoke and soot damaged and what is not. Rake that was 3' from the fire? Not bad at all. Ear buds hanging on a hook 20' away? Absolutely black (they were white). Picked up some 2.5 gal. ziploc bags last night, and will experiment with some gas mileage log book pages I had printed out and sitting on the bench in the shop. A dusting of baking soda, a piece of paper, more soda, more paper, etc. Seal it up and let it sit overnight. This seems to be about the only cure offered online for smoky paper. Books you can clean the cover. In summer, set them out in the bright sun and fresh air. But for winter in Michigan, this is all I've found. I sure hope it works, because I have a TON of paper in that garage, and I have to clean it all. It's covered by insurance, but the remediation company will not touch paper...they will just write it off as a loss. So 100 posters, 50 service manuals and parts books, a large number of reference books form college and other places, hundreds of magazines, and a lifetime of paperwork are all out there. If I want the stuff, I've got to clean it somehow. This weekend also includes time spent in the back garage trying to create a spot for the Chrysler when it comes back (assuming it does not still smell smoky). That's bay 2, and it is currently full of parts, tool boxes, kids college stuff, bikes, tractor, push mower, etc. Not sure where I will put it all. Also cleaning out bay 3 of it's firewood debris and racks, and filling it with new totes to move the cleaned parts into. So that will be a good days worth of work for sure. If I'm REAL ambitious, I will try to get the utility trailer out of the back corner of the shop, and park it outside (sorry '38 Ford based farm trailer). That's the spot earmarked for a pallet rack to put those containers on. That was always the long range plan. As long as I'm moving stuff around, maybe I'll try and get that trailer out of there. Then I can say that despite the fire, I made some real "progress" on finishing the back garage in 2021!
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Post by hanks73340 on Feb 27, 2021 10:31:20 GMT -5
For cleaning up parts and such, use Awesome. This stuff cleans anything.
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DynoDave
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Post by DynoDave on Feb 27, 2021 21:19:16 GMT -5
For cleaning up parts and such, use Awesome. This stuff cleans anything. I already have a jug! I've seen it recommended for this sort of clean up several places.
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DynoDave
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Post by DynoDave on Mar 3, 2021 9:25:51 GMT -5
A few updates.
3/1 AM: Not surprisingly, this all takes much longer than you would think, or than I would like.
Spent the weekend in the back garage, making space for the Chrysler when it comes back from the detail shop. Fortunately, the T/A, a pair of 4th gen axles with lots of performance goodies, and the Hawks fiberglass rear spoiler are all back there, safe from the fire. Had to do some serious reorganizing to make a spot for that "new small Chrysler" as they called it...it's still a big car. But I think we have that problem licked.
Unfortunately, that took all of our (son and I) time this weekend. I still don't have a clear picture of what the remediation company is and is not going to do for clean-up. The structure estimate came last week, but still waiting on one for the contents. (With $2k in auto parts coverage, and my $500 deductible, my insurance adjuster has instructed them to clean up to $2501.00 in parts ($2k coverage, $500 ded.). That way, the insurance company pays the full $2k toward parts cleanup. But I'm just not sure how far that will take me. Given my choice, I'd have them wrestle with the sheet metal parts, concealed headlamp grill assembly, etc. But I'm guessing they will balk at such large objects. Heck, they may balk at cleaning car parts at all. Just don't know. So that makes it hard for me to progress until I DO know. If I don't get something from them today, I'll be calling them tomorrow.
Tonight we will turn our attention to getting that burnt, cut and patched overhead door cut the rest of the way open, and creating some 2x4 props to hold it open (the springs went soft from the heat). If we can get that done tonight and tomorrow, then we can start pulling things out from on, under, and around the Chrysler. Was supposed to go to detail tomorrow, but can't meet that timing. So that is rescheduled.
My experiments with paper preservation seem to be going well. Last week I took same gas mileage log pages, that were in a magazine rack on the workbench, and sealed them in a large bag with lots of baking soda dusted over them. They came out not smelling as far as I could tell. Yesterday I gave the same treatment to a magazine. It's cover and some pages were blackened on the edge with soot, but again it cleaned up pretty well. I'd say these experiments were a success, and I can move on to large manuals and books, once I get the green light form the remediation company and insurance. That will help me save some books, papers, documents, files, posters, certificates, etc.
3/1 PM: Small victories,
Today I got the garage door open! Finished the cuts 99.9% of the way through with Mao's knockoff of the RotoZip. Broke the first bit (of course). But had another, and had bought 2 more in prep for this job. For a tool designed to cut sideways, those bits don't like to cut sideways.
Started moving it up, it's creaking and groaning, and wood is popping, and I realize the guy how plated it with plywood first took and shot some long screws at a diagonal tying two sections together. One I was able to get with a saber saw and a hack saw. I could then open the door another section higher, and get the other screw with a screwdriver. Then she opened all the way up. It made some noise, but it didn't come down on me or the car, so I consider that a pretty huge win.
Also has lengthy calls with my adjuster and the remediation company today, and am happy with what I'm hearing thus far.
3/3 AM: I am thinking about buying one of those Harbor Freight 10x17 car port / tent things, as a work space for cleaning items. But not certain of that yet, so I'll have to hold off for now.
Today's goal is to cut some 2x4s to make sure that door doesn't close once I have it open. Then tonight maybe start pulling a few parts out. Also ye another trip to Menard's for a few more storage tubs. The to Sam's Club to pick up some disposable plastic food handlers gloves. I'll use my leather work gloves to move the contaminated boxes and tubs to the work area, then switch to a set of disposable gloves to handle the parts. That way I don't get the parts dirtier by handling them with the work gloves.
3/3/PM: Decided against the door props....she's staying open fine on her own. And on the south end of the door, there ain't much door left to prop against!
Picked up a few more cleaning supplies. Insurance and restoration company (Jarvis) have an agreement on the structure. The contents will be an as-you-go deal. Too much to estimate up front. Jarvis project manager assigned yesterday, and he's stopping by to see the place today.
Probably goign to back up the detail appointment on the Chrysler to early next week. That will give me the rest of the week and weekend to get the stuff moved from around the car. I don't want to leave things outside, so I need to be ready to clean and treat them before moving them into the "clean" garage.
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Post by hanks73340 on Mar 3, 2021 10:37:50 GMT -5
Mao's knockoff of the RotoZip. Love your description and its so true. Hope all is going good for you and it all works out.
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DynoDave
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Post by DynoDave on Mar 13, 2021 21:43:20 GMT -5
The good(ish) - she's back on the ground, and ready to be towed to the detail shop. The bad - That dark stripe on the roof is carbon / soot. The shiny, lighter areas are portions of the roof that were covered. The ugly - The interior (which was in nice shape and needed the least amount of work of any part of the car) did NOT escape carbon and soot deposits as I had hoped. This paperwork was sitting on the passenger seat, and you can see the light rectangle on the paper where the envelope was sitting. The build sheet, which was on the dash, survived, but was soot covered. Cleaned gently with the dry chemical sponge, then a few day in a ziploc bag with some baking soda, and it should be in decent shape.
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