The Great Movement

I wasn't gonna start a topic on this but the title came into my head yesterday and I thought it was too funny. Can't wait till I see GT's witty remark...

This is all of yesterdays progress.

There are a ton of things to be moved around, cleaned up, misc things to sell, some cars to part out, some to sell, tractors to move, etc, etc. Started on it yesterday, very bad timing heat wise but oh well, there's no rain around and it has to be done while it's dry out back. The first cars being sold are a few gas misers, and with the high gas prices and car shortage now as well they are worth a fortune.

Step 1 was getting getting little red (the 97 4x4) unhooked from the work trailer, unloaded and out of the shop. Little red can go back in the 4 car garage now that that garage is finished and bird proof, and the Escalade can go back outside. Little red doesn't get any sun unless it's being used, and doesn't get wet unless it's being washed... Now the Kubota and forklift can get out of the shop to move a lot of this stuff whenever they are needed. The Kubota gets everything to the blacktop, then once all of the trailers and cars to be parted are on the blacktop they can easily be moved around with the forklift.

Yesterday morning I was talking to dad about some things and he mentioned I still had an old HD wagon frame down at the farm I never got out of one of the barns. I went over there and got it out and brought it up here. It now has the old Corvette frame on it that was on one of the trailers that's been hooked to the dually all Winter. Now it's mobile, easy to move, out of the way behind the shop, and one trailer was free.

Next up was getting an Escort that's been on another trailer all Winter that was previously stored at the farm for years so it could get unloaded and cleaned up. Minus the smaller portable work trailer still in the shop the 2 big trailers were unloaded yesterday.

It took a lot of time because I had no help, it was 98 degrees outside with little wind, and it was all in the sun type work but I'm happy with day one. I have a plan but it does involve a lot of moving things multiple times and clogging of the parking lot but I think it will work out good.

Back in the shop cooling and drying off so here is what went on yesterday.

Both bigger trailers hadn't been cleaned up in many years so since they were empty they got a good steam cleaning. They were both done by lunchtime and came out better than I thought.

Next was the Escort. I've only been stuck with 2 cars that someone wouldn't pick up in 26 years and this was one of them. The other one the guy really made me mad about 20 years ago so I just took the title on that one + sold it. This one got drug out for awhile, the bill was never paid, and got put in a barn and basically forgot about. I'm not sure if I'll take the title on it or just part it out. I've had it since 2008 so it has a lot of storage charges on it alone. Let's see,,, 14 years x 12 months in a year is 168 months x 365 days in a year is 61,320 days at the minimum rate of 20 per day back then is 1,226,400.00, wow lol. I spent most of the afternoon getting it cleaned up, it was pretty nasty. I may get it in the shop and see if it starts but after sitting so long it may be wiser to part it out, we'll see...

After that I have an 02 Sebring LXI Convertible I started parting out years ago so I got it up on the blacktop so it could get cleaned up. By then I was wore out from the sun and the heat and it was almost time to quit so I called it a day.

May as well do an update for today, it's almost quitting time and I'm wore out from the sun and the heat again. I do have a really good tan though being wet from the steamer and out in the sun so much lol.

The Sebring is cleaned up, a lot of pics are taken and it is already on CL. This is the time of year for convertibles so it should be dealt with and gone here shortly.

Next was the Cobalt, it's a 2010 that just tripped 65k miles, it's a real cream puff. I bought it about 8 years ago with a light hit in the rear. A new rear bumper cover, impact bar and a little PDR fixed it right up when I first got it but it was never really driven that much. I should have sold it a long time ago but you know how the story goes, too much work for everyone else leaves little time to do anything else... It looked a lot like the Escort up close but not quite as bad because I ran over it with the steam cleaner really quick last year. I need to clean up the headlights, detail it and get it out on a few short trips to check everything out and it will be good to go.

I'm really happy with the first 3 days of progress. A lot got more done than I thought I would by now, have a really good tan, lost a few pounds, and didn't die from all the work in the heat lol.

A lot more things moved around again and done today. It seems every day I wake up to a different place.

Most of the moving was in the shop today, there may be some bad storms tomorrow so I tried to clean and move a few more things around before they get here. The Camaro got cleaned up first thing while it was cool and put on the rack where the Cavalier was, the Cobalt got a new battery and is ready for some driving, and the Kubota and a few tractors were moved to the 4 car garage. The small welding table was put on the big one making a lot more room so the mobile work trailer had a new spot out of the runway to the rack. The Cavalier is at the shop door so it can get cleaned up tomorrow or Saturday depending on the weather. There is a lot more extra space now than I thought there would be in the shop, other garage and parking lot so I'm really happy with day 4 of this little mess. I even had time to mow everything today and get out my pipe threader to redo some of the gas lines going in the house for some gas logs that have to be redone for the new side porch.

I'm started to get excited about so many loose ends getting finished up and the extra room to work once this is all done.

Been cleaning up cars to get them ready to sell, the Cavalier + Cobalt should be ready in another day or two. Had to get out a little more aggressive compound to make them look like new. The cars look good but the shop is a terrible mess and buffing compound got slung and tracked everywhere...

I guess this morning I'll get them out to wash all of the compound off and clean up the shop. After that they can get a good coat of wax and get the rest of the detailing done.