Monkey Wrench Works

06/19/2026

Hot Rod Flat Black on the 56 BelAir. Laid down smooth, came out real nice. This car has come a long way from the pile of parts we originally dragged home...

06/16/2026

Taping is my least favorite job on any project. Hit the whole car with 320 on the da, prep is almost done now. Let's paint a car...

06/13/2026

We've got brakes on the F100! Brake pedal assembly, booster and master cylinder installed. Did you know while the 67-72 bumpside trucks have 1 pedal assembly option, the 73-79 dentside trucks have 23 different configurations?

06/12/2026

"For your own safety" is an interesting take from the Ford CEO. If you've ever dealt a dealership service dept, you too should support the consumers ability to choose their own servicer.

Farley says modern cars are too complex for DIYers. The bigger danger is what happens to independent mechanics if automakers win this fight.

06/10/2026

We hosted Cars & Coffee again this month and had a great turnout, awesome cars and people. Go find a local car group and be rad with them...

06/07/2026

Front shackle bushings, shocks, and hidden winch mount installed on my favorite Crew Cab...

06/06/2026

HalfMoon Customs at our local Cars & Coffee this morning...

06/05/2026

Upgrade time for the 97 F250, the front suspension obviously needed new bushings, and I've been sitting on this JC Customs hidden winch plate and tow hooks for a while, two birds one stone and all. OBS F-250s use ttb front axles instead of a straight axle, which slightly complicates shackle/bushing replacement. On the first side I removed the tire and drooped the axle, which creates a misalignment with the leaf spring and trying to return the shackle mount to its home. On the other side I jacked up the frame vertically while leaving the axle in place and it was a much smoother replacement. Rebuilt everything with some Rust-Oleum flat black and replaced the shocks while it was apart.

The winch plate hangs between the frame rails, tighten up a couple of bolts to start, then temp the bumper in a few times to make sure alignment is right, determine where to put the solenoid, and trim to fit. Really tight, but basically it's a bolt in installation, and came out great.

06/03/2026

We've been referring to Reece's house as Wrench Works West, guess we'll start calling Celeste's place Wrench Works Far West or maybe Wrench Works Far Side? She recently picked up a sweet 85 Nissan 300zx 2+2. NA, t-tops, manual, 2 owner with low miles. Pretty awesome...