[Mrwood]

As most of you know i am almost blind now. I have thought hard now for two weeks what is in store for me, and i have decided to keep building parade vehicles in the hot rod style only in a smaller scale. I have been learning to weld blind, and im doing good. I have my work checked by another car builder in town, and i hope in a few more weeks i will have it down. Now my work wont be perfect enough for a full size car, but for a car powered by a 5hp engine they will be strong enough. I also plan to design the body myself and with some help from my brother when i need it i think i can do this. I am not ready to give up my life to sitting in a dark house, i have to keep building with my hands, as thats all i know. I may not be able to do what you guys do, but i will have my life back. I hope you all wont kick me off this site just because i cant build my real cars anymore, but you all have been a part of my life for 3 years now while working on my 48 chevy, and i dont really want to leave this site. So please bare with me for awhile and see how i work out ok. I know i can do it. Talk to you all later ok.

[poncho62]

At least you are not sitting there feeling sorry for yourself..............Go get 'em............

[cboy]

Sheesh, I can't weld for snot...and I have 20-20 vision. I admire your spunk Mrwood. You remind me of a story from my youth (back in the late 50's)

Back then the people who wanted a REAL sharp looking car (stock or modified) took them to a Simonize Shop. Basically this was a very high end wax and polish job. And in that neck of the woods (Northern Illinois) the very best Simonizer around was blind. Did all the wax and polish with his hands...and his hands told him more about how the finish looked than any pair of eyes. He was an inspiration to many.

I'm with Poncho. Kudos for finding a way to keep building...and we'd love to see some of your creations. Just call them HIGHLY customized...shortened, sectioned, chopped, and narrowed. We'll just call you the "Mini-Me" of the hot rod world.

Dewey

[Henry Highrise]

You hang in there and Git R Done.......and you will always be welcome on this site...I am glad that you are here.

[jray]

Hey, hotrodding is all about cars and having fun.........and those parade cars are almost as much fun as having #@#

Go for it......

[redlightning]

Keep building!!!!!!!

I got an old piano for my daughter to play.The guy around here that tunes them is blind.It,s just him and a helper.They moved it and tuned it for 150$.

The funny part was when the truck was backed up to the house.His helper ask him to back the truck up closer to the house.

I ask him where the driving started.He said, That he was born blind and that his Dad had a farm.Whenever they needed someone to drive the truck to pick up hay in the field that would be his job.

He said if someone said turn left he would turn left etc.If he heard two different people yelling orders to him he would just stop.

Keep building,You are going to be just fine!!

[MARTINSR]

God yes, you are the man! You know, one thing you can do as well is sculptoring. On my vacation I went to the Smithstonian Art museum and got a whole new love for the art of sculptures and respect for the sculptors who make them. Feel is a BIG part of the creation and that is something where you could create some beautiful work.

Brian

[helrazr3]

this site is held together by the PEOPLE who have a love of hotrods and the like. you don't have to presently own or work on a vehicle to be a member and i'm sure that you will be a respected and helpful member of the community for as long as you choose to stop by and participate.

[BigBlockBabe]

Originally Posted by poncho62

At least you are not sitting there feeling sorry for yourself..............Go get 'em............

No kidding. Its awesome you're keeping a positive attitude about still finding things you can do.

There was a short clip on one of the automotive shows awhile back about a pit crew member of some race team that is blind and does all their engine building and stuff purely by feel. It was amazing the things the guy could do.

[Mrwood]

Ok all you hotrod builders im about to start on my venture. I have come up with a way to build my patterens, or story board as i call it. I will use 4x8 plywood and with some help will draw out my frame jig, body side view, and whatever else i need. Then i will use notches spaced so far apart for my measurements. I will keep everything as close to even numbers as possible, as im not going for 1/8th or 1/16th measurements. Most folks will not notice this anyway. I can feel the notches and know where im at. I will then cut out my side view and will be able to lay my tubing right on the edge of my cutout and then tack it in place so it will hold while moving around. I have spent lots of hours thinking this out, and the only thing i will have to worry about is burning my plywood, and not knowing if im on fire. So if anyone has a simple idea to help me on this just jump in. I dont have much money so i cant afford a steel table. I have picked out the truck im going to build, it will be a two seater so some dad can take his child in the parade with him and keep it a family thing.I have downloaded my frame plans full scale and will reduce these to fit the size i want. Tires and rims will be 12" trailer, and will be a highboy for now. The body will be all sheetmetal and i may have to change some of the the curves to flat. But then again many wont notice in a parade. I will leave the body unpainted so whoever buys it can paint it the way they want. It will have workable side doors, and a flip out front window. I dont want to build this where your head sticks out the top, as i want it to look real.I hope to start building in at least 2 to 3 weeks, as i have to come up with my tubing and the money. I tried to get help from different agencys who work with the blind, but they more or less said no, as they dont think i can do it, and they want me to go to some blind school and learn what they want me to do. Thats not how i want to spend my life, i want to do this. So i will have to come up with another way to buy my materials. I have built enough of these parade vehicles, so i know about how much i need for all my parts. Your replys have have really made me feel good, and have made me realize that i can and will make this work. Hear is a photo of what im going to build. I dont know who it belongs to, but im just using it as my side view for the shape of the truck. Hope to post some pics soon, as i have to teach my wife how to help me, as my eye gets darker week by week, so time is very important to me right now. God bless you all and soon we will see what kind of junk this really turns out to be lol.

[Kevin45]

I also plan to design the body myself and with some help from my brother when i need it i think i can do this. I am not ready to give up my life to sitting in a dark house, i have to keep building with my hands, as thats all i know. I may not be able to do what you guys do, but i will have my life back.

Great positive attitude I have a buddy that I have known for years that is totally blind. He was a premature baby and when they put him in the incubator, the nurse at the time turned up the oxygen too much and it burnt his eyes. So a few years later he had to have them removed. So essentially he has been blind since birth. Rocky is now in his mid 50's and I wish everyone could meet him someday. You would never know that this guy was blind. He has never felt sorry for himself, never has a down attitude, and has never said that he cannot do something. Back quite a few years ago, Rocky use to make power supplies for CB radios. When I say "make" I mean that he does / did it by himself, start to finish with no help from anyone else. Well one evening he was working on one and asked me to get him a tube. This is the tube that used to be in the old TV sets before they had transistors. Rock asked me for a certain number of tube. So I look in a huge box he had of all the hundreds of tubes and could not find the correct number. So here he comes, shoves me aside, and starts picking them up one by one. Finally he said, "Here it is". I looked at the tube and low and behold, it was the correct one. That particular tube looked just like all of the rest of them but he could tell the difference. Later on in years I was out at the Transportation Research Center which is now a major test track for Honda. They were doing brake test on particular trucks and I had the type that they were going to test. I am sitting in the break area and a person walks by that I thought I knew so I hollered out "Rocky". He knew right off who I was. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was working and had been working there for a number of years. I did remember at one time he held a position of "Transmission Specialist" and had a front page write up in the local newspaper. Well when I saw him he was "Tool Crib Supervisor" He handled all of the inventory, handling of parts, and handling of tools. If you asked for a part, he would walk down the aisle with hands out both sides reading the braille labels he had placed on the racks. I stopped to see him a couple of years ago. and he was married (second time for that) and still works at TRC and has a pulling tractor that he built. He also plays in a band and plays keyboard. He has one heck of a computer setup that he keeps and mixes all of his music, and talks with all people, all over by way of e-mail and computer. So not to hijack the thread, but just want to let you know, that something like losing your eyesight does not necessarily mean the end of the world. I haven't seen Rocky for a couple of years, but he still lives in the same place. I really should go and see him, and if you would like, I could get his e-mail address, explain your situation, and let you two guys arrange to chat. I am sure that after you are done talking to him, you will have a complete different outlook on life. As a matter of fact, I have to go that way today, so maybe I will shoot by his place and see if I can get him to join up here on Hotrodders. Anyways....I didn't mean to hijack the thread and go on about someone else, but MrWood.......keep your head up. Just look at this as a new challenge that you can overcome.

Kevin

[bluebu]

MrWood, I can't tell you how much I admire your attitude! I'm sure you'll succeed at whatever you decide to do.

Back in the day, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, te he, I built sets and props for plays and everything had to be treated with a flame retardant for safety reasons. This recipe won't, of course, completely eliminate the risk of catching your plywood on fire but it will help a good deal and it's inexpensive to make.

9 oz borax, 4 oz boric acid, 1 gallon water, and 1/2 teaspoon low sudsing detergent. Mix well and brush, roll, or spray onto wood. Especially the edges.
This mixture can be scrubbed off later with soap & water if necessary.

Also, here's a similar recipe for your clothes.

Nonpermanent Flame Retardant
2.5 ounces borax
2 cups boiling hot water

Combine the borax and boiling water in a bowl and stir until all the borax is dissolved. Pour into a spray bottle, shake, and spray onto the clothes. Don�t rinse. Let dry before wearing. Reapply the spray after each wash.

One word of caution: Some people are extremely sensitive to the borax being against their skin. You might try treating a pair of coveralls to pull on over your clothes when welding if that's the case.

[BBCMudbogger]

I saw a clip on TV just this morning about a funny car crew ceif that is blind.I think his loss was due to a face full of chemicals. Very inspiring.

[Mrwood]

Thanks for the tips.And thanks for all the support im getting from you all. It really does make me feel better. I got started on the pattern today. I have 10ft of plywood that im drawing my side view on. Hope to have it cut out by this weekend. I will run 13" rims on the back and 12" on the front this should give me a nice look. I put them on the plywood and it looks ok. I cant wait to start welding my sides up, but have to make sure my side view looks proportioned right so it looks like an old truck from the late 20s. This was the first 3hrs i have been in my shop in about 6 weeks, and it felt so good. I have lots of lights in the shop, but it sure seems dark in there, as my eye has faded so much more. But as long as i get my patterns done in time then i will finnish this truck. Hope to post a photo of the side view next week and you can tell me what if any i have done wrong. See ya.

[Mrwood]

Ok here is what my side view looks like. Now you have to be able to see this in a 3D view in your mind. This is not the first parade vehicle i have ever built, and this is how i start out. I have most of my dimensions on the plywood in the chance my eye goes dark before i get a good start. This way someone can read them to me. I will weld up the bed, then the cab, then the cowl and hood. On most of those old trucks starting from the cowl to the radiator they tapered to the front, so i will build it in sections. I may have cut the top down a little, as it looks a bit to high, but will wait till one side of the cab is welded up and then sit in it and see where my head comes to. So im not very worried about that at this time. I will have to change my frame design, as i dont like it sitting up that high from the ground. Its at 9" now and would like it at about 6". So tomorrow i will cut some more wood and design my frame. I was wanting to use a straight 1x2 frame so i didnt have to do any more welding than i had to. But its just to high for that hotrod look. So tomorrow is another day, and i cant wait.