So I came Across a set of old Exhaust headers in the shed attic of the house I bought several years ago. In recently remembering I had them I found myself trying to figure out a good yard art use for them. Since my mailbox has always been in the neighbors yard, which was recently moved by the contractor building a new home there. I decided that I want to repo my box from the other end of his yard and put it in my yard close by. Thus, I need a new mailbox post and thought it would be cool to use the headers to support the box instead of a regular old 4X4. What I would like to do is have the exhaust end (approx 2 3/4" round) setting on the gound with the flange that bolts to the enginge bolted to the engine end of the other set. Thus, cantlevering out like a zig-zag to where the box itself will sit on the opposite exhaust end. My issue is that it seems with the canatlever weight I'm dealing with that the post will have to be mounted very firmly to the ground. To make matters a little tricky the end touching the ground will actually have to be buried about 4-6 inches in order to meet regulation height. All I can come up with is to buy a steel pipe of as close as possible to 2 3/4" that is about 4-6 feet long. Dig a deep hole and ram in way down into it. Then fill around it with concrete while leaving 4-6" exposed out of the ground. Then, slide my one exhaust end over the exposed end to the propper height and through bolt it.. Just not sure if this will be enough and will last.. Any better Ideas out there that I'm missing? SLept on it and heres what I've got: Gonna take some all thread and cut several pieces the legnth of a 5 gallon bucket. Then bolt one end of each through a heavy ol' truck rotor I happen to have. Lay the rotor in the bottom of the bucket with the all thread sticking up and bolt them to the header. Then, fill the bucket w/ concrete and let it set up. Next, try not to bust a hemmeroid moving the bucket to a hole at the street to set it in :)
Don't know the chucktown postmaster. But here in pennslytucky, you need permission before you go sticking a post box any willy nilly place ya want.
ALready spoke with the postmaster general in my area for permission. As long as it meets regulations for setting and is on my property I'm free to put it anywhere I like :) And as of a couple hours ago it is handled and complete.. I now have people stopping and taking pictures :)
That was the code enforcement official for your community, expect a written art review from the local court in the mail! :eek1 How about a pic? Sounds cool!
I see if I can pry the camera from my wife's cold hands and run out. Gotta do it soon cause they're actually calling for a chance of snow in my section of the woods tonight.. Be the first time in a year :)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us Hopefully this pic upload works ok. Its my first on this forum.. Woo hoo it worked. Sorry for the blurry image. Its the best the web cam will do on my laptop. Hand held camera has a dead battery.. Note the brick under it. It's my temporary jack until the 3 50# bags of sak crete set up. Evidently that stuff takes longer to cure when its cold out. Pipes have a good heavy coat of undercoating on them in my attempt to prolong their life :)
I know right, but what can I say .. . They were free and I like re-using stuff and being creative. I told the wife I'm gonna be on the lookout for and old tear drop shaped motorcycle gas tank to re-work into the mailbox. It would be prretty cool looking to have the tank feeding off the headers
My neighbor has the mailbox mounted on a conventional post, the headers are attached on each side, like it were an engine. Small chrome air cleaner on top.
Hey that's a pretty cool idea. Would be easier that trying the route I went with. I'm gonna get an old fuel tank for the actual mailbox in the near future to top it off :)
Ohhhh... THAT"S what you were describing! Looks way better than what I thought. Kinda like a puzzle - if you know what headers are, you get it - if you don't know, it's metal sculpture or "art".
Thanks fellas, I like it too- its growing on me : ) I really look forward to a new, more matching mailbox to top it off. The rubbermaid lloking one that came with the house needs to go. I'll re-use it for a birdhouse in the back or something. I'm gonna contact a local bike shop that's been in my area for years to see if I can get my hands on an old gas tank to incorporate into a box. I have some metal skills but cannot weld, so I'll have to get creative on that step. I'm thinking if i can get a tank and cute a slot out of the front I'll just slide a pre-made metal/copper box into it. I can then tighty up the seam where the to mate w/out to much trouble..
A boat dealership in Essex, MA has had an Evinrude cowling for a mailbox for 30 years that I know of, kinda like a landmark for gearheads
