Check out this amazing guy who builds new things from found things. I loved this!

This text is from the original article on the New York Times site. It can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/automobiles/collectibles/22MARQUIS.html?ex=1251003600&en=9642600cc1504d81&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=AU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M083-ROS-0209-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click

Mr. Heller, winner of the second Collectible Car of the Year contest on nytimes.com, owns Fabulous Furniture on Route 28. In a workshop several paces behind the store, Mr. Heller, 63, creates one-of-a-kind furniture out of wood that he logs, transports, mills, cuts and finishes himself. He also creates sculptures out of found metal, predominantly based on three themes: farm animals, totem poles and rocket ships, which are built out of the headlamps and taillights of cars from the 1950s and ’60s. It is these mechanical wonders, scattered about the premises, that make the storefront so remarkable on the rural highway. "I buy stuff; I have no idea what I’m going to do with it," Mr. Heller said recently in his workshop, which was filled with boxes of car parts, power tools and a thin fog of dust. He has a quiet, easygoing charm punctuated by moments of enthusiasm. He considered a box of old taillights: "If you listen to it closely," he said, "they’ll tell you what to do." Four years ago, the parts told him to build a custom car out of a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan and body panels from 11 different classic cars, in particular a 1957 De Soto. "I needed a new car, but I can’t have anything regular," he said, noting that his Cadillac hot rod is 50 years old. With the help of a friend who had moved to Florida and found the state overrun with large Mercury sedans, Mr. Heller was able to buy a Grand Marquis with low mileage for $6,600. The first thing he did was pry off the lights and bumpers. Then he stripped the body panels, leaving only the front doors and the roof. And he went to work. He calls his creation the Marquis de Soto. It is the automotive equivalent of a pit bull mix. In this case, the De Soto is the dominant breed, though the car has retained the positive traits of the newer Mercury: air-conditioning and predictable handling. It even passes the state inspection. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/22/automobiles/collectibles/20090222-desoto/index.html

Hey! Check Out Skip's New Site

He's been working hard on this stuff and having a terrific time :)

The foundry tour is pretty cool ... click on the SI link to the right and then if you have great resolution, be sure to click the menu on the bottom right of the link to choose HQ. I've had this tour in-person several times and I always love it.

www.skipcook.com