It looks like the i-drive garage door lift system will not work in this application. They are for lightweight doors and not for heavy high lift doors. We are planning on using a LiftMaster MJ Medium-Duty Jackshaft Operator: http://www.liftmaster.com/consumerweb/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=704
Bill We've found that simply putting a high polish on the concrete floor is very durable and looks nice. Glass block is also good for letting in light but preserving privacy. A washable clear coat on the lower grey also helps to keep every thing clean. Best Image Unavailable, Please Login
Napolis: Next time you see Edsel Ford II ask him about the Ford GT he preserved in an argon-filled chamber...
I agree. We've been through epoxy and tile and each has its pros and cons. I wanted something that's really easy to clean, makes the cars "pop", is very durable and resistant to car fluids and other car care products, has no grout lines, and has an "old world" natural material hand-made feel about it. We'll probably go with sand/grind/shot blast, Ardex vapor barrier (depending on the vapor test), troweled surface coat, acid staining and polyurethane top coat. This is the technique used by the big casinos (Concrete Solutions products). We waterproofed around the entire foundation with drainage so it's not likely to have surface failure. Here's a sample finish with "fake" grout lines. The floor we're doing will have no lines, not even expansion joints. We're working the color now, but it will likely be lighter rather than darker. We think a dark floor may take away from the cars. The field color below is somewhat close to what we want. All the colors (cars, floor, wainscoat tile, walls, ceiling) need to work together for the overall look and feel we want. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That looks very nice. Make sure that the Poli top coat can take tires, especially warm tires turned back and forth for parking maneuvers. We coat the lower walls because when we fire up some of the older cars a bit of oil comes through the exhaust especially as we mix Castrol Go Kart racing oil into our fuel at 1-200.
Why do you do that? I thought it wasn't good to get oil into the combustion chamber. All the best, Andrew.
Well, it makes a lovely smell....but my guess is a 'storage lube' to give the rings some love over long periods of disuse.... My old girls blow a 'black splatter' just clearing the carbs! I have to remember not to leave the white Trans Am in the way....LOL!
In the 60ies fuel had better lubricating qualities than it does today especially with Ethonol added fuels. Mechanical Fuel injection units can use a bit of this lubrication. We find it also helps our other older cars. Keep in mind we're talking about a small amount here.
At "one quart per thousand miles", I think it's safe to say the oil is already there! I could send you some sample 'sparking plugs'..... Beautiful thread, go man go....... I have some track lighting....Tommy Hilfiger was throwing it away...
Curious to know Bill, how far you've come with the hide-away garage door idea? I'd imagine having a high ceiling is to your advantage being as you could quite possibly have something made which would allow the doors to lift vertically with a rack and pinion set-up. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Rack_and_pinion_animation.gif You could easily lift your doors straight up into the ceiling with a rack on either side and a few motors above. It would be very easy to have made, serve your aesthetic needs perfectly and there would be no use for noisy springs. _J
We may have a problem hiding the doors because the tracks needs to be mounted too far below the ceiling joists, and that would cause us to lower the ceiling drywall too much for comfort. Any ideas? See below for a mockup. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Accordion doors that open out and fold up against the sides? Each bay can have four panels, two folding up on one side, two on the other. Staggered sliding doors? Each one slides to the side, in front of or behind another adjacent door.
That's a nice idea. Providing you don't want all your cars moved out at the same time, that'd be pretty good. All the best, Andrew.
Idea 3 Doors that hinge at the bottom and "fall" out on to the ground, whereby you drive over them to get in and out of the garage. Mechanically, it's easy to to do with actuator rods. You would just have to make them strong enough to support the weight of the cars that went over them. You'd also have to stop far enough out that the doors had clearance to lay down flat against any supports/stops before they could be driven over. Meduium duty steel plates would do it nicely. Idea 4 You could also make the doors drop into slots into the ground, as long as you addressed drainage issues properly. Image Unavailable, Please Login
in those diagrams the first one is the only one that would work imo, but even with that one the seal of the doors on both the top and bottom seem questionable... the second one requires the doors to be in front of the pillars separating each bay, and not inline as they have to slide in front of each other. Number 3 (the sliding into the ground) would be difficult to keep clean and like you mentioned drainage, plus digging the hole would be a pain in the ass. The last idea of driving over the doors would surely lead to wearing of the doors right? I cant imagine anything that wouldnt show marks from having cars drive over them all the time.
How about garage doors that are solid and simply lift open using hydraulic rams & then the door would act as a canopy when it is open. I've seen the design on paper but I'm not sure how you would mount the hydraulics.
How about a commercial steel door that rolls up into itself in a nice box above the opening. That way you can dry wall around the box and have a clean finished look, a door that is not seen when open, and still have the solid look and feel you desire.... Erik
on fifth gear they road tested an enzo and a mclaren f1, and the owner had french doors that looked nice.
