Garages and Home Workshops

On the assumption that there is no thread on the topic, I thought it would be good to have a specialized one on the topic. This could include garage equioment, such as lifts and storage. I don't have a picture on this computer of my present garage, but here's one of my small collection in the garage, just to get the thread started. And a perspective of a planned renovation. I hope you will be interested.

Andy
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My workshop is separate from the garage. I thought this made sense because working cars can be insulated from the mess of repair or restoration. However, the cureent workshop has a low ceiling, which prevents the use of a desired 2-post lift. Accordingly, we plan to move the working area, together with the tool cabinets, bench, and spares to a bay in the garage. As with many garages, the workshop now doubles as a band rehearsal room!
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Thanj you, Devilsolsi. Missed that!

 

Yes, that's a Lancia Stratos. The more recognizable sections of the car are in shadow.

The workshop looks neat because nothing was going on in there when the photo was taken; that was the evening the Dino was delivered (by truck) from the pier. It was shipped from New York and the battery was flat when it arrived, so we had to push it in. In the photo, it still has a dust film from the one-month+ voyage in a container.

I thought too it might be useful to discuss specific items related to a home garage and workshop, so will suggest floors. The garage itself is tiled, using inexpensive thin (about 1/4"), glossy 60cmx60cm glazed tiles. The tiles haven't cracked under the weight of the cars and give a clean, showroom-like appearance that shows off the cars well. The cars reflect in the tiles as can be seen somewhat in the "noses" picture. These tiles seem to work for areas where one doesn't plan to jack-up cars and do heavy repairs. I think I will again use tiles also for the "no-work" section of the renovated garage.

The workshop floor was painted with epoxy. The advantage is that epoxy seems hardwearing and easy to clean, jacks and jackstands can be used, and minor scratches can be wet-sanded off. Since the finish is smooth (and in my case light-colored - white), dropped washers, etc., are easy to find. The disadvantages I found are that epoxy chips if a hammer or similar object is dropped on it (but then the chip can be filled in with paint and sanded off), jack stands will dig into it, and it yellows over time. I may use epoxy again (but in a very light grey this time) for the workshop area of the new garage, but am also quite interested in the SwissTrax flooring system.

It would be great to know what your views or experiences are!

Andy

 

Having belatedly disovered the long-running thread on garage pics in the Showroom section, should I repost and continue the discussions there? Is it possible for an administrator to move this thread to that one? While the showroom thread is more general, they do discuss technical and design aspects there.

Andy

 

My apologies for all the posts. I have been going through the Showroom Garage Pics thread, which is great. It is fun to look at celebrity garages and the collections of FChatters. I wonder though whether a more tightly focused thread on garage design, equipment, and so forth might still be useful. I would find it interesting to talk about lifts, workbenches, garage dimensions, tools, floors, and similar topics.

 

Yes, you're right, Hotshoe. The ideal garage/workshop should have a parking/show area, a separate assembly/repair section, and still another separate fabrication section, where the grinding, welding, and the other "dirty" work take place. Plus a separate painting area.

I've found though that bodywork, heavy fabrication, welding, and painting are best left (considering my skill and equipment) to outside contractors, so am not set up for those jobs.

While I undertook a ground-up restoration in the workshop (a 1969 Lotus Elan), this was really more disassembly, refurbishing of parts, and assembly, with painting and any welding (not much required on an Elan) done off-premises. Grinding, wire-brushing, and painyting (spray cans for parts), I did outdoors. The workshop is also good for repairs and maintenance. I service and do work on all the cars there (including an engine-out job for the Stratos and, when I was racing it, the setting-up of a 1963 Lotus 23).

I am a hobbyist and work on the cars for enjoyment. I find a neat shop, clean floor, all the tools handy, all storage out of sight all make the jobs fun.

I may learn to weld yet!

 

A more complete view of my current workshop (my apologies for the non-Ferrari content). Workbench and drill press to the left and tool cabinets to the right. Because of my motley collection, I need wrenches and sockets in Metric, standard (inches), and Whitworth!

Parts and spares go in the red cabinets in the back, right side, and in the white stacker cabinets (a good space-saving idea) on the back left side. Not enough storage, I'm afraid, so tires and less used spares go elsewhere.

We plan to move the tool cabinets, bench, and stacker to the far end of the main garage, when renovated, separated from the other cars by accordion doors.
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CraigF355,

The workshop/garage with the single Lotus 23 in it measures 12.4 meters (40'6") deep. There is a storage cabinet and a toilet at the far end; the measurement was made from the back of the roll-up door to the back of the open cabinet.

It is 5.2 meters (17') wide, measured from column to column. This may be too tight I think for two cars parked side by side.

Andy

 

I had some water flood into both the workshop and garage, but only about an inch deep and which cleared quickly. Manila had a month's worth of rain in 6 hours - a one-in-100-years rainstorm. I live on a ridge, above a valley, so real flooding isn't an expected risk, but the storm drains just couldn't keep up with the inflow. Some of my friends' houses, specially around the lake or near rivers or creeks, submerged almost completely. Incredible. Some areas are still underwater, over two weeks since the storm. This never happened before.

I'll raise the garage floor one or two inches during the planned renovation.

Thank you for asking, Tritone.

Andy