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| 07-Jun-01 |
The new garage is ready! |
The new garage is ready!
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Ta-Dah! The garage is finished with the exception of the floor. I've scheduled the same guys who painted the last garage floor to paint this one using the same color (light gray) epoxy finish. This time I'm not adding the silica sand. It may be a little slipperier when it's wet but it will be much easier to clean. Vinyl flooring was out of the question since I'm still working on the car. Welding and jack stands would quickly ruin a nice checkered floor.
The big cabinet to the left of the bench is a metal shelving unit that I added doors and sides to. I already had the shelving unit and the doors were damaged units from the local lumberyard that I picked up for $1 each. I have a total of $11 in the cabinet with hardware and paint. The workbench is from the old shop and has been painted black. I added aluminum L-channel to the corners to match the tool chest. An air compressor sits in the lower part of the cabinet. The compressed air is plumbed to the bench and has a pressure gauge. The big black area under the yellow air hose is the sub woofer for the stereo. The satellite speakers are mounted at the top of the pegboard (pegboard that I scavenged for free!).
The checkerboard area above the bench is 2 sliding doors I fabricated from 1/4-inch plywood and covered with floor vinyl. They hide all the stuff in the loft above the stairway. It's a great area to store things like our roof "pod" (car top carrier) and all kinds of street rod stuff like the hood, the body dolly, jack stands and ramps.
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 The key to a good work area is adequate lighting. The 8-foot florescent lights and pure white semigloss paint make the room sufficiently bright. The new floor color will make a big difference too. The grinder is now located on the wall below the TV. Speaking of TV... the garage is the best place to watch the Speed Vision channel! Today they were running a special on 1950's beach racing. If there's nothing good on TV you can always pop in the Goodguys "Rad Rods" tape. RRR! |
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 The view out the garage window is considerably nicer than the one I had in my last garage! :) |
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 The partition wall I showed you earlier is finished and the extra refrigerator is in place and stocked with my favorite beverage (Cherry Coke). I used 10-foot 2x4's from an old car show display to build the wall so all that I needed to purchase to complete it was some sheet rock and outside corner strips. If you've ever watched HGTV (Home and Garden Television) there's a home improvement show where they always say "and we did it for under $500!” Everything you see here including lighting, paint, electrical, and air was done for well under $500. Of course it helps that I never throw anything away. I already had a good share of the things needed to complete the garage. |
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 The bench is set up with commonly used tools readily at hand. Above the sub woofer are the stainless bolt kits from MMS and the transmission fluid and battery. The car will take up much less space in the garage when it's together and not in pieces. This will free up space for future clutter and cleaning/detailing supplies.
The garage also has a phone with intercom to the house – to call me in for dinner – or to call out for pizza delivery. All that's missing is a bathroom and I could live in the garage. That's currently where you can find me anyway. :)
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 One thing I learned as a 30-year veteran bicycle mechanic is to never set your drink on the workbench - it will end up spilling. A bicycle water bottle cage screwed to the wall or pegboard will give you a tip-proof place to set your drink and a good place to keep track of who's drink is who's in a crowded shop. They also work well for storing anything in a can that you need to get at easily or often (WD40). The magazine rack is a nice touch ;)
So there you have it - the garage is ready for Project33's return from the exhaust shop. I contacted Bob Oien to see how it was coming and he said he's sent the tubes out for chroming. He tells me that chroming can take from 2 days to 2 weeks and that he'd try to push them toward the lesser. I haven't seen pictures yet and haven't been able to schedule a trip to Sioux City to see the car so I'm anxiously waiting just like you. At least I can sleep easier now knowing I have a place to put it when it comes home. I finally have my “dream garage” – minus a couple stalls ;) I can't believe I won't have to move the car into storage for the summer anymore to make room for a bunch of bicycles... A real full time garage – how novel!
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