The 12-Gauge Garage

[Jack Olsen]

Current pictures:









I first posted a thread about my garage back in March of 2009. I called it the ‘Poor Man’s Retro Retreat’ back then because my budget for it had been low ($500) and I’d used a kind of old-fashioned color scheme when I painted it. It’s a garage I’ve liked a lot. It’s had everything I’ve needed. I’ve gotten a lot of work done in it.

So naturally, I had to go through and re-do pretty much every component in the place.

Why? Blame this board. It gets you thinking about different ideas and projects for the garage every time you visit. I know a lot of you out there know what I’m talking about.

Since so much has changed, I’m going to start a new thread about it. If that bugs you, I apologize. Click the close button on the window and move on. If the moderators don’t like it, they can merge this with the old thread. I don’t want to clutter up the board unnecessarily.

The garage can’t really be called the ‘Poor Man’s Retro Retreat’ anymore because I’ve spent too much money on it. It’s still pretty modest, by the standards of many of the garages on this board. It’s pretty humble, still -- a suburban two-car garage tucked around behind the house on my tiny 1/8-acre lot.

But by my own personal standards (I’m very cheap), it’s now a pretty expensive operation. I would guess that I’ve now put another $2,000 into the place. (It kind of blows my mind that the cost of a place like ‘The Bunker” -- which is awesome, don’t get me wrong -- would pay for my re-do and 399 other garages just like mine. But you do what you can with whatever you’ve got -- and this is what I did.)



THE HISTORY

During the 2007 Writers Guild strike, I went through my completely useless junk bin of a garage and tried to get a little organized for the first time in my then 43-year-old life. Both my wife and I write for a living, so we were both out of work for the duration -- I was understandably cautious with spending money. But on the other hand, I couldn’t work -- so I had all the time in the world. I gave myself a $500 budget and attempted to re-use or re-purpose as much of the crap filling my garage as possible, while moving most of what was left to a dumpster. Every day, after a shift spent pounding the pavement on a picket line, I’d work on it. The last touch was to paint it in sort-of-early-1960s shades of green, yellow and tan.

I was pretty happy with it.



I also built a shed for the stuff that would normally clutter up a garage as small as mine. I’d never done much carpentry, but having a garage that I could actually move around in made it easier to get a little creative with the roof lines.



And then one day I saw a sale on ceramic tile at Home Depot and I jumped into a .68/sf scheme to both tile my garage and teach myself how to set tile. It worked out all right, considering how unlevel my 84-year-old garage floor was. I ended up with a nicer-to-use and nicer-to-look-at garage for another $400 invested. (I also ended up with bigger shoulders, since grouting that much tile is a pretty serious amount of work.)



Then I joined Garage Journal. It didn’t happen overnight, but -- slowly, steadily, you can’t fight it forever -- I started to no longer see my finished garage as finished anymore.

It was just getting started.

[Jack Olsen]

THE GARAGE TODAY



I’m calling it ‘The 12-Gauge Garage’ because when I built a steel-topped bench for it, I discovered Strong Hold Cabinets, a Wisconsin company that makes ridiculously strong cabinets. They claim that they’re the strongest metal cabinets you can buy. They’re rated to hold 1900 pounds per shelf. That’s definitely stronger than I have any need for in my garage (and watch out, they’re expensive, too). But the one that was holding up the steel plate for my bench -- well, it just felt good to open and close the thing. Is that crazy?

This is how it looked when I bought it.



Here it is painted and with a 510-pound bench on top of it.



I liked using that cabinet so much that I started keeping an eye out for other used Strong Hold cabinets on eBay.

With a lot of patience, and letting about 50 of the cabinets go to other buyers (I’m cheap, there’s no two ways about it), I finally lucked into a 4’ wide model for $62. This is a 760-pound cabinet that lists for (I think) $2,300 new. I snapped it up, and even got a little less cheap when I sourced a second one for $148. Then I got a Lyon cabinet for a shallower space near my metal bench (it’s made of 14-gauge steel, not 12-gauge). Including the short Strong Hold cabinet I’d already bought, I had about $600 in the four steel cabinets for my garage. It’s about 2,300 pounds of cabinetry.

Getting them to my house and getting them installed into my garage is a very long story I won’t tell here. I did document one bad day when I basically knocked one of the 760-pound cabinets onto my Porsche. (Yeah, you read that right. I ended up not hurting the car too badly, but still -- a pretty bone-headed moment.)



Did I mention that they’re heavy? Each of the doors on the 4’ wide cabinets weighs 85 pounds. They open and close easily, but it has the feel of opening a bank safe.



THE BASIC FACTS

The garage is small -- 20’x22’. I store one car in it and use the rest as my home shop. In addition to the normal home and car repairs, I do some woodworking projects and some welding projects in it. It’s not lit like an operating room. I don’t have beer signs, gas pumps or televisions in it. It’s built to remind me of working with my father in his shop in Chicago, where I grew up.



I'll take it wall by wall. In my initial clean-up of the garage, I added a fold-down table for wood projects. It had pre-drilled holes for my router table and was at the same height as the other bench in the garage so I could use it for cutting long pieces of lumber. I liked it so much that when I took up welding, I added a second, steel table for welding. Both of them fold up along the first wall of the garage so I can park my car there. But when I back the car out I can lower one or both of them for work. It’s a really handy thing to have when you’re working in such a small space.

[Jack Olsen]

In the latest update of the garage, I got rid of the yellow paint on this wall. I’ve decided the only two colors on the wall will be the tan and the green.

Here’s the old yellow:



The back wall is the one that’s changed the most this month. Here’s the way it used to look. I had banker’s boxes on shelves made of hollow-core doors and some crooked cabinets that had been put in sometime before I’d owned the house.



The main bench I was using was pretty simple, too. A solid core door over a frame with three wooden drawers I’d saved when we’d torn a closet out of the house.



I tore out everything and put in cabinets up above the line that had been formed by a piece of aluminum up above my bench. I extended that line across the whole garage, now, with wooden cabinets up above it, mostly with sliding doors. I can keep a lot of stuff up there that I don’t need to access all the time.



Down below, I adapted both of the Strong Hold cabinets to store as much stuff as possible.





One of them now has seven wooden shelves, each holding six bins I sourced from (huh?) Ikea. I keep all kinds of different stuff -- everything from extension cords and trouble lights to hinges, casters, light switches, you name it -- in those bins. I got labels for them so I don’t have to remember where I put what.

For the other cabinet, I wanted to have vertical storage so I could store a small ladder, a broom, and hang my overalls and welding jacket up. So there’s a small space for that, and then a set of normal shelves. On the doors of the cabinets, I put about a hundred bins for fasteners. It’s still not completely sorted out and organized, but I’m getting closer.



The doors can open with plenty of extra space when the car is parked in there.

Putting in the steel cabinets let me move my main bench 30 inches to the left, which allowed me to move my tool boxes to the back wall. They used to divide the garage, and I never liked the way it looked. I also got a Harbor Freight tool box to function as the base for the bench. I painted it to match the Sears boxes.







The next wall over has my ‘compliance station,’ which is a steel-topped bench on another Strong Hold cabinet. Next to that, I’ve got one last steel cabinet, a Lyon, which I belt cut and rewelded so it would be short enough to fit in this space.



I still have the sink and a small bench that I built to surround it. I’ve left the yellow paint on those walls -- mostly because I’m too lazy to re-paint it.

[Jack Olsen]

Those are the walls. But I also added an kitchen-island-type bench in the middle of the garage, and a new butcher-block-topped bench up front. The garage has eight work surfaces in it, now (three steel, five wood), and a ninth (a steel table) suspended from the ceiling above my car.

I stained the tops of the three main benches dark with an opaque stain and marine varnish on top of it. I’m still on the fence about this decision -- I don’t want benches that look so nice you’re afraid to use them, but I also was getting tired of all my benches being the same unfinished wood color.



We’ll see how they hold up.

I try to keep stuff off of the floor and out of plain sight.









When you’ve got a place to put everything, you can clean the whole place up really fast with something like this:



Well, that’s the basic rundown of the place. It’s not going to set the world on fire or re-invent the idea of a garage, but I’ve got to admit that I really enjoyed putting it together and I’m really enjoying getting stuff done in it. I got it all clean for the pictures, but it will get messy on a regular basis.

And, of course, I like having a place to keep the race car:



Any questions?

[TONE]

why do you have decorated tissue paper near the sink?




Ohh, and this is one of my all time fav's.

Thanks for the new write-up and pixs

[lawfarm]

Jack,

Of all of the many garages on here, when I work on plans for my garage, yours is the one I contemplate and want to emulate. That's the highest compliment I can pay you. It's a space that I'd like to work in, and a space that I'd like to have for my own. It looks great, and looks like it functions great, too. Your attention to detail is to be commended.

(Insert wise crack here about how you dropped one of your ten ton shelving units on the Porsche, to bring your ego back in check)...

Really looks great. Really.

[rieferman]

It's awesome Jack. I can really relate to your projects because I also truly enjoy taking "nothing" and turning it into "something".

[laketrash]

Inspiring in both that I'm getting organized for the first time in my life and I'm in roughly a 20x22.

Thanks for sharing (and continuing to share) your ideas and updates.

[neverenoughtools]

Jack , I'm impressed with your set up. I'd call it a working space vs a place of lounging. My humble congratulations on your work in progress !

[JMURiz]

Originally Posted by TONE

why do you have decorated tissue paper near the sink?




Ohh, and this is one of my all time fav's.

Thanks for the new write-up and pixs

I'm guessing because it has a green box that matches the garage

BTW, your shop reminds me a lot of my local inspiration, he does things his way and they make way more sense than what other 'experts' suggest. Hey, anyone with that many woodworking and steel working tools gets my vote. That reminds me, I really need to get a new bench to mount my grinder and learn how to weld.

Props from the P-Car crowd

[fatrhino]

How's the tile been holding up?

[Gds14r]

that garage is simply amazing. i love how everything has a place and the workspace is superb. can i ask what kind of hinges you used on your drop down benches? standard undustrial door hinges? thanks

[tekkerAMCer]

any pictures of the table suspended over the car?

sounds like a neat way to save space. any info on this table would b great

[Tman]

I like the updates! BTW, who do you write for?

[Falcon67]

I hearby order you to cease posting nifty creations with cool cabinetry sourced for cheap. I'm very busy here - busy, busy, busy and you are making Sulley lose his focus!

[eborcim]

I like your repainted HF bottom cabinet. That was one of the first things I noticed. It would go right with my other Craftsman boxes. Does Sears carry that paint or is it a Rustoleum color? Nice collection of C-clamps too for a hobbyist.

[Handyman163]

I'm inspired for sure. I need to get some kind of hitch-style mount like that for my grinder.

How in the WORLD did you get the cabinets in under those tight clearances and not crack any tile?

The whole place looks absolutely magnificent. Great job!

[Ripped]

Very innovative use of space, and a great example (for guys like me) who have limited space, and how to maximize it's use.

Where do you store your woodworking materials, and excess materials?

[WhatThaFrig]

Originally Posted by Falcon67

I hearby order you to cease posting nifty creations with cool cabinetry sourced for cheap. I'm very busy here - busy, busy, busy and you are making Sulley lose his focus!

+1
By far one of my faves. If you run out room for your ideas, I humbly offer you my garage to apply your wares.

[brassmoney]

I have always liked your garage. It inspires me every time I look at it!

[BetterDays]

I concur with the rest.

Something that allows the commoner think that "we can do that".

Unlike watch Old Yankee Workshop with his "insert project" machine that makes everything, you started with and keep providing great ideas for the rest of us.

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks very much guys. What would I do without a board like this? My wife just rolls her eyes at the place. My neighbors don't get it; they see me unloading steel cabinets and come over to tell me they think I'm crazy.

Originally Posted by lawfarm

Insert wise crack here about how you dropped one of your ten ton shelving units on the Porsche, to bring your ego back in check...

My heart still speeds up when I flash back to that moment where I saw the thing going over like a domino, with the car right in its path. It's really kind of a miracle that the damage was so easily fixable.

Originally Posted by TONE

why do you have decorated tissue paper near the sink?

Dude, I use that to fill out the top of the shiny gift bag before I sprinkle on some glitter and shoot it with a squeeze of perfume.

My wife brought that out while I was working because I had a cold and was blowing my nose into my sleeve too much.

It does kind of match the color scheme.

Originally Posted by fatrhino

How's the tile been holding up?

Better than it ought to. I think tile is fine for a shop like this where you're going to do carpentry and minor car work. But welding slag burns it. When you grind something too long and the debris gets hot, it burns the glazing on the tiles. And I do have a small chip, which I suspect is from one of those cabinets. You can also see where I had to leave a cut-out that was from a pillar supporting the old shelves. One weekend, I'll drop some new tiles in where I have damage. It's not the perfect surface, but I think it's better (and cheaper) than most of the high-level epoxies. If you're going to do a lot of welding, though, I think naked concrete is probably the only way to go, long term.

Originally Posted by Gds14r

what kind of hinges you used on your drop down benches? standard undustrial door hinges?

There are three 4-1/2" hinges on the woodworking table (that's the leaf length, basically the same length as the pin), and five 5-1/2" hinges on the steel table. All of them are screwed into the wall studs, and the woodworking bench has a support underneath the table at each hinge point so that the stress isn't on the hinge when the table's in use -- the weight is sitting on the supports. But they're standard hinges. Just big ones.

Originally Posted by tekkerAMCer

any pictures of the table suspended over the car? sounds like a neat way to save space. any info on this table would b great

It's one of the few things in the garage that I think is a bad idea (although I just don't have a better alternative). The table weighs a couple hundred pounds. I think that's too much weight to suspend above a race car -- especially if you're a guy who already knocked a cabinet over on one. But here's a photo. Cables go through pulleys and combine to a single cable before connecting to a winch. You need enough cable length so that it can extend all the way down to the floor, and then that much cable length again for the single line that runs to the winch. So in my shop the cables follow and L-shaped path to the wall above the man door.



My wife saw it and said something about the 'Sword of Damocles.' I have a separate set of chains that hold it in place when it's at rest up there, so there would have to be multiple simultaneous failures for it to come down. But it's not an idea I'm very proud of. I suspect that sooner or later, it's going to come down.

Originally Posted by Tman

I like the updates! BTW, who do you write for?

I write screenplays, so I work for different studios in Los Angeles.

Originally Posted by Falcon67

I hearby order you to cease posting nifty creations with cool cabinetry sourced for cheap. I'm very busy here - busy, busy, busy and you are making Sulley lose his focus!

I promise. I'm done. (And thanks.)

Originally Posted by eborcim

I like your repainted HF bottom cabinet. That was one of the first things I noticed. It would go right with my other Craftsman boxes. Does Sears carry that paint or is it a Rustoleum color? Nice collection of C-clamps too for a hobbyist.

It's Rustoleum Regal Red professional enamel and Rustoleum semi-gloss black. Looks good at arm's length, and hasn't scratched off. I lightly scuffed it and wiped it down with acetone before priming with self-etching primer and painting.

Originally Posted by Handyman163

How in the WORLD did you get the cabinets in under those tight clearances and not crack any tile?

I moved very slowly, with a lot of levers and some furniture dollies. Normally, these are moved with a fork lift, but I cut all the legs off. I positioned them, and then built the cabinets around them.



They are never moving again.

Originally Posted by Ripped

Where do you store your woodworking materials, and excess materials?

I store some steel in the space behind the Harbor Freight tool box, under the bench along the back wall. I also have room for long stock above the garage door.



I also made some little roofing pieces along one side of the house where I store 4x8 sheets and 8'-20' lengths of steel. I also have some bins under the kitchen-island-style-bench with small scraps of wood and steel. I also keep some steel scrap in the shed where I keep the welder and Oxy-Acetylene rig.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack,
Wonderful recap. I like the two colors instead of three. It's a bit cleaner.

I hereby predict your next project is likely to be the sink area! First you're gonna want to make an overhead cabinet for those exposed Porsche manuals - sliding doors? light can over the sink? Then, you'll undoubtedly decide to enclose below the sink (somehow incorporating a Craftsman red/black combo?) and finally, you'll want the counter top to be a similar dark brown as the other work surfaces, but since you'll want it waterproof I'm guessing you'll comes up with either a dark brown wood appearing laminate OR tile. (Have I called it, or have I call it?) If you end up with one of those 500 lb. steel cabinets below that sink....well, I wouldn't be surprised! Best, Dan

[ovilla]

Jack, great write up and revamp! I always liked your shop before and am amazed at what you did to it (like it even more now too). Just amazing how much more open space you gained during this remodel.

Anyway, what's the purpose of the table that's suspended from the ceiling by cables and how stable is it at working height? Looks cool as heck but just wondering what you actually intend to use it for.

[Nuts]

I like the fact that this shop was built with sweat equity, rather than big bucks, very nice.

Nuts

[Brian R]

Jack,
You've done more with $2,500 than anyone else has done with $25,000. Awesome garage and when I finish mine you will see the details I lifted...
Awesome!

[wfopete]

Good stuff but I would hate to retrive those big pipe wrenches on a regular basis. I like you try to keep my stuff out of sight when not in use but I try to make the heavy stuff EZ to access.

[jktruck150]

Jack, Great place! All you need now is a silver bucket with ice and BEvERages on that table next to the garage door! Looks great. I like how you restored all the cabinents. I think it was worth the time and effort. keep it up!

[thdewey]

Jack

You inspired me to make the most of my garage. I'm too am cheap but want to make my garage as nice as possible.

I can't wait to start to weld. I'd love a shop table/desk like that.

Simply AWESOME!

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

I hereby predict your next project is likely to be the sink area!

You might be right. But I'm resisting. I've got a thing I want to make for the kid next, and I pretty much spent all my January free time out in the garage -- working on the garage. Even to me, that seems a little bit crazy.

Originally Posted by ovilla

What's the purpose of the table that's suspended from the ceiling by cables and how stable is it at working height? Looks cool as heck but just wondering what you actually intend to use it for.

The legs are sitting on top of it. It bolts together with two bolts, and then I can set it up wherever I want. I used it (and another just like it) when I was building my fence. It's a good sturdy base, although why I'm going to need a ninth work surface in that garage is a very valid question. I think the answer is that I'm too cheap to throw it out.

This is the only picture I've got handy.

Originally Posted by wfopete

Good stuff but I would hate to retrive those big pipe wrenches on a regular basis. I like you try to keep my stuff out of sight when not in use but I try to make the heavy stuff EZ to access.

I agree. This setup is pretty custom to me, and I've only used those wrenches a couple of times. If I used them more often, they'd get different placement.

[Tman]

Nice fab table.

[Jack Olsen]

Here's another picture of the place. This one shows the color a little more accurately -- there's less of an incandescent yellow hue to it.

[Deschodt]

Trying to figure out which is the best inspiration... your work on the garage, or your work on the black beauty... I'm going with the car, but it was a close thing ;-)

[jwhcars]

I enjoyed reading this thread as much as the first thread you posted. Jack you did a fantastic job with lots of good ideas on laying out your shop. Enjoy the fruits of you labor.

[ratz]

I like the idea of the removable grinder ( wire wheel) it looks like you have hitch reciever tube for other removable tools... like what else?

I am entertaining the idea of combining a few of your items.

A couple angle iron pieces about 3 inches apart, maybe 2ft long, hanging down from the wall with a 6" grinder mounted to the end, with a brace. Kind of like your tables/anvil.

You seem to be a pretty good engineer, so let us know when its done, and we can copy it!

[jeffhay]

My only problem with this is that I'm primarily a woodworker and now you're making me want to weld.
Very nice garage, though. Great job. I'll echo the sentiments of a few others and say that I appreciate the way you've salvaged, adapted or created things to fit your needs.

[Cebby]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

In the latest update of the garage, I got rid of the yellow paint on this wall. I’ve decided the only two colors on the wall will be the tan and the green.

Here’s the old yellow:

You should get a royalty...

http://www.vansantent.com/Bench_Solution.htm

I thought of your solution when I saw this.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I like the way Jack's up swing table covers his wall of clamps and tools better than this pro system.

Now if there were a way for the support mechanisms to be hidden like on the down swing one, you'd really have something. It could be done, but the supports would come from the wall down to the top of the table surface and would be in the way.

[SSCustoms]

Originally Posted by Cebby

You should get a royalty...

http://www.vansantent.com/Bench_Solution.htm

I thought of your solution when I saw this.

The guy that owns Bench Solution is married to my ex-girlfriend. It's a good thing she's gorgeous, or their kids wouldn't stand a chance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vetEgHa7Nso

[51rider]

Jack,
Saw this cabinet & my first thought was 'this would go great in Jack's garage'




I think it was at this point that I finally realised that I'm a garge addict!

Gedore are a German company manufacture quality cabinets & also some tools.

Postage would be a downer...

[PassnThru]

Originally Posted by 51rider

Jack,
Saw this cabinet & my first thought was 'this would go great in Jack's garage'




I think it was at this point that I finally realised that I'm a garge addict!

Gedore are a German company manufacture quality cabinets & also some tools.

Postage would be a downer...

Yes - when you start shopping for other people's garages you probably have a problem.
There are, of course, worse problems to have

[Jack Olsen]

It looks like Gedore makes some nice stuff. CNC cut metal pegboard is a nice touch. I like the drawers, too.

[02hawk]

I love the garage you crafted....writers are very organized....just a note on safety...I would never keep an LP tank in doors or in a cabinet...They do leak. Get it out side. If it is empty still keep it out side

[BetterDays]

Jack,

Perhaps I missed it elsewhere, but is there a fail safe in place to prevent the bench from crashing down while working on it?

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by 02hawk

...never keep an LP tank in doors or in a cabinet...They do leak. Get it out side. If it is empty still keep it out side

Agreed. I was waiting for someone to notice that. In cleaning up, I put it on that shelf, but I've already moved the tank outside. I might run a longer line in from outside for future use, so the tank can always be in a place where a leak would be less likely to knock down my garage walls. I'll always turn the gas off at the tank, not (only) at the heater.

Originally Posted by BetterDays

Perhaps I missed it elsewhere, but is there a fail safe in place to prevent the bench from crashing down while working on it?

Which one? Both benches are pretty secure, in my opinion. With the wood one, the legs fit in between those blocks which are secured to the wall. You couldn't kick them out, and my car can pull in and out without touching them -- I'd have to hit the table top first, and then hit the legs.

On the steel table, the work surface would hang a little lower if the legs came out, but it would have to tear out all five sets of wood screws to go too far past its normal working position. And again, with the weight of the table and the legs (and the 200# magnets that help them snap into position), you wouldn't be able to kick or push the legs out of position very easily. A car driving under the table would do it, but at that point I've got some big problems no matter what happens with the bench top.

I've thought about using a winch to raise and lower the table, since it's pretty heavy. But I haven't done it yet. Gravity (and the magnets) mean the legs swing and lock into position as the table lowers. I think if you saw it in person, you wouldn't think an additional cable or brace is necessary.

But then, anything can be made safer. I'll think about it.

[BetterDays]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Which one? Both benches are pretty secure, in my opinion. With the wood one, the legs fit in between those blocks which are secured to the wall. You couldn't kick them out, and my car can pull in and out without touching them -- I'd have to hit the table top first, and then hit the legs.

On the steel table, the work surface would hang a little lower if the legs came out, but it would have to tear out all five sets of wood screws to go too far past its normal working position. And again, with the weight of the table and the legs (and the 200# magnets that help them snap into position), you wouldn't be able to kick or push the legs out of position very easily. A car driving under the table would do it, but at that point I've got some big problems no matter what happens with the bench top.

Just trying to fail safe the table from going past 90° (level work surface), especially while working on it. That is one advantage of the flip up is that the hinge should only open so far (by design) and then complete failure may take over.

I am thinking maybe something on the ground to put the legs into or at least secure to the floor.

Of course, a car hitting them will cause failure. I am just thinking about stops to prevent the top from going past the designed 90°

[E.rodz]

vey nice way to take advantage of the space that you have.a mans garage will never be done just keep evolving.keep up the great work.

[stewart]

Jack

You're definitely OCD, buts that's not always bad. How do you work on that anvil, it looks like it slides out from the wall? But is it rigid?

[ddrewyor]

Jack,
awesome layout and use of space. The car is ok too

Dave

[Vernmotor]

Jack I just love what you have done with the place !

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys.

Originally Posted by stewart

How do you work on that anvil, it looks like it slides out from the wall? But is it rigid?

I took the plywood off and put in a steel base that mounts to two of the wall studs. It's pretty rigid, but I wouldn't do crazy pounding on it. I keep a vise in that receiver more often than the small anvil. It comes in handy with the fold-down welding table.

I've got a bigger anvil that I'm hoping to clean up and put on a regular-height base. I'm not going to do any work on hot metal, but I'd like something to bend or flatten a piece on now and then. Currently, the larger anvil is sitting on a small furniture dolly. You can see it in the lower part of this picture.

[rustbucket49]

Out of curiosity, I took a peek at e-Bay for Strong Hold cabinets. All I got was a bunch of hair spray.....

[Jack Olsen]

There's a place out here in California that buys up inventory from machine shops and re-sells it on ebay. They sold dozens of them this past year. But you can go long stretches without any showing up at all.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Out of curiosity Jack, where are you getting your misc metals from? Like the 1" square tubing for that welding bench, sheet metal, etc? I'm looking for a cheap (preferably close to free!) source for 16 or 18 guage sheet metal to make some patches on the firewall and floor of my old truck, and of course I'm thinking about making a welding bench too.

Hey, your OCD is slipping - you haven't painted the legs of the table in the photo above! Take care, Dan

[Jack Olsen]

That's true -- those legs would look nice in green, wouldn't they?

The photo above shows the table from toddler's-eye-view, and was possibly going to lead to some stitches one day. So I took 10 minutes and rounded the corners on it this weekend.



It's safer now. Looks better, too.

I've found the best prices on steel at Bobco, which is on Alameda just east of downtown. I've only bought full pieces from them, but they do have remnants and stuff. You might be able to find better prices at a junk yard or recycler, but Bobco was by far the cheapest source when I was looking for materials for my fence.

Their web site is pretty terrible to navigate, but you can call them directly. I've always dealt with a guy named Phil, there.


http://www.bobcometal.com/
(877) 952-6226
2000 S. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90058

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Jack.

Green? I thought you'd probably paint them the same dark machine gray as the table saw stand. Besides, that will be availabe in a rattle can.

P.S. Smart move on the table corners. This sounds stupid unless you've been the parent of a little one: Spend some time on your knees crawling around and you'll see all sorts of hazards you'd never see otherwise.

[mustangmccance]

I like the way you have maximized the space you have. I have moved three times since I got out of school and got a real job. the first garage I built was 24 x 32 for one car and a work shop. every time I move I decide my shop wasn't big enough. the second house I owned I built a 42 x 40. this time I built a 40 x 60 and every time it just fills up. I never found this site until just recently and now my shop is starting to get organized. I am building cabinets and work benches and storage. I am trying to learn from guys like you how to make better use of my space because I have to park 5 vehicles in this building. plus have space to do some work. anyway I love what you have done with your garage.

[jarel]

Great garage...loving the color on those cabinets!.

[6 Grrrs]

Nice garage. Also Nice Porsche.

[Kent Skinner]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

I've found the best prices on steel at Bobco, which is on Alameda just east of downtown. I've only bought full pieces from them, but they do have remnants and stuff. You might be able to find better prices at a junk yard or recycler, but Bobco was by far the cheapest source when I was looking for materials for my fence.

Their web site is pretty terrible to navigate, but you can call them directly. I've always dealt with a guy named Phil, there.

I'd almost forgotten about BOBCO. We always called "BOBCO 3rd World Metals". This is the place where guys would drive through the parking lot with a forklift - loaded, with the mast at full height, bouncing over the train tracks, with materials over customers and cars. I would never let my guard down while shopping there. I'm amazed I never saw a horrible accident.

Great prices though. I wish there was something similar in the bay area.

As of two or three years ago they had a big remnant bin, and scales inside.

They had the best prices on common stuff (1" 16G square tubing, 1x1x1/8 angle, etc) but it was always a bit rusty.

Kent

[Cardboard Man]

Another great read, Jack. I'm glad you re-made this thread - it reads kind of like a "best of" Jack's garage. Like many others I am impressed with your creative use of space, organization of work areas, and making use of used items or materials at little or no cost. I have used some of your ideas in my own shop, such as the fold down workbenches (one finished and two more planned). It also doesn't hurt that you are a professional writer, as your posts are fluent, cohesive, and entertaining. I always look forward to reading a Jack Olsen post, as I know it will be interesting and worthwhile. Keep up the good work.

[tman74]

Great Build!!! Great ideas and use of space!!!!!!

[nzm.031]

love it... head over heels love it.

inspires me that there is hope for my pokey little 20x20.

one question though.. as im having difficulty with it at present...

when you are working on your car... where do you put all the bits without getting it too cluttered??

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by nzm.031

when you are working on your car... where do you put all the bits without getting it too cluttered??

At the '66 Tour de Corse:

Vic Elford: "That's great. Car looks great. But where are the spare parts?"

Huschke von Hanstein: "We don't have spare parts. Porsches don't break."

[nzm.031]

didnt i see a picture in one of your other thread with the rear guard hanging off it after you showed it some wall love??

saying porsches dont break is like saying guns dont kill people hehe.

[rustbucket49]

Awesome crib, Jack.. I am still curious how those storage sheds were built. I drew some out on paper to get a materials list and it ended up being a shed that would probably survive a Cat 5 hurricane..... I know there has to be a simpler and cheaper way.......

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by nzm.031

didnt i see a picture in one of your other thread with the rear guard hanging off it after you showed it some wall love?

It hit the wall, was out on the track again in half an hour, got me all the way home from Sonoma to Los Angeles, and then made a track day the next day at Willow Springs.



I had to put paint caps on the taillights to stay legal for the drive down, but the Porsche was only bruised, not broken.



Ten years of track driving -- year round, usually once a month -- on the same drivetrain. It just keeps going. You can pound nails with these things.

[Porsche ad over.]

Originally Posted by rustbucket49

Awesome crib, Jack.. I am still curious how those storage sheds were built. I drew some out on paper to get a materials list and it ended up being a shed that would probably survive a Cat 5 hurricane..... I know there has to be a simpler and cheaper way.......

I framed out the floor, but was able to basically frame the main body in 48" sections. I guess it's 24" centers on the studs if you don't mind the fact that the middle one is horizontal and supports a shelf. That plywood stuff is stout enough to provide pretty much all the structural strength, especially if you are able to fasten it to a wall, like I did. The roof joists are attached to the plywood, with screws going through the plywood and then into the heads of the joist. I supported them underneath as an afterthought, but -- again -- the plywood is strong stuff. The roof is stronger than normal, too, because of the curve, which makes the thing more rigid, structurally.

The only way I built conservatively was that I used stainless spacers between the wood and the concrete, so water wouldn't get absorbed. Using lag bolts to tie it into the house studs made it very strong. It was pretty minimal construction, but I can jump up and down on those roofs.

Here's another angle on the sheds (although this particular picture makes everything look kind of skewed and crooked):



And a funky angle on the garage:

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack,
I know this isn't the place for it but I was talking to a work friend about the '67 911R today and I did a quick Wiki search to find there were 20 originals, all with fiberglass hoods, trunk lids, doors and I think some plexiglas - sound familiar? Basically YOUR car. BUT...I think they said they were running 906 engines; with which I a unfamiliar and some had mechanical fuel injection, some with Webers but whatever they were I doubt they made the power your stock 3.6 does, did they? Your body is similarly set up so how do you suppose your car compares to the original R? Just curious. Sorry to hijack

P.S. And with yours having the advantage of 17" modern (and a LOT wider) rubber, your car would seem to HAVE to be dramatically faster(?).

[thomask]

Hey JACK,

Always enjoy your posts. I see you have now done a remodel. It does look even neater than before.

I think you have a very bad case of the "garage bug".

It is going around. Hahaa

Thomask

[rustbucket49]

So how much $$ total is in the sheds?? I'm coming up w/ about $450 for just a single 4' D x 8' L x 6' H....... Is that way out of whack ??

[Brad Beam]

FYI THere is a very good article about your garage in "Great Garage Makeovers" Congrats on your celebrity status

[Grizz1963]

Just re read this thread, love the usefull compactness of your shop.

Those cabinets really seem to be worth having for a lifetime.

[Quiksilver]

Jack- looks great, but where do you keep your welder? I have looked at the pics, am I overlooking it?

[StumpXJ]

Jack, a true inspiration as usual. Thanks for combining it all, it really is a nice transformation. I look forward to all of your posts regarding the garage and your projects, very well done on it all sir!

Now I am going out to the garage to see what I can hang up or organize. Thanks for the ambition boost...

One random question though, what is the red thing above your steel fold down table on the left wall???



~James

[jktruck150]

Saw the garage magazine today at Sprawlmart. Noticed you were in it. Good job man!!!

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by rustbucket49

So how much $$ total is in the sheds?? I'm coming up w/ about $450 for just a single 4' D x 8' L x 6' H....... Is that way out of whack ??

It seems high, but I don't have any records on what I spent, other than that I used a $500 Home Depot gift card to buy everything -- and I don't remember going over that total. I don't remember the unit cost on the siding, but it looks like I used 6 4'x8' sheets. I used OSB for the back wall, the floors, and all the shelving, since it wasn't going to be visible. Then it was just some 2x4s and some hardware. Are lumber prices up or down right now?

Originally Posted by Brad Beam

FYI There is a very good article about your garage in "Great Garage Makeovers" Congrats on your celebrity status

Thanks. I saw a few Garage Journal man caves in there. I think mine might be holding down the low end of the spectrum, but I'm proud to be included.

It's funny that most of what's in my garage has changed since those pictures were taken.

Originally Posted by Quiksilver

Jack- looks great, but where do you keep your welder? I have looked at the pics, am I overlooking it?

The tall section of the outside shed holds the welder, as well as an Oxy-Acetylene setup and some other welding supplies.

Originally Posted by StumpXJ

what is the red thing above your steel fold down table on the left wall???

It's a creeper. I don't know where I got it. It's a steel tube frame with plastic pieces suspended between that, where you lie down.

[Jack Olsen]

Here's a very small update. I keep most of my tools in the cabinets, and some in my race car trunk, for track days. But I use the pegboard for things I want handy. I got a Harbor Freight set of pliers for like $7 that I've been using recently as my 'quick grab' set, and it was bugging me how lousy they are. I guess I shouldn't complain about a $1 tool being not very good, but it prompted me to finally go shopping for a set of pliers that weren't made in China.

Snap-Ons are just ridiculously expensive, even used. So I compromised and got a used set of 10 Mac (Matco) pliers -- I'll admit I was swayed by the fact that they were red and fit my color scheme. They're a huge step up from the Harbor Freight set, in terms of quality (price, too). But imagine my surprise when I got them and saw the 'Made in China' label.

Like I said, they're good tools. But like the Irwin Vise Grips I put next to them, they're good tools that are also not made in the U.S.

It's a shame.

Here's a picture where you can see are the old orange HF wrenches:



Here are the new Matco ones, along with the new quick-release Vise Grips:

[Dan in Pasadena]

Looks excellent Jack. Do you mostly leave those cabinets open like in these photo's, or do you tend to leave them closed? I ask because the white pegboard behind those doos could be used for other stuff. I know (it's obvious) you don't like a lot of extraneous "stuff" (tools) visible, but maybe some commonly used things?

As for the Chinese made stuff? I agree the American made stuff is better overall and I WILL pay a bit of a premium for it, but not multiples of cost.

Personally, I don't think "Made in China" is automatic crap...it's more likely to be suspect so you've got to watch what you buy from China, but as these Matco's attest, they're pretty good value for the money - would you agree to that?

[Steve in SoCal]

Jack,

For future reference Channel-lock pliers are made in the USA and very good quality and value. I like the up-dates and congrats on the mag article.

Steve

[ckucia]

Have to say that your garage is inspiring.

My place is only 17x17, built in about the same era. It's a different set of challenges trying to shoehorn a functioning shop and car storage, in this sort of space, and you've done a great job and aesthetically pleasing too.

[bazzateer]

Jack, as ever you've presented this 'precis' of your garage in a simple but informative style making it an enjoyable read. You should take up writing professionally, I'm sure you'd do well at it.....................................oh, hang on a minute.............err.............bugger!

[bushhawg73]

Very nice. The garage has both fit and function. The detail you put into the place shows not to mention you are a pretty good welder and carpenter.

[Swiftmotoring]

Jack,
I have enjoyed reading the threads on you 911 and garage, very impressive. What does a guy with your taste and talent use as a daily driver??

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys. I actually got about an hour to do some work in the place today. I ripped five 2x4s down the middle.



Then I had to cut the results into 60 15-1/4" lengths. I've got too many C-clamps, but it makes something like this easy to set up. I only had to measure once.



When it's done, it's going to be a toy for the kid to climb on in the front yard -- part wood ladder, part rope ladder.

Originally Posted by Swiftmotoring

Jack,
I have enjoyed reading the threads on you 911 and garage, very impressive. What does a guy with your taste and talent use as a daily driver??

Thanks. It's funny. I'm deciding right now what to get next -- which will mean getting rid of my current daily driver.

I'm a little bit irrational when it comes to cars. (Okay, I'm a lot irrational when it comes to cars.) I drive the Porsche around town a lot more than a guy in his forties ought to. It's got a full cage. It sets off car alarms whenever I go out (not from volume so much as because its springs are so stiff it shakes the pavement). I drive my 1983 Jeep CJ7 a lot too, in spite of the fact that it's old and ugly and probably not very safe.



My official daily driver is currently a Jaguar XK8 coupe, which I've had for seven years. It's never gotten to stay in the garage, so it's getting a little tired looking. The only picture I have is from shortly after I got it.



The XK8 has been reliable and comfortable, but I'm only sort of a fan of its styling. That said, I tend to hate anything designed after 1963 or so. I had a Series 3 Jaguar XJ-6 for a while before this one, and thought it was really beautiful. At the time I was young and single and had no need at all for a big old sedan.

Now I've got a kid, and I need to get a sedan again. It's got to be reliable and I suppose it ought to be something the kid won't be embarrassed by when I pick him up from school. So that means locating that old XJ-6 is out of the question, as much as I miss it. And the newer Jaguar I've been driving might qualify as a 'trying too hard' car for a guy who's going to be pushing 50.

I've been looking at a lot of different cars this past few months, and I will no doubt end up making a poor decision because I disqualify so many cars for totally irrational reasons. (Like, I really only like round headlights on a car. And anything touched by Chris Bangle makes my skin crawl.) The currently leading candidate might end up winning the contest not because it's a particularly good car, in any way, but because it generates the fewest objections from my long list of car-related idiosyncrasies.

But I can't think of a single car made in the past five years that I really like -- even if cost weren't an option. It makes my wife a little crazy, and I can't blame her. She drives a Prius. It was an easy decision for her, and she loves the thing.

[bknudtsen]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

I've been looking at a lot of different cars this past few months, and I will no doubt end up making a poor decision because I disqualify so many cars for totally irrational reasons. (Like, I really only like round headlights on a car. And anything touched by Chris Bangle makes my skin crawl.) The currently leading candidate might end up winning the contest not because it's a particularly good car, in any way, but because it generates the fewest objections from my long list of car-related idiosyncrasies.

But I can't think of a single car made in the past five years that I really like -- even if cost weren't an option. It makes my wife a little crazy, and I can't blame her. She drives a Prius. It was an easy decision for her, and she loves the thing.

I totally understand your way of thinking! My irrational idiosyncrasies revolve more around having a vehicle that could survive a post-apocolyptic zombieland. My wife doesn't understand either.

Anyway, have you considered a well kept Toyota Landcruiser FJ60? It has round headlights, four doors, looks cool, readily accepts a chevy V-8, and has that cool retro look thing you seem to like.

Here's a company in Van Nuys; that does renovations, conversions, sales.

http://www.tlc4x4.com/FJ60_86_shots.htm
http://www.tlc4x4.com/FJ60_84_shots.htm

Good luck,

Brad

[Dan in Pasadena]

V8 in a post '75 car in California? Uh...no. Not legally at least.

[mad57]

Jack great redo on an allready nicely done garage space.... but i have to see some more pics of the porsche, iam a 57 chevy guy but have always wanted an older style porsche.

[jj3]

Every time I see this garage I really enjoy it. It is clean, simple and basic (but just on the surface). Once you get into the depth of the entire area it becomes evident that so much work and thought went into every aspect.

As has been said before, you're an inspiration Jack.

Thanks for sharing with us!
JJ

[bossracer]

What kind of hinge do you use on the folding work benches? I can't make them out. I have a 9 foot section of countertop out of the neighbors house. I'm thinking to copy your idea. I like it!

Garage looks great.

[metal1313]

jack i say keep the cj and clean it up, dont go crazy, but upgrade the brakes, maybe a little slight performance and suspension work, and new seats, belts, and a real cage. safe and fun, and it could easily pull a little 4x8 trailer, such as an hf type folding trailer.

that siad if i was better off id keep my bronco and buy a newer truck. the bronco needs alot of rust repair, and even though i know i can get the panels cheap, and can replace them myself, i cant paint the truck, or afford the time to have it down.

[markviii]

Jack,

I enjoyed reading about your garage renovation (I saw the original thread, too). It's nice to see it kept as a working space, not a show place. You used the space to good advantage to meet your work space needs. Nice to see you thinking of safety as well with the rounded corners on the table. As for the flooring, it looks great - I like the light color for reflectivity and the tile dresses it up. While using your welder, you could put some sort of covering on the floor (non-flammable, of course), similar to what BB767 does when he welds or works on cars on our black/white tiled floor. Good job all round.

Chris (markviii)

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by mad57

Jack great redo on an allready nicely done garage space.... but i have to see some more pics of the porsche, iam a 57 chevy guy but have always wanted an older style porsche.

Thanks. I had the car out at our local track again last week. It's pretty in the pictures, but there's no substitute for redline in 5th gear as you go through turn 8 at Willow Springs.

Originally Posted by bossracer

What kind of hinge do you use on the folding work benches? I can't make them out. I have a 9 foot section of countertop out of the neighbors house. I'm thinking to copy your idea. I like it!

The hinges on the wooden bench have a four inch pin length and the long leaf is 6" while the short leaf is 2". I have three -- each fastened into a wall stud with 3" wood screws. I also have a support underneath each hinge so that when the work surface is down it's resting its weight on the support, not stretching the hinge.

I can jump up and down on the bench without a problem.

Originally Posted by markviii

Jack,

I enjoyed reading about your garage renovation (I saw the original thread, too). It's nice to see it kept as a working space, not a show place. You used the space to good advantage to meet your work space needs. Nice to see you thinking of safety as well with the rounded corners on the table. As for the flooring, it looks great - I like the light color for reflectivity and the tile dresses it up. While using your welder, you could put some sort of covering on the floor (non-flammable, of course), similar to what BB767 does when he welds or works on cars on our black/white tiled floor. Good job all round.

Chris (markviii)

Thank you, Chris. Your husband's and your shop is already the stuff of legend on this board, so I appreciate your noticing my little 400 dquare feet of project space. I do put welding blankets down -- otherwise I get little spot burns from slag and grinder spray.



And while I'm posting pictures, here's the new phone that just went in -- I won't have to go scrambling around for one of the cordless ones anymore. And my tongue-in-cheek sign reminds me that the garage is not for chatting it up.

[bossracer]

Jack,

I definitely stole some of your ideas. The countertop section needed only a small corner cut off to clear. It is 10 feet long. I used 4 adjustable spring hinges and 2 regular hinges. The adjustable spring hinges were supposed to help take some of the weight off. They are designed for a door, not vertical operation so I'm not so sure they are doing anything. I may try to install a hatchback lift strut and see if it can help with the weight.

I used a 2X4 all the way across the bottom. Still need to add another on the left side. Ran out of scrap wood.

All in all, it was super cheap. table top - free. 2X4's -- free, left overs. I spent about 100 bucks on hinges, eye bolts and clips.

I couldn't find any heavy duty feet like yours. What brand are they?

Still need to paint it all, like yours.

Table up:


Down:


Whole shot. You can see it is small. 17X17.

[michel]

Now come on...
Pls talk to us about the Mustang sir...

[Mustanger]

Yes...tell us about the car....

[Jack Olsen]

That's cool!

I wouldn't have thought of an L-shaped table like that, but it looks like it works great.

The spring hinges are certainly increasing the support for the table, like any hinge would. I doubt you can dial in enough tension to make a meaningful difference in helping with the weight, though.

With the straight up and down legs, I wonder if it would make sense to have a hinged triangle shaped piece (maybe 14" on each side where there's the right angle) that could swing out and lock the center leg into position, somehow, sort of like a gusset -- so there's no danger of the legs getting kicked out. Then again, I know that's not an issue on my metal table -- yours might be beefy enough to insure nothing slides when it's in the down position.

Some more storage and some paint and that Mustang is going to have a really cool place to rest. Is it a straight-line or a track car? It looks bada$$.

[NUTTSGT]

Jack, the garage still looks great man. Every time I see a pic of your garage, I'm amazed with the amount of stuff you have jammed in there and still organized.

Something I've been wondering for a while, what is the total count on the C-clamps ?

[bossracer]

On the legs, I'm planning on adding 2X4's to keep the legs from over extending. I've thought about how to tie them together. But it would have to be up high to keep from hitting stuff below. Plus with the full length 2X4 underneath, the table should stop in the correct place.

Well, like the garage the car is a work in progress. It is a re-creation of a car that never was. I was only 7 years old at the peak of the Trans Am years. But I've always loved them. It is built just like I would have built it back in the day, provided Rich Uncle Louie wrote the check. There is essentially no modern technology in it. It does have a front bumper on it now. But there are no pics of it.

Flat tappet solid lifter cam, double pumper Holley, no mufflers, stock Mustang suspension. 15X8 inch wheels. Bone stock Boss heads, stock stroke honest 302 CID. And 40 year old NOS TRW pistons. When I started "vintage" road racing, racing gas was about 2 bucks a gallon. Now it is 10. And I can run through 40 gallons in a weekend. So, I don't get to run it much. I hope to run it a couple times this year. I've sat out since Nov '08.

here are a couple shots of it on the track:




here's the engine bay. Air Filter top has since been replaced by an aluminum lid that matches the valve covers:


here's a link to all the pics: http://www.supermotors.net/registry/6520

[rustbucket49]

Jack, I see you got a Millermatic Auto-Set. You had a Hobart to start with, didn't you? Which Miller did you get ?

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by NUTTSGT

Something I've been wondering for a while, what is the total count on the C-clamps ?

Ha! Are you suggesting I might have a problem -- especially considering I'm a hobby welder at best?

Well, maybe I do. I just counted. I have 78 C-clamps total. 55 are 6" or less. 23 are between 8" and 12".

But each one's got a place -- so if you stand in front of the garage, you can't see any of them. And I got all of them second-hand, or from Harbor Freight, so there's not a fortune invested there.

Originally Posted by rustbucket49

Jack, I see you got a Millermatic Auto-Set. You had a Hobart to start with, didn't you? Which Miller did you get ?

It's a Millermatic 211. I sold the Hobart 140 to a fellow Garage Journaler.

I still haven't installed 220 in the garage, so I'm basically doing the same type of work I'd been doing with the 140. But I got a good deal on the 211 and now have some room to grow.

[NUTTSGT]

78 , wow, I have a long way to go to catch up

[Shrek]

Jack,

Do you happen to have a build on the over head cabinets? I like the look of them and thing something similar would work great in my space.

Thanks,

Glenn

[Jack Olsen]

I don't have very good documentation on the cabinets. But here's what I snapped with the camera while I was putting them together.

They're attached to the wall studs and ceiling joists. It's a pretty straightforward box design, with (sistered) 2x4 supports along the front and single 2x4s in the rear -- also 2x4 uprights. The shelving is 7/16" MDF. The sliding doors are hardboard, I think 3/16". Since the majority of the new cabinets were directly above a pair of cabinets that would not be moveable (and weigh over 700 pounds each), I also let the weight of the lower shelf sit right on top of the cabinets. But if you could silde the metal cabinets out (you can't), the wooden cabinets would support themselves just fine.

This is where I started, getting the stored stuff out of the old cabinets.



I had to do a little patching on the exposed sections.



1,500 pounds of steel cabinets moved in. Thanks to levers, furniture dollies and carpet, my back was not injured in the process.



This is with the framing started. You can see that the section of the cabinets above where the workbench is going to go has a bottom edge that's higher. Work lighting gets fit into that space.



For the sliding doors, I simply used a table saw to cut grooves in a section of 2x4.



Here the doors are in place.



And now there's paint and the decorative aluminum strip is glued on.



This is a set of similar shelves above my steel-topped bench. I made a curved corner for this set.



And here it is with skin and trim.



And here it is all together:

[51rider]

That last photo has to be my favourite of your shop

I particularly like the bench with the curved metal frame. It all blends in so well & looks absolutely fantastic.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

...For the sliding doors, I simply used a table saw to cut grooves in a section of 2x4.

Hi Jack,
I don't know why I never thought of this before but this re-post of your sliding door details made a light come on in my head.

I have a large built-in shelving unit from the previous owner that I put a face frame on, intending to make doors for it. It's about 7' tall x 5' +/-. Complicating the matter is that my JetSki trailer is parked right in front of it so door swing room is limited. Since you have these sliders; though yours are smaller, do you think the dado-ed 2x4 approach would provide adequate ease of sliding larger hardboard doors than you used? Each door would be 7' tall and just over 25" wide. Right now, I rarely get into this cabinet because it holds camping and seasonal stuff. But I'm moving that stuff overhead and will put more regularly used stuff there in the future.

The other option would be to hang the hardboard doors by sliding bedroom closet door type hangers, but so far I haven't found the sheet metal track you mount overhead for those. I tried OSH, but will check out Home Depot this weekend. I'd like to get away cheap and just dado the 2x4's putting finger recesses in for opening/closing. Any advice appreciated.

[Jack Olsen]

I think it would work fine with hardboard on pine, honestly. The doors would each be 3' wide. If the wood grabbed too much, you could try some graphite, or beeswax (someone here will know what would be best), or even get 5' of aluminum T-shaped stock for the center, with wood on either side.

Rolling hangers would work, of course -- but that's not as cheap as a split 2x4.

And on an unrelated note: the thing I forgot, which is so obvious for this type of door, is to make the top set of grooves twice as deep as the bottom, so you can remove the doors by lifting them up until the bottom edge comes free. Mine are permanently trapped, which isn't a problem (yet), but there would have been no harm in cutting deeper grooves for the top guides.

Someone on this board reminded me of that, too late. Live and learn.

[Born_Annoyed]

First off, I'd like to say well done young man! I have a request. Can you please take a few pictures of the way you have the Anvill mounted? Looks like it's mounted to receiver bar's and welded to a 1/4 plate. And how is it attached to the wall???

Thanks, and keep up the great job.

Marc...

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks for the fast response.

You're saying the doors should be 3' wide but that would be too much overlap to allow getting things in and out of the cabinet. Each face frame opening is (I think) about 26+". Is there any reason why I couldn't make the doors overlap only...say 2-3"? My concern about them sliding isn't so much the friction as it is the height vs width. Would they tend to rock rather than slide? But I think you're right that beeswax or silicone would help. I'll post up some pictures once I get this completed. Thanks again.

[tweezer]

Originally Posted by bossracer

Jack,

I definitely stole some of your ideas. The countertop section needed only a small corner cut off to clear. It is 10 feet long. I used 4 adjustable spring hinges and 2 regular hinges. The adjustable spring hinges were supposed to help take some of the weight off. They are designed for a door, not vertical operation so I'm not so sure they are doing anything. I may try to install a hatchback lift strut and see if it can help with the weight.

I used a 2X4 all the way across the bottom. Still need to add another on the left side. Ran out of scrap wood.

All in all, it was super cheap. table top - free. 2X4's -- free, left overs. I spent about 100 bucks on hinges, eye bolts and clips.

I couldn't find any heavy duty feet like yours. What brand are they?

Still need to paint it all, like yours.

Table up:


Down:


Whole shot. You can see it is small. 17X17.

Are you guys screwing those hinges straight to the wall?

[bossracer]

mine are screwed into the studs.

[Jack Olsen]

Yeah, it's not enough to just attach it to the wall. You've got to fasten to the studs themselves.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

You're saying the doors should be 3' wide but that would be too much overlap to allow getting things in and out of the cabinet. Each face frame opening is (I think) about 26+". Is there any reason why I couldn't make the doors overlap only...say 2-3"? My concern about them sliding isn't so much the friction as it is the height vs width. Would they tend to rock rather than slide? But I think you're right that beeswax or silicone would help. I'll post up some pictures once I get this completed. Thanks again.

I was just throwing out an approximate size. If you make them overlap 2-3", it'll be perfect. Also, the lower you put the holes (or handles), the less tendency there'll be for them to rock.

[JBC]

Jack,

Part of the greatness of your garage is the fact that you do have limits. Everone has cash limits. Some more than others and thats great. I'm a card carrying capitalist and free market supporter myself. So, throw enough money at a problem and you can fix it - like make a refrigerator fly. I know, just take a look at the MH-53E (Sea Dragon). Its like running a business, a monkey can cut cost but it takes a creative mind to cut cost in the right places at the right time and use what he has available to make it work and work well. Your garage works well and it shows creativity and inginuity. That is worth a lot of cash in my mind.

JBC

[28HopUp]

Jack,

THANK YOU for posting up pics on the transformation of your garage. There are so many cool features that the rest of us can put to good use. Although high car-count pristine/decorated garages are interesting, your working shop utilizing a small space is inspiring. Thank you again!

[NUTTSGT]

Dan, you could also try some smaller hanging track some place like TSC. This would be the roller for the top. It rides in a metal track, it maybe to expensive for what you have in mind.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/home-im...-strap-3542035


If you stick with the sliding doors like Jacks, you can use some regular bar bath soap as a lubricant to make the door slide easier.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by 51rider

That last photo has to be my favourite of your shop

I particularly like the bench with the curved metal frame. It all blends in so well & looks absolutely fantastic.

Thanks very much for that. Since I designed it and built it, I'm pretty pleased that someone else likes it.

Originally Posted by JBC

Part of the greatness of your garage is the fact that you do have limits. Everone has cash limits. Some more than others and thats great. I'm a card carrying capitalist and free market supporter myself. So, throw enough money at a problem and you can fix it - like make a refrigerator fly. I know, just take a look at the MH-53E (Sea Dragon). Its like running a business, a monkey can cut cost but it takes a creative mind to cut cost in the right places at the right time and use what he has available to make it work and work well. Your garage works well and it shows creativity and inginuity. That is worth a lot of cash in my mind.

Originally Posted by 28HopUp

THANK YOU for posting up pics on the transformation of your garage. There are so many cool features that the rest of us can put to good use. Although high-car-count pristine/decorated garages are interesting, your working shop utilizing a small space is inspiring. Thank you again!

Thanks guys. You've gotta make the best of what you've got. I'd love to have a 50'x100' shop with a row of lifts holding up my fleet of high-end performance cars -- but I've got my two-car space and my 38-year-old race car and my wife occasionally asking why we have to park our regular cars out in the street. I'm fine with that. And she seems to understand.

At the same time, I'm not willing to give up the stuff I like to do -- so rather then trip over boxes of crap every time I want to make something cool for my kid, I'm glad I devoted a little bit time and energy to work benches and storage and ways to make the small space work as a kind of modest shop. I appreciate it every time I use it.

Latest little project -- front-yard zipline.

Originally Posted by Born_Annoyed

First off, I'd like to say well done young man! I have a request. Can you please take a few pictures of the way you have the Anvill mounted? Looks like it's mounted to receiver bar's and welded to a 1/4 plate. And how is it attached to the wall???

Well, I mounted the anvil to the plate in the, uh, wrong way. I drilled four holes through it and bolted the base plate on. But it's a Harbor Freight cast iron anvil, so it's greatest calling in life is probably going to be to occasionally straighten out a nail or bend a piece of steel stock.



On the wall mount, I don't have any pictures of the installation, unfortunately. But I'll say this: it's not a great idea for an anvil at all. I took the plywood off the wall and cut up a 1/8" steel C-shaped (like 2"x4" rectangle tubing, but only three sides) leg support for a workbench and made two crossmembers that fit between the wall studs. A double trailer hitch receiver got sandwiched between them. The square tubing on the anvil base slides into the hitch. The mount to the wall is pretty sturdy, but the whole point of an anvil is to be able to really go nuts on it with a hammer. I think I'd need to add a single-leg attachment going straight down to the floor from the base of the anvil if I wanted it to be strong enough, long term, for a lot of pounding. I think the way it is now I'd just tear up the wall studs.

That said, it's a good mount for a vise or a grinder when I'm using the welding table.

And it's a good place to store that anvil until I find a place for it. I got a 200# anvil not too long ago, so the little cast iron one is going to have to find a use somewhere or I'll send it packing to someone who needs a good boat anchor.

[rustbucket49]

I have been toying with idea of getting a MM212. I may invest in a TIG set-up first though......

[crewchief888]

as i've said before i think jack has one of the best looking/functional small garages ive seen.

making do with whats available, and searching for deals is what it's about.
anyone can spend money, and for a lot of people spending money on making a working garage "purty" aint gonna happen.

my hats off to you

[JBC]

Jack,

That zip line looks like a good flight simulator for the litte one. Just get that contraption to rotate around the wire and wham, you got an aileron roll. Make sure you have a good three point harness.

JBC

[thomask]

Building a zip line?

I know your a screen writer and wonder are you teaching your son to be a stunt double?

Neat project.

[Jack Olsen]

It's engineered to go pretty slow. But then, the kid hasn't even turned 2 yet. I bought that seat because it had a three-point harness and (presumably) was built to prevent litigation and broken toddlers.

But we'll see. So far, the little guy has gotten scared whenever I've put him in it. Maybe he knows some things about engineering I don't. I'll let him go at his own speed -- but I'll post a video when he starts liking it.

[Jack Olsen]

Two quick Saturday garage projects. A phone and a clock.

Not too long ago, I installed a phone in my garage that was a reproduction of the old Henry Dreyfuss-designed Western Electric 354. It had touch-tone buttons to replace the dial, but still looked kind of appropriate in a vintage looking garage.



Well, I liked the look of it -- but it kind of bugged me when I learned that I could get an actual Western Electric 354 for about half of what the reproductions sell for. So I picked up one, and was surprised that it fired right up and gave me a dial tone as soon as I wired it to a modern plug. It's kind of strange to dial with the old dial-clicker and not only have it work, but have it connect you to your modern cell phone. Apparently, phone companies are required to support the old dial-type phones. Imagine being able to access the network with your current cell phone in the year 2070. Not only is there no doubt it would have dissolved away to nothing, I'm sure the standards will have changed. But for now, this 1951 phone works just fine. It's amazing to see something built this well.



The phone came with a dial insert with a previous user's phone number in it. I made one for my own number. I learned that the exchange name for my prefix had originally been WEbster.

Next up, the clock. I'm going to move my drill press from the mouth of the garage back to my bench, but doing so will block the view of my clock. And the recent 'shop clock' thread on this board got me thinking about those old two-faced clocks that you'd see in train station and school corridors. So I bought two of the same type of clock and made a bracket to hold them up as one two-faced clock.

Here's the clock I bought -- the frame is red to match my toolboxes.



I cut a very basic bracket out of a piece of aluminum. Here it is on my 'poor man's press brake.'



A little bit of paint and I put it up on the pillar. I like the old-fashioned look of it, and I can see it from either side of the garage -- and also out in the driveway.

[BetterDays]

Jack,

As always, you work is an inspiration to me.
The little details make the difference.

[rpsurfr]

Ditto
you are an artistic dude. Color shape form nice stuff
As an intellectual process does it just come to you or do you think it out over time?

[Fidget]

It's always good to have one of the old dial phones around for when the power goes out. I've used Mothers' metal polish on bakelite radios cases to remove the oxidation, and get it's shine back. Been doing that for years. Something to think about if your phone is getting that nasty texture to it.

[santagary]

Wow, your color sense and spatial relations in that space are mind boggling. Did you weld up the bench in front of the garage with that cool arch? I think that bench/table is a piece of art. Do you have any scale drawings/measurements? I'd like to try and make one. You're obviously a writer for sure. Any involvement by your wife in these designs. The arch seems to be a theme in the aforementioned bench/table and your storage shed arched roofs which also match the spanish tile arches...correct, or am I off there? Want a ski week vacation??? You can visit my garage and give me some ideas in return...santagary@skywerx.com

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks very much, guys.

I did make the front table myself. I don't have much in the way of plans, outside of the drawing I made the morning I built it.



Here it is in progress:



I put an arch or a curve in a lot of the stuff I build as a kind of a nod to my father, who helped me with my first big building project as a kid -- a 20' diameter skateboarding half pipe. I was itching to just get it done, and he stood back and let me initially make one that was just awful (I'd eyeballed the curve of the thing). Then he patiently showed me how to do it, and the half pipe was great and stood in our back yard for about a decade. I don't know why I still use that basic principle whenever I can, but I do.


On the clock, I'm still trying to decide if the red is too much. It's one of those doesn't-matter-at-all things that'll percolate in the back of my mind until I make a decision. I could change the red parts of the clock to a gloss gray or even black pretty easily. I could also paint it green to match the cabinets.

I'll see.

Today I shortened the drill press by 3" so it would fit on the main bench, in front of where the old clock used to be.

You can see in this first picture the gap between the ring that marks the top of the adjustment range and the head unit. I knew it would reduce my adjustibility, somewhat, but I decided if I shortened the thing it would fit on my bench and I wouldn't need a dedicated table for it at the front of the garage.



Head removed:



Shortened:



Now it fits:



The garage is a mess, but you get the idea of how it looks in its new location:



Now I'm going to build a shallow (8" deep) storage cabinet to go where the drill press used to sit. This old picture will show what I'm talking about.

[santagary]

I'm going to try to make a similar table...thnx for the sketch. My offer of a free weeks vacation winter or summer still stands IF you come to Pagosa Springs. gary

[Jack Olsen]

That's really nice of you. I'm probably not going to be in Colorado any time soon (I don't get out of the garage that often, much less the house), but I'll keep it in mind.

Here's a post with more details on the bench:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...d.php?p=749532

[Jack Olsen]

Well, I made some progress on the shallow plywood cabinet to go along the wall at one end of the steel-and-butcher-block bench.

I wanted a cabinet to store my stepladder and step stool without simply leaning them against the wall. The challenge is that if I want full swing-out doors, I'd have to move the bench a long way from the face of the cabinet. And sliding doors wouldn't give me a wide enough opening to fit the big ladder in.

So I came up with a hinging scheme that has the door fold as it opens. It only needs as much space as the short section of the door for clearance. I used some hinges I had on hand.



In fact, the whole cabinet was made out of stuff I had on hand. The wood is left over from making shelves for one of the steel cabinets.

Here you can see it when it's open.



This is what it looks like when it's closed. This picture shows how close I can have the table and still have plenty of room to move the stepladder in and out of the cabinet.



I still need to install a handle and some of the belt-line aluminum trim to match the rest of the cabinets.

[bknudtsen]

The clock looks terrific in that last pic Jack.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I like the clock Jack.

It looks great in red, picks up on the color of your tool boxes. At the risk of sounding negative, I think you may be getting a bit too monochromatic with the green. Don't get me wrong, your garage is excellent - who am I to say much since it's been in a magazine. But I really do think just a few more red accents here and there would make it pop a bit more.

[Jack Olsen]

Too much green?! But I've still got two gallons of the paint!

With the wise counsel of the guys on this board, I let go of the idea of painting the clock green. Instead, I took both faces apart and painted the bezel the same shade of red as the toolboxes. Before, it had been just a shade different than the other reds.



I also picked up a second-hand Dazor magnifying lamp. It came with a rolling floor base, which I don't need. My first thought was to drill a hole in one of my benches for it, but then I started wondering which bench -- and that made me dig out an old angle plate. I put it on the drill press and cut a 1/2" hole in it, painted it, then put some foot pads on. The result isn't pretty, but it's not going to move unless I pick it up and move it.





While I was on a roll, I added the aluminum trim and handle to the ladder closet. Still have to sand/scuff the trim, but you get the idea.



Now I've got to clean the place up. There's sawdust everywhere from building that cabinet.



I promise: no more green for a while.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Looks great. I like the magnifying lamp. My HF one is plain white... I haven't done a coordinated paint scheme yet & don't I have multiple work surfaces, yet. BTW, I like the angle base you adapted; sorta came out "portably-permanent"?

I laughed out loud about two more gal's of green paint! I've got SO much left over paint! I've decided to "pull a Jack Olsen" and try to make maximum use of stuff I already have. All the latex whites are going to be mixed together to freshen up my pegboard (Where the HECK did you buy the Stay-Put pegboard clips?). The lower walls of my garage will be a machine gray and a sort of 70's Harvest Gold is going on my cabinets because my tall lateral cabinet is already that color and needs freshening.

I'm hoping mine will have your vintage look since as my garage is as old (older?) than yours. Your incandescent spot lights are warmer and highlight areas beter than my fluorescents - I may have to add some clamp lights. My floor is a serious mess. So much so that I doubt I could use tile but I'd love to. I may demo out sections, re-pour and just use as-is. No perimeter footing, its all one slab so I can't just demo and replace - damn! Anyway, yours is still the gold standard for ordinary suburban-sized, older garages, I think.

[Brian R]

Can't decide which I like better - the car or the garage.

In the end the green paint and all those work spaces win out - the garage.
Well done.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Brian R

Can't decide which I like better - the car or the garage.

...that's only because you've never seen him drive the car!

[Po'Boy]

Really great space, I must say. I read through the thread, and not sure if I missed it, but where did you get those hanging lights from??

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. The two hanging lamps over that middle bench are from Ikea. Most of the others are $5 trouble lights from Home Depot.

[santagary]

Your garage is now my computer wallpaper...I can't quit looking at it...it's inspired...or you are or something. I also drive a Porsche, a 2001 boxter, tiptronic. I guess I'm trying too hard too at 68. It's more fun than my airplane. I'm most inspired by your "out of sight" approach from the front/outside of the garage. Your way of storing and hiding clutter is amazing. My offer of a vacation week in Colorado still stands and you can show me how to drive the Boxter properly. g

[kizer]

Hey cogrates on the magazine article. I picked one up the day before yesterday and sure enough theres Jacks garage in it. I think it was garage makeover or something like that.

I had to buy it because I'm adicted to garages for some odd reason.

[Lightfighter]

Jack,

Congratulations! In my opinion, you have one of the best garages on this site. It, by far, sets the standard for organization, practical usage, and innovative ideas. I am inspired by your willingness to continually tweak it to suit your needs. It is truly a nice space to "rest" your Porsche. I feel like they compliment one another. Keep up the good work!

[Jack Olsen]

Wow, Gary. Again, that's very generous. Thanks again. The Boxster is a really great little Porsche -- totally underrated in my opinion.

And since you've put a picture of my garage on your computer, here are some more I took today. The sawdust is cleaned up and the clock is starting to grow on me.

With the car:



Without the car:



View from the back steps:



And one more:



It's not quite as minimalist as it was before the extra saw and the magnifying lamp went on the middle bench. But it's still pretty clean.

And thanks to you guys too, Kizer and Lightfighter.

[Jack Olsen]

Now here's the deal: as of today, my wife and son are out of town for four days, visiting family while I'm here alone with a work project -- and the garage. Today I swept it out and took a bunch of pictures. Then I figured out how to sandwich them together into a little video slideshow. So, if you're interested in a kind of 'walk around' of the place, this is it.

I can hear my wife now. 'A video? Seriously? About the garage?'

Like I said -- she's out of town, so no one could tell me to stop.

HERE'S THE LINK. If it works, let me know.

[Abbott]

Fun stuff, gotta love the blues.

[Jack Olsen]

The video is now in higher resolution -- with annotations.

[rieferman]

really cool Jack. Well done (we wouldn't expect less from you) and it definitely tells the story nicely. In fact, I think there should be a thread with GJ video tours. I'm in, who else?

[Dan in Pasadena]

I agree, well done. The funky old bluesy music is right on the money.

I keep getting little ideas from you. I have my old (but precious to me) Pioneer component system in my garage that I worry about dust getting into. I never thought of putting it in one of my cabinets; now I do! Where are your speakers? The ones that came with my stereo are HUGE by today's standards. Thought of mounting them way up high, kinda pointing downward but... I keep watching CL for somewhat smaller ones.

EDIT: P.S. We need new exterior shots when the ivy leafs out to match the old ones.

[markviii]

Jack,
The YouTube video is wonderful! And the blues background is just our style. In our opinion, you can't have a garage without tunes (and the more blues the better). (we've got many blues and rock-and-roll recordings on vinyl from the earliest recordings on - there wouldn't be Rock-n-Roll without the Blues)

Also, I love the double-hinged cabinet - an elegant solution!

Chris

[mdbeck1]

Okay, I may have missed it but it looks like you are using some kind of pickup receiver hitch to mount tools onto the front your workbench (vice and/or bench grinder and/or ???).
1. Please show some more details on how you attached the tools to be removable.
2. Please show some details on how the receivers are attached to the bench.
3. Does this configuration work well for you?
4. Is the bench mounted to the wall?

[Po'Boy]

On the cabinets you built that has the curved contour on the one end, what materials did you use to build it, how did you attatch said materials to each other?

It looks like 1/2" plywood, and 1'x2's. I remember you said you attatched it to the wall studs and ceiling joists, I assume via the plywood backing, and top of the cabinets. Apprx. how much weight is in those cabinets? I'm looking at building some in a similar fashion. Thanks.

Matt

[santagary]

Wow I wish I knew how to make a slide/video like that...I'd tour you guys through my ranch/barn/shop/with mountain scenery. Great job Jack. I drove a lot of 911's before I found this Boxter with 30000 miles, I'll send a pic when I figure out how to attach it, etc. I'm a little challenged when it comes to computer/tech stuff. I'm changing my wallpaper to your newest shot with the Porsche.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by rieferman

In fact, I think there should be a thread with GJ video tours. I'm in, who else?

Yours would be a great subject. I was turning around trying to think 'what else can I snap a picture of?' because my place is pretty small. Your barn has a whole story to it.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Where are your speakers? The ones that came with my stereo are HUGE by today's standards. Thought of mounting them way up high, kinda pointing downward but... I keep watching CL for somewhat smaller ones.

I've got one speaker above the man door, and one in the opposite corner. I put a text label in the video where the one in the corner shows up in the Youtube slide show.

Originally Posted by markviii

Jack,
The YouTube video is wonderful! And the blues background is just our style. In our opinion, you can't have a garage without tunes (and the more blues the better). (we've got many blues and rock-and-roll recordings on vinyl from the earliest recordings on - there wouldn't be Rock-n-Roll without the Blues)

Also, I love the double-hinged cabinet - an elegant solution!

Chris

Now, you and your husband's place would make a great documentary -- not just a slideshow. You should get a cinema studies major from Champaign (I was one there for two years, back in the eighties) to come out and document everything, working in those old pictures. I don't know about commercial prospects, but it would be a huge hit with this crowd on Youtube. You've got the extra time for that, right?

Originally Posted by mdbeck1

Okay, I may have missed it but it looks like you are using some kind of pickup receiver hitch to mount tools onto the front your workbench (vice and/or bench grinder and/or ???).
1. Please show some more details on how you attached the tools to be removable.
2. Please show some details on how the receivers are attached to the bench.
3. Does this configuration work well for you?
4. Is the bench mounted to the wall?

They're double hitch mounts I got on sale at Harbor Freight. I bolted them to the wood bench, and yes, the bench is held to the wall with lag bolts. I picked up some $3 bolts to tighten stuff to them with a welded on nut.

Originally Posted by Po'Boy

On the cabinets you built that has the curved contour on the one end, what materials did you use to build it, how did you attatch said materials to each other?

It looks like 1/2" plywood, and 1'x2's. I remember you said you attatched it to the wall studs and ceiling joists, I assume via the plywood backing, and top of the cabinets. Apprx. how much weight is in those cabinets? I'm looking at building some in a similar fashion. t

I used a sheet of thin paneling -- some sort of particle-board based stuff, for the face itself. I needed something that would follow the contour and I grabbed whatever looked best at Home Depot. The rest is 1x2s and 2x4s and some more flat sheets of cheap hardboard. I didn't build full boxes, just a face (hanging from the ceiling joists) and a main shelf (attached to the wall studs. For the curved part, I used 1x2 studs sandwiched between two pieces of plywood/OSB that I cut the curve into with a jigsaw. It's pretty basic. For the sliding doors, I used a table saw to cut grooves in a 2x4 to make tracks for the doors. I was learning as I went on those, but knew that they weren't going to see a lot of use -- just long term storage for stuff. They hold a fair amount of weight -- anything I've been able to lift that high has gone in without an issue.

The best soffits to copy (in my opinon) are XcYZ's, from this thread. He really puts mine to shame. (Plus, he's got an awesome Camaro.)

But if you're set on seeing mine as they went together, they're here.

Originally Posted by santagary

Wow I wish I knew how to make a slide/video like that...I'd tour you guys through my ranch/barn/shop/with mountain scenery. Great job Jack. I drove a lot of 911's before I found this Boxter with 30000 miles, I'll send a pic when I figure out how to attach it, etc. I'm a little challenged when it comes to computer/tech stuff. I'm changing my wallpaper to your newest shot with the Porsche.

Thanks. I'd explain how I did it, but I'm on a Mac -- where they make this kind of stuff so easy that even I can do it.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by rieferman

...In fact, I think there should be a thread with GJ video tours. I'm in, who else?

THis is an EXCELLENT idea, particularly the guys whose garages made it into the magazine....and Nimrod's. I'm still annoyed his wasn't included in that mag and no one else seemed to notice.

P.S. I have a video camera, but I haven't the foggiest idea how one would go about uploading a video here!

[santagary]

I found your tile today for 57 cents...boxes and boxes of it at Home Depot...boy, I'm tempted but worried about freezing winter conditions here for 5 months a year. Whaddya think?

[Jack Olsen]

That price would have saved me fifty bucks.

Here's the full data on the tiles.

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Tiles come with three ratings from the manufacturer.

First off, there's a P.E.I. (Porcelain Enamel Institute) Wear Rating:

Group I - Tiles suitable only for residential/commercial walls. Not suitable and/or recommended for foot traffic

Group II - Tiles suited to general light residential traffic, except kitchens, entrance halls, and other areas subjected to continuous foot traffic.

Group III - Tiles suited for all residential and light commercial areas such as offices, reception areas and boutiques.

Group IV - Tiles suited for residential, medium commercial and light institutional applications such as restaurants, hotels, hospital lobbies and corridors.

Group V - Tiles suitable for heavy traffic both residential and heavy commercial applications such airports, malls and subways.

Then there's a Water Absorption Rating:

1. Non-vitreous Tiles - absorb 7% or more of its body weight in water. They are suited for indoor use only and considered to be non-frost resistant.

2. Semi-vitreous Tiles - absorb between 3% to 7% of its body weight in water. They are suited for indoor use only and considered to be non-frost resistant.

3. Vitreous Tiles - absorb between 0.5% to 3% of its body weight in water. They are suited for both interior and exterior applications (covered and/or non-heated rooms not exposed to standing water) and considered to be frost resistant.

4. Impervious Tiles - are the strongest. They absorb between 0 and 0.5% of their weight in water.

Finally, there's COF (coefficient of friction), with a rating for both wet and dry. This is how slippery the tile gets when it's wet. I don't know what the typical range is for ceramic tiles.


My cheapo tiles have a PEI rating of 'IV' (residential, medium commercial and light institutional applications). Obviously, 'V' would be the absolute ideal for a garage.

My water absorption rate is 3-7%, which means the tiles are not frost-resistant or frost-proof, and wouldn't cut it in an exterior application in a part of the country with sub-freezing temps. But then, I would guess Home Depot probably sells more appropriate tiles in parts of the country where it does freeze.

My coefficient of friction is 0.60, wet or dry. I haven't found much on the internet on this, aside from the fact the City of Los Angeles building code requires that level surfaces have a COF of not less than 0.60 and ramps no less than 0.80 when tested. I guess that would mean I'm just slip-resistant enough to be used in the local shopping mall.

So if yours are rated the same as mine, they wouldn't be good for an exterior application in freezing. Does your shop/garage floor get below freezing? It's one thing for the air in there to be freezing, but the ground temperature usually lags behind that.

I'll say this, the installation is not easy work. Mine weighed close to a thousand pounds (which wasn't easy on the Jeep). Setting the tiles is time-consuming; grouting is plain ol' hard labor.

[santagary]

Thanks for the analysis Jack. I think I'll try a box of the tiles in an out of the way place in my garage where the slab freezes and see what happens next winter, then make the call. We had 60 days below zero this winter and 100 below 15 degrees...snowmobiling, skiing and snowblowing were great fun though (a Kubota 3030 with heated cab and two stage snow blower helps). g

[mdbeck1]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

They're double hitch mounts I got on sale at Harbor Freight. I bolted them to the wood bench, and yes, the bench is held to the wall with lag bolts. I picked up some $3 bolts to tighten stuff to them with a welded on nut.

Thanks. That clears it up. I noticed that HF also has a single hitch mount with a plate on it for a vice. However the double system would be much more stable. Thanks for the idea.

[chrislehr]

Jack,

Still would really like to see a pic of the garage driveway storage opened or your design if you did one - its exactly what I want to do

[Indy_500]

even for a small garage, that is ONE AWESOME GARAGE! YOU HAVE DONE A+ WORK!

[Jack Olsen]

The gilding of the proverbial lily continues.

I've never been one for corporate logos or other kinds of automobilia (is that the word?) in my garage, but I picked up a Porsche crest and put it where the old sign from the writer's strike used to be. The union sign was up primarily because I first cleaned up the garage while I was walking a picket line every morning during our hundred-day strike. But I suppose politics and garages are an odd fit.

So here's the new addition:



It's a weird little sign -- not a reproduction or even an attempt at something vintage. It's made of layers of cut plastic.



Also, I picked up the mystery vise I got on ebay for 99 cents. I can't find any manufacturing marks on it, other than a V86 on one jaw and a V87 on the other. That isn't to say there never were marks on it -- but as you can see, the thing's led a pretty hard life.





Anybody recognize it at all? It appears to be pretty well put together, but I'm no vise expert.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hi Jack. How will you restore the vice? For 99 cents you could hardly go wrong. Just wire wheel it and spray paint? Or will you take it somehwhere to be media blasted?

I'm cheap AND poor (my daughter's getting married in May!) so I'd probably just clean it up and rattle can it.

[Scout Driver]

Just watched your slideshows on the garage and the 911. Wow! Both of them were great. Thank you for posting them.

Scott

[Hemihead2]

Great video, Jack. So many ideas here that I'm inspired to start a second phase of upgrades to my shop. Phase 1 was about 7 years ago and thanks to yours and others threads on this site, I now see many things I would like to have done differently - I can fix some of them in Phase 2.
Again, great garage and your inventiveness and attention to detail are tremendous.
Mike

[santagary]

Where did you find the large Porsche emblem....gotta have one to put on the wall next to the Boxter. santagary

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys. Gary, I got it on ebay. I think the seller is cranking them out. Here's the latest. I 'made an offer' of $45, and he agreed to that price. Maybe you could get it for less.

EBAY LINK

If that link doesn't work, search for item: 160420682526 or search for "Porsche 3D Sign"

Here it is in a wider shot:



Whether it's worth $45 (plus shipping) is something I'm not prepared to say unequivocally. But it's what I paid.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Hi Jack. How will you restore the vice? For 99 cents you could hardly go wrong. Just wire wheel it and spray paint? Or will you take it somehwhere to be media blasted?

I'm cheap AND poor (my daughter's getting married in May!) so I'd probably just clean it up and rattle can it.

That's my plan, pretty much. I want to get a base for it so it can rotate. But then it'll just be take it apart, spray it, put in new grease and put it back together.

(Congratulations on the wedding, too!)

[Jack Olsen]

Well, now I'm really getting carried away. Here's another thing I was sure I'd never have in my garage. A street sign.

[Lightfighter]

Yeah, Jack you're outta control! lol! The sign is "fitting" in your garage, and looks good!

[Ocular Engineer]

Jack, beautiful work on your garage! Impressive. I haven't read all the text here, so I'm sorry if these questions are duplicate.

1. Your Milwaukee chop saw: Is that the cold saw or the abrasive chop saw? If it is the cold saw, what is your opinion of it? I just started looking at chop saws (we have a Milwaukee abrasive chop saw at work that works well but messy) and would like to avoid spending $850+ for a JET or similar.

2. What kind of tube bender/roller do you have? (nice work on the work bench w/ the curved brace. Very nice looking.)

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. The Milwaukee saw is the cold saw:



I got it from an ebay vendor for $280 (without a blade). I use $40/ea Freud Diablo blades, and have been very happy with both the saw and the blades. I've used abrasive saws in the past. They work, but I hate the long wait, choking dust and that 'muffler shop' smell.



The tubing roller is the Harbor Freight unit -- I bought when it was on sale with one of their additional 20%-off coupons. The final $110 price tag was low enough that there was no way for me to be disappointed. It did okay with that 2" square tubing, considering I only had round dies to work with. There are some guys who make aftermarket dies that fit it -- which I might get down the line. First up, I want to take a set of 1/2" square tubing dies (which HF does sell) and widen them up to work with 1" square tubing. Absent a lathe or a mill, I'm still working out the best way to accomplish that without injuring myself.

[Ocular Engineer]

Thanks for the info. You got a good deal on that saw. From the reviews on that saw that I have read, it seems that most buyers go from an abrasive chop saw to a cold saw and apply too much force while cutting and burn the blade up in about a dozen cuts.

...and I would say that you are "frugal", not cheep. The level of quality of your shop is far to high to be called cheep. And I am completely envious of your Stronghold Cabinets. We have a similar one in the shop at work. It is a brick sh!thouse. You have a nice set up.

[kizer]

I have the abrasive saw and man its freaking loud and messy. It gets the job done, but man its not pleasent when you have to cut more than a few items.

[Cuda]

I just joined here yesterday and am scanning through all these posts. And I have many more to look at but all I can say is WOW! You have done yourself proud. All of you guys and your fantastic organizing skills. I declare, I don't know if I should feel inspired or ashamed of my own place. I'm kind of the Oscar Madison of shop owners. I wish I was more Felix like. Every now and again I get the bug to organize better, but time always seems to work against me.
Anyway, your shop is a sight to behold.

[chrislehr]

Answer my question on page 8?

[theneek]

My first post has to be in this thread.

This garage is an inspiration. Many thanks for sharing (and continuing to share) everything.

[markviii]

post #129 on page 7. As I said, it was an elegant solution for the door in that space. All it takes is careful reading to find lots of solutions for limited garage space.

Chris (markviii)

[markviii]

I was thinking about the orientation of your garage. Is the entrance along an alley behind your house? Is it shaded by trees (thus helping to keep the garage cooler)? Do you have to maintain the alley, or is that your concrete driveway?

Just asking. One of our garages is along a non-paved alley in back of our house. We contribute with a few of the neighbors to have road pack put on it every so often - the village does the work for us. This makes a harder surface, keeps the dust down, and keeps the ruts (thus puddles) away. The garbage haulers pick up in the alley, so it can get very rutted and messy for our cars if we don't pay for the road pack. As it is, we have to deal with rock-and-chip streets in our town that they oil every couple of years to help deal with the dust in the summer. Oh, the charm of living in a small town!

[Jack Olsen]

I miss my small town; I'm originally from the north suburbs of Chicago.

My house is shoe-horned onto an eighth of an acre surrounded by other houses on similarly-tiny lots. There's no room for an alley. Here's a Google satellite view:



The concrete you see in my garage pictures is the end of my driveway, which runs the length of the property. The nice aspect to this is that the garage isn't very visible to anyone -- there's a gate along the front line of the house which blocks the view from the street.

To help decode the picture: the house itself has a roof covered in tiles, but the garage only has them along the front -- then there's an ordinary light-grey tar-papered flat roof behind it. You can see that it butts up against a neighbor's garage right behind it.

The satellite took this picture before I cleaned the garage up enough to park a car in it, so you can see the white roof of a vinyl canopy I used to have in place to protect the race car. The long green storage shed is there now (and that's the thing chrislehr wants to see a schematic on -- which I'm working on, I promise). My office, where I'm typing this now, is the other part to the free-standing garage structure. As you can see, my 'morning commute' from home to work is about 15 feet. That makes living in a crowded city a little more tolerable.

[Steve in SoCal]

You know Jack I have been trying to figure out where your house was and I thought off Highland. I have or had family with houses on Cloverfield and Spaulding, between 8Th and Olympic.

Steve

[Jack Olsen]

Yep, that's my neighborhood. I'm right by the County Art Museum and... the La Brea Tar Pits.



When I bought here, I had to have the place checked for signs of oozing tar. The flip-side is that I also get regular checks in the mail for the oil drilled by some company's well from underneath my property. Maybe that explains why the garage floor is so uneven.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack Olsen, "Oozing Oil Millionaire"?...or Tacky Tar Thousand-aire? Lol.

[Jack Olsen]

Both of the above. I get about a hundred bucks a year from it, which I think qualifies me for membership in this prestigious old oil family:

[Glen]

I haven't been on the forum in a long time...just read thru this whole thread. Jack, you have a very cool garage. Great job!

[Burgerkong]

It seems you are famous Jack...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...it-thread.html

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by Burgerkong

It seems you are famous Jack...

Yikes. But yep, five years and running. I used to hold the camera out and snap a picture of myself at Porsche events. And I'm not a big smiler.

It got to be kind of a thing.

[Jack Olsen]

Today I added some lighting. The trick was to suspend lights in the opening of the garage, while still allowing the door to open and close. Click on the picture to jump to the post about it in the General Garage Discussion forum.

[UncleJoe]

Jack, I am in need of a new camera and I notice that your photos are very sharp and clear in a variety of light conditions. What make and model are you using?

[Jack Olsen]

I've got an old junky one (Panasonic) that I use for most pictures. It's not our main camera so if it sits in the garage most of the time no one misses it.

When I want a nicer picture, I use a Nikon D40. I got it when it was replaced by a newer model. I suspect that by now the newer model has also been replaced.

But it takes nice pictures.

[MusicMan]

Well, it took me a while to make it thru all the photos but i have to say - i really like your setup!

Love the space - you have a room for everything, and have it placed nicely. Big plus for the first aid kit in easy acces place!

ps. "no personal calls" rocks!

[e-tek]

Plenty of kudo's - think your head will ever fit in there again?

In my mind, the beauty of your shop Jack is it's simplicity. We know it's packed full of tools and stuff, but it's all well-hidden and only a perfect modicum of wares are displayed. The basic industrial/kitchen look makes a statement in it's contrast to the sexual lines of the Porsche.

If you aren't the out-right garage design winner, then you are surely the master instructor and giver of inspiration. I hope your writing touches as many peoples hearts as does your garage!

Cheers.

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys. It's only a two-car, but it's what I've got. If I did the amount of work on cars that you do, e-tek, I'd have to get an extra place to have the space.

The Porsche will always get the good parking space -- even though I finally got around to replacing my old daily driver yesterday. This new car is fun to drive, but not at the Porsche's level -- at least not in terms of design, attitude, or grip.

And honestly, I'm still more comfortable running errands and stuff in the CJ-7.

This one's nice and quiet on the freeway, though.

[51rider]

Nice DD! What's the story on the plate?

[Hylke]

Hi Jack, I've read through both your threads while I was still a lurker here. It sure is an inspiration seeing you rebuild your shop and doing the work yourself. That's what I enjoy about fitting out my shop while rebuilding the Jeep. And I'm only 26, so I can take my time doing it.
I did see a photo of your Jeep come by, have you got any more pictures of it? What year is it, and what engine are you running? V8 or the 258 inline 6?

And I might be stupid to ask, but how do you get the Porsche to the track? It seems road legal to drive there, but I'd guess you haul it there. With the Jeep by any chance?

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.



I can only find the one picture of the Jeep. It's a 1983 with the straight six (so I doubt it would have the oomph for towing). It was from when AMC owned the company and (if I remember right) the cars were made in Wisconsin.

It's purely a work car for me -- a parts hauler. I wish I had a picture of it with the 1200 pounds of ceramic tiles and adhesive for the garage. It was riding LOW.

But I've had it since 1993, and it's never broken. I've thought about restoring it -- paint and a V8. But I don't know what I'd do while it was out of commission.

I drive the 911 around town and also to the track. I used to run stickier tires, and made 10-hour drives to some tracks with wheels and tires on the roof.

[Lightfighter]

Jack,
The Jeep is cool. It fits the purpose you've set for it. The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" comes to mind. I'm sure your 911 turned a lot of heads when it was on it's way to the track. That's a unique setup! All I can say is, "Wow!"

Not a big fan of reality tv, but if you had a show, it would definitely be a "must-see" program. Hey! there's an idea! Thanks for sharing your garage and toys with us!

[markviii]

I chuckled when I saw your car with the tires loaded on top. It reminded me of two painters we hired one summer (1980?). They were vet med students on a shoestring budget trying to make a buck. They rode their bikes out to our town (13 miles) every day. The first day they brought their ladder, tools and camping stove (for cooking their lunch daily). We provided the paint and other supplies, so they didn't have to transport it, too. Anyway, it brought back good memories. I've been trying to find the pictures I took, but haven't been successful yet.

I think Lightfighter's reality show idea could work, but, I think, it's not your usual screenwriting genre. Someone (not me!) could do a documentary on garages/owners, set it to music (required - can't have garages and cars without tunes), try to get a distributor by shopping it around at film festivals (after making sure to get the rights to the songs before the screening!), then have Roger Ebert show it at his film festival in my town (every April)(his hometown, too) because it's overlooked. It would at least get an audience of 1500 people with the documentary maker getting to be on the panel afterward and front page coverage in the local newspaper. What fun that would be! I'd go (oh, wait, I do go every year - this was the 12th). No "best of" awards at this festival, other than a "Golden Thumb" award from Roger. (go to ebertfest.com if you're interested)

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Thanks.


I've thought about restoring it -- paint and a V8...

Hi Jack,
I don't know what to tell you about having the Jeep out of commission...maybe the Home Depot cheapo rental truck for the few times when you have something big or heavy to carry?

Anyway, I noticed you mentioned going to a V8. But are are you really talking about a "restoration" i.e. original color, badges, etc, or are you talking about a moderate refurbishment/resto-fication?

I'm posting a picture of a very nicely detailed Chevy straight 292 six cylinder that is in a '67 Chevy short bed fleetside truck to give you an idea how nice an inline can be. You retain the low end grunt while drastically improving the appearance (and not running afoul of strict California smog laws if swapping to a V8). The owner said he just did a cosmetic rebuild. He ground the intake manifold smooth(er) and of course found those few billet parts for it, painted the distributor cap to match the engine paint. He painted it with automotive paint but personally, I'd do with with VHT, Duplicolor or Krylon - all in heat resistant paint of course. I just thought you might like the photo.

As for the body, over on the Jeep forums I see guys that do beautiful jobs with Jeeps like yours and put Line-X throughout the interior; sometimes in black with the gloss coat (as my dually bed) and sometimes in body color matching. Anyway, enjoy.

[mtnwalton]

I finally read through all the posts and have really enjoyed it and learned some things. I haven't seen mentioned here the use of bending plywood, but for forming around curves, nothing is better. It's about 3/8" thick and available at many larger lumberyards (at least here in Ky). We use it in the scene shop.

Jack- great job on everything - design, execution and the writing. You've obviously engaged your passion in that garage. We've recently moved and hope to incorporate some of your ideas in mine.

The Strong Hold cabinets were the perfect choice for your space. Before I retired a few years ago as a machinist, I bought several of these for our shop at about $3000 each. They held up very well in a heavy industrial environment. Again, great job I'm impressed.

[Jack Olsen]

Thank you, sir.

[bluesboy]

jack who's playing the music heard in the background of the garage slide show?
I just love the sound. Thanks Jim

[z28snksknr]

Every time I am about to proudly post some pic of my garage on this site, an image of your place pops into my mind....

and then I quit loading my pic.

awesome place keep giving me something to shoot for!

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by bluesboy

jack who's playing the music heard in the background of the garage slide show?
I just love the sound. Thanks Jim

Thanks. I grabbed that song mostly because it was the right length for the pictures I had. Still, it's harder than you think to find something to play over pictures of a garage that doesn't come off seeming really weird.

There was a guy called Harry Oster who went around recording Delta blues artists in the late 1950s so that their work wouldn't disappear forever when they died. He put together a collection called 'Country Negro Jam Sessions' (which I'm sure seemed like a good idea for a title at the time ).

The song I used is called 'Thousand Miles From Nowhere.' The band is Butch Cage (on the 'black string' violin), Clarence Edwards (singing, I'm pretty sure) and his brother Cornelius Edwards.

And z28snksknr, your wall with the wheelbarrow hung on it made me want to put more pegboard in my garage. It's awesome.

[markviii]

Blues, and the rock and roll that came from it, are the only thing to play in our garages! It just sets the tone.

[klogan121]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Thanks.



I can only find the one picture of the Jeep. It's a 1983 with the straight six (so I doubt it would have the oomph for towing). It was from when AMC owned the company and (if I remember right) the cars were made in Wisconsin.

It's purely a work car for me -- a parts hauler. I wish I had a picture of it with the 1200 pounds of ceramic tiles and adhesive for the garage. It was riding LOW.

But I've had it since 1993, and it's never broken. I've thought about restoring it -- paint and a V8. But I don't know what I'd do while it was out of commission.

I drive the 911 around town and also to the track. I used to run stickier tires, and made 10-hour drives to some tracks with wheels and tires on the roof.

I love those original, un-restored Jeeps! I would keep it the way it is! Here in MI, most Jeeps are rust-buckets Weren't Jeeps produced in Toledo, OH? Maybe elsewhere, too.

[markviii]

My grandmother worked at the WIllys plant in Toledo, OH from the late 1930s to the late 70s when she retired. She was an upholsterer. While JFK was in the White House, he ordered 6 Jeepsters for Jackie. My grandmother did the upholstery. She was always bringing home leftover material and making things for us - zippered bags for our swim suits, shoe holders to put up on closet doors, picnic table cloths, etc. AMC had Kaiser-Jeep from 1970-1987. Chrysler bought it. My grandfather worked at the Chevy plant in Toledo for 55 years. My dad's cousins (on grandmother's side) all lived in or around Detroit and worked for Ford. My dad always bought Fords and grandpa would always tell him, "Don't park that jalopy in my driveway!" There was a definite rivalry in our family.

The Parkway Jeep plant in Toledo closed in June of 2006 when the last Wrangler came off the line. Within a year it was demolished. Part of the paint plant is still there (the smoke stack with Overland on it). It just doesn't look the same driving down the parkway. I think the Stickney Avenue plant building where they did final assembly is still there, but my guess is it's unused. The North Toledo assembly plant is where the Jeep Liberty is assembled. I think there's another plant in Perrysburg, OH (less than 20 miles away). The engine for the Jeep Cherokee is made in Kenosha, WI, I think. My grandmother use to keep me up on all this stuff, so it's kind of just a memory now that she's gone. If we still owned our 1949 Jeepster, I might have kept up with the history.

I heard from relatives that they also did a very poor job of saving all the historical documentation of prototypes and other artifacts for the museum.

[bluesboy]

Thanks for the information. That titles not very politically correct for our times, but back than they were also called race records also. Check out this link http://www.venerablemusic.com/default.asp some interesting music all on 78rpm. Enjoy. Jim

[Jack Olsen]

Well, I took the 911 out on Tuesday and discovered the smell of gasoline in the oil tank -- which confirmed what a previous leakdown test had suggested: I've got broken rings and it's time to go through the motor.

So for my track day on Wednesday, the new baby-hauling BMW was called off the bench and sent into the game. It doesn't have the personality (or capability) of the 911 out on the track, but it got itself around just fine and got me there and back in comfort.

[dho]

Jack, is that your Porsche in the new issue of Classic Motorsports mag? Beautiful car and beautiful garage - great work!

Buddy

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by dho

Jack, is that your Porsche in the new issue of Classic Motorsports mag?

It might be. They called a while ago to ask if they could use a picture in some article about a low-cost racing class. Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out next time I'm at the bookstore.

[metelburner]

Jack where did you get those clamps that are on your drill press

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by metelburner

Jack where did you get those clamps that are on your drill press

Harbor Freight.

[cdrewferd]

Great looking garage Jack. Sorry to hear about the motor in the 911. Any special plans for it during the rebuild process?

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. And thanks for the engine condolences. But it's a little like when a grandparent lives past a hundred -- I stopped keeping track of 'track hours' at 500 or so. I do monthly track events with Open Track Racing, have run multiple POC and PCA events, did the Open Track Challenge (driving 'to' and then 'at' seven tracks in seven days, like a more-concentrated One Lap of America) three times, as well as time trials with NASA and the Alfa Romeo club. I also did two seasons of racing with ARC, three seasons of time trialing with NCRC. In other words, I ran that engine pretty mercilessly for a long time.

And it's also been a street car.

So a replacement or rebuild is coming up, but it's not a surprise. We'll see which path ends up making the most sense.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack,
If you go with a rebuild will you try to do it yourself using Wayne's book? I REALLY thought about doing it on my little 2.7. I'm guessing if you taught yourself to weld and to fabricate tables and fences, etc you can teach yourself to rebuild a 3.6. Plus you've got a lot of contacts in the Porsche world. If you decide to go that way, I'd love to ee you post the progress photos here on the Fabrication sub-forum (obviously, I am assuming you would post to Pelican as well?)

[billscamaros]

Jack - it's cool the way that you have let creativity rule in the garage. Does that extend to the house also? Is it an ongoing project like the garage?

[gorilla]

Jack, Think of all the neat tools you could buy if you rebuild that flat six yourself and all the neat things you could make like an engine stand, and a floor jack adapter and who knows what else. The last 2.6 I rebuilt cost about $8,000.00. Don't be afraid of it it's just nuts and bolts.

[WANTSOM]

The tearing down and re-assembly is certainly something that can be done by people with good mechanical knowledge and skills. The tricky bit with any engine rebuild is the tolerance measuring and machining work, particularly with hi performance motors.

There is a sense of satisfaction with piecing it together, if you have the time and ability to do it right.

[28HopUp]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Here are the new Matco ones, along with the new quick-release Vise Grips:

Jack,

I must have missed reading it, but what's the story on the doored cabinets with the pegbaord inside? Those look great, even opened (closed too I bet). That set-up would be a great way for me to hide tools yet keep them handy.

TIA!

[abrahamfh]

Really great looking garage Jack, I must thank you ahead of time for all the inspiration and motivation reading through your thread has done for me.

I was wondering, could you include a photograph of how you organized the interior of the storage unit you built along side of the house?

As per the previous comment, I too really dig the doored cabinets with the peg board inside. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have noticed this style of storage in a lot of the older Los Angeles home garages. My Grandfather in law built his own house and two car garage in historic Stonehurst (sun valley, ca) back in the late 40's and he too added this same style cabinet/storage unit. It's so practical and looks so cool.

Thanks again for sharing your garage vision and how it slowly became what it is today.

Cheers

[mustangmccance]

Hey Jack. this may be inappropriate in this forum but I was just wondering what kind of writing you do? I like the attention to detail, and passion you show in your garage and I was just curious. if this is not appropriate here I apologize in advance.

[Gareth]

Excellent, and inspiring thread.

Thanks for sharing in such detail. Absolutely love the 911 - I will own one of a similar era one day.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by 28HopUp

I must have missed reading it, but what's the story on the doored cabinets with the pegbaord inside? Those look great, even opened (closed too I bet). That set-up would be a great way for me to hide tools yet keep them handy.

I wish I knew more about them. They were a Craigslist impulse buy. I liked the way they folded up small, then opened up for a lot of storage area. By the time I found a use for them, it made more sense to just keep them open (the one with the hammers swings closed, if needed, but I've got the one with the hand tools mounted so it's always open). The box around them keeps the tools cleaner, even when it's not closed, and it also makes the tool storage look more 'on purpose.'

They didn't come with the pegboard. I put that in, with spacers behind it.

Originally Posted by abrahamfh

Really great looking garage Jack, I must thank you ahead of time for all the inspiration and motivation reading through your thread has done for me.

I was wondering, could you include a photograph of how you organized the interior of the storage unit you built along side of the house?

As per the previous comment, I too really dig the doored cabinets with the peg board inside. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have noticed this style of storage in a lot of the older Los Angeles home garages. My Grandfather in law built his own house and two car garage in historic Stonehurst (sun valley, ca) back in the late 40's and he too added this same style cabinet/storage unit. It's so practical and looks so cool.

Thanks again for sharing your garage vision and how it slowly became what it is today.

Thanks. Maybe someone who reads this thread will be able to add some information about the metal cabinets. I'd be interested in learning about them.

I don't have pictures of the inside of the shed. It's divided into four compartments. The three on the right side are each about 40" wide and less than 60" high. I built in shelves to make two sections in one, three in another and four in the third. The shelves are about 48" deep.

The larger compartment to the left is 6' wide. I'm able to keep a tool box, my welder, my Oxy-Ac setup and a 30" combination press brake/roller/shear in there. You can't stand in it, but I'm always surprised by how much fits.

Originally Posted by mustangmccance

Hey Jack. this may be inappropriate in this forum but I was just wondering what kind of writing you do? I like the attention to detail, and passion you show in your garage and I was just curious. if this is not appropriate here I apologize in advance.

I write screenplays for movies. Some of that is original scripts and some of it is rewrite work on other people's scripts. It may sound glamorous (and I can't complain), but I've been doing it for a living for 14 years now and you still won't find my name on any of the movies I've worked on.

Ah, well.

[darkbuddha]

Jack, I gotta tell you, I keep coming back to this thread for ideas and updates. Like any good product of creativity, it keeps providing feedback and brain fodder. I find it interesting that you're so thorough in your compartmentalization of everything. I wonder if you do the same thing in your writing with words and concepts? I know I often do in both my composition process and works it produces as one way of working with and structuring materials.

BTW, I also spied your 911 in that recent issue of Classic Motorsports magazine. It was included in an article about Pro-Touring, making a point about whether non-domestic cars "qualified". (I don't call my '89 Merkur "pro-touring", but I modify it with the same mindset that I modify my '70 Mach 1 Mustang, so whatever... right?)

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, Wyatt. I actually do take a sort of engineering approach to writing. In meetings, I'll use the concept of a story as a machine that is designed to 'do' particular things (impact the audience in certain ways), and that everything in the story should be looked at in terms of how it serves that larger function.

But a lot of it is also typical creative stuff -- chaotic and difficult to quantify. You make up a bunch of stuff that you hope will surprise and entertain your audience.

I was happy to let Classic Motorsports use that picture of my car. I guess I'm a published photographer, now. But I only skimmed the article. My car is updated with a newer engine and cherry-picked components from almost 40 years of 911 production. But I did it only because I wanted the particular version of the 911 I had in my head. Some guys like to restore. I liked the fact that the 911 had (and has) been manufactured for such a long time that you could really pull out your own particular version from all of that history.

(A 1970 Mach 1 is awesome, by the way.)

[chicane]

Jack, I think you have one of the best garages I have ever seen. That is based on your use of space, originality, creativity and cost effectiveness. I think your garage should be a blueprint and a model for others, especially those who have smaller spaces. Kudos.

[bdubbin]

Amazing garage, Jack. Would you care to share exactly what colour green you're using so I can go to my local Home Depot, Rona, Canadian Tire, Sherwin Williams, etc and pick up a few cans for myself?

I've been struggling for a long time trying to pick paint colours... I've thrown around the usual red/black/white combination along with some greys, etc. But that's a little to racy for me. I want more of an old-fashioned look. Thought about natural wood colours, too, but it's a garage, not a garden! I've spent hours looking through the garage gallery here and ultimately yours is my favourite.

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys.

The green is a Sears WeatherBeater color called Tarragon. It's discontinued, officially -- but as long as you know the name, they can mix it. I used exterior semigloss, and I'll warn you that the WeatherBeater paint is not very good. I always have to do two coats with it to get consistent color. (But it's what I started with, and I've gone too far downstream with it now to change.)

The cream is a Sherwin-Williams color called Madadamia. It's a much better paint than the Sears stuff.

And since there haven't been actual pictures of the garage in a while in this thread, I'm going to add some, so newcomers don't necessarily have to slog through all 12 pages to see it. I don't think I've posted these particular images before, but I don't keep any record, so there's always a chance they're duplicates (if so, I apologize for the bandwidth waste).

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

...The green is a Sears WeatherBeater color called Tarragon. It's discontinued, officially -- but as long as you know the name, they can mix it. I used exterior semigloss, and I'll warn you that the WeatherBeater paint is not very good. I always have to do two coats with it to get consistent color. (But it's what I started with, and I've gone too far downstream with it now to change.)

Jack,

Paint a sample of the Tarragon on a small piece of wood, take it to Home Depot or OSH and they can color match it exactly. Sherwin Williams, Dunn Edwards, etc probably can too. No need to keep using paint you don't like....unless you "went long" and bought 5 gallon buckets and still have a lot left! (in which case you should have responded to bdubbin with,"It's discontinued, but youre in luck - I have some left which I'll ship it to you for a nominal charge!")

[santagary]

I still think that bench is an amazing design and may belong in the Guggenheim museum or the Louve in Paris...but at least in the Smithsonian...I can't quit looking at it...perhaps your entire garage should be enshrined and blessed by Jay Leno, or someone equally famous in LA! Just my opinion.

[flyng_fool]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Jack,

Paint a sample of the Tarragon on a small piece of wood, take it to Home Depot or OSH and they can color match it exactly. Sherwin Williams, Dunn Edwards, etc probably can too. No need to keep using paint you don't like....unless you "went long" and bought 5 gallon buckets and still have a lot left! (in which case you should have responded to bdubbin with,"It's discontinued, but youre in luck - I have some left which I'll ship it to you for a nominal charge!")

I wouldn't go to Lowes or HD. Their paint is junk too. You get what you pay for is especially true in paint. SW, Kelly-Moore, Benjamin-Moore(expensive as hell but excellent paint), easily outdoes the big box store paint.

[Indy_500]

I don't know if this was brought up yet but i noticed you moved your deep drawers up to the top, why is that? how hard was it? I still kick myself in the butt for not painting my drawers black. I love the black drawers red box look and i put stickers on it right away after i got it without even thinking about painting it. Your box looks a lot better with the black.

[markviii]

Good to have a refresher on the pics! I agree with santagary that your garage design is amazing. Lots of detail work for very personal reasons shine through in everything included in this unique space. But really, santagary, having it blessed by Jay Leno would be a comedown imho. The garage sells itself without a "celebrity" endorsement. GJ is much better and, in fact,this thread may deserve a Sticky. As many times as Jack's thread keeps getting bumped to the top, maybe this could be consider, Bull?

Chris

[qship510]

Jack,

Love the garage! Love the early 9!

One question; 6 handheld grinders? I am verging on buying a second one so I'll have a cutting wheel and a grinding disc at all times without switching, but, 6?

Awesome garage, awesome early 9!

Jerry

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Paint a sample of the Tarragon on a small piece of wood, take it to Home Depot or OSH and they can color match it exactly...

True. But 1) I've already painted pretty much everything, and still have a couple of gallons in the cabinet, and 2) the Orchard Supply Hardware is my closest hardware store -- which makes it convenient to get the Sears brand stuff.

Originally Posted by santagary

I still think that bench is an amazing design...

Thanks, Gary. I like it too. I also like the fact that it doesn't block light when the door is open.

Originally Posted by Indy_500

I don't know if this was brought up yet but i noticed you moved your deep drawers up to the top, why is that? how hard was it? I still kick myself in the butt for not painting my drawers black.

Thanks. I put the deeper drawers up (no work involved, they'll fit anywhere in the stack) because I keep one drawer full of different kind of gloves, and another one is my junk drawer. The stack of Craftsman boxes to the right is still where I keep my hand tools, so I didn't need to put any bigger, heavier tools down low.

Originally Posted by markviii

Good to have a refresher on the pics! I agree with santagary that your garage design is amazing. Lots of detail work for very personal reasons sine through in everything included in this unique space. But really, santagary, having it blessed by Jay Leno would be a comedown imho. The garage sells itself without a "celebrity" endorsement. GJ is much better and, in fact, this thread may deserve a Sticky.

It's nice that people like it, but the thing I like the most about this garage is...

...simply...

...that it's easy to work in. Yesterday and this morning, I cut and welded together a rack for my Jeep. It's nice to have a place where you can do something like that quickly without having to move a bunch of stuff to make room for the work (1/8 acre lot, not much space for a shop). I lived for too many years with a perpetual mess in the garage. I like this much better now.

Next up: an engine swap for that old Porsche.

Originally Posted by qship510

Love the garage! Love the early 9! One question; 6 handheld grinders? I am verging on buying a second one so I'll have a cutting wheel and a grinding disc at all times without switching, but, 6?

I've actually got five grinders now, since one broke. Two have grinding wheels. One has a flap wheel. One has a wire brush. One has a cutting wheel. I guess that's one more than I actually need -- although I have had grinders running at different benches before. And I've also run a full cutting wheel on one, while using up the little nib of an old wheel on jobs where it would still work. I'm frugal.

Case in point: the HF grinders are like $14 when they're on sale. Having more than I need means the next time I cut through a cord or something, I won't have to run out to get another.

[JC23]

I've had great luck with, if you want to believe this, Walmart's Home Place paint. Moistly because it's Sherwin Williams. A fiend who works at SW told me that and after using it, I believe it. I'll give it an extreme test this summer when I paint the house.

Also, WM has matched any color I have produced and usually the cost is less than $10 a gallon.

Jack, I'm with you on 'Wallet Beater' paint. I painted my light colored house years ago
(B4 HD and Lowes) with a darker color and it still took three coats to cover. The guys at Sears thought I was ripping them off of thier gurantee.

Also for Jack, is that clock two sided?

[onewaydave]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

...so newcomers don't necessarily have to slog through all 12 pages to see it. ...

But Jack, that's what makes this a wonderful live.

Dave.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by JC23

Also for Jack, is that clock two sided?

Yes. I didn't have a space on the wall where I could see the clock from the different benches in the garage. So I hit on the idea of using the kind of two-faced clocks they used to put in train stations and school hallways. But I learned the nice ones sell for 'collectible' prices.

So I found a clock I liked and just ordered two of them. I bent a piece of aluminum and mounted each clock back to back -- instant two-faced clock.

[JC23]

I thought it looked like it. Nicely done.

[ChristopherLutz]

I am new to this board...what an awesome place.

Jack -

Thank you for taking the time to document your progress. That adds time to projects; and, I'm sure everyone appreciates it. Your descriptions really bring your projects to life and your frugal nature/approach mean the rest of us have a hope and a prayer.

ANYONE with a big budget can have a cool garage/shop. That's not particularly interesting or exciting. Pirmarily these people hire OTHERS who are skilled and creative to build them a place. Nothing wrong with that...but, the inspiration comes from the skill and creativity....not from having the means to sign a check.

I'm a southern CA native (Garden Grove, next to Anaheim) and move do the Dallas, TX area 6 years ago. The "garage in back" design is really fantastic from a security, privacy perspective and works well in mild climates. Perfect for Los Angeles. (Incidentally, your comment on commute times really rang true with me. One of the contributing factors to my relocation was my 90 minute (one way) commute)

Anyway - sincere admiration for what you've done, many thanks again for sharing.

I was able to upgrade to a 3 car garage here in TX, which is great....but....the temps in the summer make it MUCH less comfortable to work in.

Thanks for the inspiration, links and pics.

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, Christopher. I never gave the garage much thought when looking at a place to buy, but I agree about the privacy/security of having the garage all the way in the back. The narrow 1925 driveway also turned out to be a good deterrent for the wife wanting her half of the space. All in all, a lot of fortunate accidents.

As you know, the temperature swings aren't as great here in southern California as they are in most parts of Texas. But the summers get hot. And I liked having the propane heater enough during the winter that I've got some plans for cooling the place on hot days this summer. I've had a spare window unit kicking around for a while, but there's just not a good place to put it the way the walls and neighbors are aligned on my lot. But I recently got a cheap (second-hand, of course) portable AC unit that might take the edge off of our days where the temperature goes into the triple digits.

Originally Posted by 28HopUp

Jack, I must have missed reading it, but what's the story on the doored cabinets with the pegbaord inside? Those look great, even opened (closed too I bet). That set-up would be a great way for me to hide tools yet keep them handy.

By accident, I finally found out who makes these cabinets. It's a company called Edsal, and they sell them on Amazon for $113 each (which isn't crazy, but makes me glad I got them second-hand). The dimensions are 30"Wx12"Dx24"H (closed) and 60"Wx6"Dx24"H (opened). In the picture you can see the shelf I removed from both of mine. (Warning: the steel is thin enough so that my effort to use a 4.5" grinder to take out the spot welds led to the steel getting bent and distorted.) If I had to do it again, I'd leave the shelf in place.

Open:



You can see there's a pegboard pattern to the steel in the back, and the mounting points are embossed so there's a gap to make room for the tips of hooks behind the cabinet if you use the holes like pegboard. In my case, I just put a cut piece of pegboard (and spacers) back there.

Closed:

[terabyte]

Here is the amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/Edsal-EDSAL-Wa...6887416&sr=8-1

[HIRISC]

Garage looks great..

BTW - you got picked up as 'My Favourite Garage' on BuildThreads.com - congrats

http://www.build-threads.com/build-t...ourite-garage/

Chris

[kfainf]

Jack,
Truly a great job on your garage. I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing the pictures over and over. You have given us all great ideas and inspiration in your design/layout and builds. Love the Porsche also.

I do have a question regarding painting the HF tool cabinet. Did you spray paint it or roll it?

Thanks for being so generous and sharing so much.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by HIRISC

Garage looks great..

BTW - you got picked up as 'My Favourite Garage' on BuildThreads.com - congrats

http://www.build-threads.com/build-t...ourite-garage/

Thanks. I saw that, and sent the url to my wife -- who sent it to my folks. So the third comment on the thread is from my sweet, 80-year-old mother. Don't anybody make fun of her.

Originally Posted by kfainf

Jack,
Truly a great job on your garage. I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing the pictures over and over. You have given us all great ideas and inspiration in your design/layout and builds. Love the Porsche also.

I do have a question regarding painting the HF tool cabinet. Did you spray paint it or roll it?

I spray-painted it in about the laziest way imagineable. I scuffed it really quickly with some 100-grit sandpaper (although the matte finish it comes in is already pretty good to take paint, then wiped it down with acetone to clean it, then hit it with an automotive self-etching primer, then with Rustoleum. I didn't paint the sides or interiors of the drawers, partly because I'm the only one who sees it, partly because I thought tools hitting the sides would scratch up the paint. I did a very quick and dirty masking job with tape -- but if you slide a drawer open, you'll see black overspray on the sides of the drawers.

I'm willing to live with that. It was a quick job -- and it's a garage.

I've been surprised at how well the satin-finish black and gloss red have held up so far. No chips or scratches yet.

[little d]

jack, congrats. not that it means anything to anyone else but, to me, what makes your shop so great is its simplicity and functionality.

[HIRISC]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Thanks. I saw that, and sent the url to my wife -- who sent it to my folks. So the third comment on the thread is from my sweet, 80-year-old mother. Don't anybody make fun of her.

Wouldn't think of it.. it's great your Mom is posting on the interweb!

[little d]

jack, how'd that rack turn out?

[Jack Olsen]

The rack for hauling steel on the Jeep?

It turned out great. It stores flat along one of my fence walls, goes together with only eight quick fasteners, and lets my stubby 12' Jeep haul 20+' lengths of steel.





I was working this afternoon on about ten welds on the first project it facilitated -- a frame that will hold shade-fabric up above my patio.



I wouldn't have been able to get consistent curves in those long pieces if I'd had to cut them and re-weld them together.

[trickedoutms]

Always enjoyed the use of space and the car as well

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.

The awning/canopy thing is just about finished. Here are some pictures:



Here it is at night, with the little Christmas tree lights providing that 1980's-Italian-restaurant look.

[thomask]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Thanks.

The awning/canopy thing is just about finished. Here are some pictures:



Here it is at night, with the little Christmas tree lights providing that 1980's-Italian-restaurant look.

Hey Jack,

What's for dinner? I love pasta.

Your Jeep rack and the roof cover looks great.

BTW Do you live next to a high rise? That cover will give some privacy too.

[little d]

that turned out good. awning turned out nice also, love the nite shot.

[blue dog]

Is that the veriety building that i see in the back ground of a few of your pics?, If so, you must be near wilshire and fairfax. Just taking a wild guess in the dark.

[Jack Olsen]

Yep, that's the Variety building. I'm right off of Miracle Mile, near the Petersen Auto Museum.

Here are three pictures of the completed shade cover. While building it, I kept reassuring my wife that if she didn't like it, it would be no problem to just take it all down. Looking at it from above, it's, uh, well... pretty darn big.

But so far, she likes it.

[blue dog]

I know the area well, grew up on the westside.
I'm assuming you can not see the cover from the street. Looks good to me.

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. Yeah, it's not visible from anywhere other than the patio or the roof. And I guess the upper floors of the Variety building.

[Call me the Breeze]

Looks good Jack!

[gilach]

how come dat porsche don't leak no oil? something wrong there.

[billscamaros]

jack ... that awning is awesome!! you're creative enough to think it up, and then talented enough to build it! pretty cool.

[pgray]

Well Jack you've done it. Mixing the Garage Jounal and home improvement together. If the missus see's the awning my goose is cooked! She'll be expecting more from me on home improvement. Great job!

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by gilach

how come dat porsche don't leak no oil? something wrong there.

Oh, it leaks a little. But it wipes right off of the ceramic tiles. My next big project is an engine swap for the Porsche. I want to have it done by September.

Originally Posted by billscamaros

jack ... that awning is awesome!! you're creative enough to think it up, and then talented enough to build it! pretty cool.

Thanks. I look out the window every day waiting for strong winds or rain. We'll see whether or not I have to re-do it all after that.

Originally Posted by pgray

Well Jack you've done it. Mixing the Garage Jounal and home improvement together. If the missus see's the awning my goose is cooked! She'll be expecting more from me on home improvement. Great job!

It's funny. I had to talk my wife into letting me do this so that I can get her okay on a much bigger project: a 20x20 deck and steel pergola in the back yard. It'll be adjacent to my garage -- a place where I'll be able to relax -- part of my effort to slowly expand my own territory on the property.

[Kenneth3]

Jack,

As much as I hate to admit... I'm a bit of a fanboy of your work.

I've been and looking for the RIGHT color scheme for my garage, even so far as, looking for 1950s and 1960s popular color palettes of those eras. It would be nice to have the big white, red and black super box with the typical garage styling cues (diamond plate, fancy light covers, etc), but that's not really me, or my house. I've been focused on how it compliments the look and 'feel' of my house when the door is up. Similar to getting in a pristine, orginal only to find they converted the entire interior to digital guages and new racing seats... ugh. It just has to fit. Yours fits perfectly to the architecture and is a timeless color mix. Bravo!

Using your 'looks great, works hard' approach, I broke down a little from my automotive palette and fashion colors of those eras searches on Google, and I searched Google at the most basic level; "Garage Color Scheme". I said, "sh*T! I recognize that one!"

I'm pleased to let you know that you have one of the best garages in the country... if not the world.

Congrats!

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Keep up the great work. Your approach is top-notch!

[Corsario]

You did a great job there Jack! As I told you before, your work is inspiring!
Keep posting pics of it
Corsario from Argentina

[myamoto1]

Hi Jack - I searched through the thread, but didn't find the dimensions on your garage. Looks like it's roughly 20w x 22d?

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks for the compliments, guys. It's just a garage, of course. But it's nice to hear that there are other guys out there who see the possibilities of the surburban two-car garage as more than just some parking spaces and storage for a lawnmower.

Myamoto1, I just went out and counted tiles. It's 21' deep (enough to hold a full length of steel from my local yard, with a little bit to spare), and only 19' wide, but with an extra little bit for the alcove where the sink is. I've always thought of it as 20'x22', but it's a little smaller than that.

[TONE]

Jack, I got the same problem with measuring. Of course my slight exaggeration helped me in obtaining some dates off the internet.

Got 11 dates out of my wife before my measuring skills where called out. It was to late at that point, I had her.

[thencamebronson]

Jack,

Great garage, I've been following the thread for a while. Your resourcefulness is an inspiration. I am also a fan of anyone else who has "long term vehicular relationships" like you with your 911 and Jeep.

Could you please share the significance of the vanity plate on your BMW?

[abstamaria]

I'm new to Garage Journal, Jack. I went through the thread quickly and will make time to read it in detail. Great thread, and congratulations on your work. Thank you.

[myamoto1]

Jack - thanks for measuring. It gives me hope for my new garage which is 19x19 (usable) with a small bump back, for furnace & HWH. I'm down grading from a 25x25 garage and a 300 sqft shop. Now I just need to get the wife to buy into the vision

[fdizzle]

Jack - Awesome garage. Do those Ikea pendant lamps plug into a regular outlet or are they hardwired?

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by thencamebronson

Great garage, I've been following the thread for a while. Your resourcefulness is an inspiration. I am also a fan of anyone else who has "long term vehicular relationships" like you with your 911 and Jeep.

Could you please share the significance of the vanity plate on your BMW?

Thanks. Every single time I sell a car, I regret it. I don't understand the guys who change every year or so.

The license plate is actually gone as of last week. I got it a long time ago for kind of a silly reason -- I discovered my cell phone number spelled out 'COMA BOY' the same day as I was registering my old Jaguar. As the years passed, I got a little tired of the questions (are you an anesthesiologist? was the most common) every time I filled up the tank. On top of that, I couldn't be described as a 'boy' any longer.

Originally Posted by myamoto1

I'm down grading from a 25x25 garage and a 300 sqft shop. Now I just need to get the wife to buy into the vision

Just sit her down and have her watch the video in my signature. Halfway through, she'll roll her eyes with boredom and agree to anything you want so long as you click the stop button.

Originally Posted by fdizzle

Jack - Awesome garage. Do those Ikea pendant lamps plug into a regular outlet or are they hardwired?

Right now they're plugged into an outlet that's up there -- but eventually I plan on wiring them in.

[e-tek]

Originally Posted by TONE

Jack, I got the same problem with measuring. Of course my slight exaggeration helped me in obtaining some dates off the internet.

Got 11 dates out of my wife before my measuring skills where called out. It was to late at that point, I had her.

Tee Hee!!

[loudrango]

great work on the garage.nice ride in there as well.

[MMNJ]

really like what you have accomplished here. great garage, jack.

[sonexer]

Jack, I watched your garage slide show for the first time today. GREAT JOB!

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

Here's yesterday's garage project. I have some steel lengths that are leftover from other jobs that I haven't had a place to store. So yesterday I noticed I still had the old wrought-iron bookshelf frame from what used to be a used as a work surface/drafting table thing when it was in the garage.

You can see it in the opening of the garage in this old picture.



This wasn't going to be an elegant project at all -- just something to get the steel that was sitting alongside the driveway hidden on the back side of the house.

It also shows my 'use the whole buffalo' approach to the garage. Before I throw something away, I'm going to try to re-purpose it somehow.

First, I flipped the thing upside-down and cut off the face section, curling up the 'arms' I'd created.



Then I duplicated those pieces with what was left of the face. Here it is in the vise.



The center section stands on its own, but I welded a T-shaped foot to the pieces I made out of the face. They would function as the rack pieces I could position out on either side. I used those leftover ends you see on the floor there. They were from the canopy shade cover I made from the patio last month.

Here's my poor man's welding positioner.



And here's the rack in position. It leans back against the house. You can see I also added some little gussets for strength.

[Wingnut65]

Looks great and very usefull.

'use the whole buffalo' ! I like that approach. My problem is that my wife thinks I keep too many parts of 'the buffalo' for the 'just in case' need that might come up.

[Jack Olsen]

It's true. Sometimes the buffalo carcass sits out in the sun for a very long time.

[SharkD]

From another thread:

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

I would look for a place outside to store the tires/wheels. I only have one spare set, but there wasn't room in my 20x22. I bought a commercial cover that goes over the stack.

Jack, do you have a photo / model name of your tire storage cover?

I've now got three sets (one race, one rain and one practice), so at any one time, I've got to store 8 wheels and it's eating up an awful lot of space (a rack isn't in the budget right now).

Also, before I bought the trailer, I used to drive to the track with 6 tires on the roof, one in the spare well and one where the back seat used to be. You get really funny looks doing 70 on the highway, in a race car, topped by a Thule Safari Rack covered in R-comps.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Jack,
Nice little job. When I saw the first picture I thought you were going to use the squared off bottom portion as a sort of "shelf". Looking at the last photo you could sit it on that curb - which I assume is the garage or house footing(?) - and if you put some heavy screen on it those misc pieces of PVC and stuff could be up off the ground for when it rains yet not collect dirt, bugs, etc. Just an idea. I like this project and will be looking for a way to adapt it to my shack. By the way, the gusset plates with holes adds a nice little touch.

P.S. As a heavy Construction guy I can't help but notice hazards and those up-pointed metal stubs. I'm thinking of your little man: Maybe glue on some cheapo rubber cane tips would protect him from a painful jab or gouge if he ever gets into that area?

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by SharkD

Jack, do you have a photo / model name of your tire storage cover?

I've now got three sets (one race, one rain and one practice), so at any one time, I've got to store 8 wheels and it's eating up an awful lot of space (a rack isn't in the budget right now).

Also, before I bought the trailer, I used to drive to the track with 6 tires on the roof, one in the spare well and one where the back seat used to be. You get really funny looks doing 70 on the highway, in a race car, topped by a Thule Safari Rack covered in R-comps.

I've gotten those same funny looks.



The tire cover is a little on the pricey side at $50, in my opinion. But it's nice and thick and it does the job. Here's a link to where I found it.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

...the gusset plates with holes adds a nice little touch.

Lighter is faster, right?

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

P.S. As a heavy Construction guy I can't help but notice hazards and those up-pointed metal stubs. I'm thinking of your little man: Maybe glue on some cheapo rubber cane tips would protect him from a painful jab or gouge if he ever gets into that area?

I agree. It's not a place the kid has access to -- but I plan on getting some half-inch rubber stops and putting them at the ends. Kids have a way of getting to the places you tell them not to go.

[Stuart in MN]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

I agree. It's not a place the kid has access to -- but I plan on getting some half-inch rubber stops and putting them at the ends. Kids have a way of getting to the places you tell them not to go.

If you're like me, sooner or later you're going to jab yourself in the leg walking by the rack...even some short pieces of rubber gas line forced over the ends of each one would probably do the trick.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Lighter is faster, right?

So is chromed....and I suppose if you could put a little diagonally mounted big "R" graphic on it!

[1Garageman]

I keep checking up on this gallery to see what new stuff Jack has put in here. Jack I think you need to get your own TV Show. I honestly think that you would have plenty of viewers. I love the good quality work that you do and the IDEAS that you have are awesome. Keep updating this link!

[crewchief888]

Originally Posted by TONE

Jack, I got the same problem with measuring. Of course my slight exaggeration helped me in obtaining some dates off the internet.

Got 11 dates out of my wife before my measuring skills where called out. It was to late at that point, I had her.

i only got one weekend of laying pipe until she started questioning my measureing skills

guess i made up in other areas of expertise..

[Jack Olsen]

The place got cleaned up today in prep for this coming weekend's engine swap for the 911. So here's a picture from a few hours ago.



And here's the car's (and the garage's?) future owner -- just past the age of two.



The new engine is under the blue tarp down at the end of the driveway.

[Topcat]

Jack, now I know why you had time to do such a great job mate...the little bloke gives us the meaning of life.

Magic photo!!

[blue dog]

[quote=Jack Olsen;1037883]I've gotten those same funny looks.




Jack, that rock's, i have seen this method in Tijuana before. Great shot.

[BigRed390]

Nice clean up job. Pics of the engine? Or do we have to wait for an in-car shot?

[Jack Olsen]

The engine is dirty and used. But for context: the car came with 140-hp motor. The one I put in 10 years ago was 247. This one is 270. I know that's not a lot, by contemporary (or 930) standards -- but the car has a nice balance of lightness, power, and rubber.

Here it is at Laguna Seca

[USMCBay]

He's getting old enough to hand you tools~!

[1Garageman]

I assume this is the wife back here?

[1Garageman]

Found this video of you racing wish show what gear you are in.
http://www.gofastvideo.com/video/884...che-911-36-RSR

I was wondering do you have any video's that also show the speed? I am always curious when I watch your videos how fast you are going in each gear.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by 1Garageman

I assume this is the wife back here?

That's her. I didn't see that she was in the picture until I was sizing it down to upload.

Originally Posted by 1Garageman

Found this video of you racing wish show what gear you are in.
http://www.gofastvideo.com/video/884...che-911-36-RSR

I was wondering do you have any video's that also show the speed? I am always curious when I watch your videos how fast you are going in each gear.

This one shows some of the speeds. Same track, but a little bit faster.

[Fungus]

Jack-
I followed your thread here and love the garage and Black Beauty II. I see you all the time on Pelican and cant help but wonder the specs on the new engine! Are you putting it in or going back to TRE? Sorry to derail but the P-cars are where my passion lies!
-Scott

[Rockcam]

Please document the swap Jack - I for one would love to follow along.

Thank you.

Steve

[thomask]

Hey Jack,

That will be a great engine swap for you.

Keep us updated on how it goes.

BTW I take my little 3 yoa grandson to Home Depot all the time. He is learning his tools as fast as I can teach him. I pull the cart up by the different tools and say pliers, sockets, screwdrivers, etc. and he points them out. His favorite are the tape measures as he loves to pull them out and watch them retract.

Thomask

[Jack Olsen]

I'm writing up the engine swap tomorrow. I finally got the garage re-cleaned-out today. It's back where it started:



The only visible difference with the car is the exhaust. For reference, here's the older, right-before-the-swap picture:



Comparing the two, I guess you can also see that I hit the rear window with some plastic polish and cleaned up the chrome trim on it. Very slight differences, visually. But it's a new lease on life for the car.

(Do I know how to stand in the same place to take a picture, or what?)

[Bustedwheel]

I was checking out this random website that usually has random pics in different categories. One of them today was pictures of supercars on the street called "Supercars from around the world" and about halfway down, between pics of Spykers and a few Lambos is your Porsche sitting in your garage.

http://acidcow.com/cars/12845-superc...d-99-pics.html

[Jack Olsen]

Ha! I'll make sure to tell my wife that my 38-year-old Porsche is actually a supercar.

[NUTTSGT]

Jack, you're probably one of the few owners in all those cars that gets his hands dirty.

[billscamaros]

looking forward to the engine swap picts .......... how long did it take?

[Jack Olsen]

Note: This is largely copied from a post on the Pelican Parts Porsche 911 BBS, so there might be some references that -- like HAMB references on this board -- might not make sense to guys who don't post on that board.



The perfunctory engine bay shot. Notice how clean I am in the picture. It wasn't me doing the heavy lifting on this one.

The Background

I've been on this board for 10 years, now, building, repairing (and driving) what I consider to be basically the same car I started with. What's the old story about Granpa's Hammer? It's had four handles and two heads, but it's still the same hammer Granpa used to use. Well, my 911 has had two tubs, three paint jobs and two engines -- all in one decade. But it's still my car.



I got the garage cleaned up before Tyson made the trip down.

The 964 3.6 engine I put in back in 2000 has outlasted the original mechanic who put it in (lost to a heart attack, sadly), and been through ten years of mostly once-a-month trips to the track. I've run it in POC events, Open Track Racing events, ACRA events, Speedventures events, NASA events, SpeedTrial USA events, Alfa club events, NCRC and ARC events. I've done several seasons of time trialing, one full season of wheel to wheel racing, and three consecutive years of the Open Track Challenge, which involved time trialing on seven tracks in seven consecutive days and driving the same car between tracks.

I drive it to all its track events and also drive it quite a lot as a street car. This includes SoCal canyon runs, like the New Years Day Hangover Rally, but also a lot of just around-town errand running and weekend trips.

I have no idea how many miles I've put on the motor. I once added up the track hours and it was in the hundreds.

So it's no surprise that the old boy started stumbling. It was a used motor when I got it. It's never had any major work done on it at all -- it's never been opened up. Its last track event was back in April, and as you can see from this video taken by a guy driving a built Z28, the car wasn't smoking. But was it down on power? Well, yes -- watch the way he eats me alive on the straights.

YouTube - 1969 Camaro Z28 vs Jack Olsen's 1972 Porsche RSR

The problem was apparent in the leakdown numbers. One cylinder (#1) in particular was pretty much dead. The rest were just hanging on. So...

The Project

Rebuild or replace -- that's the question you face. On the one hand, rebuilds are getting more and more expensive every year as engine parts become more scarce. Replacement motors are getting older and scarcer. But replacing a motor with a used unit is a gamble under the best of circumstances -- and while it was easy enough to find a low mileage 964 motor ten years ago, all of the air-cooled 3.6's are now a decade older and a decade scarcer. Buying a 7-year-old motor didn't seem too crazy in 2000. But now that same motor is going to be 17 years old...


The patient is ready for surgery.

The Budget

So, you look at your options. With a new kid and the bills that come with that, I'm no longer able to throw money around like confetti (I never really could, but...). At the end of the day, I decided to try and simply replicate what I had done before. Buy a used motor and sell the old one. After a couple of months of patiently going through ebay and other online listings, and one bad experience where a scam artist in England was selling a motor that was only a set of stolen pictures (I caught it in time; no money lost), I found a motor that looked to be right for what I wanted. It was a 1995 993 motor, which meant it had some minor improvements over my old 964 powerplant. Of course, this also meant I needed some different parts (wiring harness adapter and an oil line adapter, basically), but Steve Timmins remembered me as his first west-coast customer back in 2000, and got me just the parts I needed from his kit.

Most importantly, Tyson Schmidt agreed to come down from Washington state. I've been friends with Tyson since he posted as 'Brainiac' on the Pelican Parts Porsche BBS. When I crashed BB1 at Laguna Seca and had to move everything over to a new chassis on a ridiculously short schedule, he was the one who turned the wrenches and reinvented the car with a new suspension and a host of other improvements (he was working at TRE Motorsports at the time). No one knows the car like he does, and I was lucky to be able to pester him into coming down and helping me do the swap. (And by 'helping me do the swap,' of course I mean 'doing the swap, while I cleaned parts, ran out for items we were missing, picked up lunch, and generally got in the way.)

The visit

Complicating matters further was a visit from my parents -- the first in two years -- that was going to fall on the same weekend as the swap. But this turned out to be kind of cool -- my folks were driving out to Los Angeles from Chicago, not flying -- and also then driving up to northern Idaho for the next leg of the trip. They're both 80, and it's a testament to how much we Olsens love driving that this 5000 mile drive (it's not his first, or his second, or his third) was not a big deal at all to my father. No surprise: Tyson and he got along very well.


Oil draining.

[Jack Olsen]

Tyson Schmidt, master of all things Porsche -- even when he's got to work in a driveway. And in those shoes.

The Schedule

Tyson got in late on Thursday, but wanted to get the new motor apart to see if we needed specific parts -- so we could get them on Friday. In fact, we did, and circumstances conspired to have us looking for a list of seals, filters and a new clutch after lunchtime on Friday. Who came to our rescue and made sure a truck got the parts to Pelican's location before the end of the day Friday? Wayne of Pelican Parts, of course. He made it look easy. I'm very grateful.



That's my 80-year-old Dad working with Tyson.

On Friday, Tyson pulled the old engine and started transfering pieces over to the new one. The engine had some surprises, unfortunately. We learned there'd been a fire in the engine bay, at some point. Some parts that were damaged we were able to grab from the 964 motor. Some I had to go back to Wayne for.



The new motor is in the car.

Saturday was the big day. The new engine was in and Tyson went through the all the electrical connections. The evidence of fire had us nervous, although the damage was pretty localized. Still, when it came time to crank, the engine would not start. It's the thing you dread when you've shelled out your hard-earned money for an engine from a stranger. But Tyson stayed on task through it all, isolating each piece of what needed to be going on in order to identify the failure.

We found that flames had been drawn into the intake -- they'd melted and distorted the screen on the MAF and covered the sensor itself in black carbon and other gunk. Pelicanite James Shira was at the house for a lot of the work and he graciously spotted me some components from his own Tyson-Schmidt-built 1995 993 motor so everything could keep moving forward. First up was his MAF sensor.

Still, the engine had spark, and also got the initial rush of start-up fuel, but then the signal to the injectors was simply not there. Next up, the DME itself from James' car...

Now, it was Sunday by the time we had the new DME in hand, and Tyson's fiance had been very graciously making do without her man for longer than anyone had expected at this point. She was a trooper throughout, and the payoff came early Sunday when James' DME went in, and -

VROOM!

We had a lift-off. Fire problems and some missing pieces and a bad DME notwithstanding, the engine fired up without smoke, ran quiet as a kitten once the oil had pressurized the hydraulic valve adjusters. 200 miles later, I'm still grinning from ear to ear whenever I'm sitting in the car. (It's like falling in love all over again.)




Running! The make-shift exhaust is simply the 993 cat -- and some tips from the hardware store.

This has been a Pelicanite project from day one, and Ingo Schmitz is currently seeing if he can repair the DOA DME unit. James has been so busy with work that he's let me hold onto the loaner box (thanks, James!).

I've wanted to try a Steve Wong chip for a long time, and he's going to customize one for this car on the dyno when the DME is ready. I have to say that I'm already spoiled, though, since James' DME already has a Steve Wong chip in it. Even without the chip being custom matched, the engine runs great. The lightweight flywheel has already with James' programming. The first thing Tyson noticed was that my taller-than-stock 2nd gear suddenly feels appropriate for the car. With the 964 motor, you had to lug a little when you were coming up to speed in street driving. (My car has a very tall second, stock third, very short fourth and basically a regular fourth as a fifth gear, which keeps the ratios close for track driving).

The only downside has been the after-sale relationship with the seller. He acknowledged that there'd been a fire that he hadn't told me about, refused to do anything about the damage to the MAF sensor that it caused, refused to do anything about the dead-on-arrival DME unit, and didn't do anything about the pieces that he said he was sending but never showed up. I've never had an experience like this through three engines and over a decade of buying parts for my car. I gave him repeated chances to try to address the situation and got nothing in return.

On the plus side, though. I've got an engine that feels very strong, has none of the idling issues that my 'flat five' was having in its final months. And the intangible-but-really-cool part of it was getting to be there to see Tyson do his thing with no lift, sparse tools and a complete map to several overlapping generations of 911 components all up in his head as he worked. He knows these things inside and out -- and also has a genuine and driving passion for the 911 that you can see in everything he does. It's a blast to watch an artist at work.

I'll post updates as the new chip goes in and then have a complete report from the car's next track day, September 22nd at Willow Springs.

[Jack Olsen]

More pictures:




The new exhaust sits a little lower than the old one -- there had been more heat damage than I'd liked. An unexpected bonus: no resonance with the Magnaflow, which had been an annoyance with the Flowmaster.




The new engine is almost 2" further forward than most, thanks to Tyson.




Here's the engine itself. Nothing shiny and clean in this engine bay it's kind of a 'Rat Rod' look. I blacked out the heater blower bracket and the AC compressor support.




The garage is cleaned out again. Here's Black Beauty 2.1.

[ARKeller]

Wow, that is impressive. One day I am going to own a 911 and hope to come close to what you have done with that car and garage.

[NUTTSGT]

Looks good jack.

[qship510]

Brute+Beautiful=

Brutiful

Love it, classic shell with a modern heart. Congratulations on the transplant

[Ripped]

I'd be nervous, running your car around the track, after all the work you've put into your car, but come to think about it, day to day traffic, is not a lot better.

It will be interesting to hear how the replacement engine performs, compared to the old one.

[993James993]

Looking good Jack!

I have some random questions that I should probably ask on Pelican:

What motor mounts did you use?

Does your car have a lightweight flywheel? Is that even an issue with your '95 engine and the Steve Wong chip?

Have you thought about a single belt RS pulley?

How does the new engine sound, compared to the 964 engine?

I'm going to check out your Pelican posts!

This thread is one of my favorites.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by Ripped

It will be interesting to hear how the replacement engine performs, compared to the old one.

Originally, the car came with a 140-hp 2.4-liter motor. But I replaced that in 2000 with a 247-hp 3.6-liter motor from a 1993 car. There was a big performance jump with that swap. The 1995 3.6 is very similar to the 1993 3.6. It's rated at 270-hp, thanks to slightly larger intake and exhaust ports and slightly less rotating mass. I'll know more about this particular engine after it goes on the dyno for its chip tuning. I don't expect there will be a huge difference between this and the previous motor (at least when it was in good health), but I've been stuck at 1:29.1X at my local track for two years now, and I'm hoping this motor might get me the 2/10 of a second I need to get into the 28's.

Originally Posted by 993James993

Looking good Jack!

I have some random questions that I should probably ask on Pelican: What motor mounts did you use? Does your car have a lightweight flywheel? Is that even an issue with your '95 engine and the Steve Wong chip? Have you thought about a single belt RS pulley? How does the new engine sound, compared to the 964 engine? I'm going to check out your Pelican posts! This thread is one of my favorites.

Thanks! I have solid mounts in the rear and sport mounts at the transaxle. The car does have a lightweight flywheel, which would cause problems with a stock chip, but is addressed by the Steve Wong chip. Yes, I have thought about the single pulley, and plan on getting it one of these days. The new exhaust is a Magnaflow, and it's smaller/more open than the old Flowmaster (I don't spend much on my mufflers). It's slightly louder than it was before, but doesn't have the resonance sound between 2K and 3K that used to bug me in street driving.

What year is your 993?

[jktruck150]

Nice build Jack! That was one quick engine swap! I have to say, it does pay to have a couple good buddies around for parts and knowledge! They are worth every penny!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack,
Thanks for posting the link. Looks to me like you've got the line at Willow Springs down PAT! If that's you with a cylinder dying you must be airborne with all six!
I think I heard the Z driver say you're turning somewhere around 1:40 or 1:41's...then he says he's only able to do it because he's following your line.

The car still sounds fabulous to me at WOT. I thought you said he eats you up on the straights? To me it looks like he hangs with you but only +/- near the beginning of the video then its YOU that eats him up by half or 2/3' of the way through.

I'm also impressed with the narrow body duck-tailed car late in the video. He can't hang with you obviously, but he's staying ahead of the Z with no problem and to the point of making the Z lock 'em up and just about lose it for a second.

Fun, fun, fun looking time. I never tracked my Middy but I do admit to a few (in hindsight) ill advised runs through Mulholland and a couple out near Aqua Dulce. I scared myself with those and my little 2.7. Though it ran excellent it wouldn't hold a candle to your car...not to mention the old-ass driver it had behind the wheel!!! Gawd, I got a charge vicariously from this. Makes me want my Pcar back.

(Let's see...if I sell can the '46 truck for $9-10k, then look for a roller....and then....)

[Mr Long Hood]

Go get'em Jack. good luck with the new motor. enjoyed the "documentary"

[Jack Olsen]

This was the first big automotive project in the garage since I cleaned it up. Moving two motors around meant I couldn't back the car in. But I strung a tarp above the mouth of the garage so that there wouldn't be direct sunlight on us while we worked.

More space and a lift would be great -- but it was cool to see how the whole garage ended up getting used as stuff was broken down, cleaned and worked on. The ceramic tile held up fine, even with a teetering 500-pound motor being wheeled across it on top of a heavy Sears floor jack.

Here's the car sitting empty with two motors in pieces.



For the times when work had to be done from below, I used some old padded floor-covering squares that had been in my kid's playroom a while back.



(If you can help it, never throw anything away.)

[e-tek]

That first pic of you in the engine bay looks TOTALLY P-shopped. It's like just the top of you is floating over the back of the car!!

Your threads always remind me of a guy I knew who had a 911 and he would pull the engine on a regular basis. He had it down to a science, less than 2 hours all-told. He'd pull it just to play with the parts and put it back. Got him a divorce in the end (fair warning!!).

I noted a "possible' typo under the heading "The Visit". You wrote "manner" when you may have meant "matters" (I say "possible" as you're the writer!)

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.

Manners to matters. Fixed. That's what you get for writing something while you're waiting in line for a new street parking permit.

Tyson, who does this sort of thing for a living, can pull a motor in something like 20 minutes. The old 911's are very simple -- no power steering, power brakes, any of that. Fuel, wire harness, oil lines and the connection to the transaxle is about all there is. It makes for a quick repair if you're racing at Le Mans, I guess.

And these things do break up a lot of marriages, it's true. I'll be careful.

[993James993]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Originally, the car came with a 140-hp 2.4-liter motor. But I replaced that in 2000 with a 247-hp 3.6-liter motor from a 1993 car. There was a big performance jump with that swap. The 1995 3.6 is very similar to the 1993 3.6. It's rated at 270-hp, thanks to slightly larger intake and exhaust ports and slightly less rotating mass. I'll know more about this particular engine after it goes on the dyno for its chip tuning. I don't expect there will be a huge difference between this and the previous motor (at least when it was in good health), but I've been stuck at 1:29.1X at my local track for two years now, and I'm hoping this motor might get me the 2/10 of a second I need to get into the 28's.

Thanks! I have solid mounts in the rear and sport mounts at the transaxle. The car does have a lightweight flywheel, which would cause problems with a stock chip, but is addressed by the Steve Wong chip. Yes, I have thought about the single pulley, and plan on getting it one of these days. The new exhaust is a Magnaflow, and it's smaller/more open than the old Flowmaster (I don't spend much on my mufflers). It's slightly louder than it was before, but doesn't have the resonance sound between 2K and 3K that used to bug me in street driving.

What year is your 993?

My car is a '95. It's pretty much stock but I do have the single fan belt pulley, wevo mounts and a light weight flywheel. It does stall from time to time although it's possible to eliminate most of this by keeping the revs up. I'm very interested in hearing how you like the Steve Wong chip as it seems to have a great reputation and is pretty inexpensive as far as 993 mods go. I'd like to update the suspension in the future. Other than that and the chip I'll probably keep it stock.

My son has a '90 964 and his engine is very similar to mine.

When will your car be ready?