Mark's Monster Garage....3800 sq ft

[IGO2XS]

Today we started converting the work area into the paint booth for the Camaro. Yes this may be scoffed at by professionals but we are going for it. Bob has painted many a vehicle in a garage and after the delays we have experienced with someone else painting the Suburban he decided to paint the camaro himself. To seal the room off we attached a tarp to the front which will be taped around to keep as much air as possible from seeping in. There will be a door made from 2 x 4's which will frame out a few filters to bring clean air in. The open trusses were a little bit of a concern because of dust laying on them so I did what any other garage guy would do..........I turned on my 3500 cu ft per minute exhaust fan in the room and fired up my back pack blower and got most off the dust out. The fan is not explosion proof so I built a frame from floor to ceiling with removable panels so we could add filtration before the paint spray hits the fan. The fan is variable speed so Bob can dial in the proper air flow. Stay tuned to watch a paint job!!

 

[naki kid]

You can buy a plastic wrap that you can put up with masking tape under your rafters to keep the dust down and the light will still shine through.

 

[AETD]

Most paint boots work on over pressure, not under pressure.

turn the fan in your wall arround. make the filtering better and **** outdoor air in, push it true the filters in your garage.
this way you you can not **** dust and dirt in to your work area. i'm sure there is dust waiting to drop down, if you hit the paint gun.

keep the floor moist so any traveling dust will stick to it...

 

[JCQuick]

Most paint boots work on over pressure, not under pressure.
...

Wrong! a good booth will have negitive pressure it helps the paint lay on the object being painted better. This is specialy true with a down draft booth.
A good booth will have a liquid manometer in them to show this

 

[IGO2XS]

You can buy a plastic wrap that you can put up with masking tape under your rafters to keep the dust down and the light will still shine through.

Most paint boots work on over pressure, not under pressure.

turn the fan in your wall arround. make the filtering better and **** outdoor air in, push it true the filters in your garage.
this way you you can not **** dust and dirt in to your work area. i'm sure there is dust waiting to drop down, if you hit the paint gun.

keep the floor moist so any traveling dust will stick to it...

thanks guys. I will pass on some additional photos as we get it ready. I am certainly no expert but we will be taking as many precautions as possible. At the end of the day and nice wet sand and buff will make this paint job look marvelous

 

[thomask]

:

I am lucky to be alive as it is. Even luckier that a conscious woman has put up with me for more than 50 years. A remark like that doesn't even enter my mind, let alone pass my lips -- she knows exactly what I'm thinking after all this time. And I don't think she's afraid to go back to prison. Gotta go -- I think I hear her coming.....

Mr. Bob Heine:

Sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar. Some of us can sure learn a thing or two from your many years of marriage and wisdom.

You are right, the better half seem to know what we are thinking, just how do they do that?

 

[IGO2XS]

We have a little action going on today. Finally after sitting in a paint booth for 2 weeks we have some color. Satin black on top and silver on the bottom. We should be bringing it home tomorrow Hopefully we can get start on interior and assembly later this week.

Bob got started painting the Camaro today. The first color was black to lay out the RS stripes in the front. Tomorrow the car gets painted and clear coated. Updates tomorrow!!

 

[Shoottx]

Mark

I'll bet you are sure happy you picked this year to miss Pappadeaux and the Good Guys show. It was cold, actually I think it was a new record low for the day, and it was rainy. Yup a good year to miss.

Of course the Crayfish Bisque was sure good!

 

[IGO2XS]

Mark

I'll bet you are sure happy you picked this year to miss Pappadeaux and the Good Guys show. It was cold, actually I think it was a new record low for the day, and it was rainy. Yup a good year to miss.

Of course the Crayfish Bisque was sure good!

Ha ha Mike. Too bad about the weather. The last two years I was there it was beautiful. Lucky for you guys Goodguys also has a spring show out there so you get two great car shows each year. See you next year!!!

 

[IGO2XS]

As promised Bob got the car painted. I must say when the plan was originally hatched to paint this car in the garage I was a little skeptical. As we put our temporary booth together I did get a lot more comfortable. Bob got started early this morning taping off the black stripes that were painted yesterday. In the first few photos are pictures of the car around 2 pm today when the Ash Gold (its green to me) was applied. The last two photos are after 3 coats of clear coat.

We have repainted the car with stripes that are identical to those on the car when we got it. Although it is an RS it is our understanding the 6 cylinder did not get the RS badge on the stripe on the side.

As this car is taking shape I am really growing to love the color combination. I hope you guys like it too.

 

[JCQuick]

The painter doesn't have even a simple resperator on
Thats not good for anyones health just saying

However it looks great VW use to have a yellow that was called a green use to drive me nuts

 

[IGO2XS]

The painter doesn't have even a simple resperator on
Thats not good for anyones health just saying

However it looks great VW use to have a yellow that was called a green use to drive me nuts

He had just picked up the gun and was getting ready to spray. I was in there with him with my camera.....just wanted to get high for a minute.........he wore a respirator.

 

[ugly kustom]

Getting the most out of your garage. priceless.
just saying lol

 

[Homebody]

Awesome. Nice job!!

 

[Wingnut65]

Beautiful! The home-grown paint shop is a success!

 

[rwhite692]

Very nice man. Nice to see that you resisted the common urge to slap on a cowl hood.

 

[6 Grrrs]

Mark, the car looks great. Maybe you need to turn that area into a permanent paint booth

 

[IGO2XS]

Very nice man. Nice to see that you resisted the common urge to slap on a cowl hood.

Mark, the car looks great. Maybe you need to turn that area into a permanent paint booth

Beautiful! The home-grown paint shop is a success!

Thank you guys I am really excited about this Camaro coming together. The color is just plain outstanding in my mind......one of those off the wall colors that looks great. Don't get me wrong, I like red and black just like the next guy but this is different. Bob spent 8 hours today wet sanding and buffing. The car really looks awesome now. I can't wait to get the seats and door panels in. This car is really going to be a winner.

Now on the Suburban............I got it home last night and I tried to get some shots but it was too dark so today we rolled it out in the sun. I am really happy with the color.........like someone told me today it is a different truck. The black has just enough flat in it and the sheen of the silver is not too shiny and not too flat. I attribute this to alot of luck because it turned out exactly what I wanted and you guys know how hard that is to accomplish. The wife told me today she wanted me to keep the Suburban and sell the Willys because the Suburban was drivable and not a trailer queen.

The bumpers, door handles, and cowl gets painted in the morning and hoping to start assembly this weekend. Right now the only major work is the carpet which will be black. No one makes a carpet kit for a 66 Suburban so I am going to have the guy who upholstered the seats do a profession job on it. The truck is turning out so nice I want the carpet to look perfect. We are also playing around with a 1/4 inch or so red stripe where the black meets the silver. Once we get a test area done I will post pics for comments.

There is a big NSRA hot rod show in Tampa Saturday and I only have one car running I was hoping to met Wingnut there but I am going to work in the shop all weekend. My wife will be out of town at a fitness contest so I plan on getting some work done in the garage. I guess that is a sign of age........15 years ago it would have been a big party weekend. Now, its more time in the garage

 

[hpw]

over the top awesome

 

[Wingnut65]

I'm sure you will get a lot accomplished on the projects this weekend by staying focused. (BTW, did you say Fitness Contest? Wee may need an update on that one...) That Burb is really looking nice. I can see why the Mrs wants to have a rod to drive around in.

Sorry I'm gonna miss ya, but I am planning on hitting NSRA on Saturday with at least one of my Hideout Helpers. If someone sees me in my GJ t-shirt, flag me down.

On another thought, would you like me to take the Vette there to display???

 

[IGO2XS]

I'm sure you will get a lot accomplished on the projects this weekend by staying focused. (BTW, did you say Fitness Contest? Wee may need an update on that one...)

Sorry I'm gonna miss ya, but I am planning on hitting NSRA on Saturday with at least one of my Hideout Helpers. If someone sees me in my GJ t-shirt, flag me down.

Saturday is the best day to go to any of this outdoor shows. Its the day when most of the locals come and their are some great hot rods around town. Sundays are petty weak outdoor show days because the long distance people typically are leaving the shows and the local turnout is less. However, if you want a trophy you have to be there at the end of day Sunday.

Oh ya, I got to tell you the mrs has an incredible figure Her trainer is in California so once a week I am forced to take pictures of her in her bikini and her clear hi-healed shoes. She is as intense about working out as I am about cars.

 

[Wingnut65]

Saturday it is!. I'm taking the big Nikon with a full battery and empty memory stick.

BTW, if there is anythin a friend can do to help a friend out in difficult times like that, just give me a call!

 

[CNGsaves]

Have loved every minute of past few hours going through this thread! The garage and house are fabulous for their architecture and function, but the icing on the cake is the car work inside garage!

Thanks so much for sharing your garage/house with everyone here on GJ, and especially knowledge and ideas on car rebuilds. Car companies could learn a LOT from you on cleaning up firewall clutter!

Finally, the convertible Camaro will be stunning when complete, I'm sure. Recent car show I saw a rare OEM straight-6 Camaro that had intercooled turbo (think is was a 67). That would have been cool to keep the 6 banger but boost it's power a bit, with an option it could have had OEM.

Thanks again, and keep the pics a coming!

 

[Wingnut65]

Yep, Big improvement!







.

 

[IGO2XS]

Have loved every minute of past few hours going through this thread! The garage and house are fabulous for their architecture and function, but the icing on the cake is the car work inside garage!

Finally, the convertible Camaro will be stunning when complete, I'm sure. Recent car show I saw a rare OEM straight-6 Camaro that had intercooled turbo (think is was a 67). That would have been cool to keep the 6 banger but boost it's power a bit, with an option it could have had OEM.

Thanks again, and keep the pics a coming!

Thank you so much and glad you have enjoyed the thread. I dont know if I have much to teach anyone but every now and then I get lucky and have a good idea.

Right now we are waiting on a parts order so the Camaro will probably sit for a week or so. We are getting very close on our estimate so we have to be using our time wisely. Its crazy how much time we have invested in this car.

Its OK because with the Suburban back we can focus on it. Like I have said before sometimes it is nice to have more than one project because when one project stalls you can jump on another one.

Yep, Big improvement!

.

You are the man Wingnut!!!!!! Thanks for doing the comparison.

 

[CodeRedZ]

can you adopt me please?

 

[kald]

Beautiful work on the Camaro!! The Burb looks great as well. I love the color choices.

 

[Capstone]

I found a pretty good exapmle of what your Camaro might look like when finished...

Are you going to go with that interior as well? Oh and if you look closely, you can spot the fender blinkers which I think are kinda rare.

 

[IGO2XS]

can you adopt me please?

I would love to but I can't afford my own self right now

Beautiful work on the Camaro!! The Burb looks great as well. I love the color choices.

thanks. it was a hard decision to pick out the right color for the Burb and I have really fallen in love with it.

I found a pretty good exapmle of what your Camaro might look like when finished...

Are you going to go with that interior as well? Oh and if you look closely, you can spot the fender blinkers which I think are kinda rare.

WOW, thanks for the thoughtful post of this car. Yes the interior is just like this car and it is all ready to go in. We are still waiting to get the carpet shipped so we can complete the interior. I just called Bob to check out this photo and he has a set of these rally wheels at his old shop in Georgia. I really like the red lines too. Such a nice classic look. I am going to pass your photo on to the owners of the car. I am not sure if they would go with the rally wheels because the car has the original hub cabs on it that came with the car. The red lines would be a nice addition.

 

[IGO2XS]

Some assembly required Still putting the burb back together. We added a 1/4 inch red stripe between the black and silver and it turned out beautiful. Other than just a bunch more misc parts to put back we have to install carpet. We can't finish interior without carpet at this point. Unfortunately 66 Suburban parts are not plentiful and especially carpet kits. I guess we are looking at the challenge of installing carpet and making it look molded in. I really like the loop carpet but it might be harder to hide the seams. Anyone out there have any good carpet installing skills???

 

[Skyline]

I know it's not exactly local to you, but check out Automat in Hicksville NY.

http://www.autointeriors.biz/

They manufacture their own carpet kits for most cars. If they don't have the templates, then you're out of luck unless you brought them the car though. It looks like on their price list the Suburbans start at '67, (yours is a '66 right???)

But one thing that's cool is that you're not limited to a particular carpet style. For example, you tell them that you want the Suburban carpets made from German wool loop carpet, (as would be original in a 1965 Porsche) they can make them for your Burb. But these days, your vehicle is a pretty rare beast, so who knows if they have the proper templates. Without them, they would need old original carpets/vinyl or the vehicle to work from. Give them a call and see if they can help.

 

[shopnut]

The SS Burb is looking great. I can't offer any advice for the carpet, but I'm sure you'll work it out and it'll turn out fantastic. Have fun in that shop.

 

[Foxxtrot]

Long time lurker, first time poster......as many have said, your place is incredible! And the cars....oh, the cars......huge fan of everything you are doing! My dad still lives down in Vero Beach, and I have family in Orlando and Cocoa. If I find myself headed to FL for more than a day or two like usual, I would love to look you up and check this place out in person! Fantastic job on everything you do!

 

[IGO2XS]

I know it's not exactly local to you, but check out Automat in Hicksville NY.

http://www.autointeriors.biz/

They manufacture their own carpet kits for most cars. If they don't have the templates, then you're out of luck unless you brought them the car though. It looks like on their price list the Suburbans start at '67, (yours is a '66 right???)

yes its a 66 and that is the year the parts stop i will give them a call because if nothing else we will buy bulk and do the best we can.

The SS Burb is looking great. I can't offer any advice for the carpet, but I'm sure you'll work it out and it'll turn out fantastic. Have fun in that shop.

thanks shopnut!!!

Long time lurker, first time poster......as many have said, your place is incredible! And the cars....oh, the cars......huge fan of everything you are doing! My dad still lives down in Vero Beach, and I have family in Orlando and Cocoa. If I find myself headed to FL for more than a day or two like usual, I would love to look you up and check this place out in person! Fantastic job on everything you do!

thanks Foxxtrot! If you come to Florida you know where to find me. We are here in Sarasota and your welcome to stop by.

 

[Wingnut65]

Congrats on a job well done. Well, Almost done!

That red line looks like it needs to be there.

Nice work, Mark.

 

[vr4joe]

Quick painting question on the Camaro. Are you going to take the hood and trunk off and paint the backs of them, or just keep them on and paint them? What's the easiest way?

Looks like the paint came out really nice! How did the fan work out?

 

[IGO2XS]

Quick painting question on the Camaro. Are you going to take the hood and trunk off and paint the backs of them, or just keep them on and paint them? What's the easiest way?

Looks like the paint came out really nice! How did the fan work out?

The hood and the trunk were painted off the car. The black was painted under each one and then Bob painted the edges the body color before he put the hood and the deck lid on for final paint. Before the car was painted all the gaps were adjusted and body panels in place. You dont want to have to take anything back off the car once it has been fitted.

The fan worked out great and our temporary booth worked well for base coat clear coat, wet sand and buff. The satin paint job we did on the Suburban had to be done in a proper booth because there can be no sanding after the paint is on.

 

[IGO2XS]

If you look back on post #716 I talked about ordering a pulley system for the 1964 Malibu. With all of the polished aluminum on the motor I wanted something polished but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for a Billet Specialties Serpentine system (my favorite).

So today it came in UPS and I was pretty excited. I got it home and couldnt wait to unbox it.

It looks simple enough. What you notice first is the 2 inch wide cog pulleys. Looks almost like a blower motor. I think the alternator looks cool with the big pulley and it is just a beautiful piece of aluminum. For some reason the serpentine belt for the power steering pump did not come with the kit. Right now I am not installing the A/C in the Malibu. I figure it would cost $1500 more to get the A/C in the car and I need to prove to myself I am going to drive it more before i throw that money down. Anyway I just dont have the time to install an A/C system because we are trying to make a November 4 show with the car.

It was actually pretty easy to bolt up. It took about an hour to install. I already had the chrome power steering pump which did not come with the system.

The decision to go with this system did create a few obstacles. The big block is already a squeeze when it comes to putting in the small engine bay. With this pulley system I have pushed the belt system forward which gets it closer to the 4 inch thick aluminum radiator. Right now there is not much room for a electric fan so over the next week we'll need to move the radiator forward.

 

[ugly kustom]

Nice work Mark I saw this on the Chevy form. ?Q how is your Garage heated ? thanks

 

[IGO2XS]

Nice work Mark I saw this on the Chevy form. ?Q how is your Garage heated ? thanks

Hey I know you! Glad to meet you here on GJ. I have electric central A/C and heat. I have one unit for the apartment and my drum studio I leave running. The main garage has 5 ton A/c with a heat strip. I don't run it very much because of the dust created when we are working. We have turned it on for assembly,

I have been trying to keep the garage electric bill in check which is another reason I don't run the a/c all the time. I run the pond fountain pump, pump for the decorative fountain on the garage, 2.5 hp well pump for irrigation on our property, plus lighting, and two air compressors and my bill has been as high as $350' I backed off the fountains from running 18 hrs a day to 10 hrs. I would be happy at $200 to $250 but not sure if I can make that happen.