Fastphil
Well-known member
Does that boat fit into the small garage doors, or will it be going in the RV bay? Was it a challenge to get it down the driveway?
Mark's Monster Garage....3800 sq ft
- Thread starter IGO2XS
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michakaveli
Well-known member
Justin, thank you but we are all living the american dream
Today was a very business day around the Monster Garage. About a month ago I was contacted by a local Corvette club and the gentleman told me a friend of his on the Garage Journal told him about the garage. He asked if he and a few buddies could come by after they have breakfast and we agreed on this Sunday. I wasnt sure whether to expect 4 cars or 15 but we went ahead and spent a few days doing some deep house cleaning in the garage. We had gotten a little behind and it was time. I am outside and I see the first Corvette come in the gate and they kept coming and coming and coming. There were 30 Corvette that showed up and I was so blown away. There was everything from a 1954 Corvette to a brand new Z06. They stayed about an hour and we decided when the weather cools off in October or November we would have a proper gathering which would probably be a good time to have another GJ party!!
That's Awesome!
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
I think his real challenge will be trying to get the boat into his pond to test it out.
We do have some suits. He is to tuff to wear them!!
Don't forget I am a farm boy from Indiana so trailers are no problem.
When I built my driveway I built it for trailers so the drive is 14' wide. I can turn around my 38' enclosed trailer in front of my garage so there is lots of room there too. The smaller doors are 10 x 10 so we cleared out a few cars and backed the boat in. We are doing some gel coat work, air brushing, and finishing up the sound system this week so we can get the boat back to the owner in 5 days.
A few weeks ago, me and the wife to be took a weekend trip to the 1000 islands just as a late birthday/fishing trip get away. As luck would have it, they were having a poker run that weekend. All the high powered cigar boats were all lined up at the docks blasting music and showing off. I thought the boats with the twin super charged 545's were pretty cool, until I saw the last boat in line. That thing had not 2, but 3 of those beasts shoe horned in the back! The owner wasnt around, but the gauge cluster in that thing was unbelieveable. I took some crappy cell phone pics if anyone is interested.
Garage and projects are looking awesome! Can't wait to see the vette when its done, and the 1000hp project!
Garage and projects are looking awesome! Can't wait to see the vette when its done, and the 1000hp project!
Fastphil
Well-known member
I'd love to see it, but let's not pollute Mark's awesome thread. If you put them up somewhere, just plop the link in here so people can check it out.
Back around post 1223 there was some discussion about protecting an aluminum intake, take a look at a product called Shark Hyde. It would also protect the radiators that you guys use(aluminum). Nice garage & great work on the various vehicles.
Fastphil
Well-known member
I think it's individual stones, there's a few pics way back of them doing the compacting of the underlayer. Must have been quite a job.
IPACA9
Well-known member
I got a friend of mine that lays stone driveways and walkways. He says he ******* and complains to himself the whole time he's doing it but then nothing beats the feeling of satisfaction after looking at the finished product
Wow that must have been a treat. As a car guy I know I love to see the go fast boats. Here in Sarasota we have a big Offshore Race around July 4th weekend. I love to go down and see the boats on display, the fancy trailers, and the semi trucks that pull them. That is one expensive hobbie!!
Thanks for the heads up. I see Eastwood carries it. I found the Shark Hyde website and I am going to read about it tonight.
Fastphil is right........they are brick pavers. Concrete was really out of the question......it turns white and cracks and with the big trees it wouldnt have taken long. Anyway we wanted something that would go with the old world look we had going on with the garage. These pavers are over 3 inches thick and come in 3 sizes...12 x 18, 12 x 16, and 12 x 12. After they were made they put them in a huge tumbler to slightly break the edges so they look old!
Fastphil
Well-known member
I bought a can of Shark Hyde for my wheels a while back, but I have yet to use it. Maybe this winter I'll have time to give it a try.
e-tek
Well-known member
I've seen the Shark Hyde on a few of the car shows. A quick wipe in one direction with a microfibre cloth is all it takes and it's supposed to last a long while. Maybe you could do a review on it?!
Hope all is well with everyone. Today I took the first test drive in the 1970 Chevelle It was only 3 miles but it was very exciting. I am happy to say none of the wheels fell off, nothing caught on fire, and it did not overheat. My first observation is that the car handled incredibly well. No squeaks, rattles, or any of the usual sounds of a 43 year old car. It was tight as expected and handled well although we have not aligned the car. We got back and had a little coolant leak out of the lower radiator hose but this was quickly fixed by tightening up the clamp. The air blew nice and cool and the best part was the operation of the cowl hood.......wow that is cool! We got two thumbs up in our short ride so I think the car is already well recieved.
We got our 69 Chevelle back already. The oil pan was damaged and had a sheared bolt in the pan and it was decided we should change it. Unfortunately we had to pull the motor to put the new pan on.
No problem though........motor came out easier than it went back in.
The owner then decided he did not like the way the trunk looked. He ran out of gas when he picked it up last week on the way home so he decided he wanted a bigger fuel cell, a fuel gauge that work, and a clean looking trunk. The 20 gallon aluminum fuel cell arrived yesterday and Tony took over and began to cut out some wood panels for the ugly trunk. Here is the beginning stages and next week we should have them covered with leather.
I guess we are also in the marine business I still have the boat and we have been commissioned to installed $2000 worth of LED underwater lighting.
I dont know if any of you guys have seen a boat with these underwater lights but they are incredibly cool. I had no idea these were this expensive. It requires drilling holes in the hull and mounting the lighting so it should be interesting!!
1 transformer
3 of these LED underwater lights
and then the magic happens
And last but not least I checked out this bike project today......30 inch front tire, air ride bagger!! I guess this is the "in" bike right now. Looking at doing the custom paint on it although I would love to build one!
It was only 3 miles but it was very exciting. I am happy to say none of the wheels fell off, nothing caught on fire, and it did not overheat. My first observation is that the car handled incredibly well. No squeaks, rattles, or any of the usual sounds of a 43 year old car. It was tight as expected and handled well although we have not aligned the car. We got back and had a little coolant leak out of the lower radiator hose but this was quickly fixed by tightening up the clamp. The air blew nice and cool and the best part was the operation of the cowl hood.......wow that is cool! We got two thumbs up in our short ride so I think the car is already well recieved.We got our 69 Chevelle back already. The oil pan was damaged and had a sheared bolt in the pan and it was decided we should change it. Unfortunately we had to pull the motor to put the new pan on.
No problem though........motor came out easier than it went back in.The owner then decided he did not like the way the trunk looked. He ran out of gas when he picked it up last week on the way home so he decided he wanted a bigger fuel cell, a fuel gauge that work, and a clean looking trunk. The 20 gallon aluminum fuel cell arrived yesterday and Tony took over and began to cut out some wood panels for the ugly trunk. Here is the beginning stages and next week we should have them covered with leather.
I guess we are also in the marine business
I still have the boat and we have been commissioned to installed $2000 worth of LED underwater lighting. I dont know if any of you guys have seen a boat with these underwater lights but they are incredibly cool. I had no idea these were this expensive. It requires drilling holes in the hull and mounting the lighting so it should be interesting!!1 transformer
3 of these LED underwater lights
and then the magic happens
And last but not least I checked out this bike project today......30 inch front tire, air ride bagger!! I guess this is the "in" bike right now. Looking at doing the custom paint on it although I would love to build one!
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flybefree
Well-known member
Mark,
Back to the forum after taking over a year off, new kid, new job, blah, blah, blah. Coming back I can't believe how your thread has become MOAR AWESOME! It is just a pleasure to catch up on all your work...love to see your hard work turn out so well. Your work ethic and gift for excellence makes your thread unique.
Shaun
Back to the forum after taking over a year off, new kid, new job, blah, blah, blah. Coming back I can't believe how your thread has become MOAR AWESOME! It is just a pleasure to catch up on all your work...love to see your hard work turn out so well. Your work ethic and gift for excellence makes your thread unique.
Shaun
Shaun, where you been man?? Well, on second thought the new kid might just take up a bit more time and congratulations to you and your wife. Hope you hang around a little bit and get settled back in.
It is definitely not my full time job.......well, let me rephrase the statement. I have a business where I work full time for an income. This garage is my 2nd full time job and quite honestly I can't tell you if I am making any money or not. I know I have collected some money, bought a heck of a lot of parts, and paid a bunch of people to work.
Now,the keyword in your post was fun and we are having fun!! Thanks for posting!don long
Well-known member
Wow Mark
You just keep expanding the horizon of your scope of work
I haven't said much lately so I thought I might take a moment to tell you that the 70 chevelle looks great and I haven't touched mine yet (some day soon)
and let you know that I'm still here admiring all the work that comes out of your place, and to think that it's just your hobby!!!!
The Vette is the next one I'm anxious to see on the finish line
thanks for taking the time to share the energy from within the monster garage
Don
You just keep expanding the horizon of your scope of work
I haven't said much lately so I thought I might take a moment to tell you that the 70 chevelle looks great and I haven't touched mine yet (some day soon)
and let you know that I'm still here admiring all the work that comes out of your place, and to think that it's just your hobby!!!!
The Vette is the next one I'm anxious to see on the finish line
thanks for taking the time to share the energy from within the monster garage
Don
Fastphil
Well-known member
Whatever happened to the Blazer?
I just spoke to the guy who owns it last week. They are doing the suspension, motor, and firewall and we will get it back in a month or so. I will definitely post it back up when we get it. I have the hood, front fenders, and the top here at the house still so it has to come back some time.
Don,
thank you and I could only wish I could have your setup!!! Little did I know 3800 square feet wasn't near enough room.
The first of the week I will be taking some pictures of the Chevelle and I will post them up for you to see. I am really happy with the end result. It seems like only yesterday when we were talking about starting this project.
Yes Don the vette......I have my sights aimed at getting the Corvette painted this week. I am not sure if it will happen but this is a goal for me. I really want to try to get it done by the end of the month.
I did some research on this boat we have been working on and the manufacturer posted a price list online. The MSRP on this boat was $308,000. I about fell out of my chair. This knowledge made it particularly hard to install the underwater led lighting on the boat today because I had to drill 5/8" holes in the hull below the waterline for the wiring.
I couldnt pass up this photo opportunity!!
I installed one led light on either side
and one on the back
This should put a nice glow around the back of the boat at night when these lights are on.
jarhead
Well-known member
very nice shop/garage. nice to have all that spave.
Maybe I missed it somewhere in a post, are most of these cars yours, or is this a hot rod shop, doing customer cars?
Joe
Maybe I missed it somewhere in a post, are most of these cars yours, or is this a hot rod shop, doing customer cars?
Joe
I am starting to take some photos of the Chevelle and I planned on sharing them in full later in the week. Unfortunately I am not a patient guy and I wanted to post up a few of them. The more I look at the color of the Chevelle the more I love it. I really love the stance of the car and I am really proud of how it turned out.
So, anyone want to take a guess how many hours we logged in this build?? If you have a guess please post the number of hours you think we spent on the car. At the end of the week I will let you guys know.
So, anyone want to take a guess how many hours we logged in this build?? If you have a guess please post the number of hours you think we spent on the car. At the end of the week I will let you guys know.
el Pedro
Well-known member
Looks awesome, I loved the colour since you first posted a pic but it just looks amazing outside and sitting pretty.
I we guess correctly do we win the car?
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Mark,
I'm guessing 800 hours. You started in mid-February and finished by the end of July. That's 25 weeks but you spent time on other projects so I'm guessing you averaged less than 40 hours a week during that time even though there were some weeks with more time spent and by more than one person. Just my SWAG (Stupid Wild *** Guess -- as opposed to more modern meanings).
I'm guessing 800 hours. You started in mid-February and finished by the end of July. That's 25 weeks but you spent time on other projects so I'm guessing you averaged less than 40 hours a week during that time even though there were some weeks with more time spent and by more than one person. Just my SWAG (Stupid Wild *** Guess -- as opposed to more modern meanings).
e-tek
Well-known member
Are you talking JUST your shop time, or subs as well?
I'll say 650hrs.
I'll say 650hrs.
Bob, I hope your hanging around because Monday starts the intense completion of the 66 vette. My buddy wants it by the end of this month!! I told him I might be able to give him 90% by then...........I might need your help!!
Are you talking JUST your shop time, or subs as well?
I'll say 650hrs.
Just shop time e-tek.
Looks awesome, I loved the colour since you first posted a pic but it just looks amazing outside and sitting pretty.
I we guess correctly do we win the car?
Ha ha funny guy. That would be a fun contest wouldnt it!!!
Omphaloskeptic
Well-known member
Mark, I have no inkling of how many hours of shop time it took, but DAMN, it certainly has been time (and money) well-spent!
The static pics are great, the setting is 'The Catzazz', but you've just GOTTA give us a thrill. Break out the video cam, put the top down and capture some slow drive-by's (preferably carried out by a carload of bikini-clad-beauties)! lol
Nothing sweeter than seeing a beautiful machine leisurely cruise down a boulevard and listening to the loping cam music as it 'struts-its-stuff'!
The static pics are great, the setting is 'The Catzazz', but you've just GOTTA give us a thrill. Break out the video cam, put the top down and capture some slow drive-by's (preferably carried out by a carload of bikini-clad-beauties)! lol
Nothing sweeter than seeing a beautiful machine leisurely cruise down a boulevard and listening to the loping cam music as it 'struts-its-stuff'!
I guess I'm expecting too much for the trailer to have a matching spare tire with a miserly budget like that.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Mark,
I ate something that gave me a head-to-toe case of hives last week so I'll be spending time on the computer for the next few days. I'm happy to help in any way I can but for now I've had enough itching without playing with fiberglass.
Although $308,000 sounds like a lot for that Go-Fast boat, close to half of that money is in the twin Mercruisers. Those puppies list for $60,252.00 a piece.
e-tek
Well-known member
Not sure what Mark's shop rate is, but around here, if you had that car done by a body shop you'd pay about $100/hr. A professional build (in a retail autobody shop) would easilt run you $70K, plus major parts like wheels, crate engine, etc.
Mark;
When you installed those LED lights on the boat, did you consider maritime lighting regulations? Red (and green) lights serve a VERY particular purpose in nighttime navigation, and those might confuse another boat. I would change them to blue assuming you want to surround the boat with color.
When you installed those LED lights on the boat, did you consider maritime lighting regulations? Red (and green) lights serve a VERY particular purpose in nighttime navigation, and those might confuse another boat. I would change them to blue assuming you want to surround the boat with color.
IPACA9
Well-known member
Some of those you can change the colors. Not sure if those are the ones.
Should not apply in this case as these are not likely to lit while running as well as being below the waterline.
The boat also has a standard set of nav lights.
While I agree that these should not be used while in motion, if you forget, and leave them on, it's an invitation for a Coast Guard summons, or worse, could cause an accident.
Check this out from BoatSafe.com:
Navigation Lights - Sidelights
Is your boat legal? Of course, you say...it is a brand new boat. Well you might want to think again after reading the following article. And remember, it is your responsibility, not the manufacturer's, to make sure your boat is in compliance with state and federal regulations.
During factory and boat show inspections we have observed that many manufacturers of recreational boats do not have a good understanding of the navigation rules governing proper installation of navigation lights. The requirements are found in the Navigation Rules, International-Inland, and in Parts 81, 84 and 89 of Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations. The problem appears to be particularly prevalent for manufacturers located in the western States. Since most manufacturers routinely equip the boats they produce with navigation lights, navigation light installations are routinely inspected and discussed during factory visits and boat shows.
One problem that has increased recently is the installation of flush mounted sidelights in the boat hulls, usually below the rub rail. Many manufacturers build boats using similar sidelight fixture installations. This is a dangerous trend which is likely to end up costing somebody a pile of money when a plaintiff's attorneys go after everyone who might have been for liable for a serious collision.
Sidelights that meet the rules are designed to cover an arc of the horizon, or sector, of 112.5 degrees. Intensities are required to attain a visible range of 1 mile for vessels less than 12 meters (39.4 ft.) and 2 miles for vessels 12 meters or longer. These fixtures are designed for intensities to decrease and reach practical cutoff between 1 and 3 degrees outside their prescribed sector. Sidelight fixtures must be installed parallel with the fore and aft centerline of the vessel and arranged to show an unbroken light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam, a total sector arc of 112.5 degrees.
Sidelights that are installed in the contour of the bow without providing a mounting surface tooled to be parallel with the fore and aft centerline of the vessel are not in compliance with the Inland or International Navigation Rules. Depending on the breadth of the vessel near the bow and how far aft from the vessel's stem the lights are mounted, this shift can be more than 20 degrees in some cases. Installing the fixtures too far aft of the vessel's stem may result in the sidelights not being visible from a position dead ahead.
Another factor in proper installation of sidelights is that they must maintain their required minimum intensity in a vertical sector from 5 degrees above to 5 degrees below the horizontal. They must also maintain at least 60 percent of their minimum required intensity from 7.5 degrees above to 7.5 degrees below the horizontal. Installing flush mounted sidelights, designed to be mounted to a vertical surface in the hull contour, without providing a mounting surface tooled to be vertical, shifts the vertical coverage sector. This also results in a noncompliance with the Inland or International Navigation Rules.
Additionally, most of these flush mounted sidelights are installed below the vessel's rub rail. International Navigation Rules require that sidelights be installed above the uppermost continuous deck. Therefore this configuration would not be in compliance with International Navigation Rules.
When separate red and green sidelight fixtures are used, the masthead or all-round white light, whichever configuration is installed, must be located as close as practical to the vessel's fore and aft centerline. For vessels less than 12 meters in length, the masthead or all-round light may be displaced from the fore and aft centerline providing that the sidelights are contained within a common fixture and mounted on the vessel's fore and aft centerline. The masthead or all-round light must be installed at least one meter (3.3 ft.) above the sidelights.
This article was written by the Coast Guard Short Range Aids to Navigation Division (G-NSR)
Attachments
That article pertains to lights above the waterline. All the lights mark installed will sit below the waterline. They will only produce a glow in the water. They will not actually produce a visible source like the nav lights. Also they are all located near the stern of the boat.
Very informative article though. This has been becoming much more of a problem as manufacturers are going for a much more streamlined look and do not want to add the protrusion of nav light housings.
Very informative article though. This has been becoming much more of a problem as manufacturers are going for a much more streamlined look and do not want to add the protrusion of nav light housings.