30X40X12 - After Fire Rebuild

[SpeedinLemon]

Great door! What are you using as a rail? I am having trouble seeing how it slides past the wall brackets.

Thanks BK...The door project is turning out pretty decent IMHO! Here's a couple pics of the rail and bracket:

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Thanks for stopping in!

Chris

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Very nice door. Looks like your almost done, you can come down my way to finish up mine if you want.

Done?? What is this word you speak DONE??

Thanks NT....Done is still a long way off, but definitely some progress. I'm happy with how most things are turning out. I seem to recall you putting together some pretty cool cabinet doors. I'll be revisiting a number of threads I have bookmarked as I plan on doors for the cabinets over and beside the workbench soon. Anything new at your place? Worn out that water truck yet? I think you're about due for an update. Good to hear from you!

 

[SpeedinLemon]

It looks like you debated just long enough - it looks perfect for your place!

Thanks Shopnut! It's no Asylum library ladder rack, but I did think of that (and your ladder incident) as I was hauling that rail up the ladder to mount it. It was uneventful though...I mounted the middle bracket first into a predrilled hole, so it was well balanced and went pretty smooth.

Thanks for checking in....and here's one final pic of the door with some matching stain:

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It's just begging for a vintage sign to be mounted on it!

Chris

 

[crazytrain]

WOW, Just read this entire thread, From misfortune to Total AWESOMENESS!

The garage, bonus areas and pool look great! I really like all the stained wood you used it gives the place a warm and cozy feeling. Please keep the updates and pics coming. Subscribed.

 

[SpeedinLemon]

WOW, Just read this entire thread, From misfortune to Total AWESOMENESS!

The garage, bonus areas and pool look great! I really like all the stained wood you used it gives the place a warm and cozy feeling. Please keep the updates and pics coming. Subscribed.

Thanks crazytrain! I appreciate the comments and glad you enjoyed the read. It's been a long journey back, but I think the shop is better for it in the end....

And since you asked....The theme lately has been fixing the several unfinished spots remaining in the shop. Next up on the list was the "window" between the game room and the kitchen area of the shop. Nothing fancy, I just wanted to trim it out and make the window ledge just wide enough to hold a couple cold beverages.....

Before:

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I used the same beadboard from the walls plus a 1X8 piece of oak for the ledge:

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All stained up to match and ready to serve:

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Cheers! Chris

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Work bench is back together. About the only thing remaining here is organizing the cabinets and making doors. The metal overlay for the bench is here. Needs cleaned up a bit and installed. Finally had good success with painting the stripe:

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And a pic from ceiling height:

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More to come....

Chris

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Continuing with the "Clean up the ugly unfinished areas" theme.....I got to work on the biggest remaining eyesore (besides me and I'm staying!)...It's time to get the area above the garage door checked off the list. In case you don't recall the hole:

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I framed all around the opening with 2x4's...I had to get it far enough out from the wall to cover the springs. I debated on covering them, but decided to go for it.

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I had to stitch two 2x4's together to come across the front and had to clearance for the locking mechanism for the spring:

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I covered the frame with some left over bead board from the kitchen walls. Next I put a strip in flush with the inside of the wall...raised up just enough to clear the door when it raises up. Then I put in a final piece of bead board at an angle. Again, so it wouldn't interfere with the door operating.

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Everything is put up with screws and a few finish nails. It would be a little messy, but all the beadboard could be removed fairly easily if needed for service. Some caulk and a coat of primer:

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A better angle of the angle:

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I'll let that dry overnight and get it painted to match the walls this weekend. I'm thinking I will paint it all the lighter green like the rest of my upper walls so it blends in rather than drawing attention to it. What do you guys think?

All for now....

Chris

 

[crazytrain]

Looks good, I agree paint it the lighter color so as to not draw attention to it. The areas on either side of the door opener chain track will make a good spot for a couple of signs to be hung, maybe some street signs or something.

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Thanks CT....I got it painted this morning:

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Man...Have I got a mess in this shop!!

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I'm going to have to spend some time cleaning and reorganizing before I take on anything else

 

[NUTTSGT]

The attention to detail is really paying off for your place. Boxing in the O/H door springs and the slider for the attic access are great touches.

 

[shopnut]

The cover looks great SpeedinLemon. Springs last quite some time and I bet it won't be much of a hassle to uncover them anyway when the day finally does come. And if one snaps, that cover may keep the schrapnel from hitting something precious. Heck, I'm in the process of coving up my whole door drums hoping they wouldn't need servicing very often.

 

[SpeedinLemon]

The attention to detail is really paying off for your place. Boxing in the O/H door springs and the slider for the attic access are great touches.

Thanks NUTT!

The cover looks great SpeedinLemon. Springs last quite some time and I bet it won't be much of a hassle to uncover them anyway when the day finally does come. And if one snaps, that cover may keep the schrapnel from hitting something precious. Heck, I'm in the process of coving up my whole door drums hoping they wouldn't need servicing very often.

Thanks Shopnut - I have to admit, tackling a project similar to one of yours at the same time was pretty intimidating . I've learned though, it's not healthy to compare what I've done to others....just do the best I can and hope for the best.

Hmmmm.....Last three posters here were Crazy, Nutt and Nut...just sayin!

On to the workbench! The metal top was delivered and fit perfect!

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It was pretty clean, but I went ahead and ran the wire brush over it to remove little spots of surface rust.

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Finished with the wire wheel and put light coat of gun oil on it:

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I've got to trim the face plate covers for the outlets and switch and decide how to mount the top.

I figure I can drill a few holes in the vertical edges and run a screw through it. This would be easy to remove should I ever need to do that. Other option I thought about is using one of the Liquid Nails products to attach it. You guys who've done this before have any thoughts on that?

Thanks for the input guys....Chris

 

[biggene]

I just read through the entire thread and I have to say, SIL you are definitely an inspiration. I hope to have a shop half as nice as your one day.

Gene

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Well, it's been nearly 6 months since I updated....Almost embarrassed at the lack of process, but we had a new pool we had to break in this summer and we were fortunate enough to host many gatherings of friends and family. Here's a couple pics of how it's looking these days:

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A few more signs here and there....

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I had slip covers on the couches, but they always looked like were falling off. So we're back to the oh so manly stripes and flowers!

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There have been several projects in the shop...I finally cleaned up and semi-restored my Craftsman drill press (more pics on that to come), I bought a used VW Jetta TDi that needed some TLC and just recently had to replace the motor on my hydraulic hay spike. Unfortunately though, the shop stays in the clean condition you see it above...currently ready for my daughters 13th b-day get together with friends this coming weekend. So I've started looking for a place to setup more of a working shop....I think Nutts predicted this would happen a while back. I've got a few options and will run some of them by you guys as I figure out what I want to do...

 

[Bob Heine]

SpeedinLemon,

I'd say your place has come a long way and so has your drill press...

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[Arps]

wow! Great job of making lemonade out of lemons.

 

[Blk88GT]

Wow. Incredible space!

 

[Fredriz]

Nice place....i love it

 

[spgirard30]

Thats beautiful!

 

[SpeedinLemon]

wow! Great job of making lemonade out of lemons.

Wow. Incredible space!

Nice place....i love it

Thats beautiful!

Thanks for the comments guys...much appreciated!

 

[SpeedinLemon]

SpeedinLemon,

I'd say your place has come a long way and so has your drill press...

Thanks Bob! And since you brought it up....Here's a few pics of the refurb. It's no show piece, but it's back to looking pretty decent and works really well. I haven't found a replacement switch for it yet, but I'll find something appropriate.

Before:
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During - Lot's of work with the 3M EXL Wheel:
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[SpeedinLemon]

And the Craftsman 150 Drill Press...back to some semblance of it's former glory:

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There's several good threads on GJ with the step by step process for pulling this press apart and what to watch out for. Luckily this one came apart and went back together just like it should have. No real issues. Still looking for a nice switch to put on, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out.

'Til next time.....

Chris

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Luckily when I cleaned up the motor on the drill press, it didn't look like the one on the pickup bed hydraulic hay spike. This one required replacement:
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This motor had been working up until the day before I pulled it out...Amazed it worked at all!

 

[SpeedinLemon]

The place is really coming together and looking nice. I'm looking forward to your next build when you realize that current shop is too nice to do any dirty work in.

Well NUTTS, I'm not sure if you were the first, but you're getting the credit for bringing this up! I'm loving how this place is coming along and glad it's getting used, but as you observed, it's not the best for "DIRTY" work. I've started a new thread to kick around some ideas for expanding and creating a separate "WORK" area. Check it out...I'd love to hear you guys thoughts:

Time think about adding on - My Proposed Addition
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233395

And a quick preview:
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Chris

 

[shopnut]

The DP turned out real nice!

Glad to hear about the addition - It looks like the relaxing area is starting to encroach (or maybe more appropriately en"couch") on the work area

 

[slackgt]

Everything is coming along great ! Everytime I have a greasy,oily rag, I think about your shop! I used to just pile them in a corner,figuring "I'd get to them". Love this site in general,always has me thinking "safety". Tim

 

[aubrey601]

Edit

 

[vtec?lol]

Looks great. An awesome turn around that's for sure.
I'm not far from you at all. Let me know if you find another OBS ford like yours. I've been looking for an all red one for years. Hard to come by in decent condition.

Any more pics info on yours?

 

[rixtrix1]

Your place now looks like a smaller version of Don's Party Garage. I think you'd have to wear a lab coat and show covers to work on a car in there, LOL. Drill press looks fantastic!

 

[Wingnut65]

SIL, Glad to see you back hanging around the playground.

Your place has turned out beautiful! As nice as this whole place has turned out, inside and the outside rec area, I'm not sure you would be able to make the new addition the 'messy' side of the shop. I think a little bit of CDO is going to kick in and it will be as clean as this side. Congrats on the decision to expand!

BTW, got any updated pix of the Rec area after landscaping is in place? Last shot that I can find is this one, which really does look great as it is.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Well NUTTS, I'm not sure if you were the first, but you're getting the credit for bringing this up! I'm loving how this place is coming along and glad it's getting used, but as you observed, it's not the best for "DIRTY" work. I've started a new thread to kick around some ideas for expanding and creating a separate "WORK" area. Check it out...I'd love to hear you guys thoughts:

Time think about adding on - My Proposed Addition
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233395

And a quick preview:
View media item 37240
Chris

Chris, I'm going to have to check out that thread too. Glad to see you making an update. I'm not sure If I should say congrats about my prediction or sorry.

The place has come along way and really looks nice, yes too nice to work in.

A couple question on the drill press though. What did you use to clean up the main post of the drill press ? Did you repaint the sides of the housing ? If so what did you use ?

 

[SpeedinLemon]

The DP turned out real nice!

Glad to hear about the addition - It looks like the relaxing area is starting to encroach (or maybe more appropriately en"couch") on the work area

Thanks ShopNut! EnCouching indeed!!

Everything is coming along great ! Everytime I have a greasy,oily rag, I think about your shop! I used to just pile them in a corner,figuring "I'd get to them". Love this site in general,always has me thinking "safety". Tim

Hi Tim! Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully others can benefit from my misfortune. And you're right...lots of good tips on this site...Safety and otherwise!

Great looking place, I'm glad you were able to turn a nightmare into a dream garage.

Thanks Aubrey...It's been a lot of work, but it's been fun and it's a pretty fun space now. Not the best for "Work" shop, I'm working on that!

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Looks great. An awesome turn around that's for sure.
I'm not far from you at all. Let me know if you find another OBS ford like yours. I've been looking for an all red one for years. Hard to come by in decent condition.

Any more pics info on yours?

Hi vtec?lol - Thanks for the kind words. Proving I'm not a true Ford guy, I had to Google Old Body Style (OBS) Ford. I guess I was the only one in my family that liked it. It was a 1997, 460 Gas motor, 5 speed and 6" OME lift. I kept it around for a year or so, used it a little on the farm, but it was so big, it just wasn't really what I needed, so I sold it for about what I had paid for it the year before. It was clean and straight and a nice truck overall.

 

[SpeedinLemon]

SIL, Glad to see you back hanging around the playground.

Your place has turned out beautiful! As nice as this whole place has turned out, inside and the outside rec area, I'm not sure you would be able to make the new addition the 'messy' side of the shop. I think a little bit of CDO is going to kick in and it will be as clean as this side. Congrats on the decision to expand!

BTW, got any updated pix of the Rec area after landscaping is in place? Last shot that I can find is this one, which really does look great as it is.

Hi Jeff! Good to hear from you again. I'm trying to get caught up on all my old favorites...Glad you posted..I need to see what's going in the Salt Life Hideout....That van is probably completely restored and cruising the Florida beaches by now!

I can see the addition being kept clean and organized in general, but nothing fancy. I'm thinking bare or maybe sealed concrete floors up front, spray foam insulation painted white with plywood on the walls so I can mount some cabinets. Lots of details to think about....stop by and check it out when you get time.

I'll work on some pics of the pool area after landscaping. My wife and sister-in-law did a good job getting it looking nice. And best part was, SIL brought many of the plants from her landscape! Of course it looks pretty bare right now, but it came in pretty nicely this past summer.

Thanks for checking in......Chris

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Chris, I'm going to have to check out that thread too. Glad to see you making an update. I'm not sure If I should say congrats about my prediction or sorry.

The place has come along way and really looks nice, yes too nice to work in.

A couple question on the drill press though. What did you use to clean up the main post of the drill press ? Did you repaint the sides of the housing ? If so what did you use ?

Thanks Eric! I used the 3M EXL Deburring wheel (medium) on all the shiny bits. I don't have a "Fine", but would think you could get a more polished finish. The medium leaves a bit of a "brushed" finish....and I like it! The wheel looks like a standard grinding wheel, but it's a bit soft (think hard sponge) and gives a little to help get in the nooks and crannies. The other nice thing is it only removes the surface rust, scale and any paint....it doesn't remove any metal.

Here's a link to the 3M Wheel:

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=317-1749&PMPXNO=19495136&PARTPG=INLMK32

A little pricey, but for the speed and finish it leaves, it's well worth it.

I did paint the housing and base with the dark grey Rust-Oleum hammer finish paint. On the motor, I used the hammer finish silver and semi gloss black.

Thanks for following along.....I'll let you know if an apology is in order!

Chris

 

[JS4]

SpeedinLemon,

First off - What an amazing transformation - from a fire to this - all I can say is "WOW".

Second - May I ask What do you do for a living?

Third - How long has it taken you to get to this point?

Keep the pics coming. I am in the process of redoing my shop. I will post some pics when I get some time. Working at a Refinery takes up a lot of my time - "Shift Work" and being on call doesn't let me do a whole lot.

Good Job,
Jeff

 

[Cobra4B]

The before and after is astounding. One day I want a shop/hangout/multimedia area.

 

[jbmatth]

SpeedinLemon,

First off - What an amazing transformation - from a fire to this - all I can say is "WOW".

Second - May I ask What do you do for a living?

Third - How long has it taken you to get to this point?

Good Job,
Jeff

+1 on all of the above, you have done a great job with this project. As for the addition, make it as big as you can! You seem to be able to fill any spot you have with ease. Keep up the good work.

 

[SpeedinLemon]

SpeedinLemon,

First off - What an amazing transformation - from a fire to this - all I can say is "WOW".

Second - May I ask What do you do for a living?

Third - How long has it taken you to get to this point?

Keep the pics coming. I am in the process of redoing my shop. I will post some pics when I get some time. Working at a Refinery takes up a lot of my time - "Shift Work" and being on call doesn't let me do a whole lot.

Good Job,
Jeff

Hi Jeff....Sorry for the late reply. Looks like I'm a little behind again!
First off - Thanks for compliements...It's been a fun ride.
Second - I'm in IT. Lately I'm dealing more with getting info out of the systems we run our business with and less with the hardware, networking and servers. I'm blessed to work for a fast growing company and my job is currently to get good information to the guys making decisions to run the busines.
Third - The original 30X40X12 was built about 14 years ago, but the transformation since the fire is coming up on it's three year anniversary. The fire was July 4th 2011.

The before and after is astounding. One day I want a shop/hangout/multimedia area.

Thanks Cobra4B! Once you finish that Panoz, you'll have some room! Great garage/race shop you've put together in a small space.

 

[SpeedinLemon]

+1 on all of the above, you have done a great job with this project. As for the addition, make it as big as you can! You seem to be able to fill any spot you have with ease. Keep up the good work.

Thanks jbmatth! See answers to the questions above.

No progress on the addition yet. I've made several changes to the Sketchup drawings, but no real epiphanies worth sharing. I don't have a whole lot of extra room on the lot, so I need to make the most of the space that's there.