Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT CNCs and Hot Rods, a Sydney Garage

[Beelzeboss]

Hi all,

I've finally moved into my new house ( see intro thread here ) and started fitting out what will hopefully be my dream garage.

What I've started with:



At 5.3m x 5.2m (17.4ft x 17.1ft) it would have to be one of the smallest garages to ever be considered a double, but it's what I've ended up with so ONWARDS! There is a LOT of other storage under the house so I'm confident I'll be able to make it work.

First step was to paint the flooring. I didn't have the time/money to grind the floor and have it professionally done so I went the degreaser, acid etch, and then Rocksolid Polycuramine route.





It's turned out pretty good, though the concrete is VERY rough with lots of exposed aggregate... I'll be interested to see how it holds up to abuse. I also put the non-slip additive in, though it was probably not necessary with how rough the concrete is.

Next up is to get the rear wall closed in with a proper door frame and door. After that I'll get all the tools in place and then have lights and power points added. Luckily the house already has 415v 3-phase power from an old ducted A/C system, so I'll add a few outlets for that as well.

My eventual goal for the garage is to be able to park my hot rod project in the middle and work on it using the tools positioned around the edges (lathe, mill, grinders, welders, etc. which I already have)

 

[hewey]

Welcome mate, looks like a nice start on your garage floor. Is that space under the house or a deck by the look of it?

There's a few of us in Sydney and surrounds, I'm sure they'll all drop in and say g'day.

 

[Geoff289]

Welcome aboard, you'll like it here. Tell us more about the hot rod. Engine looks like some sort of overhead cam V8 - Toyota? Nissan?

 

[Beelzeboss]

Welcome mate, looks like a nice start on your garage floor. Is that space under the house or a deck by the look of it?

There's a few of us in Sydney and surrounds, I'm sure they'll all drop in and say g'day.

Thanks mate, it's actually on the ground floor slab but the 2nd floor of the house overhangs it on the right hand side. Headroom there is a little tight but I can *just* stand up straight under it. The block is built on the side of a hill with a lot of rocks, cut into the hill on the garage side and backfilled on the other side to make it flat-ish. On the plus side the view on the other side of the house isn't bad

Welcome aboard, you'll like it here. Tell us more about the hot rod. Engine looks like some sort of overhead cam V8 - Toyota? Nissan?

Thanks mate, been checking out some of the garage threads already on here and there are some really impressive builds!

The hot rod is a bit of a mongrel, but basically I took a genuine original 1946 Ford chassis (to simplify registration here in Australia) and grafted on all the mechanicals from a 1991 Toyota Soarer, including the 4L quad cam V8, suspension subframes, brakes, steering, etc. Next step is to build a body which will be a "replica" of a 1942-ish Willys Jeep, because it's the simplest pre-1949 body I can think of to fabricate, and then to strap a couple of turbochargers to the engine!

 

[jabberwoki]

So where abouts in Sydney are you located Cob?

 

[Beelzeboss]

So where abouts in Sydney are you located Cob?

Waaaay down south in the Shire

 

[Beelzeboss]

Well I've managed to (somewhat) seal up the back wall of the garage and fit a door.



Had to bust out the chisels because the doorframe I bought only just fit in the gap between the brick walls.



I decided to reuse the lattice frame on the right to save time, there's some pretty heavy rain expected over the next few days so I didn't want to remove it all and frame it up. Something I'll probably look at at a later date. For now I just nailed some FC sheeting to the lattice frame, threw on a lick of paint, installed the door handle and bob's your uncle.



Still some fairly major gaps to close up but at least the majority of the wall is enclosed now.



It even opens!

This afternoon I'll be moving the lathe and a few other bits and pieces into position to get a better idea of how I want the lights set out. I think I have a plan which will allow a car in the middle of the garage while still having enough space to work around it.

 

[Lyndon]

BB

Just saw your new thread.

Mate - Have fun, have a bit of a look around in here at some of the amazing sites.

Looks like your down Engadine/Heathcote way, backing onto the NP down there. The outlook looks familiar to some friends of mine out there.

Hope the rod build continues to progress.

Looking forward to more updates. Don't hesitate to ask questions if needed.

Lyndon

 

[hardtop5000]

The hot rod is a bit of a mongrel, but basically I took a genuine original 1946 Ford chassis (to simplify registration here in Australia) and grafted on all the mechanicals from a 1991 Toyota Soarer, including the 4L quad cam V8, suspension subframes, brakes, steering, etc. Next step is to build a body which will be a "replica" of a 1942-ish Willys Jeep, because it's the simplest pre-1949 body I can think of to fabricate, and then to strap a couple of turbochargers to the engine!

It sounds like you've worked out the NSW rego rules. A pre-1948 chassis and replica body are the easiest route to approval (though still with challenges).

Congrats on getting your first house and double credits for scoring one with a water view and a double garage. The summer ahead is looking good for you.

 

[Geoff289]

Keep us posted on that hot rod. It sounds interesting.

Nice work on closing things in too.

 

[Beelzeboss]

BB

Just saw your new thread.

Mate - Have fun, have a bit of a look around in here at some of the amazing sites.

Looks like your down Engadine/Heathcote way, backing onto the NP down there. The outlook looks familiar to some friends of mine out there.

Hope the rod build continues to progress.

Looking forward to more updates. Don't hesitate to ask questions if needed.

Lyndon

Thanks mate, I'm loving it here so far! I'll definitely be asking more questions when I get a bit more setup.

It sounds like you've worked out the NSW rego rules. A pre-1948 chassis and replica body are the easiest route to approval (though still with challenges).

Congrats on getting your first house and double credits for scoring one with a water view and a double garage. The summer ahead is looking good for you.

Thanks mate, I actually can't believe we've scored this place, absolutely wasn't looking for anywhere with a view and just got lucky with a nervous seller due to a current covid lockdown.

Keep us posted on that hot rod. It sounds interesting.

Nice work on closing things in too.

Will do mate, cheers!

I've got a few things moved into the garage, though there's still a long way to go and there's a lot of rubbish that's accumulated.



Behind a spare piece of FC sheeting is the lathe, it's there so that when machining anything long the piece can just stick out the open door.



Then I've got some shelves which my Dad put together several moves ago, they are pretty sturdy and seem to fit well in the space. Next you can see a spare 1UZ-FE engine for the hot rod/Volvo ( ssshhhhh, don't tell SWMBO ) and hidden behind that is my small mill/drill. I still need to make a stand for the mill which will allow something to be stored underneath.
Further around you can see my partially built CNC router which will be finished up as one of my first projects here in the garage. Finally up on the walls there are some pieces which I cut out on a CNC plasma machine I made a few years ago, but have since sold.



Ignore the shelves in the middle of the space, they've already been picked up because I had no space for them. In the far right corner is the MIG welder and parts cart, power hacksaw (soon to be on wheels), press, tool cabinet, TIG welder and then workbench on the right with drill press (doesn't fit on the bench under the ceiling, DOH! ) and small bandsaw.

Under the bench is an old fireproof safe which I inherited from my Grandparents. It was initially used in my ancestors department store at some point between 1880 and 1935, so I want to keep it around. It has some corrosion so I've cleaned it up a little and clear coated it with a clear epoxy rust-preventative paint to preserve it.

 

[cros13]

Hey mate welcome!

Looking forward to seeing what ya do with your new garage space.

Especially keen to see the progress of the hotrod! what are the plans, full restored cab, or keeping the patina and rat rodding it?

As others have said, there are a few of us here in Sydney, maybe one day when all our cars are finished we can all go on a cruise! ha!

Rudi.

 

[Beelzeboss]

Hey mate welcome!

Looking forward to seeing what ya do with your new garage space.

Especially keen to see the progress of the hotrod! what are the plans, full restored cab, or keeping the patina and rat rodding it?

As others have said, there are a few of us here in Sydney, maybe one day when all our cars are finished we can all go on a cruise! ha!

Rudi.

Cheers mate, a cruise would be great fun when it's done!

Current plans are for a custom aluminium "replica" body of a Willys Jeep, since I don't actually have any Willys parts. I've made a start on some of the panels but then moved back to the mechanicals.









I'm still not sure on whether or not to put a bonnet on the car and hide the turbo's down the side of the engine, or to have them way up high so it's really obvious. I know if they're high I'll need heat shields over them, so I'll see what I can come up with that looks good.

I think once I get the car here in a couple of weeks I'll move forward with the bodywork. it will be a huge motivation boost to have it looking like a real car when people come over and see it, rather than a motorised scaffold

Sydney comes out of lockdown (sort of) on the 11th so I'll be going to get some T8 fixtures and LED tubes to put in the garage. I figure 6 x 4ft twin tube's should be enough, then I'll organise for an electrician to come wire it all up and add the power points/circuit breakers.

In the mean time I'll be continuing painting the inside of the house, make a start on the milling machine stand, and maybe install the sound system.

 

[Beelzeboss]

I now have the garage pretty close to to the final layout, though I still need to have power connected and then to make the stands for the CNC router and the milling machine. I also need to find a place for some of the art stuff on the right.



I cleared a space in the middle for the hot rod project, which I picked up on Saturday and drove it ~150km's home behind the Volvo...



The total weight is definitely within the maximum 1500kg tow capacity of the 240 but it was a SLOW trip up the many hills north of Sydney.



I noticed there is a little water in the spark plug holes and I'm REALLY hoping that that hasn't leaked into the bores and rusted the inside of the engine. It was stored not far from the coast so the chassis has some surface rust over most of it, but nothing that a wire wheel and some paint can't fix up.

 

[Beelzeboss]

I've put up 6 x 1.2m twin tube T8 fixtures and have 18w 6500k LED tubes to go in them once I have an electrician wire them up. Hopefully it's enough light, I can always add 4 more on the rafters in-between if necessary.

When the electrician is here I'll also have him add a bucket load of power points around the place and a couple of 3-phase outlets.

 

[Coolabah]

That is all coming along very nicely ! I agree - lots of lights is a good thing.

 

[Beelzeboss]

That is all coming along very nicely ! I agree - lots of lights is a good thing.

Thanks mate, slowly but surely!

Conduit and junction boxes have been placed, not long now before I have a functioning garage.



3 double 15A GPOs down this side, plus a further double 15A high up near the door for potential garage door opener or stereo installation.



Power for the other side of the garage snakes out of the roof cavity here



Runs over to the other side where we have 3 more double 15A GPOs and the lights are tee'd off. I ran the lights from this side because I'd lose some potential overhead storage if it ran on the fuse box side.

I still have to pick up my 32A 415v 3-phase socket and circuit breaker for the welder, which will be placed to the left of the work bench at similar height to the rest of the outlets.

I also discovered that the house has 100A supply available per phase, because it had an ancient old 3-phase A/C unit and electric heater, so total power requirements will not be an issue.

 

[Beelzeboss]

The electrics aren't done yet but I've started making a mobile base for my power hacksaw using the one 10a socket available.





Terrible fitup as I'm very out of practice with fabricating, and I was doing everything on the uneven floor with an angle grinder... Still, it will do what it needs to do. It's made from 100x50x3 as that's what I had on hand.

I started welding it up but after a while the welder began cutting in and out. With this house's questionable electrical situation I don't want to push it until the electrician has finished.

 

[Beelzeboss]

Small update, I've been told the electrician is coming on the 19th to do all the work I need to have power in the garage (FINALLY).

Once that's done I'll finish the power hacksaw stand, make a stand for the mill, then finish turbocharging my Volvo 240, then finally I'll be bringing the hot rod project down into the garage to get it cleaned up and ready for the initial engineering inspection.

I did recently do some work to my Volvo 240 in the garage but the lack of lighting and mass of extension cords around the place made it a real pain, I can't wait until I have a proper usable space.

 

[hewey]

Will be great to have the electricals done and sorted.

 

[rixtrix1]

Looks like you have things figured out very well. Once you get power distributed, you'll be good to go. (I have way too much stuff crammed into my similar space, lol.)

 

[Beelzeboss]

Cheers guys, the stars have finally aligned and yesterday the electrician came to do all the electrical work.



Ignore the rubbish in the middle, just waiting on our bins to be emptied to throw it all out.





And the mighty Syncrowave powered up for the first time in 3 years; I can't wait to get back into my TIG welding!



I went with 4 x 15a double GPO's, with the 2 on each side sharing a circuit to save some $, then 4 x 10a double GPO's on another circuit, 1 x 32a 3-phase socket on its own circuit, and finally the 6 x 1200mm twin T8 LED fixtures without ballasts are on a switch next to the new fuse box.

I'm absolutely ecstatic it's ready, I have already done some MIG welding on the stand I'm making for the power hacksaw, so I'll finish that today, and then move on to making a new stand for the mill and mounting the TV/sound system.

 

[Beelzeboss]

Well my first projects have been completed in the new garage and I have to say, I'm having a blast.

First up was finishing the wheeled stand for my ancient power hacksaw





I just happened to have those top 4 pieces of scrap already cut to length which was nice.



A lick of paint and we're done!



Next up the all important TV mount. I've always wanted a TV and sound system in a garage so I'm putting one up.



A quick fabrication with scrap I found lying around and bob's your uncle.





Next up is to mount the 5.1 surround sound system I've had for ages, apparently the missus doesn't like how it looks so it's been banished to the garage... fine by me

 

[hewey]

Great update. You're really making the most of having the power sorted out.

 

[Beelzeboss]

Great update. You're really making the most of having the power sorted out.

Thanks mate, I've been planning what I want to do for so long that it's full steam ahead now I'm able!

I've now mounted the 4.1 (not using the centre speaker) surround sound system in the garage. The amp is mounted above the TV by a stainless steel hook and some zip ties... not the most elegant solution but it works. I'm also using an old raspberry Pi with Kodi media centre to run the show.

Flickr

You can see the front left speaker mounted to the wall using conduit clamps. The rest of the speakers are mounted on the roof using a single screw in a keyhole shaped hole at the 'top' of the speaker, then a conduit clamp around the lower mount. Finally a small screw is put through the conduit clamp into the speaker pole to stop it rotating or sliding back and releasing the front screw keyhole arrangement.



Above the lathe:

Flickr

... and above the bench



I may move the last speaker into the next bay if I can be bothered, and possibly move the front left speaker to the roof like the rest of them, but to be honest it sounds absolutely amazing already. The subwoofer is just sitting on the top shelf near the milling machine.

Next up is to trim and replace the fascia board above the bench, then make a new stand for the milling machine

 

[Beelzeboss]

Well my old Volvo 240 has a hole in the radiator, so while it's off the road I decided to fit a turbocharger

 

[Beelzeboss]

Just enjoying a day in the garage

 

[Beelzeboss]

Finished fitting the exhaust

 

[Beelzeboss]

Well after a quick break to get married and a 2 week honeymoon I'm back to the garage!

I've discovered that 2.5" aluminium tubing is actually not carried by any of my local suppliers, so I bought some 60x2.0 in the hope of using one of those tailpipe expander things to bring it up to 63.5mm (2.5"). The expander broke the first time I tried to use it so I made up this press tool to create the 2.5" end stubs.



The tool has a 10 degree taper on the small end and is polished to 320 grit.



It worked perfectly, though better when I remembered to anneal the aluminium. Then I made this dodgy bead roller which somewhat works. It took way too long to make for the results and I don't think it will last particularly long, but I was in a hurry.



The main problem with it is the tubing I used to make it is thin and the 20x1.6 is not a tight sliding fit in the 25x1.6, but it did the job.



Hopefully it will do all the beads for the hot rod as well.



5 successful 60mm - 2.5" beaded pipe ends

 

[Lyndon]

OK - I'll say it - congratulations on the wedding.

And she must be a keeper if you're back into the garage 2 weeks later!

Very clever work you are doing there too.

Lyndon

 

[Beelzeboss]

Thanks Lyndon! She's absolutely a keeper

So... the day has finally come where the hot rod was brought down the hill into the garage.



Not as rusty as I'd imagined, except for the very front of the chassis which wasn't under a tarp.



Just seeing it back on the ground is motivating me to get it done.





Used my friends WRX's brakes to lower it down the driveway.



Success!



And finally home in the garage.



There seems to be enough room around it to work on it (just) and with some reorganisation of the garage it should be fine.

 

[Geoff289]

There's a milestone. Looking forward to following progress with the hot rod.

 

[Beelzeboss]

There's a milestone. Looking forward to following progress with the hot rod.

Cheers mate, me too!



There was a little water down a few of the spark plug wells, guess which ones It doesn't look like the water made it down into the bores, but I put a heap of ATF down each bore and turned the engine over by hand a few times just to make sure everything is still free - so far so good.

There's still more prep left to do to the garage before working on the hot rod in earnest, namely I need to make a stand for the mill drill





I'm aiming to finish the stand today then tomorrow get cracking on finishing up my CNC, but the hot rod is moving up the list!

 

[Beelzeboss]

The Volvo is nearly ready for rego!

 

[Beelzeboss]

Managed to sneak in a little time yesterday to weld the legs on the milling machine stand.







Unfortunately it looks like the base it twisted slightly, hopefully I can get it bent back without cutting it apart.

After that I'll be welding on feet, a few 20x20x1.6 diagonals and then finally some crush tubes through the base to bolt the mill to the stand.

 

[Beelzeboss]

I finished the mill stand but it looks like my calculations for height were slightly off, it could definitely be lower.



I also didn't factor in the light directly above it which will further restrict the height... ah well, I'll use it as-is then shorten the legs if necessary.

 

[hewey]

Good to see you making progress on the workspace mate, nice work.

 

[Beelzeboss]

Good to see you making progress on the workspace mate, nice work.

Thanks mate, slowly but surely it's coming together.

My wife got me a wall mounted fan for my birthday which will be great next summer or just for blowing away welding fumes.



Quite a bit of non-garage stuff has accumulated lately but I'll be spending this week getting it all tidied up and looking clean again.



As far as progress on my projects goes my time seems to be completely taken up by just keeping my old Volvo 240 running, I've spent the past week or 2 removing, sealing and replacing the rusty fuel tank - hopefully that's the last of it to get it somewhat reliable.

However I have done a little work on my CNC router:



I completed the mount for the X axis ballscrew and also drilled and tapped the mounting holes in the gantry.



I've also made a start on the Y axis table which is the last major part of the project before I can move onto the electronics and get it moving!

Just to round out the update I also landed a new job which I start on 13/06 so I'm very excited about that, I have a week off between jobs so I'm aiming to get the CNC at least moving by the time I start with the new company.

 

[Beelzeboss]

Another small update - I've fully welded the CNC table structure and sat it on the rails with the rail mounting blocks.



Next step is to weld the table to the mounting blocks and then figure out the ballscrew arrangement for that axis.



I like the idea of the motor at the back end because it will simplify the wiring a little and make for a neater looking system, but having the stepper at the front may be better for any maintenance or troubleshooting required... Thoughts?

 

[Beelzeboss]

A little more progress on the CNC, I've finished the X axis ballscrew mount and welded the Y axis slider mounts to the table







Everything seems to move freely without binding so I'm counting it as a win. Next up is the outboard support of the X axis ballscrew and the Y axis ballscrew mounts