What size is that Hobart welder you've got?
It's a 140. I recently got a Millermatic 211, though.
I also need a MIG welder for my new project - a 1946 Chevy truck - but they're none to cheap for my fellow-poor-man budget and its been so long since I welded that MIG wasn't even taught then! I guess I'll have to take a class at a local J.C. Did you do that or just starting messing around with it? That's the other approach I thought of.
I learned from a pair of videos. In case you're interested, I'll send you a PM about a Hobart 140 that's going to be up for sale soon.
Opposite you car is a cheap (or cheap looking) rack. I feel that breaks up the garage too much as it helps form a "wall" that makes your garage seem too much like 2 garages.
I think removing that would make the two areas come together by allowing you to move your tool chest in to the space. This will let your car, the definite focal point of the garage, be more a part of both sides.
I feel that for other people (say if you sell the house), this may be a little too taste specific. I have thought of something similar to that though for my place (as I also don't care as much about other's tastes). I wanted to conceil my tools with sliding slatboard. That would provide double the storage for the space, and for my garage the horizontal lines would add a good feel.
By 'rack' I first assumed you meant the tool chests. But do you mean the shelves that face the nose of the car, against the back wall? Or do you mean the metal table on the far side of the butcher block table?
I'm curious, because I don't like the way the tool chests look, especially since I added a middle cabinet and made it even taller. I also don't much like most of the back wall. It was part of the original re-do of the garage, when budget was the chief concern. The big cabinets dated back to when the garage was built, and I added the shelves (made of hollow-core doors) underneath because I had the doors sitting around.
I've got a 'phase two' in mind for the garage that will eliminate most of that stuff. The back wall will still have the main work bench, but it will be moved more to the center of the wall, with overhead cabinets on the same line of the ones currently over the metal bench and the main work bench -- but extending all along the back wall and wrapping around to a (slightly-shortened version) of the cabinets that are now up above the driver's side door of the car. I'll be able to continue that polished aluminum stripe all along the back wall with a curved wrap to the left. Down below it, I'll have my main bench, my tool cabinets, and two 6' tall and 4' wide metal cabinets.
But there's no telling when I'll actually getting around to doing all that. I move slowly. I've got to source the cabinets second-hand, for starters.
I also want to change that desk-height work surface at the opening of the garage to a slightly-less-deep butcher block workbench that can be raised from desk height (30") to work bench height (37", for me), with pneumatic cylinders. Of course, there's no telling when I'll get around to that, either.
The great thing about this board is that it keeps you constantly thinking of new ideas for your garage.
The terrible thing about this board is that it keeps you constantly thinking of new ideas for your garage.
