Suburban Race Car Garage Build

Speed3Chemist · Jun 18, 2019

Hello Garage Journal! I’ve been lurking for several years now, and I have learned a ton from the fantastic community here. I’m starting a thread to document the progress on new my work space so that I can hopefully help someone else on their garage journey. This project has been going on since mid 2017 and I’ll be posting updates over the next few weeks to capture the progress so far. The garage is a space that’s quite important to me as I am an avid autocrosser and aspiring road racer. I do all my own car work except metal fabrication/welding and serious body work. For those of you that may be interested, you can follow our amateur racing exploits on FB and @ontheledgeracing on Instagram.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggmExF

https://flic.kr/p/2ggmDV6

In early 2017 my wife and I began looking for a larger home, and the new development near us seemed like a great way to stay in the same schools, choose our own lot, and capitalize on the advantages of building a semi-custom home such as a building a garage from scratch. Everything seemed like a great fit except that very few homes were being built with traditional 3 car garages like I really wanted at the time. However, as we began to look at floor plans and visit more models, the idea of a tandem garage with 10’+ ceilings began to grow on me once I considered that this layout really opened up the possibility of getting a 4-post lift. We settled on a floor plan that had a 3 car tandem design where the tandem bay was 13 ft wide and there was a 9’x5’ storage area on one side. There was also a large attic space about the garage that could be decked off and used for storage.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggmARA

The planning of the garage space began early on with the builder, and unfortunately, we had to make a lot of decisions about power and water locations before I had time to completely map out a plan. I tried to be proactive though, and I added a bunch of extra circuits, overhead lighting, and plumbing for the refrigerator. The next post will cover more of the detailed planning of how I could best use the space, but for now here is a picture of the blank canvas.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggk8GN

Ilikeike · Jun 18, 2019

Cool.
I mange to do a lot of work on my car in my 3 car tandem,Mini tubs,torque arm suspension, engine,trans,tuning... I run CAM-T. all that while My Wife still parks in it daily, the tandem is my tool and bench area.

Speed3Chemist · Jun 18, 2019

I tried to really focus on what I needed the space to do, and the overall target was to make the space do as much as possible without sacrificing how many cars could park inside. I had a bet with the racing team that I could get 3 cars and the SUV in there comfortably… they thought I was crazy. In order to park and work, the side walls needed to be kept free of anything but overhead storage. This only left me with the 9x5 side area and the front portion of the tandem by the garage to play with. I was really at a loss as to where it would all go, so I fired up Sketchup and tried to get creative.

Roles/Needs for the Space:

Park cars inside
Work on cars efficiently
Bench area for general work
Easy refrigerator access with working water line
TV
Storage: hand tools, power tools, woodworking tools, nuts/bolts, wheels/tires, holiday decorations, yard work tools/supplies, trash bins, household/automotive/yard chemicals, chairs, ice chests, bikes, scooters, etc

My first attempts at a design had me locating the workbench space at the front of the tandem bay by the door to the house. This was what I was planning when we did the initial design phase with the builder, and because of this we had the water line for the fridge plumbed in the 9x5 area. However, in Sketchup, it was pretty obvious this wasn’t a great location for the work space because it really encroached into the parking area, and I felt like it would feel very cramped with a lift right behind it.

The water line for the fridge is in the back right corner of the 9'x5' area, and I’m sure the builder expects most people to put the fridge there. However, if the fridge is in the corner, it really doesn’t leave much room for anything else. I knew I could add storage by lofting this area, but the fridge location had me stumped. This is where a program like Sketchup is so powerful; I stumbled upon putting the fridge out by the walkway into the house by just dragging the object around. This location would make it easier to access from the house, and the space behind could be a mini work shop. I was excited because, in some way, I had just added another room/closet to the house. Sketchup allowed me to make sure there was really going to be enough space in there to work and hold all the tools I needed easy access to. I was careful to design the benchwork in the shop to make sure I could get a small ladder in to access the lofted area and to make sure it wouldn’t feel too cramped. I also decided to put the big tool chest out by the fridge for easy access while doing car work.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggkhH8

Locating the fridge and workspace in the 9x5 left the whole front of the tandem for yard tools and other storage.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggkhGr

The last piece of the puzzle was putting a 4 post and some cars into the model to see how cramped it would be. The 3D Warehouse portion of Sketchup came to the rescue with a few predrawn models. It seemed tight but feasible. My wife thought I was crazy when I showed her my plan. She said it would never fit, but fortunately she didn’t say I couldn’t try. We were both in love with the rest of the house and our lot, so if this is what it took for me to be garage happy she was on board. Next post we will cover the start of the project including flooring and move in.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggktN6

Speed3Chemist · Jun 18, 2019

Ilikeike said:
Cool.
I mange to do a lot of work on my car in my 3 car tandem,Mini tubs,torque arm suspension, engine,trans,tuning... I run CAM-T. all that while My Wife still parks in it daily, the tandem is my tool and bench area.

Glad to meet another autoxer!

Speed3Chemist · Jun 19, 2019

I spent a lot of time on here researching flooring options as I was ready to stop working on dusty concrete. I knew that before we moved in was really the only time it would ever be easy to do floors, but I was dreading spending any more money during the move. I ordered samples from several plastic tile companies, but my wife said they looked cheap (I disagreed). I also considered Rust Bullet Concrete and porcelain tiles as cheaper DIY options. Ultimately when I thought about the time I wouldn’t have while trying to move, and the level of quality in the rest of the house, I decided to splurge and use a local company to put down a commercial grade epoxy the week before we moved in. I’m really happy I went this route as the floor is beautiful, and so far, it has been invincible.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggkBNt
I knew it would never be this clean again.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggpE7z
The first project I did on the new house was installing security cameras. I was very excited to turn a wrench on the new place for the first time.

We moved in the first week of December 2017 and I immediately made of mess of the garage. It was an odd start to the day because it snowed a bit overnight which is a rare thing in Houston. The snow made for a late start, and it took the moving company longer than planned to move the inside of the home. This meant the old garage got packed up and moved in a huge rush at the end of a very long day.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggqnGN

https://flic.kr/p/2ggk8T4
I promise I’m not a hoarder, but at this point I was pretty certain I’d never achieve what I drew in Sketchup.

Speed3Chemist · Jun 19, 2019

I didn’t waste much time tackling the hoarded mess in the garage. After a week of stabilizing things inside, I started by decking off a portion of the attic above the garage. I debated on going ahead and doing the whole thing, but I decided only do half to save time and force me to be selective about what I kept. I was still able to use the part to the left for storing lumber and long items by laying them across the joists. I really tried to put stuff in the attic that only saw use 2 times or less a year. Things like the engine stand and shop crane were disassembled and carried up. The holiday decorations that aren’t heat sensitive also went up.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggL1bb

I went ahead and moved the tool chest and fridge to what I drew up as their final location to see if my plan would actually work. I also set up a temporary work table in the spot where I wanted the shop to go. It was a little dark in the corner of the 9x5 area, but there was plenty of room to work and I knew that I could easily add more lighting later.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggKHbv

https://flic.kr/p/2ggKvz2

By the end of December, I was parking both cars in the garage and I had a little room to think about what was next. This was a pretty major victory, and ever though there was still lots left to do, in February I decided I needed another project... :dunno:

https://flic.kr/p/2ggKUPR

This was bad timing to buy a car, but building an E36 for World Racing League competition had been in the plans for a long time. The right car (one owner, 1998 M3, bad paint, great service history) happened to come along locally, so I pulled the trigger. Buying the car only served as greater motivation to get the garage ready to work on it and get the lift so I could get the project up and out of the way.

QwikKotaTx · Jun 19, 2019

Love those E36's. What is the going rate on one these days? I know the E30's bring a lot of coin now.

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Speed3Chemist · Jun 19, 2019

QwikKotaTx said:
Love those E36's. What is the going rate on one these days? I know the E30's bring a lot of coin now.

It varies widely depending on condition and owner delusion, but you see em listed online for $15-25k for the good ones. I paid no where near that since this one's getting gutted and caged (already started the build and I will be documenting some of it here too).

Speed3Chemist · Jun 19, 2019

The next couple of months were very busy with work, and not much progress was made. I did however get a letter from the HOA informing me that I would no longer be able to store my trash and recycle bins on the side of the house. I thought they were well hidden from the street, but they disagreed. This was a problem because I had not built them into the plan and they are quite large. I decided to use the area next to the door to the house, which would be convenient for taking out trash, but would mean I have to keep the bins clean to not deal with odor issues.

The first week in May I took advantage of some great weather to really get started on the construction phase of the project. I decided to go with cabinets by the door to the house, instead of open shelving, so that I could store household chemicals out of site. I opted for the unfinished prefab cabinets from the big orange store so that they could be painted the same as all the other lumber I would use for construction. I purchased all the wood construction material at once, and I set out on a long weekend of fun in the garage.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNc2z

I started by building the frame for the loft over the 9'x5' area. I used 2x4s for the upper frame, tied the edges into the studs, and used 4x4’s to support the end over the fridge.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNc8X

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNpkE

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNcbc

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNpni

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNpsD

I built the workbench underneath in a similar fashion, but used 2x3s to leave a little more clearance for storage. Not shown in the pictures here is an additional vertical support leg in the corner of the bench area. The loft and the bench frame turned out rock solid. Maybe not as beast mode as some of the work benches I’ve seen here, but perfect for my needs.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNpA4

Here you can see the cabinets hung above the door to the house and the new location for the trash cans. I also built a platform to the left of the trashcans. The power washer, mower and fuel cans are on the bottom and the yard cart and gardening supplies sit on the platform.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNpCd

https://flic.kr/p/2ggNp8a

TX4runner · Jun 19, 2019

Congrats and nice progress from a fellow Houstonian and part time BMW autoxer. Looking forward to seeing the lift go in.

CombatNinja · Jun 19, 2019

Excited to see this one come together. So much more relatable to me seeing a guy living in the city or suburbs trying to cram a 10 lb sausage into a 5 lb bag than watching some 60' x 80' metal building go up. I have 3 cars in my suburban double and I need more room so I told my wife I might need to bump out the back of the garage 15' or so. She just rolled her eyes but she knows the addition would be less out of pocket than moving.

Please tell me you are not planning on keeping those smelly garbage cans inside your shop? I would make building a custom little home for them outside my top priority if I were you. They attract pests, smell terrible, give other family members and excuse to snoop around your shop and take up a huge amount of real estate. Some subdivisions strictly prohibit them being kept anywhere but in the garage though.

hobie1dog · Jun 19, 2019

Keep the pictures coming

Speed3Chemist · Jun 20, 2019

CombatNinja said:
Please tell me you are not planning on keeping those smelly garbage cans inside your shop? I would make building a custom little home for them outside my top priority if I were you. They attract pests, smell terrible, give other family members and excuse to snoop around your shop and take up a huge amount of real estate. Some subdivisions strictly prohibit them being kept anywhere but in the garage though.

I wish I could tell you thats not the plan, but my hands are tied by the HOA. We are adjacent to green space on the back and side of our lot, and because of this we can't build any structures since our fencing is see through iron. It hasn't been as bad as I was afraid having them inside, but I do clean them regularly.

Speed3Chemist · Jun 20, 2019

To handle the garden tools, I decided to go with a 4’x8’ starter pack from Proslat. It was a little longer than the space I had available, so I cut it and wrapped it around the corner. This allowed me to really hang a lot of tools in one space, and so far, it has handled the weight great even through the hot Houston summer. I’m really pleased with how this turned out, and I think I about maxed out this area’s functionality.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggWJt6

https://flic.kr/p/2ggXgk2

I originally had just planned to cover the workbench area in painted plywood, but as the project progressed, I realized I might as well make the space look and feel as nice as possible. I studied this site quite a bit before I decided to go with Ikea Karlby “butcher block” counters. This is kind of a cop-out product for this site since it’s not solid wood, but it’s still a thick enough real wood surface to refinish a few times. I also liked the look and the price. The picture below is before I fitted the counters, I set a piece of the counter on the bench as a temporary work space. I needed to paint everything before the final counter install.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggXgsw

I wanted to take advantage of the area right behind the fridge on the left side of the workbench somehow, so I used a couple of scrap pieces of plywood, notched them and installed shelves. This was something I hadn’t designed in, but it turned out to be a perfect area for small divided storage. This will help keep the wall space above the bench free for hanging storage.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggXgoy

I went with standard plywood for the lower shelves. Even though I wasn’t done yet, it was still nice to have a place to set things and store the big tools during the project.

https://flic.kr/p/2ggWJwn

Brian R · Jun 20, 2019

Speed3Chemist -
Great job. I never had heard of or seen tandem garages until I moved to Texas 14 years ago. We are in a neighborhood that features them but our house does not have one although I wish it did. I've got a motorcycle lift which usually has a long term project on it and so I don't need constant access to garage door for third bay.

You really are making good use of yours.

Speed3Chemist · Jun 20, 2019

TX4runner said:
Congrats and nice progress from a fellow Houstonian and part time BMW autoxer. Looking forward to seeing the lift go in.

Thanks, I haven't made it out to Houston BMW autox in a while. I need to join y'all again this fall.

pbon · Jun 20, 2019

The attic has potential. Consider upgrading to the wider stairs and maybe adding an electric hoist.

Can you build a shed for the trash?

Speed3Chemist · Jun 20, 2019

pbon said:
The attic has potential. Consider upgrading to the wider stairs and maybe adding an electric hoist.

Can you build a shed for the trash?

Unfortunately, HOA says its a no go on exterior structures based on our lot location.

You bring up a great point about the attic. It's actually a lot bigger than the picture I showed, and has real potential to be made into finished shop with insulation, AC, etc. The hard part is access. I drew plans up that used the 9x5 area as a staircase, but I wasn't able to quite arrive at the right design. I think this idea has long term potential, but I still need the fridge and most of my mechanics tools on the lower level. Maybe once I finish documenting up to the current state, I will share some of the ideas I had for a second level workspace and see if we can't find the right solution.

Speed3Chemist · Jun 20, 2019

Once the main structures for the storage were finished, I painted the wood with two coats of Behr Porch and Patio light gray paint. Credit GJ with the paint recommendation. It coated great and should be easy to touch up in the future if need be.

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmkx3

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmyUR

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmkyk

https://flic.kr/p/2ghnpAJ

For the counters, I bought two sections of countertop that were 25 5/8” deep. This depth was tighter than I wanted in the shop, so I ripped them to a depth of 22”. I attached the countertops to the frame with brackets and wood glue, and then glued the thin section of countertop to the wall as a low backsplash. I used color matched caulk to fill in the gaps. I am very pleased with how it all turned out, and the drill press fit on the right hand side just as planned.

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmkoL

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmyR9

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmkh3

Speed3Chemist · Jun 21, 2019

With the benchwork and storage areas completed, the next step was to install some lighting in the shop area. The loft blocks almost all the overhead light from the workbench, and I wanted a bright area to work. I ordered a 4 pack of 5 inch 4000K LED overhead lights; combined, they put out over 4000 lumens. I wired the lights off one of the wall plugs behind the drill press and replaced the outlet with a plug/switch combo. I hung the lights off junction boxes mounted to the plywood on the loft, and I drilled through the 2x4’s to run the wiring as clean as possible. At this point I was able to start clearing up the remaining mess in the garage by starting to use some of the storage. I put jack stands, jacks, and some infrequently used car tools like the brake tools and slide hammer on the floor under the workbench, the bigger saws, the shop vac and the air compressor all fit on the shelf under the bench.

https://flic.kr/p/2ghLpmy

I sorted/disposed of a bunch of household chemicals and put them in the cabinets over the door to the house. Two box fans went over the cabinets, and I ran the wiring for them to the plug over the garbage cans.

https://flic.kr/p/2ghmPKw

I was pretty please with myself at this point. It was beginning of June (six months after we moved in), and most of the floor space in the garage was clean and I was starting to get organized. This was a good thing, because we were hitting the start of the core autox season, I had a new project car to work on, and in the second week of June we drove to the local freight depot and picked up the biggest tool I've ever owned.

https://flic.kr/p/2ghLNa3

onemanarmy · Jun 21, 2019

some good use of space ideas here...will be following...

QwikKotaTx · Jun 21, 2019

Speed3Chemist said:
It varies widely depending on condition and owner delusion, but you see em listed online for $15-25k for the good ones. I paid no where near that since this one's getting gutted and caged (already started the build and I will be documenting some of it here too).

That's still not a bad deal factoring what they cost new and inflation. Will be interested to see your's after its in race mode. I have done my fair share of AutoX and road courses, miss it dearly.

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Speed3Chemist · Jun 24, 2019

The decision between a 2 post or a 4 post lift was an easy one for me. I needed the ability to store a project car up and out of the way, so a 4 post was really the only option. I didn’t have the builder do anything special for the foundation, but I did check ahead of time to make sure that it would meet the minimum thickness for the 4 post. I did a lot of research on lifts, and I ended up buying a Pro-Park 8 Standard from Derek Weaver. I also bought a sliding scissor jack to make it easy to get the car up onto jack stands. The lift looked huge on the trailer; I confess I was a little nervous that I had measured correctly. To make matters worse, it started raining right after we parked it in the driveway.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjewmV

https://flic.kr/p/2gjewid

The instructions for the lift and the internet videos both said that two people should be able to disassemble the lift from its shipping state and put it together. While they weren’t wrong, they don’t prepare you for how damn heavy everything really is. We were able to get it down to the two ramps pretty easy, but the ramps were another story. The shipping weight of the lift is 1800 lbs and the sliding jack is 325 lbs. Just a guess, but I bet the ramp with the hydraulic cylinder probably weighs 800 lbs.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjeYku

With a creative combination of the shop crane, floor jacks, and a little beast mode, two of us eventually managed to get all the parts in the garage. We were completely exhausted, but not injured.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjeEN6

https://flic.kr/p/2gjew8Z

https://flic.kr/p/2gjeYgG

I learned my lesson from unloading and rounded up a crew of 4 for the next weekend to put the lift together. We were able to move the parts around much easier and safer, and the whole process only took a few hours.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjew2X

https://flic.kr/p/2gjeECg

What took a lot longer was moving it into its final location and getting it properly leveled and dialed in. I don’t really have pictures of this part of the process, but it involved lots of swearing and head scratching. I was able to roll the lift easily on the casters, but when I put it into the tandem bay it wobbled like crazy. The problem was that the slab underneath the posts near the back wall was not completely flat. The lift is easy to adjust for the slope of the garage, but the posts need to be plumb with the load evenly distributed under the pad of each post. I resolved the issue with a lift leveling shim kit, and now it is very solid if you park the car evenly on the lift.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjg7oW

At this point, I wasn’t sure if I would want to move the lift again, and since the wobble was fixed, I decided not to fasten it to the floor. However, after working with it for a year now, I do plan to go ahead and permanently fasten it for the extra level of safety.

Ronin22 · Jun 24, 2019

This is progressing nicely! Def. subbed!

Speed3Chemist · Jun 24, 2019

Thanks for the support guys!

Found a couple more photos of the lift right after I installed it.

Here it is rolling into position. The caster are pretty cool, but I want it bolted down now.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjr5Zu

Lots of room to work underneath. Can't quite stand straight up, but rolling under on a stool is easy. It's way better than crawling on the floor.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjqAmw

I was really really really happy that my measurements on the attic access were correct. Having to move the car off the lift to go upstairs would be brutal if the car wasn't running.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjqMhB

Speed3Chemist · Jun 25, 2019

With the lift in, all of the major construction projects were finished, and I could start thinking about what other organization I wanted to add. I wanted a way to get my power tools and a few of the larger items out of the tool chest drawers and Rubbermaid bins so that I could reserve space in the big tool chest for frequently used mechanics tools . First thing I did was organize and lay out all my tools. Not only was this extremely rewarding, but it also really let me take stock of what I needed to store and how I could make everything easy to access and put back.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjLKxE

I had lots of wall space in the shop area, so I decided to use metal pegboard from Wall Control. This stuff ain’t cheap, but it’s really nice and super strong. I ordered a 4 panel starter pack for the main wall. I mounted it off 1x4s tied into the studs so I never have to worry about how much weight I put on it. I supplemented the hangers that came with the starter kit with some regular pegboard hangers from the big orange store.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjM3Fm

I also started to sort all the nuts and bolts that I had been collecting over the last few years. I used the area behind the fridge for this.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjMgs4

I mounted the step ladder high on the right wall in the main parking area, and I also used the same hooks to hold the flag I mount on the house for holidays which doubled as a nice wall decoration. On the left hand side of the garage I mounted a 4 ft Rubbermaid FasTrack rail to hold foldup chairs and scooters.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjM3wd

The photo below was taken on August 4th 2018, about 8 months after we moved in. At this point the garage was in what felt like a close to finished state. Everything was finally off the floor and pretty organized. Most importantly I won the bet with the racing team that 4 cars would fit! I’ve done a whole lot of car work and few more small projects to the space since then. I will keep updating this thread with these.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjLzYN

DynoDave · Jun 26, 2019

Nice!

nc.detail · Jun 26, 2019

There ya go! Great use of the space

ratdoggy · Jun 26, 2019

Nice garage. I basically have a 3 car in the opposite configuration....
If it was mine I'd be thinking long and hard about the footprint that full size refrigerator uses. Since my kitchen is 6 steps away I don't need one

Ilikeike · Jun 26, 2019

ratdoggy said:
Nice garage. I basically have a 3 car in the opposite configuration....
If it was mine I'd be thinking long and hard about the footprint that full size refrigerator uses. Since my kitchen is 6 steps away I don't need one

Your Wife let you keep all the beer in the house fridge ?

ratdoggy · Jun 26, 2019

ratdoggy said:
Nice garage. I basically have a 3 car in the opposite configuration....
If it was mine I'd be thinking long and hard about the footprint that full size refrigerator uses. Since my kitchen is 6 steps away I don't need one

Ilikeike said:
Your Wife let you keep all the beer in the house fridge ?

Actually yes.....She'll even bring me one with a frosty mug

Speed3Chemist · Jun 27, 2019

Thanks guys! We need a decent amount of fridge space outside of the house since we went with a counter-depth fridge for looks, but you are right that it may be an area of future optimization. I'm looking at a project for the laundry room, which is right off the garage. Maybe it can go in there?

Speed3Chemist · Jun 27, 2019

The month of August 2018 was taken up with a lot of car work. I was able to pull the CX-9 onto the lift for an oil change and tire rotation. Not very exciting work, but it was good to confirm that in the lifts current location I was able to put a bigger vehicle on it.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjLAcP

Another smaller task was switching out of door locking mechanism on the Speed 3. The sensor in the mechanism was telling the car that the door was opening randomly, which meant the alarm would go off periodically when the doors were locked. I never thought about how nice a lift can make projects like this. Not having to squat down to work is awesome.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjM3Bt

I’m not a fan of interior car work, so it was really a relieve when it all went back together.

https://flic.kr/p/2gjLA2U

The next project was the real test, we noticed the clutch slipping on the STR Miata and decided to change it with less than a month left till the 2018 Solo National Championships. The lift really made this job a lot easier. There is very little room in the transmission tunnel on ND Miata, and it was a real challenge to wiggle it off the car and get it stabbed back on. I can only imagine how impossible this would seem doing it on jack stands. I had to buy a high transmission jack, but I’m sure this will get used again. You can also see I started to add a few decorations to the garage.

https://flic.kr/p/2gkUqVB

2018 was our third season autoxing this Miata, and it probably had 700 runs and many hard launches. The clutch disk looks pretty good, but the flywheel was very glazed up. I’m really glad we changed it. We also found and fixed a broken motor mount while we were under there.

https://flic.kr/p/2gkUsYV

https://flic.kr/p/2gkUQEV

We replaced the clutch and had the flywheel resurfaced.

https://flic.kr/p/2gkU7Go

The Mazda factory replacement clutch kit didn’t come with the spline alignment tool, and I didn't have an old one. I ended up using a tip from a racing buddy that said to use a piece of broom handle. This paint roller handle was exactly the right size!

https://flic.kr/p/2gkVaKW

Here’s the victory photos after the test drive. I’m sure the neighbors gave me a few strange looks as I drove around with no hood on. You can also see in the bottom photo that I hung the casters for the lift in thin space on the sides of the garage door.

https://flic.kr/p/2gkTWQh

https://flic.kr/p/2gkVaKR

rixtrix1 · Jun 27, 2019

Nice!

protegeV · Jun 27, 2019

Now that is an efficient use of space! :thumbup:

QwikKotaTx · Jun 27, 2019

Do you have a picture of a car on the lift and one below by themselves?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Speed3Chemist · Jun 27, 2019

QwikKotaTx said:
Do you have a picture of a car on the lift and one below by themselves?

Here ya go!

https://flic.kr/p/2gm1HEB

https://flic.kr/p/2gjg7oW

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QwikKotaTx · Jun 28, 2019

Cool, thanks a lot. The race cars definitely look to be able to be raised higher than the CX-9.

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Speed3Chemist · Jun 28, 2019

QwikKotaTx said:
Cool, thanks a lot. The race cars definitely look to be able to be raised higher than the CX-9.

I would say the cx-9 could go a notch or two higher than the photo I posted, but the lift is definitely better for low cars. Hopefully it won't see much time on the lift other than oil changes.

T-handle · Jun 28, 2019

Very nice job with the garage :thumbup:

And very nice Mazdas! I have a 72 year 1800 luce deluxe. I'm rebuilding the engine after my workshop is done.

I've been dreaming a lift like yours, would be nice to drive my daily driver under the project car. Very nice :beer:

Suburban Race Car Garage Build

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