CEI Racing Garage

[72 240z]

I've been lurking for a while here, and keep coming back from google results on anything garage related I seem to research....

Hopefully I can give back a bit with my garage build, projects, and expertise.

I've also ran in to an issue with my lift, so have some questions for the community too...

Most builds seem to start with "undoing", and I think this build falls in that category too. I bought the property I live in now because it had a house, was near work, and came with a 30'x40' garage. The garage was in decent shape, but the house was a complete mess, so I got a deal on the property. This led to the garage being used for storage, house projects, materials, etc. It has slowly filled up with junk and I think getting that stuff out (or at least organized) is where this project will begin.

Here is the garage clean, empty, minimal:





But then the house took over, as the previous owners "tape" pipes deteriorated and walls starting coming down:

 

[Zeke]

Looks like you have the right tools in that truck.

 

[72 240z]

So here is what I've got now. A garage that keeps getting used for car projects, but is mostly storage. I'm embarrased putting them up because its such a wreck, but thats really the whole issue here, and perhaps my posts will help someone else get motivated too. That would be great!

This is a pretty good snapshot of daily garage life. My compressor is blocked by a new water heater for the house that needs to go in, but there is just enough room to get a car on the lift. You can see piles of wood and other house bits floating around with motorcycle parts and other projects...

Compressor, 20kw electric heater, lift.


Tools, storage, fluids shelf, Ford.


Ford, Datsun, Triumph.


Engine lift, 4 motorcycles, bike parts, and junk. Lots of junk. My table saw is in there somewhere...


Free alignment machine! Got this on craigslist. I went to take a look at it and buy it, but it has been in storage for a while and wouldn't start up. I replaced batteries, took apart the computer, replaced some wiring, and... it works!


Datsun motor, trip webbers. Engine pics are good. I'm sure I'll have more.


The car the motor sits in.

 

[72 240z]

@zeke That welder should help with creation of some storage solutions. The tires are in an abandoned trailer out back now, but were part of the junk problem for a while after moving in...

 

[72 240z]

So I'm going to try to break this down into a few steps that I can manage each week/weekend. I think my goals are:
-Lumber storage solution. The house repairs are far from over, garage is a pretty reasonable place to store pipe, lumber
-Store vertically. Look how much space there is up there! Floor space is valuable, and I'm wasting TONS of it.
-Thow out stuff that is not needed. I'm sure to encounter junk along the way
-Nesting. Example: The engine lift takes up floor space, but I'm sure I can put something under it.
-Wheels. In all the builds I've seen here and really liked, I've noticed that wheels on everything has a certain "modular" appeal that I really like.
-Looks good. My garage is functional, but that's about it. Not winning any design prizes as it sits.
-Patience. I'm not good at this one, I'd rather have something done. The more projects done, the less I have to stress out or think about them. I get great satisfaction out of finishing a project. Thing is... all the really good projects here seem to have taken a great deal of planning, and time. I'm usually all about the iterative approach, but putting in effort then having to redo it, especially when its going to be lots of custom fixtures, seems like time wasted.

 

[72 240z]

So here is the question I have...

The lift gets used pretty often, and while I was doing a suspension job last weekend on a black '06 Audi A4 I think I sprung a leak. I didn't notice it till I was finishing up a radiator job on a 20th AE Gti last night. As I was cleaning up I noticed some oil on the piston. On closer inspection, it was pretty clear that the piston seal is cracked apart and causing the leak. Anyone know how to change these things?

From the lacard on lift:
Gilbarco swing?? Ka frame lift. model 19-20
Gilbert and Barker mfg Co
West Springfield MA.

I'm guessing to replace that seal, I'll need to take off the arms and top plate, then remove that ring on the floor? New seal just slides on top?

Lift


Placard


Earl on piston


Crack.


Crack.


Terrible junk seal crack.

 

[72 240z]

Anyone know where I can find parts for this?
SVI sounds like it might be one option?

I know someone is going to post "Environmental disaster waiting to happen, remove the time bomb, rotary lifts are evil". This one doesn't leak, and I'll be taking the chance now while servicing the lift to swap in an environmentally friendly biodegradable oil, that way if something does happen, the EPA won't take all my money. Plus that oil in there now has to be ages old...

 

[72 240z]

Made a few phone calls and am awaiting for some calls back. Tricycle getting fixed in the shop right now!

 

[madoc1]

put in Gilbarco parts on google. at the very bottom is a sublisting for Gilbarco lift parts. go to that and there is an ad in the upper right for $29 seal kit. also others. good luck

jim

 

[383 240z]

72 240z. What part of Mass are you in? Real name wouldn't happen to be Victor would it? Your Z looks very familiar to me. Keith

 

[72 240z]

@madoc1 Thanks, found it! Thats great, not sure how I missed this site, too specific to my model number while searching I guess? An assembly diagram came up there too, looks like an easy enough job.

@383 240z I'm out in Dracut MA, the names Cameron and a lot of people may recognize the car from SCCA autox at NHMS, Devons, or HPDE or timetrials @ NHMS, Lime Rock. The Z was built up for the $2003 GMS Challenge and has been raced ever since.

I also race a BMW 2002tii and 2002 on the Chumpcar and 24 Hours of Lemons events, NHMS, NJMP, CMP, CMS, Summit Point, Monticello, VIR whole east coast really...

 

[383 240z]

Thats it, I used to live in Hudson Mass. Victors Z is a 3.1L turbo EFI car. 1977 280z now that I think about it. Chevy orange last time I saw it.

 

[72 240z]

@383 240z sounds familiar. Is this the one with the black hood and coilover setup?

 

[72 240z]

Managed to knock out a few tasks this weekend. First off was getting the computer back up and running. Its been in various states of on and offline while I've used it to make a backup of the drive in the Hunter alignment machine.

Anyway, the garage is set back from the house pretty far, so I invested in an upgraded wifi antenna. This one is called a biquad and it works insanely well. I have full wifi bars to the house, and can see wifi access points up and down the street. No more dropped wifi signals to the house.

Biquad


Computer upgrading to Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS and providing tunes, GJ access, manuals, all that useful stuff.


I also went to Lowes and grabbed some shelving. I needed to get all the stuff that has been on the floor up and out of the way. The shelving I bought had really crappy particle board junk. These will probably get wet at some point and are going to have lots of weight on them, so I bought some pressure treat ply and had lowes cut them up to fit the shelving unit. Saved me from digging out my table saw. I may come back and paint this thing later, and may reinforce with some flat iron. I've got waste fluids storage/battery storage at the bottom, a row of specialty tools boxes, a layer of hardiggs filled with race spares, more specialty tools, more hardiggs, more parts, more hardiggs and a cheetah on the top. I like that tool... Pretty easy way to seat a bead. The fluids shelf to the left was moved and will probably get a reorg.


With the extra shelving, I made this floating workbench. BW T5 and 240v heater that I'd like to get rid of and some diesel fuel that needs to make its way back to my truck. The plan is for that bench to stay empty. I may add wheels to it later to be able to wheel it around to projects.

 

[bikeguy5]

I gotta get one of those Biquad antennas

 

[383 240z]

@383 240z sounds familiar. Is this the one with the black hood and coilover setup?

I know it had coil overs and a cage last I saw it. He lived up in Mathuen. Keith

 

[72 240z]

@bikeguy5 Yeah, there is someone on fleabay who makes them for about $30 with connectors that plug into some usb wifi adapters. I ended up getting http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UWLJ8C/?tag=atomicindus08-20 from alfa and it works great. Any adapter with the correct SMA connector should hook up to that antenna and work well.