FINALLY cleaning my 25x50

[KermitFrog]

My home garage is in no way as nice as everyone else, but I hope to get there. I started building this 25x50 garage about 4 or 5 years ago and quickly filled it with junk before I could even finish it off. While I do have another garage with my dad that is a bit nicer with a lift, this one is my personal one - I have a little better selection of tools in my place. I've barely set foot in there because it got cluttered so quickly and I used to work so much. Last month I got sick of working so much and the Bully management style of the guy over me I decided to quit, I was about to go back to work again as a manager of a competing store but the wife said I was so much happier we could just try to live off my retirement check instead.

When I started cleaning last week I couldn't even set foot in there it was so full of stuff. Now I am making a dent and it's like Christmas. All the stuff I am finding that I never knew I had, incredible. All the stuff I thought I had lost, I'm finding.

I also have got the wife on board to clean up the house and admit both of us are potential hoarders, if not already. Part of my new additional income, Craigslisting and eBay all the **** I have laying around that has gone unused.

So here's what I have been doing. I took an old bench from one of my dad's rental properties that had skipped town and made it into a mobile tool bench. Nice as it'll wheel outside easy. Still adding more pegboard, recycled pegboard . I can now make it a few feet in, just working on the sides - it took me a little more than a week just to get where I am in the pic. Once I get about 25ft in I'll move the car into the main bay then work on the back half. The wood shop will be back there at the back wall.

I figure if I post pics it'll keep me motivated on getting this place decent. Not great pics for the moment, future ones will be better. Sorry, the bench is cluttered at the moment.

 

[TONE]

Nice shoes

 

[1967marti]

looks like a new pair of coreframs to me

 

[KermitFrog]

That they are. Part of my old service dress ensemble. Also found two pairs of side zipper steel toe boots out there too, totally forgot about them. Tomorrow I get to the other side of the garage (right side). I think there are about 5 camel backs in there somewhere, opened up a suitcase that I thought was my daughters (she has some junk stored in there) and found three camel backs and some nice upper scale Matchbox trucks.

 

[Kevin54]

What's the car in there?

I also see a drafting table. Did you used to be a draftsman?

 

[KermitFrog]

The car in this garage is just an old '86 VW Jetta diesel, 116k miles, original paint - real nice car except the bent valves in #4 that need replaced. Around 4 years ago I was going to get my wife from work and the timing belt slipped, bent some valves. Never got around to fixing it. It is high on my list once the garage is cleaned up. It is the one car the wife won't make me sell.

The drafting table I picked up from a garage/estate sale of a deceased artist. He used it as his work table. Got it for my wife but she didn't like it. It is in well love condition but is very well built/name brand but has a bit of age. It is made in the late 40's/early 50's. Drafting is one thing I could never do that great.

 

[KermitFrog]

Made some more headway today. Lots of old stuff was ruined, luckily it was old stuff I didn't want or need. Found LOTS more stuff I didn't know I had. Never knew I had so many Gortex jackets, a few brand new in the package. Also found my old Craftsman engine tune up kit I bought a few years ago from Goodwill, all brand new in the boxes. I was about to go buy a Petzl headlight, found one brand new in package. Also found 4 more Camelbacks. Lots of diecast cars.

Next section I get to, I know I will be running across tools. I ran across an extra 17mm Gearwrench. I called my dad up to come get a bunch of kitty litter I found I didn't know I had, he claimed the 17mm. One thing he noted is how the chrome was chipped off on it.

After I finish the section where I think more tools are I'll be starting on my boxes (cheapo old Craftsman and Pronto). Lots of organization needs done there.

 

[rickairmedic]

Kermit it seems no matter how big our spaces are we will find enough to fill them . Loks like a nice space there plenty of room .


Rick

 

[KermitFrog]

Thanks. Not as nice as most people's garages here but it is as I designed the layout. Large bay for work on end and two car stall at the end with room for a woodshop on the far back.

On the other side of the car is another 25ft of dark depths of the garage. I thought I had a pic of all that is hidden over there. There are a few bicycles, a full size riding mower, a VW diesel engine & transmission, a 283 (bored to a 301), a 327, a Shop Smith with a bunch of different attachments, a planer, a complete body to a smart car, a shop showcase, about 20+ sheets of plywood and the list goes on and on.

I'm amazed at all the stuff I have amassed that I never knew I had. I'm thinking I need to get a 8'x8' section pegboard up. All the tools I have that I didn't know I had need to be hung.

So far I'm loving getting this mess cleaned up. Seems it has gotten the wife's **** in gear too. She has gotten a ton of books to turn in to Goodwill tomorrow and has a ton of DVD's to send into Amazon. Good thing is her library won't be so full and that means a few extra Gorilla shelves for the garage as right now her library is full of them.

 

[cowboy73]

I would love to have this amount of floor in this pic clean in my garage!!! Cleanup looks good.

 

[KermitFrog]

I would love to have this amount of floor in this pic clean in my garage!!! Cleanup looks good.

Thanks. Doing a thread has kept me motivated so I'll keep posting.

Cleaned up that mess off to the right at the front this evening. Worked on my toolboxes a little. Keep finding more and more stuff I didn't know I had. Seems I have enough 12V electrical connectors, wire, etc. to last me a VERY long time. Did a lot of sweeping too. I originally misdiagnosed my floor problem, I'm not a concrete guy. What I thought was efflorescence is actually dusting.

Told my wife I want the Gorilla shelves in her library today. She is working on getting rid of thousands of her books.
A year ago I bought a box of hammers at an auction, didn't need them but for a buck I figured what the heck. That box has been on the floor of the garage for a year. There ended up being about 10 hammers of different sizes in there, also found 2 pairs of some nice tin snips at the bottom of the box. I have been picking hammers out of the box as I needed them and misplacing them. Some of the ones I found in there today, a NAPA one and two Plumb hammers, another unmarked but well used, and a small wooden one.

Of course I got sidetracked....a little habit of mine. Now that I have room to walk around I can get at things like my buffers and grinders I keep getting excited to use stuff. Sure enough, once I saw old rusty tools I couldn't take it and played around. The picture doesn't do justice, every rusty tool I cleaned ended up looking like chrome.

I need to get (or build some grinder and buffer stands).

 

[rickairmedic]

I understand that problem everytime I start cleaning up around here . I find something I forgot I had and start playing with it and then the day is shot .


Rick

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I understand that problem everytime I start cleaning up around here . I find something I forgot I had and start playing with it and then the day is shot .


Rick

ditto that .......done that many many times......lol

 

[KermitFrog]

Lol...I thought it was just ADHD kicking in or something like that.

Also found my stash of stuff to fix the VW. Head gasket set, intake & exhaust valves, formed valve cover gasket etc. Really happy I also found my specialized tools for VW diesels, apparently I had a drawer in one of my boxes dedicated to it.

 

[KermitFrog]

Didn't get a whole lot done this evening, a lot of small stuff to go through. I did find a lot of neat stuff. An inverter I had been planning to use sooner or later, my Shop Smith attachments, more knives, a basket of tools (to include a Blackhawk rachet I got 25 years ago and was bone dry inside - pulled it apart and greased it), basket also had a lot of air items to include a Dill Tire Pressure gauge - always used Milton so this was an oddity to me.

Also cleaned off my bench a little. Once this is cleaned up I will build a permanent bench, also need to finish electric and lighting. I also cleared a path and was able to get at some of my Bonney MTSC stuff. Forgive me but some little kid colored the Penstar with a crayon, also the gold seems to wearing too.

Some pics of the garage to get a better scope of the mess.

 

[KermitFrog]

And more.......what a mess.

 

[KermitFrog]

More progression today. Cleaned up the mess that was most likely the worst section of the garage (besides whatever the heck I have on all the boxes on the shelves). Tomorrow I take a pallet shelf from one of my sheds and bring in to put in the new clear spot. All the boxes in the middle of the floor will fit on that and the Chevrolet engines will fit in an opening on the bottom. In the same shed I have a counter that will be the perfect stationary workbench, I'll be moving that in plus it will be storage too.

Soon I will be able to get to my wood working tools and have a somewhat clear garage. Starting to get a little burnout, but I need to keep going.

Questions -

Dusting Concrete Repair - Should I pressure wash once everything is clear? I've read up on it and everything that I have found where they aren't trying to sell you a sealer says to pressure wash the top layer off the concrete. Is that right?

Master Pro? I found a wrench set today that is Master Pro, as with everything else I can't remember where I got them. Good looking wrench set Made in the USA. Where did I even buy these? Don't remember. Of course I'm missing a 3/8 & 7/16.

Today's progression -

 

[chickenhauler]

Wow, you made a good dent. I wish I had the ambition to do the same thing to a garage and old hanger.

 

[KermitFrog]

Thanks. Posting here is keeping me going. Honestly, if I hadn't started this thread I wouldn't of had the drive to keep going. Plus going back and looking at the pics is showing me just how messy it is/was.

Everyday I keep finding stuff I forgot I had. Today was a huge set of Craftsman 19.2 tools, brand new. Circular saw, jigsaw, light etc. Looks like I need to get some more 19.2 batteries, old ones are dying.

I need to make a trip to the dump, HUGE pile of trash I have accumulated. I also need to go to Goodwill to drop off stuff. So happy cleaning this up.

 

[rickairmedic]

Kermit your moving right along there . Looks much much better already wont be long now and you can start working out there again and retrash it .


Rick

 

[KermitFrog]

Kermit your moving right along there . Looks much much better already wont be long now and you can start working out there again and retrash it .


Rick

I never really worked out there too much. The most I did was install a Waste Vegetable Oil kit on my VW a few years back. I plan to keep it nice this time, plus I don't have a job to take up all my time.

Not sure what is up with my camera....bad pic

Anyhow, today was great! Went and got my dad to help me make a dump run. Got rid of the mountain of trash that was covering my Cushman. Once we got back I had my dad help me move my large shelves from one of my sheds (wife wants me to make it an art studio). I noticed I had a Panasonic 5 disc CD player/home entertainment system, the kind with 5 speakers and a sub. I picked this up a few years ago when one of my dad's renters up and left. I cleaned the property for him then did a remodel, this was one of the things i scored but I always thought it was broke. Hooked it up today and it works AWESOME!

Also took a kitchen counter in the garage to use as a workbench. Back when I got my place I specified rounded corners on the countertops. When they built them, they were sharp edges. So they build a new one and sent it out but the driver of the truck it was in neglected to strap it in...so out it went. Still was in one piece but had scarring. They just rounded the edges with a router and all was fine, I told them I would "dispose" of the old/new counter and to leave it. I need to make some doors and make some adjustments but it is in place.

Moved my engines but the pic I took is horrible so you can't see it.

Other things I found today, a BRAND NEW Craftsman router table w/router out in the shed. Another cheapo router. A Shop Smith router table, completely forgot that was back there.

Now I know how Hoarders feel when they clean. Holy ****, it's like Christmas!

 

[provecruise]

Really you clean your garage very nice.You set up every equipment in proper place.Your garage interior is quite good.

 

[KermitFrog]

Knocked out quite a bit today, no pic except fixing the one above. I FINALLY made it to the woodworking tools! I touched them!

I didn't get as much done today because my dad wanted to go to HF, around 70 miles away. I was looking for the bike hangers, couldn't find them. I did get some pulleys and will try to hang my smart car body.

Good chance I will start building the table tomorrow, not much more for clearing for the most part. Yeah!

 

[KermitFrog]

Well, moved the extra car body into a shed. Got LOTS done over the last few days. I made it to my wood stash pile. Decided I will be making a loft. Still never made the table except the top. A long ways to go on this clean but I can now fit multiple cars in here.

I hope to have everything done by Christmas. I plan to start working on fixing the VW then.

My dad decided to give me his old box as well as give me my box I left at the house when I joined the military many years ago. Should have a nice stash. Still have a ways to go on cleaning but once this organized I can go through the mess on and by the shelving. Might be a goldmine in there, I dunno.

Progress pics

 

[rickairmedic]

Well at least the " extra " smartcar body makes sense now . Looking great quite a transformation .


Rick

 

[fasteddie24]

Cool golf cart!!

 

[Ottawadon]

This is a fun thread, you've done a great job cleaning up your space. I'm amazed at all the old, good tools you're finding.

My 30 X 30 garage was just finished last week and I'm now in the process of setting up my shop. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm showing these pictures to my wife saying "you see, this can happen to us". My wife is a big hoarder, I am the opposite and we have sparred over this issue over our 25 years of marriage. My wife already has designs on filling the garage with all kinds of junk. I'm holding firm here, this is my shop and space, not for all her odds and ends.

 

[KermitFrog]

This is a fun thread, you've done a great job cleaning up your space. I'm amazed at all the old, good tools you're finding.

My 30 X 30 garage was just finished last week and I'm now in the process of setting up my shop. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm showing these pictures to my wife saying "you see, this can happen to us". My wife is a big hoarder, I am the opposite and we have sparred over this issue over our 25 years of marriage. My wife already has designs on filling the garage with all kinds of junk. I'm holding firm here, this is my shop and space, not for all her odds and ends.

Thanks No offense taken. Oddly enough this only took a few years to get to this mess. My last garage was 30x32 and it was pretty clean though I did spend a lot more time in there than I have spent in this one, I didn't have anywhere near the tools I have now.

We're at 20 years of marriage and she has actually walked into the garage to check it out, not something she normally does. She has discovered the mess so she is now working in cleaning the mess in the house. Things are really turning around.

I should be really surprised at whatever is in all those boxes along the wall.

Cool golf cart!!

Well at least the " extra " smartcar body makes sense now . Looking great quite a transformation .


Rick

Yep, love my "golf cart". Gone 73k+ miles with it. I work on them on the side since no shops will touch them, funny enough is that it works like any other car but I have seen people get turned away for an oil change. A lot of my Model T buddies have watched me pull one apart and compared them to the the T. Mainly because of the pure simplicity of the car.

I can swap the color of the car in a little over an hour. With a competent mechanically inclined helper who can follow directions I can easily do it in 45 minutes.

 

[tinbender 66]

Man, you have come a looong way in a pretty short time. Place is looking really good. It must be kinda fun finding all that "treasure" you forgot about!

 

[KermitFrog]

Worked on the other garage today (30x40). While the mess in the 25x50 comes first so I can start fitting the cars in there, I needed to be able to maneuver in the 30x40 a little since I am doing a clutch swap. Taking my time for the clutch, did some today and I may finish it up tomorrow or maybe Monday - hopefully tomorrow.

Got sidetracked playing with the welder, a little Lincoln Pro 100.

A pic of once I got the cars back in the garage for the evening............

 

[sids04]

Nice progress !

 

[Victorymike18]

Very nice progress.

What's the plan for the Jetta? It looks to be pretty clean.

 

[KermitFrog]

Haven't done much except go through small boxes lately. Jetta is high on list, been sitting for years since the timing belt slipped. I have to replace some valves. I've gathered all parts needed to fix it but now I'm going to a votech automotive class full time on the post 9/11 gi bill and may integrate repairs into the class. Been fixing my cars for class credit so this will be diesel points. I'll have to bring my own VW specific diesel specialty tools in.

The car is an '86 with nice original paint and interior. Southern, local car since new with maintenance records from day 1.

 

[mordantly]

for 3 years i have been meaning to get to work on clearing/organizing/epoxy the floor my 22x20. maybe this thread will get my *** in gear!

 

[Victorymike18]

^ Regarding the Jetta: It's good to see people keeping them on the road.

I assume you're already on VWVortex forums? I have a friend that has several Diesel Mk1 Rabbits. If you have trouble finding any parts, feel free to drop me a line and I'll get you in touch with him.

Any recent progress with the garage?

 

[KermitFrog]

for 3 years i have been meaning to get to work on clearing/organizing/epoxy the floor my 22x20. maybe this thread will get my *** in gear!

Thanks. My garage isn't even close as some of the threads here. Very inspirational browsing them. As far as my cleaning, I've been at a standstill as life has gotten in the way at the moment but soon I'll be back to cleaning the garage.

^ Regarding the Jetta: It's good to see people keeping them on the road.

I assume you're already on VWVortex forums? I have a friend that has several Diesel Mk1 Rabbits. If you have trouble finding any parts, feel free to drop me a line and I'll get you in touch with him.

Any recent progress with the garage?

Mine has been off the road for a few years now but I plan to get it going soon...hopefully. While I'm a member of a few VW forums but I can't remember my id or passwords.

No parts needed, I've got a spare everything to include an engine. 1.6 IDI.

Next few weeks I'll be working on the garage....getting there.

 

[KermitFrog]

Well the garage is nasty as ever AGAIN. Good news is I will be clearing out a huge section of garage that has had my wife's stuff taking up space. Bad news is my wife passed away suddenly 38 days ago.

It should start cooling off very soon so I will start cleaning again. On top of that I am close to getting my VW running. I now keep one of my tractors in the garage and I also bought a one man camping trailer so that also resides in there.

The best addition is the carport I added to the front of the garage. I can now at least keep some of my drivers under cover without putting them in the garage.

Next purchase is a good, big toolbox. I did find a nice Snap-On on Craigslist that is a good buy but I need to wait a week or two before buying so I know it'll be gone (it is a good buy for this box). In the end I'll probably just go to HF and get the box and two side cabinets with my coupons.

Pics of the carport.....(three wide )

Side shot, yes I am aware it looks like trailer trash right now - I'm working on cleaning it up.

 

[uniballer]

looks great, sorry to hear about your wife though.

 

[Vernmotor]

So sorry to hear about your wife..

 

[KermitFrog]

Thanks guys.