How do you guys do it?!?!

[Jack Olsen]

There's a lot of great input in this thread. Some people like showroom-type garages -- and maybe there's not much actual work getting done in those. But as other posters have pointed out, some of the nicest garages on this board are also some of the ones that get used the hardest.

Here's another ideal you can try to work toward: Tools are the only thing you should store in your garage.

Two weekends ago an old friend of mine and my father helped me swap a new engine into my old Porsche. It got messy while we worked on it, of course. But it takes less than an hour (usually a lot less) to bring it back to 'square one.'

During the swap:

Two days after the swap:

 

[jmh21586]

But a good, simple organizational idea is to not let anything sit on the floor (except a car). .

Thats my #1 rule. If it's in my shop it can't be on the floor. Floor cluter is the worst. It's hard to sweep around and is always a trip hazzard.

 

[e-tek]

e-tek
Is that a home groan budy turning thingee???

You bet! Thread here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69042

 

[e-tek]

Now wait a minute, there's several vehicles missing from this shot, where are they while you're working??

In the summer my Galaxie and Challenger are in the front 2-car attached and my 46 Merc is in the other driveway out front. It works out well as I always find things that need done upon driving them and I can pull them in to where I need them, as well as our daily drivers.

In the winter everythings comes in and I work on them where there are.

 

[mpire]

Painting the floor never was my cup of tea. I'd be afraid of walking on a bright shiny gloss floor.

While I agree with your outlook, us old guys need more light and finishing the floor makes worlds of difference in how bright the room feels. It changes it from an outdoor space to an indoor space. I was surprised at the difference it made. My garage still gets super dirty, but I don't worry about sliding around on my back under the cars anymore.

Give it a another look, I bet you would like it.

 

[drmoonshine]

It's not one clean and one messy we all use our shops in different ways. Right now my shop is just for storing cars and woodworking in the back. My garage is clean except for the saw dust and paints on the ground.

 

[regguy1]

While I agree with your outlook, us old guys need more light and finishing the floor makes worlds of difference in how bright the room feels. It changes it from an outdoor space to an indoor space. I was surprised at the difference it made. My garage still gets super dirty, but I don't worry about sliding around on my back under the cars anymore.

Give it a another look, I bet you would like it.

I agree 100%

I used low cost epoxy and it came out fine:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66867

 

[nate379]

Or just throw out junk that I won't use in the next year or two. I am an anti-hoarder. That TV show damn near gives me nightmares

I think most people who can keep their shop/garage clutter free either have a shed, use the basement or have more than one garage on their property.

 

[20V'er]

Thats my #1 rule. If it's in my shop it can't be on the floor. Floor cluter is the worst. It's hard to sweep around and is always a trip hazzard.

Went to a guy's garage a few weeks back to give him a few pointers on a motor swap he is attempting. There was not room on the floor for both of me feet less alone trying to walk around the car. I was polite, but when I left the place I just kept thinking the guy will never get that swap done with no room to move and all the tools tossed around on the floor.

 

[AP2TUDE]

It seems that a lot of people draw a line between the shops that are "show-worthy" and those that are "bred for work." I don't see that there has to be a big distinction really.

I think that with organization comes not only the ability to unclutter the space and make it look more attractive, but it also makes the space infinitely more usable. I don't have random tools and other components scattered everywhere in my garage. Not because I don't use many tools or random components, but because if they were scattered everywhere it is less efficient.

I try and look at my garage like a professional race team looks at theirs. It is neat and clean, almost sterile. Awesome work gets done there efficiently because everything is in its proper place, and more importantly, those who work in the space know exactly what that space is. When the job is finished, everything is put away. I think that is how true professionals do it, not just OCD garage enthusiasts.

I would much rather contend the statements of a dirty garage is a used garage with, "the proof is in the pudding."

 

[Scout Driver]

A clean shop or garage leads to clear thinking. Clear thinking leads to focus on the job at hand. Focus leads to quality workmanship.

Scott

 

[Bill W]

There's a lot of great input in this thread. Some people like showroom-type garages -- and maybe there's not much actual work getting done in those. But as other posters have pointed out, some of the nicest garages on this board are also some of the ones that get used the hardest.

Here's another ideal you can try to work toward: Tools are the only thing you should store in your garage.

Two weekends ago an old friend of mine and my father helped me swap a new engine into my old Porsche. It got messy while we worked on it, of course. But it takes less than an hour (usually a lot less) to bring it back to 'square one.'

During the swap:

Two days after the swap:

What motor did you go for this time? I have loved your car since I first saw it on Rennlist and Pelican 10+ years ago.

 

[daveroy]

A clean shop or garage leads to clear thinking. Clear thinking leads to focus on the job at hand. Focus leads to quality workmanship.

Scott

This reminds me of the sign over the door at wood shop in high school.

"A clean shop is a Safe Shop."​

 

[Jack Olsen]

What motor did you go for this time? I have loved your car since I first saw it on Rennlist and Pelican 10+ years ago.

Thanks. I basically just found a replacement for the one I'd been tracking (and driving around town) for the past 10 years. The previous was a 1993 3.6; the newer one is a 1995 3.6. Horsepower should jump a little -- from 247 to 270. But it's a stock, untouched motor, just like the last one.

Quick picture, and then I'll stop hijacking this thread.

I know that these things look weird to non-Porsche guys. But I love it. Air cooled, twin plugged, and a dry sump oil system are all stock items. 180° V, so the weight is kept down low. My motor's been pushed forward about an inch and a half to improve weight distribution. I drove it all morning today -- and I can't wait to get it on the track (next week).

 

[AV8OR]

Any problem can be solved with more square footage.

 

[mpire]

Any problem can be solved with more square footage.

.... any problem can be solved with the right tools.

 

[duallypilot]

I'll have to agree with everyone about tools have to be in their place. If you look in several of the photo's I posted you'll see what my friends affectionately call the "red wall". It's the large Kennedy roller cabinet with middle and top box, 7 foot tall and 5 foot wide. It holds all of my hand tools as well as all my machinist tools. I've also got drawers under my computer bench that holds power tools like my saw, drills and sanders. The other clutter seems to be JUNK that has collected from different projects. I've been purging all week, enough that I took a S-10 load to the scrap yard this morning.
Jack - I watched a show on the science channel today while I was eating lunch called "Ultimate Factories" They were showing the Porsche factory in Germany and was walking a 911 through the complete assembly process. Pretty cool stuff!
I'm in the process right now building the loft over the main door to hold stuff that only gets used on occasion.

 

[28HopUp]

Best I can say, as I have recently gotten some good housecleaning done in the garage, is: PURGE. I've took a few trailer loads of STUFF to the dump that I've drug from home to home I've lived in, thinking I may use this again, or for this project, or it has ebay value. PURGING felt so damn good the day after I dumped it all. Floorspace and less clutter really feels so much better than having lots of stuff, lots of it I hadn't touched in many years.

I agree! Once you've gotten rid of the stuff you do not need, you can determine the best place for what's left. Once you have everything organized, it will be much easier to keep it clutter-free. I began a ritual where on Sunday mornings, I go out to the garage around 7:30am with a cup of coffee. I turn on a local Philly radio station - 104.5 FM, who plays stripped down/unplugged popular songs on Sunday mornings 'til 10am. I take the time to clean up from the previous week's activities. It now takes much less time since I gotten things better organized. Then I work on little things to make the place more user-friendly. My garage is ever evolving, so there's always something to work on when there isn't a project at-hand.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a technique I use that involves working and focusing on what I am trying to accomplish, and during this phase I put hardly anything away. As the project progresses, I reach a point where I pick up tools as i am walking to get more, and when i pass their storage location, I put them away. As I return to the work area with what I need, I pick up more small tools and place them in a pile in a location I am passing by. Next trip through, more of those piled tools get grabbed in passing, and put away. As I make trips, the space becomes cleaner and more organized. Since I am the only one working in the shop, I leave tools out if i am going in for the day, because i will be using those same tools when I start back the next time, and I ain't dragging them back out over and over..

 

[mustangmccance]

Most of us with garages like yours do not post pictures of the mess. You are not alone in your mess, I just don't post pictures of it.

lg
no neat sig line

bingo for me as well. I always clean up the mess before I take a picture.

 

[type550]

With little space it is always a battle. Have a shed for the gardening stuff and all timber and storage stuff is under the house with access from the garage through a trap door. My next task is to put everything behind doors so it is out of site. Paint everything white to increase perception of space and light and always add the finishing touch to everything I do to take away the budget look. Classic finishes to replace average makes a big difference!

 

[GARAGEgenius]

Dude I couldn't sort out my garage either, SO I started a business that helps people like me. Just a start up at present but well on the way. I seem to have found a nice little niche.

Check us out here in New Zealand. (site very basic at the mo)

www.garagegenius.co.nz

 

[abstamaria]

Zen philosophy seems so out of place in a forum dedicated to guys and their garages, but here is what the philosophy says (according to the Internet anyway):

"The Four Laws of Simplicity, and How to Apply Them to Life: The laws themselves are:

1. Collect everything in one place.
2. Choose the essential.
3. Eliminate the rest.
4. Organize the remaining stuff neatly and nicely."

 

[NUTTSGT]

I made it clear to the wife when we bought this place, the garage was mine. If she wanted to store something, she had the attic, big enough for alot of junk and a walk in. I told her when the attic was full, it was time to throw stuff out. I also told her if she wanted me to work on the stuff in the house, this was my workshop and storage for the building materials. She has been fine with that, she's a great catch.

Like it's been said before, storage and organization. Go through things and seriously look at things, "yep it's junk" will go through your mind alot.

 

[mpire]

my brother went so far as to have his wife sign a lease to rent her garage stall. it gets renewed each year on merit. signed and notarized!

the garage is sacred in my family.

 

[mustangmccance]

my brother went so far as to have his wife sign a lease to rent her garage stall. it gets renewed each year on merit. signed and notarized!

the garage is sacred in my family.

all kinds of rude and crude thoughts went through my mind when I read that. all about inflation and increased rent costs. the merit would need to increase accordingly right?

 

[dcovey]

I have a technique I use that involves working and focusing on what I am trying to accomplish, and during this phase I put hardly anything away. As the project progresses, I reach a point where I pick up tools as i am walking to get more, and when i pass their storage location, I put them away. As I return to the work area with what I need, I pick up more small tools and place them in a pile in a location I am passing by. Next trip through, more of those piled tools get grabbed in passing, and put away. As I make trips, the space becomes cleaner and more organized. Since I am the only one working in the shop, I leave tools out if i am going in for the day, because i will be using those same tools when I start back the next time, and I ain't dragging them back out over and over..

This is more or less the way I work..Total clean up after the job is done..

When I worked for Ironman Chassis, we stopped at the end of the day and cleaned up (swept floor and put away unneeded tools). Had to be done as the shop was also seen by customers when they came to check out their cars or as we were trying to sell a job.
Tools I was using stayed in a cart until I finished, not the floor. Or were on the workbench/table I was using, layed out and not piled.. It took me a while to get used to the way Aaron worked and now I have learned to like it. It is more efficient and just looks more professional.

Dave

 

[jwillis]

Lots of shelves help. It keeps stuff up off of the floor. You can also make cabinets to hang on the ceiling and drop open (like a stairway that goes to the attic). I have seen them on TV that opened with a hydraulic accuator. I also have a 14X14 shop, a single car garage and I just built a 22X24 foot garage. I will soon be building a 10X10 storage shed for lawn equipment. I learned years ago working in a steel mill, in the shipping department that no matter how many buildings or how much storage you have, eventually you will fill them up and need more room.

 

[larry_g]

We moved a couple of years ago from a house we had been in for 30+ years. Both my wife and I are packrats. I adopted the mantra "When in doubt, throw it out" It didn't work as well as I thought it should but it helped. Now if anyone wants a pickup load of car magazines let me know. Hot Rod Streetrod type stuff.

Another thing that I learned on another forum is that when you can't find the tool your looking for then start putting things away. Keep putting things where they belong till the tool your looking for surfaces. Then get on with the job.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Mr Mushman]

organization is key.

I hate to say it but , I think NRChopshop nailed it ...

 

[mpire]

Its much easier to throw things out when you have somewhere else to store them for a little while before getting rid of them.