Little Porsche Workshop

[MichiganMat]

My wife and I bought our home in San Jose in April 2013 and I immediately went to work on the garage. My apologies for the extreme lack of progress pictures, I neglected to take enough pics along the way.

The basics though:
• EpoxyCoat flooring
• Custom bench - 2 HF boxes + shelving
• Installed sub-panel, receptacles, etc
• Installed recessed troffer lighting
• Installed recessed speakers from Monoprice
• Relocation of attic ladder
• Rewire of the houselights and much of the attic
•Shelving from WebstaurantStore.com

etc etc etc, you guys know the drill... On to the pictures!

Heres how it looked when we did the first walk-though of the home in early 2013:

You'll notice the illegal wiring of the lights, the IKEA closets, the paint was not gloss so it was all quite dirty. The attic ladder was held in with picture nails.

I managed to get the epoxy floor installed in a weekend and eventually was able to move in. The first order of business was getting the bikes hung up and getting a sub-panel installed. My mom is a licensed electrician, she was indispensable.

I moved in my old bench and box but I had bigger plans for this:

 

[MichiganMat]

Next up was to build a proper workbench. I had been toying with the idea of buying something, I looked at all the options, but finally decided to weld up my own. I bought the steel locally, sourced some adjustable feet, and got a desktop from some office furniture for the top. I plan to cover the desktop with sheet metal eventually, but its doing the job for now.

The bench consists of two HF boxes and the third section is the upper part of my large metal shelf that I cut and welded into the frame. Its nice to have some shelves in there for paint/gear/tools, etc.

 

[MichiganMat]

Next I needed shelving. I found my shelves at http://www.webstaurantstore.com for an extremely reasonable price. I'll use these guys again for the other side of the garage when we start work on it.

I also needed a good garage computer. I bought a Radxa Rock and bolted it to the back of an old Dell monitor and mounted it to the wall. It runs Netflix and Youtube and I pump the audio to an amp and into some 8" recessed speakers in the ceiling from Monoprice.com,

I've been building a '67 Porsche 912 with my brother for a few years now. We're swapping in a '07 STi motor, more on that later

 

[ttype976]

Nice set-up you've got there! I love the HF workbenches! Well done!

I also appreciate the bottle opener and the wine case storage bins!

Ky

 

[Sunbimmer]

Gorgeous P car

 

[Squankum]

I like the way that the HF boxes need to be lowered into the frame There's an anti-theft measure for ya!

STi motor into a 912? You kids today! Must everything have obscene power?

Oh well, can't say I care, as long as the original motor goes to a good home... or remains in orbit for some future owner. That you started with a 912 may be a hint that you're aware of the 911 bubble. (If not, see bringatrailer.com.) It's not likely there'll ever be a 912 bubble, but, you know... stranger things have happened.

Where's the intercooler going?

 

[ryanp77]

I like it, nice looking car.

 

[ADSR]

great work!

 

[Squankum]

Oh, and what are those two burgundy cars? When I was younger, I could identify anything with a minor detail. Right now, my defective database thinks last-gen Prelude on the L and Chrysler-something-something on the right.

 

[hoffman912]

Dude.. are you Mikes brother and is that the former betty blue?

I knew Mike when he went to OSU (still friends on facebook), and gave him the old muffler when i got a new one. You guys did a great job on the 12!

 

[MichiganMat]

Dude.. are you Mikes brother and is that the former betty blue?

I knew Mike when he went to OSU (still friends on facebook), and gave him the old muffler when i got a new one. You guys did a great job on the 12!

Hey Harry,

Yeah, thats me, and thanks! Mike still talks about you when we wrench. The conversion still has a bit of work to go, been trying to split time between the car, the house, the job, and the wife Getting closer though, a few more months. Ill post a few of the car here when I get a chance.

- M

 

[MichiganMat]

I like the way that the HF boxes need to be lowered into the frame There's an anti-theft measure for ya!

STi motor into a 912? You kids today! Must everything have obscene power?

Oh well, can't say I care, as long as the original motor goes to a good home... or remains in orbit for some future owner. That you started with a 912 may be a hint that you're aware of the 911 bubble. (If not, see bringatrailer.com.) It's not likely there'll ever be a 912 bubble, but, you know... stranger things have happened.

Where's the intercooler going?

The car was total swiss cheese, you can see our build thread here. I'll link some pictures in when I get a chance. I've managed to get the intercooler to fit under a ducktail with no modifications, car should look mostly stock, which is the goal.

Lots of Porsche guys ask WHY@#%! Heres why: 315hp for under $3000 and fixable at most Subaru dealerships Our engine was also not a true 912 but a 356A industrial-use motor, nearly unusable as a car engine. Once we sell it the conversion will almost be free!

- m

 

[MichiganMat]

More of the car:

From:

To:

We've been building for ~5 years now, getting close to being "finished"

 

[stealthmagic27]

Good stuff!! Awesome build, garage and cars!

 

[ScottsRX]

Cool garage and an even cooler 912. I love these things. Excellent idea on the engine swap, I'm suprised we don't see more of them. Maybe if the Porsche were cheaper?

 

[MattVette89]

....getting a sub-panel installed. My mom is a licensed electrician, she was indispensable.

You don't hear that very often

Garage looks great, as does the car!

 

[Zeke]

I thought I recognized the name. Hey MM, this is retired Pelican Zeke. Remember this?

 

[MichiganMat]

I thought I recognized the name. Hey MM, this is retired Pelican Zeke. Remember this?

Yeah hey Zeke! Its fun to see the crossover of Pelicans and members of the GJ forums, lots of the same personalities and passions. I always enjoyed your posts too. My brother lives down in Newport Beach, you guys have probably crossed paths at some point too. In any case,

- M

 

[Aldehyde]

Lolz! I've seen that garage before!

Good stuff, I forgot that you had to lower the tool boxes into the bench. I may need to borrow your TIG and skills to build a similar set up out of scrap aluminum I have once I get the garage cleared out.

This is Steve by the way.....

 

[zkling]

Very nice place and car project. Random question, did you buy the Kalamazoo belt grinder new or used?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Great to see a Pelican name over here. The shop looks great. I like the Steevo-style bench a lot.

 

[Squankum]

Great to see a Pelican name over here. The shop looks great. I like the Steevo-style bench a lot.

The Steevo Jack is referring to there is an innovative GJ member, not the Jackass jackass!

Now that I see your intercooler fits under the ducktail, I am very much liking your project! Can you add several li'l electric fans to it to help it along? Or just fit a nice sized water container where the oil tank for the 911 oiling systme went, and set up a mister?

Of course, back in my day, when the first turbo made ... 230 hp? That necessitated a big wing and big rear fenders and big rear tires. How in the world you're going to make this work on the streets, well, we'll see! (Do you have good life insurance? Health insurance? Prepaid legal counsel?)

Will there ever be a Porsche commercial engine bubble? I'd hang on to that, too.
Does Jerry Seinfeld have a backup generator at his garage? Maybe this...


_

 

[Modern Jess]

Howdy, neighbor! Garage looks great, and nice work on the Steevo-style workbench. Whereabouts in SJ are you? I'm going to laugh if it's down the street from me...

 

[timm95]

great before and afters! both the garage space and the car, though im sure neither are done as they never seem to "really" be done.

 

[dubber]

Oh, and what are those two burgundy cars? When I was younger, I could identify anything with a minor detail. Right now, my defective database thinks last-gen Prelude on the L and Chrysler-something-something on the right.

I'm curious as well. Looks like a Cadillac Elderado and a Chrysler 300 to me.

 

[Kainedogg]

Sub'd for the Porsche with the Subaru motor...nice garage too.

 

[MichiganMat]

Howdy, neighbor! Garage looks great, and nice work on the Steevo-style workbench. Whereabouts in SJ are you? I'm going to laugh if it's down the street from me...

Nice to meet you, Im in the Cambrian area.

 

[MichiganMat]

Great to see a Pelican name over here. The shop looks great. I like the Steevo-style bench a lot.

Thanks Jack!

 

[MichiganMat]

Lolz! I've seen that garage before!

Good stuff, I forgot that you had to lower the tool boxes into the bench. I may need to borrow your TIG and skills to build a similar set up out of scrap aluminum I have once I get the garage cleared out.

This is Steve by the way.....

Haha, I should've known you'd be hanging around here! Glad you gave your name, I was just about to get paranoid.

 

[MichiganMat]

I'm curious as well. Looks like a Cadillac Elderado and a Chrysler 300 to me.

The cars are not ours, those belong to the previous owners of the house.

 

[Modern Jess]

Nice to meet you, Im in the Cambrian area.

Yep. You're just on the other side of 17 from me. I'm in a pocket of SJ on the edge of Campbell. About three miles.

 

[MichiganMat]

Very nice place and car project. Random question, did you buy the Kalamazoo belt grinder new or used?

My brother worked at the factory for a summer, he got it new.