Mad Mike's Race Shop

[hidollartoys]

Due to BNSF Railway constructing an 1100 acre intermodal and business park just 1/4 mile from my current residence, we sold our properity and purchased 27 acres/house/40x50 barn just down the road. Since this is probably where we will eventually retire and live out our last days, I have decided to build a proper shop.

The new shop building is all steel, 40x80x12 with a 4/12 full vaulted roof. This makes it about 19' clear at the peak. We started construction May 15th. I did hire a contractor to do the primary construction due to time constrants but now wish I had not. What a PITA it has been and I suspect it will not end until they are gone. I have attached pics of the slab prep and the floor just after the pour. I will be posting additional pics as the construction progresses. My wife and I personally bid ALL the slab prep.

 

[nocones]

This looks like a good one.

They are building a factory near my town and all of the houses across from the site are for sale. Better for the comunity as a whole but to bad for folks like you who's plans/lives are modified due to the changes.

What kind of race cars do you work on / build?
Sorry to hear about the contractor issues. I'm in the bid process and some of these guys are knuckleheads. I'm hoping it goes ok. I like you would love to DIY but time just isn't there. I'm thinking about going with a higher bid to go with the contractor with a nearly flawless reputation.

Good luck on the build.

 

[LoRollinLS]

Can't wait to see how this goes!!!

 

[hidollartoys]

Some additional pics of the project

 

[hidollartoys]

We wet cured the slab. It was 100+ degrees here and we decided not to saw the slab which averaged 6 1/2" thick.

Contractor is assembling the building now and plans to be complete in a week or so. Still VERY hot here.

 

[hidollartoys]

This looks like a good one.

What kind of race cars do you work on / build?

I race in a series called "Chumpcar". It is endurance racing with races of 7, 12. 14 or 24 hours. The cars have to start out as $500 cars. We add safety equipment, have a minimum of 4 drivers and mandatory fuel stops at every 2 hours.

 

[hidollartoys]

Some pics of footer dig and site prep.

 

[hidollartoys]

Contractor finished the "framing" today.

 

[hidollartoys]

Just in case the title is confusing, I just needed a name for the build and it is actually a long time dream come true. The shop will have a 20 x 25 wood shop, a 10,000lb two post lift, a fab area and possibly a paint booth. I have waited a very long time (35 yrs) for this. My wife is behind this 100%. She is a remarkable woman!

 

[el Pedro]

Sounds like a dream garage to me. Would love some space for cars and a wood shop. Can't wait to see the progress on this one.

 

[hidollartoys]

Sounds like a dream garage to me. Would love some space for cars and a wood shop. Can't wait to see the progress on this one.

Thanks for your intrest. I will be using the shop to finish a 39 Ford Coup that my dad started but was unable to finish prior to him passing away in 2002. I have had it in storage since then. He also had a 32 Essex that he also left behind. My heart is full with finally being able to finish these cars. The other projects on the horizon are an 84 Monte SS and of course my Datsun Chumpcar.

I have been working out of a 25x25 but that filled up to the point that no work could actually be done. I am really looking forward to using this shop to work on and complete these projects.

Please dont misunderstand, I am a man of humble means that at this point of my life am able to do this. It is TRULY a "dream come true". I am truely blessed!!!

 

[davesnothere]

Color me jealous. Look forward to more progress pics.

 

[hidollartoys]

Here are some pics of the in floor heat.

 

[hidollartoys]

Color me jealous. Look forward to more progress pics.

Thanks for your response. I am VERY lucky to be able to do this. It has been a struggle so far with the many, many hours of site and slab perp. We installed all the per-pour stuff IE vapor barrier, insulation, wire/chairs, pex, conduit and plumbing drains. It also has full parameter footer insulation (footer is 36" deep). It was ungodly hot and we worked on it after we got home from our regular jobs (in the heat of the day) and several weekends. Seemed like it took forever. A couple of times wondered if it was worth it.

We also had (2) 2" conduits from the house installed. Hired the trenching because the shop is 200' from the house. Also installed septic connection which is 250' long. The plumbing contractor also installed the outside freeze proof faucet, water shutoff and water line into the building. After the pipes and conduit were layed in we back filled all the ditches and will do final grading to save a little money.

This has been a bigger project than expected but we are in the home strech for at least the primary building construction. The erection contractor will start the siding install today. I formalized me plans from all my time here on the GJ and watching other builds. I have spent way more than expected but hope that it pays off in the long run.

Mike

 

[hidollartoys]

Here are more progress pics. The contractor started siding last friday (8/3). The color is not the greatest but we wanted to match the existing barn.

 

[JC23]

Man, that's a big 'un!

Lookin good, tho...

 

[[email protected]]

Looks good. Excited to see how the radiant floors turn out!

 

[el Pedro]

Looking great! That Chump car looks like a ton of fun!

 

[hidollartoys]

Looking great! That Chump car looks like a ton of fun!

Thanks for the encouragement.

Yea, the Chumpcar thing is a blast. Requires the same dedication as any racing that I have been previously involved with. To say it is cheap racing is realtive but seat time is a big factor. You get tons of it at a relatively low price compared to all other forms of racing. You can check them out at www.chumpcar.com or just google "chumpcar". There is also a forum if you so desire.

I started raceing with a team that has 2 cars... A nissian 240zx and an opel. Mechanical problems have plagued the team from the start. IMHO they do not speend enough time and money preping the cars. They take the "cheap" racing to seriously. This series has been around long enough that the good teams know they need to spend $$$$ and time between races to prep for the next event. Our team owner does not seem to share this mind set. 6 starts with 5 DNF's

For this reason I purchased my car last fall with hopes of campaigning it in the 2013 season. It is a 1982 Datsun 210 (rebadged 310). It was originally a SCCA ITA car. It runs a A14 motor/ 4 speed. It has an awsome chassis setup but is lacking rear gear, enough rubber, and is down on power. Plans include a toyota rear swap, customs wheels/bigger tires and a motor massage. Car does handle like a dream, very predictible. Will run with anything in the twisties. It only wieghts 1500lbs. Have to get the shop at least constructed to start working on it

 

[RaysnCayne]

Hmm... a used SCCA car with a drivetrain and all the R&D and fab that went into it, probably ran a bit more than $500, right? Even if it was crunched, it sounds like it'd be worth at least $1k. So aren't you immediately DQ'd before you even get the car on-track with the $500 max rule?

 

[LoRollinLS]

Shop looks HUGE and like its coming along quite well.

 

[MartyO]

The shop looks awesome!

When you have in-floor heat like that, how do you know where to put concrete anchors for lifts and such?

 

[hidollartoys]

Hmm... a used SCCA car with a drivetrain and all the R&D and fab that went into it, probably ran a bit more than $500, right? Even if it was crunched, it sounds like it'd be worth at least $1k. So aren't you immediately DQ'd before you even get the car on-track with the $500 max rule?

The $500 value is based on what we refer to as AIV, IE: "Average Internet Value". The value is based on documentation that we supply to Chumpcar officials at tech prior to each race. This value is the "cost" to purchase the car from a seller. Ads (generally from craigslist) are collected from your local area and from the 4 chumpcar "regions". These ads are your justification for the $500 value OR less. You must then add competition safety items to the car (seat, harness, rollacage, fuel cell, kill switch, fire extinguisher) and prep the car per the rules (no glass, all interior removed). At this point you should race prep the car such as repair any nonfunctioning required system such as cooling, brakes, suspension, etc. so you can compete and hopefully finish races. "Competition" value is $3500 on the low and some guys have $8000 to $10000 in there cars on the starting line. There are wheels/tires, spare parts, and fuel.

If you show up with a car that you can not support a AIV, then the Chumpcar Tech will assign a value. If your car is over the $500 AIV then penality laps are assigned to the car and you start the race that many laps "down". A lot of podium cars are assigned penalty laps.

I bought my car from a Chump team that had already raced the car in the series. It came with a log book and an assigned AIV of $470. One main reason I bought it. So I am in. Now if I change something that adds value then I could be assigned penality laps. The rules are very specific and the tech guys are VERY sharp.

Check it out at CHUMPCAR.COM. You will also find the rules at that web site.

 

[hidollartoys]

The shop looks awesome!

When you have in-floor heat like that, how do you know where to put concrete anchors for lifts and such?

When I did my slab prep and ground rough I drew plans where everything was prior to the pour. I will have a lift and I layed out the pex around the footers that I put in for the lift. Planning is very critical. You must have the finished use pretty much defined. As far as anchors for things other than the building, I do not plan to anchor any machines or equipment to the floor(except the lift).

I hope that explains it.

 

[Deeznuts]

The shop looks awesome!

When you have in-floor heat like that, how do you know where to put concrete anchors for lifts and such?[/QUOT Martin,Dont worry, I cut the heated floors out of the budget for OUR new shop. This one the same size to

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

Just wanted to say "nice shop" from (The Beach Dudes) chump car team over here in Oregon.
Were the yellow Datsun 510 wagon you see on the Chump Car web site.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You're going to have a n ice big shop when it's done.

Did you sell your old property to BNSF or to some poor sap that's going to hate you once the trains start coming through ?

 

[hidollartoys]

You're going to have a n ice big shop when it's done.

Did you sell your old property to BNSF or to some poor sap that's going to hate you once the trains start coming through ?

We sold our properity(30acres) to an intermodal service company that currently serves the existing BNSF intermodal facility 30 miles from this new one. The existing facility will be closed when the new one is finished next year. The area where the new one is being constructed is in a semi rural area, adjacent to the main line (Chicago to Long Beach) and is primarily farm ground. Check out "KC Logistics Park".

Our properity was in an area that is slated for 2nd Phase development. The writing was on the wall, we listed our properity at a reasonable selling price and we attracted a buyer with 1031 exchange money. We are the only ones so far to actually sell properity to a commercial end user outside the logistics park.

It was a "WIN/WIN" situation and we were able to purchase the new place all cash, clear all our debt and NO mortage. Now we can move on with our lives. This is why we are able to build the shop.

 

[hidollartoys]

Just wanted to say "nice shop" from (The Beach Dudes) chump car team over here in Oregon.
Were the yellow Datsun 510 wagon you see on the Chump Car web site.

Glad to see another "chump" here on the GJ. Maybe we can use this forum to start a movement of GJers to ChumpCar.

 

[hidollartoys]

Well, with much frustration, I will update this thread.

The contractor has "finished" the building and I have to tell ya the final product quality is WAY less than average. Soffit/facia metal is dented, facia is VERY wavy, wall metal is dented in several places, touch-up paint where they scratched and gouged the trim and the corner trim is mis-applied. Other visual quality issues are also present and to numerous to list. We had a meeting with the salesman, construction manager and the installer this last Friday afternoon. We were told that our building was "one of the best" they have seen. Good thing we are holding their last 33% payment. This project has been a comedy of errors from the start. These guys are a bunch of HACKS. I feel sorry for those that do not much about construction becsuse these guys will try to passoff this quality of construction. Their justification was metal thickness, less than pristine working conditions, "this is the way it is designed", "this is what we have to work with", "you should not have purchased the insulation package", etc..... We believe these to all be EXCUSES and are waiting for them to decide which of our punch list items they are "willing" to fix. I looked at a number of buildings from the usual suppliers and this building is "hell-bent-for-stout" but as built it looks like sh*t!!!

I have been in the construction trades on and off for the last 35 years and I am taken aback by the attitude of all the players in this supply chain. All are throwing up their hands or pointing fingers at each other. AND these guys were not the low bidders. This building was not bought on price!!!! The salesman highly recommended their contractor which is a division of the building supplier.... What could go wrong????? Should have gone with my gut and been my own general.

These devolepments have taken all the excitement and anticipation out of this dream. Everytime I walk around the building, I get sick to my stomach. I feel so defeated and taken advantage of. I know this will end up being some compromise that I will have to accept but be FAR below my initial expectations. I have NO confidence these guys are going to make this right based on our meeting.

 

[hidollartoys]

Big development in the new shop. The builder and supplier are going to fix the worst issues. Their national sale manager toured the building and agreed to supply the material and labor to replace the dented and damaged materials. I will still have to accept some of the other issues but maybe at least the soffits, facias and corner trim will look good.

They are waiting for their metal supplier to visit the building and make their recommendations. Supposed to happen next Tuesday.

 

[el Pedro]

Sorry to hear about the building issues, it seems to be a 'global' issue with building quality and standards these days. Way too many running around in these parts doing very poor quality work.

I hope the fix is suitable and you can get in there and start enjoying it.

 

[hidollartoys]

el Pedro,

Thanks for your support. We are hoping to get this behind us and move on. I suppose it could be worse, but it seems they are trying to solve some of the issues. Time will tell.

Mike

 

[hidollartoys]

BIG update!!!! The Contractor and building supplier have determined the condition of the building warrants significiant reconstruction. They are going to remove all the sidewall metal from the wainscott to the roof and replace it. They are going to remove all the soffit and facia, re-engineer the structure and replace the soffit and facia with new 26 ga metal and trim. They are also going to replace a bunch of the "j" trim and all the corners.

I cant believe they are going to this much trouble but I refused to pay the last 30% installment until the repairs were made. I hope things come out good this time. The down side is I will have to wait about another month before I can do any work to the interior.

On another note, I picked up my new 2-post lift at the freight terminal yesterday. It is a Worth 10,000 lb symertical. Can't hardly wait to set it up.

I will get pictures of the lift this evening when we unload it.

 

[oilslick]

Awesome shop, hope everything works out, service ***** most places sad but true. I like your trusses, planning spray foam? What heat source do you have planned?

 

[MustangRick]

Looks like a nice shop. I checked out the chump site but didn't recognize any of the tracks as being local. Do you have to travel to MAM and Newton for the races?

 

[hidollartoys]

OILSLICK, Thanks for your interest. We are still considering spray foam. The building has R-10 blanket installed between the outer skin and the perlins/girts. Definitely will use it to seal the corners and other areas. Also considering fiberglass batts and finishing with steel panels on the walls and ceiling. We (wife and I) installed radiant system in the floor prior to pouring. Hoping to make it operational prior to winter 2013.

MUSTANGRICK, We race at Heartland Park (Topeka) and Hallet, although Hallet was not on the schedule this season. Hope they go back next season. We do race Newton (3 times in last 2 years) but not MAM yet. Maybe next season. MAM got flooded last year and I dont know what condition it is in. We will be at Heartland Park on Sept 21,22,23, you should come out and take a look. It is the "Regional Chumpionship". There will be teams from all over. Prob be 30+ cars there.

 

[flybefree]

Mike,

As I was reading I got to your "Huston, there is a problem" post and my heart sank too...hope they get it done for you before winter...I have confidence you will have a great shop in the end. You obviously know what you are doing. Great read about the chumpcar racing....might check that out...I NEED another hobby.

Shaun

 

[hidollartoys]

SHAUN, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I have been sweatin' the details and it is taking its toll. I have been in the construction/facilities maintenance game for over 30 years. The construction manager is trying to meet our expectations and has gone to some great lengths on our behalf with the metal siding/trim supplier and the building supplier. I have to trust things will work out.

Are you in the Cinnci area. or between Louisville and Cinnci? I grew up in Crittenden Co. KY and graduated from Murray State (a long time ago).

 

[flybefree]

Mike,

I am stationed at Ft. Knox and leaving the Army in JAN to move back to Ohio...I live in E-town right now. It will all work out in the end and you will have a great place...keep up the positive attitude.

Shaun