Modern Garage in Far East

[abstamaria]

Living so far from suppliers and at one time racing two English vintage cars, I have had to maintain a store of spare parts. I keep parts separately from the garage, since I don't need to access them frequently. What has worked for me is a stacker, which saves space and yet allows an easy view of my inventory of spares. Here are two views.

 

[Kevin54]

Living so far from suppliers and at one time racing two English vintage cars, I have had to maintain a store of spare parts. I keep parts separately from the garage, since I don't need to access them frequently. What has worked for me is a stacker, which saves space and yet allows an easy view of my inventory of spares. Here are two views.

What does the crank handles on the side do? You have to wind the shelves up to make them work? Kind of like the crank radios?

 

[mdbeck1]

What does the crank handles on the side do? You have to wind the shelves up to make them work? Kind of like the crank radios?

They make shelving like this for archives to save space. The cranks on the side let you MOVE the unit to the left or right so that you can access the materials within.

 

[N8]

Fantastic style and home.
As a designer I love seeing these types or residences alive and well.
Not many home like this in Las Vegas.

 

[dreamingmuscle]

This is a great photo of a good friend. I think I would have to enlarger it to poster size and hang it in a special place. I love your place. Don't think I could keep it de-cluttered for long though.

________
BMW 247 engine history

 

[abstamaria]

You're welcome to do that, dreamingmuscle. He was a good guy and loved to keep me company in the workshop.

mdbeck1 is right. The cranks allow heavily laden shelves to be moved easily to the left or right - useful when you are moving more than one shelf at a time. Usually though, the shelves are lightly laden so can be pushed to one side by hand.

i am glad you like the design of the house. We are having problems with the epoxy floor, and the contractor has been sanding the last two days. He was advised by the paint manufacturer to paint a top coat on, which he has scheduled for tomorrow. I hope this works.

Andres

 

[T VETTE]

I also like the minimal look you have done.

I moved last year, my old garage had signs, pictures, posters, and flags covering every wall. My new garage has none of this and it is a nice change. I did just add a 20' shelf above the garage doors with vintage toys and some trophys but for now want to maintain the clean look.

I guess all the mahogany in your country is exported? T

 

[abstamaria]

T Vette, I had posters and many other things on the wall of our old garage. I still have Lotus, Ducati, and other signs in the workshop, so there's always the threat of that recurring! BTW, that is an interesting building on your profile picture.

The old house we bought is on a slope, so one end of the building is 3 stories tall. The ground floor at this end is on the same level as the separate garage, so we rebuilt the room there as a workshop. Here is a picture taken about 9 years ago during construction, and another when the workshop was completed. A dog is always around.

The workshop has an epoxy floor and is airconditioned, which is quite a treat in the tropics (my previous garage wasn't). The night photo, unfortunately a bit blurred, shows the dimensions of the workshop.

Andres

 

[abstamaria]

Another view of the workshop, this time in use. That's a friend's Westfield Eleven.

 

[993James993]

Please show more photos of the workshop! It looks fantastic.

Your photo reminds me of the Ferrari dealership at the Wynn in Las Vegas. It's been awhile but as one moves from the new car showroom I recall going down some stairs and seeing the shop area behind large glass panels. The shop was spotless and filled with bright read Shure tool cabinets.

Keep posting, this is one of my favorite threads.

 

[abstamaria]

The workshop then.

This view of the house under construction in 2001 shows the location of the workshop in relation to the house. The kitchen is on the floor above.

The white epoxy floor has been a boon, as it is easy to keep clean and allows one to find that dropped washer quite easily. We've removed and reinstalled an engine, prepared a vintage car for race meetings, and, when I retired from competition (or what passes for competition in the vintage racing world), converted the car to street spec in this workshop. I didn't try to protect the floor from jacks, etc., so it is quite scratched in several areas. I will try wet-sanding the floor and plan to freshen up the workshop in general when the garage is finished.

It doubled as a studio, when Shell wanted to use the Dino for a calendar.

 

[AndrewBigA]

unreal man, what i would do for a spotless white floor with an ultra shine like you have in your garage! i dont think it would be possible for me to keep that celan with the activity that goes on here every day! man oh man lol!
your garage is more like a showroom floor!

post whatever pics you have! im enjoying this thread =)

need any detailing lmao?

 

[justinmc]

This is a most excellent depart from most garages pictured on here. I love to see how someone makes a modern garage that is clean, minimalist and yet still functional.

I notice you have a nice little drum kit in the back of the workshop. I'm assuming you play?

 

[abstamaria]

Thank you, all. It is not easy to keep the workshop or garage neat and uncluttered. For me, the key has been to put tools, spare parts, lubricants, etc., in closed tool boxes and cabinets, so that there is less visual clutter to start with. A plain white floor also helps a great deal. However, during a car repair or restoration, things do get out of hand very quickly and the place does get quite cluttered. I just have to force myself to clean up and put things away periodically.

I could use professional help in detailing the cars, but there are large bodies of water that separate me from probably everyone else on Garage Journal!

The drum kit is for our garage band. I play guitar (very badly) for a cover band that plays only instrumentals by the U.S. band The Ventures and the U.K. band The Shadows. If you are younger than 55, you probably have never heard of them. Since The Ventures use different equipment from The Shadows (Fender versus Vox amplifiers, for instance), and we do try to get the "sound" right, this occasional interest has introduced its own clutter to the workshop.

The current garage renovation has meant no band practice this year. That's my cousin Bob in the workshop, visiting from Monterey, CA, where he plays jazz professionally, and Anna, a doctor who plays bass guitar in our band. We put carpets on the floor during rehearsals to try to control the acoustics.

Andres

 

[abstamaria]

The floor contractor's remedy seems to have worked. The epoxy floor is no longer tacky and has a good shine, albeit a bit wavy in places. Today, we moved the tool cabinets from the old workshop to the new work area in the garage, using plywood to get them across the new grass pavers.

We continued the open-trellis halogen lighting system from the garage and, in addition, installed fluorescent lamps above the work area. The area is quite bright now.

This is a "clean" room, and is really just for assembly, tuning, and so forth, and not for fabrication, welding, and metal work. I plan to install sliding polycarbonate panels to separate the clutter in the work area from the garage proper.

Andres

 

[AndrewBigA]

I could use professional help in detailing the cars, but there are large bodies of water that separate me from probably everyone else on Garage Journal!

where are you exactly located again lol? my shop is based out of queens, NYC! lol

 

[TejasBimmer]

Beautiful garage there! Love your dog too... great photo.

Your floor makes me rethink of laying down epoxy coating and selling off my tile.
Love the look of your home too!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[993James993]

Very beautiful! Please post a photo of your bench tops. Are they stainless?

How do you like the open grass pavers? I'm considering them to go beside the driveway in front of the entry gate. My concern is that they would be a trip hazard for someone with small or high heels.

I love your build!

 

[naki kid]

What a fantastic place you have there.A bit to clean for me That Westfield isn't an old lotus is it as I haven't seen one of those for years.I see you have a drag strip over there now.Do you live in the city or country side.Ray.

 

[abstamaria]

I live on the opposite side of the globe, AndrewBigA, in Manila, Philippines. I used to live in Manhattan though. I bought the Lotus Elan in the pictures in Mahwah, New Jersey.

TejasBimmer, I’m not too sure that’s a good idea. There were several times during construction when I wished I had opted for tile. The arguments in favor of tile in the floor forum are quite persuasive and, if I had read them before I started, I probably would have chosen tile. The house is quite modern and not to everyone’s taste, so I’m happy you like it.

The bench tops are aluminum, Jim. I thought aluminum would provide a less “hard” working surface than stainless, but that’s probably more impression than fact. In any case, aluminum does scratch, as you might see from the pictures below, taken today.

I must write about the Cobra. I only have four model cars, and this one is special. Shelby was a guest of the Manila Sports Car Club about 14 years ago and autographed this car for me. He was really nice, as was Phil Hill. That’s Phil of course at a small dinner we hosted for them and their spouses. I admire these two gentlemen very much and was quite sad when Phil Hill passed away.

Andres

 

[abstamaria]

What a fantastic place you have there.A bit to clean for me That Westfield isn't an old lotus is it as I haven't seen one of those for years.I see you have a drag strip over there now.Do you live in the city or country side.Ray.

Thanks, Ray. I still have jacks, stands, a bump-steer tool, and other things that woudn't fit in the cabinets, so the place might look neat only this once.

The Westfield is a replica, built in England, of the 1950s Lotus Eleven. My friend's Westfield, completed in 1985, has a Lotus twin-cam (the originals used a small, jewel-like Coventry Climax engine). Here is my friend in front of my house with the Westfield, which he races and uses just about anywhere. He is a character, but an interesting one.

The similar car in the pictures is my 1962 Lotus 23. It has a a Lotus twin-cam and a Hewland 5-speed box. This car, which I bought in Arizona, was the sole 23 in Bob Challman's Ecurie Shirlee racing team and is therefore an important car. Challman was the Lotus's West Coast distributor in the 60s. Sadly, I had to sell it when I stopped racing two or so years ago.

That's me in the Lotus 23, taken at a race meeting at the circuit in Subic Bay (formerly a US naval base). The circuit closed just last month, having had to give way to a port development. Yes, there is drag racing here and two remaining circuits, including a new one in the former US airbase Clark Field.

I live in what used to be a suburb in the outskirts of Manila. The city has grown beyond that though, so now my home is right in the city.

Andres

 

[abstamaria]

How do you like the open grass pavers? I'm considering them to go beside the driveway in front of the entry gate. My concern is that they would be a trip hazard for someone with small or high heels.

Jim, the grass pavers will be a problem with high heels, which will sink into the soil in the cavities. We had crushed gravel before, as shown in this old photo of the garage before the renovation. That worked well actually, but created a major problem with guests with high heels (my wife knew how to walk on them). The grass pavers are more practical, but you might want to use solid pavers for the walkways.

I thought you might like the car in this ohoto.

Best regards,

Andres

 

[993James993]

Jim, the grass pavers will be a problem with high heels, which will sink into the soil in the cavities. We had crushed gravel before, as shown in this old photo of the garage before the renovation. That worked well actually, but created a major problem with guests with high heels (my wife knew how to walk on them). The grass pavers are more practical, but you might want to use solid pavers for the walkways.

I thought you might like the car in this ohoto.

Best regards,

Andres

Hi Andres,

That's a beautiful sight! It looks like the photo was taken through a window and I can imagine you parking and washing the car and then going inside only to stare at it from the window. I got a chuckle from what appears to be a stock, non-vanity plate but with "911." My car has a similar license plate and I often stare at the car for the pleasure of seeing the beautiful curves.

Thanks for posting that one!

 

[abstamaria]

Yes, 993James993, I like the shape of the 993 too. I especially like the basic, no-spoiler, no-flare model though. It looks very clean to my eyes and has for me a strong visual connection with the 356 and early 911s. But that must be my age showing. The last air-cooled Porsche - that is quite significant.

 

[Rich]

Great garage and nice collection of cars. Thanks for sharing!

 

[abstamaria]

Rich, thank you. I was looking at your list and wanted to note that I am a big fan of the early Land Rovers (and early 911s and Ducatis), but sadly have none of these.

 

[abstamaria]

Tool Cabinets

I have several tool cabinets now, and the excuse has been that my motley collection of old cars requires metric, standard, Whitworth ... Not true really.

In the 1980s, though, when i was restoring a Lotus Elan from the ground up, all my tools fit in this roll cabinet. The brand is Stahwille. I bought it in about 1979 at a gasoline station, where it had been for sale for many years. I use it more as a cart now, to hold tools being used and parts when i'm working on a car.

I'm afraid it doesn't have the appeal of the splendid vintage wood tool boxes shown in this thread, but it's the oldest tool box I have and I'm quite attached to it!

 

[bazzateer]

Beautiful home, beautiful garage, beautiful cars and a beautiful wife. You are one lucky guy!

 

[ngk22r]

You could eat off of that floor! Very nice garage, I am very jealous!!

 

[abstamaria]

Thank you, Bazzateer, ngk22r. Yes, I have been quite lucky and try always to be aware of that. The epoxy floor isn't perfect, but looks very good in some places. I am now hesitant to drag a jack across it! Best regards.

 

[abstamaria]

Epoxy Floor

The epoxy floor with which we had so much trouble looks very good in most areas, very wavy in small areas. I am hoping it will be stable. Here is a photo taken today of a good area.

The lighting we used in this working bay is somewhat different from the parking bays. We installed flourescents and, in the aluminum trellis seen here, halogens, to link visually with the rest of the garage.

Obviously, no automobile work has been done here yet. It won't stay clean for long.

 

[993James993]

What is this white car?

Your garage is beautiful!

 

[abstamaria]

The stuff has to go somewhere.

For all the neatness of the new garage, the old workshop is a mess. I took the opportunity of the move to reorganize where I put things, to decide which I should sell or give away. It's a good exercise; I've found parts I'd forgotten I had.

I've made some progess over the last few weekends, but the piles of things in the workshop diminishes oh so slowly. Where to put the car magazines? Those old CDs and DVDs?

 

[abstamaria]

Thanks, 993James993. That's a 996. The local Porsche dealer gave me a good deal on my 993, so I traded it in for this car. My 993 seems almost identical to yours. It was a US version too.

 

[AndrewBigA]

how much of a pain in the *** is it to keep that white floor clean? im going to be redoing my floor really soon & id love to do this but im scared of the upkeep. my shop on a busy week can see about 50 cars driving in & out of the garage. i really want that white wall & white floor but im nervous.

the white floor would make the pics i take of the cars inside the garage a ton of alot more crisp & clear than the dark grey that its now.

got any pointers?

your garage is awsome. & for the record, i havent done any international detailing jobs...yet lol but im open to offers lol.

 

[abstamaria]

AndrewBigA, I think actually that a shiny white floor will be easier to keep clean and looking clean. If the paint adheres well and resists stains, as I assume most epoxies will, white should clean as easily as your dark grey. The difference is that the white will look cleaner and crisper. I've always found that dark colors harder to maintain, and you probably know this from your work as a detailer.

The volume of traffic your floor will get seems to require a high quality epoxy product. Or porcelein tile.

 

[abstamaria]

Windows

We installed low-E glass to reduce heat through the new windows and added horizontal blinds made from a UV-blocking fabric. So far the garage is cool, but then this is the rainy season. The unexpected plus is that we can see through the curtains even when closed. Those are water lilies in the pond and, behind them, a rubber that we moved with great difficulty from beside the garage.

 

[Bib Overalls]

I was in the Philippines for a couple of years. We left when Mt Pinatubo erupted and my job was vaporized.

Always thought the road to Bagio would make a good hill climb race course. No place for mistakes.

Our house was also made of concrete; floor, walls, roof, everything structural. Philippine termites are pretty aggressive. So concrete makes sense.

 

[aqr81]

Andres, I find your home and garage very appealing. While I know that I would have a heck of a time making the shift, I find it an intriguing thought. I'm certain I would need a mentor and some serious ongoing help. You have definitely set a very high standard. A class act in all respects. I must confess that I enjoyed the contrast provided by the pic of your workshop. You struggle with the slow progress and I was impressed with how neat it was while at the same time obviously a lot going on in the space. Thank you for sharing yourself and your place with us.

 

[abstamaria]

Bib Overalls, good to know you were once here. The Pinatubo eruption changed many lives; it was as you know instrumental in the closing of the U.S. military bases in Vlark Field and Subic Bay. I have a good American friend who still has a hot rod, probably the only one here.

Agr81, I am happy the place appeals to you. I find that the simplicity and plainess of the design tends to declutter my mind, but the minimalistic approach, especially in the home, does require a slight change in lifestyle. We have only one TV set, I have only a bed and couch in my bedroom, and so forth. My old garage was more traditional, but over the years became more simple.

The workshop was a lot more messy a few days before the picture. I still don't know where the put some things. I'll take a picture when that's organized.