My Basement shop

[Pont]

Hi My name is Steven I been lerking around on the boards for a few months. I must say that looking at all these shops have got me wonting a bigger nicer one. But I can't do anything about the bigger part (yet) but I can do something about the nicer part.

My shop since I don't park cars in but when I'm working on them is my basement. The house was built in the 50's and on the cheap even for that time. So I have lots of brick support columns that take up space and make it odd shaped. But I can park my 71 bug and anther car if I need to in there. Here are the pics of when I started saterday.

Its bad messy here cause I had redone the bathroom floor and done all my cuts in the shop.

were I have been keeping my bug its gone go in a differnt spot when its all done.

Crappy built shelfs Im gone take it all apart and rebuild them.

These next 2 pics show my air lines YES there PVC Sch. 40 rated at 600psi at 73 degrees. The first dip down has been there for 2 years with no problems the part from the dip down and around is new. Its all 1/2 inch line and you can see my water separator. Works great I get good clean water free air. And yes when I do my drywall in the future then I'm gone back in with copper. But I need air now and copper cost to much to redo.

This is were Im gone build my new shelfs. Since that area is to small for anything eles.

And last my future workbench

the top is free wood I got from a friend it will be 6 foot long not sure on the hight or width yet Im thinking 4 foot high 3 foot wide. My future plans are better lighting (i hope by the end of this week) drywall and epoxy floor and new air lines. but the drywall and floor and airlines will have to wait till I get some more money. I plan to do all the work myself with the help of some friends. And just in case your wondering what my user name means its short for Pontiacman.

 

[russlaferrera]

It's a great place to work.. Some paint would brighten the place up a lot. Oh yea, some more light.

Air lines...lets just say "Not for me."

 

[goodfellow]

thanks for posting; and welcome! We all had to start somewhere, and that place sure beats the open air concrete car port that I started out with. The first thing I'd do is work on the lighting, and the floor.

Get as much junk off the floor and paint it, and the walls in a light color, it'll do wonders for the place.

Good luck on the bug!


PS -- that air system's "gotta" go.

 

[Pont]

I worked on it some more Saturday and today still not done today. I got some work done not much but some

Here is some paint I have it's used to paint water towers It was give to me and it is a 2 part epoxy.

And yes the air system is gone get replaced my most likely copper when I put drywall up. But that got put on hold today cause I let my little
brother use my truck to move and now it has ether got a rod knocking or a lifter has lost its adjustment. A friend who helped me get it home
said it sounded like a rod has spun so its not looking good. Here is my truck

 

[WolverineCoatings]

You can replace those incandescent light bulbs with 30 or 40 watt compact florescents and you will have ALOT MORE light... big time!

The product from TNEMEC will probably be okay... but... I don't think it's going to be enough...

 

[Pont]

Yea but it will help make what I buy go a bit further. but like I said now all my money has got to go to fix my truck. I hope to get the money to do a motor swap and upgrade. Instead of just rebuilding the stock one.

 

[e-tek]

I applaud your efforts to clean it up and make it more useable. I restored an 18' long Galaxie in a small one-car with little light. I added 3 flourescents, wired on top if the existing walls. I stuck a 30$ box fan in the small window to **** out dust, sprays and welding fumes. I put my back against the wall while I fit and welded and sanded. And that was an upgrade from where I built my race car - in that one I had one 3-prong extension cord, to which I plugged in my light, my space heater and whatever tool I was using. No compressor, no mig welder. You can do it.
Looking forward to seeing the transformation.

 

[goodfellow]

Mazda engines of that vintage rarely spin a rod bearing, they are very sturdy little engines --- most likely the lifter or the timing chain

 

[Uncle Buck]

Paint walls easy water wash white, hang a bunch of lights, figure out a way to put workbenches between those big columns to take full advantage of your space if you are really space limited. Power wash floor. BTW Welcome to the board and good luck with the truck engine.

 

[CycloneISU]

Mazda engines of that vintage rarely spin a rod bearing, they are very sturdy little engines --- most likely the lifter or the timing chain

I agree. I changed out a lot of parts on my Mazda. Head gaskets, spider gears, transmission, and the timing chain twice. It still runs today with a little over 287,000 miles on the odometer. I would check the timing chain as this seems to be a weak link.

 

[Pont]

Yea I'm gone check the lifters today but the noise its making can only be 1 of 2 things rod or lifter. I'm hoping its just a lifter that backed off some.

I did get the rest of that corner cleaned out and I'm gone build my workbench later today. I just cant make up my mind on were to put it. IF I push it back and put it were the bug was I will have to worry about hitting my head on that pipe. I could bring it out and it level with the column I wont hit my head but I will loose some space. I I could put it were those shelfs were it would leave me with plenty of room. But I just really don't wont to take up my space there. Here is a rough drawing of the shop. Tell me what you guys think.

 

[wrigh003]

My $.02:

Stick it back in the corner if you'll be hitting your head on a pipe in the other area. Make up the 2' of space you lose with stuff that's stored over (with cabinets/pegboard) or under the workbench and I bet you'll never miss the space, unless it keeps you from pulling a car in or makes it so you can't fit both. If that's the problem, you could rig a bench that will fold flat against the wall- you'd never be able to really wail on it, but it'd give you a place to work on assembly/disassembly of things.

 

[Kevin54]

Yea I'm gone check the lifters today but the noise its making can only be 1 of 2 things rod or lifter.

Rods knock, lifters tick. If it's a tick or loud tick it could be a timing chain guide if it is anything like a Toyota motor. If it is a knock, it could be a timing chain guide, or it could be an idler pulley going south. Or it actually could be a rod. but if everything was fine, then all of a sufdden went bad with no notice, I'd be more apt to lean towards an idler or timing chain. I guess I'm just trying to make you feel better by saying "Don't overlook the simple things first"

 

[Pont]

The 86 to 93 Mazda's had a belt so that rules out a chain knock I did check the Over head rocker/lifters yesterday and there all good. When I get the shop done to the point of the money I have running out (which is soon) I'm gone pull the truck in and pull the oil pan. I had a Buick once start knocking and I just swaped the pad rod out and it worked for sometime. I might try this so I can still have some use of the truck till I get the money up for a new motor.

 

[Pont]

Well Im out of money for the shop for now. But I got alot done for very little cash. Here are some progress pics for yea

workbench

old fish tank light for the workbench.

My resized shelfs there also out of the way.

This is a pic of my truck in there I can open both doors and got lots of room.

The bug in its storage area. When I'm working on other cars or things the bug will go here.

Lights I'm gone get 4 more when I get the cash.

 

[Pont]

update on my truck

number 2 rod bearing.

 

[Bigger Hammer]

Very cool space!! It's not the high bay large sq. footage shop that so many dream of but it has a lot of character. Whatever you do, don't paint those brick columns. I think with it all cleaned up and the block walls painted, that brick will give it a retro vintage feel....that might be the gayest post I've made in quite some time.

 

[goodfellow]

That's too bad on the truck -- that did some damage. You did a great job in the bench and the other items.

 

[Pont]

well some good news looks like the bearing took most if not all of the damage. I put a new bearing in after cleaning the crank up with some emery cloth. So far so good.

 

[fotoflojoe]

Very cool space!! It's not the high bay large sq. footage shop that so many dream of but it has a lot of character. Whatever you do, don't paint those brick columns. I think with it all cleaned up and the block walls painted, that brick will give it a retro vintage feel....that might be the gayest post I've made in quite some time.

There's a special corner of Hell reserved for those who paint brick.

Pont: awesome space you got there, you've done a great job sorting it out!

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you use that Tnemec paint, make sure you have plenty of ventilation and wear a respirator...it's good stuff but the vapors are nasty (I do a lot of engineering design work on water towers so I've been around it many times.)