My First Garage

[ehegwer]

This is my very first post on GJ - but this thread really starts on the 4th post - so if you want, just skip ahead - I promise you won't be disappointed.


I’ve been turning this garage into a mess for the last 2 years, and one of the main reasons why is because this garage has one HUGE flaw. There is only a single 15amp receptacle against the back wall.

Instead of spending hundreds on extension cords, I thought I’d tap into the vast knowledge base that is GJ.

I’m pretty handy (very), and actually spent a summer working as an electrician’s apprentice. I’m really comfortable with small stuff like running Romex, cutting in boxes, and wiring them up, but when it comes to subs, and stuff like that, I turn to friends and pros who get paid to do the right things.

BTW as for electrical needs - my hobby is working on late 60’s and early 70’s European cars - You can see Elise - my ’74 2002, and the other spot is reserved for Pearl, my ’70 Spitfire.

So I guess what I’m asking is where and how many outlets? I know the standard answer is everywhere, but let’s be realistic. I’m thinking a couple of double boxes on either side of the garage door, and maybe 3 more doubles against the back wall above the workbench.

Of course I’ll probably have to run another branch from the main box (which is on the farthest corner from the garage), but do you think it might be better to spend the $$$ and put in a sub panel?

 

[Coaster]

Nice "blank" canvas. I am in the same position. Just a few widely spaced 110v outlets and no more room in the panel for breakers. I think I need to run a sub-panel too for my old garage. I look forward to the suggestions from more experienced members. You will definately need a couple of 20 amp outlets and maybe a 220v (for a welder).
I guess the answer to your sub-panel question is that it depends on if you have room in your main panel for more breakers. If you do, maybe you wont need a sub. Keep the pics coming of your progress please. Good luck.

 

[wolflrv]

I had a sub-panel run out to my detached shop, so I had plenty of room in it. A couple of things I did was to run my two-double boxes over my workbench on a separate breaker. Ran most of the other wall outlets on another circuit and then did my lights on a third. I also ran my window AC on it's own circuit as well. Probably overkill, but I didn't want to be running the AC, compressor and table saw all on the same circuit at the same time. Just something to think about.

 

[ehegwer]

Now that everyone has had a chance to see the starting point, I'm going to share with you my thoughts and ideas and keep a running post on how it gets transformed. And by doing it this way, I can get all of your expert opinions along the way.

A bit about me. I'm the son of a hardware store owner. I'm an ex-biochemist, turned wedding photographer - I know, quite a career change. Someday I might explain all that, but as we all know, it's a different story (and best told over some cold beers). Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my Dad's detached 2-car garage in Northern California. He had a True Value store back in the '70's , and went out of business in the early '80s when the big box stores began to come around. I can still remember the smell of that place - a combination of cigarettes (you could smoke in there), chain saw oil, and old paper is how I remember it.

Weekends were spent in the 2-car garage. There was never any room for cars inside. It was full of tools, house projects, and extra wood. There was a big chest freezer that doubled as a workbench, and as a place I could fold my newspapers before delivery every afternoon. Me and my friends made forts, go-carts, fixed bikes, and even made a nail gun that could put a 4-inch spike in the wooden garage door across the street.

It was a true tinkerer's garage, in every respect of the word.

When I moved out when I was 18, it was 22 long years before I would have a garage of my own. Along the way, I collected canvas bags of sockets, plastic bins of power tools, and tackle boxes full of wrenches. I never took the time to invest much in 'real tools' because my wife and I were always moving in and out of apartments. We all know what a pain it is to move tools, right?

Fast forward to 2 years ago. We bought a 4-bed, 2-bath 1970's fixer in Austin, with an attached 2-car garage. Over the past couple of years we have been redoing the inside, and I've been both collecting tools to do the jobs I always wanted to do, and neglecting the best room of the house.

As you can see from the pics above, the space is nothing fancy. Room for a couple of cars, and a workbench in the back. But I see there are so many other opportunities, especially after browsing all the threads here on Garage Journal.

I should probably mention one more little item. I have a thing for early ‘70s european cars - while I can’t quite afford the machines I want right now, I do have a ’74 BMW 2002 which runs, but needs both a top-end, and bottom-end rebuild (and a paint job), and most recently I collected my very first car from my in-laws house in California.

 

[ehegwer]

A couple of weeks ago, my buddy and I drove his catering van across the Texas desert, along I-10 into Tucson (where we stayed with my folks) up through the Grapevine near LA, and finally up 101 into Salinas. The trip there took only 3-days. And I was able to collect a bunch of specialty automotive tools my dad had been holding on to for me, as well as a nice Craftsman 4-drawer box. My very first one. Thanks DAD!
The trip took us through some of the most beautiful farmland in the world, the place where I grew up, the Salinas Valley. John Steinbeck Country. I used to know all the back roads by heart, and still do. Some things never change. When we got to our destination, Salinas, California, we parked the van and spent the night with my in-laws. I drove around my home town, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I used to know everybody it seemed, from my paper route. The houses are all the same, but the owners are different....

One thing I forgot to mention is that I love, no LOVE baseball. We saw a game in Phoenix, and while we were in Northern California, I had to stop by ATT Park, drink a Martzen and munch on some Garlic Fries and watch my World Campion Giants play a game. I bought some tickets on a sunday afternoon along the 1st base line in the field level, and watched the Freak pitch a winner against the Phillies.

After a great game, and some even better Chinese food, we headed back to pick up Pearl, my very first car. I bought her for a song in ’85, when I was only 15, and spent every spare minute working on her. A 1970 Triumph Spitfire with many modifications, I was going to bring her back to my garage in Austin for a full restore.

And that’s where my story really begins.

 

[ehegwer]

Anyone who has spent any time at all on Garage Journal has probably come across Jack O’s garage - the 12 Gauge Garage. I’m sure each of us checks craigslist or e-bay several times a month searching for a great deal on stronghold cabinets. I know I do.

But I can’t keep waiting. Little piles of stuff are beginning to grow on and under my workbenches, and I need storage. So I expanded my search to include any metal cabinets, and that’s when I came across this great deal on Craigslist. Two cheapie metal cabinets for $40 each. One was in OK shape, and the other had some damage, and the right door wouldn’t stay on.

I called in a favor from a buddy with a truck and we drove down to take a look. I had $80 in my pocket, but didn’t want to spend that much. When we got there I offered $30 for the good cabinet, and the guy accepted. So we loaded it into the truck. I then low-balled the guy and offered $10 for the broken one, and he of course said no.

So I played hard ball back, and we drove away.

As soon as we were buckled in and around the corner, my cell rang, and the guy said to just come back and take the other one away. Nobody was going to buy a busted cabinet, and he might as well just give it to me. I couldn’t turn that truck around fast enough.

I know these aren’t the best cabinets. The metal is cheap, and they are flimsy, but like I said, I need storage, and they fill the bill. Next step is paint - both the garage, and the cabinets...

 

[wolflrv]

Love the Spitfire!! That will be a sweet restore! I've always had a soft spot for Triumphs and MGs. My dad used to race them when I was growing up.

Good find on the cabinets too. You might try a bit of hammering stuff tight again or even some thin metal bracing to reinforce them some. I snatched a four-drawer lateral filing cabinet from work a few years ago. It looked pretty rough and rickety. The "crimps" had rocked loose and I re-pinched them and it's been sturdy ever since. Dunno if what I'm saying make sense, but look around the seams where it's put together and you'll see what I mean.