Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT My Mini Garagemahal

[zmotorsports]

Nice job on the CV refresh Mike.

I have an ongoing conversation with my mechanics when I hear them "tinkering" in the shop at work. I go out and give them ****, calling it "tinker-itis". A hammer is far from my favorite tool, but they are definitely a needed tool indeed. I have seen more damage done to parts with smaller hammers and light taps on parts than grabbing a larger hammer and giving one or two good smacks to get the work done vs. many smaller "taps".

Also, as you were cleaning the parts, did you notice any gouges or deep scratches in the inner race, housing or cage? If they looked good and were caught in time while the grease was still doing its job, then I have had excellent results refreshing CV joints. IF there were any deep gouges or nicks in any of the major components such as race or housing, then unfortunately, they will still "click" or make noise when reassembled. This is why it is so critical to catch them early as soon as a tear is noticed, and grease begins to escape and before damage can take place to the components.

I'm assuming you did a thorough inspection, but just wanted to share from my experience.

 

[fouckhest]

Nice job on the CV refresh Mike.

I have an ongoing conversation with my mechanics when I hear them "tinkering" in the shop at work. I go out and give them ****, calling it "tinker-itis". A hammer is far from my favorite tool, but they are definitely a needed tool indeed. I have seen more damage done to parts with smaller hammers and light taps on parts than grabbing a larger hammer and giving one or two good smacks to get the work done vs. many smaller "taps".

Also, as you were cleaning the parts, did you notice any gouges or deep scratches in the inner race, housing or cage? If they looked good and were caught in time while the grease was still doing its job, then I have had excellent results refreshing CV joints. IF there were any deep gouges or nicks in any of the major components such as race or housing, then unfortunately, they will still "click" or make noise when reassembled. This is why it is so critical to catch them early as soon as a tear is noticed, and grease begins to escape and before damage can take place to the components.

I'm assuming you did a thorough inspection, but just wanted to share from my experience.

Mike - as always, thanks for stopping in and dropping some knowledge.

First, yes, I tend to shy away from the "BFH approach" anymore, call it growing up and/or too much "un-effing" mistakes from my 20s. I actually went out and bought a brass punch/drift set and it was seemingly adding up to be death by a million taps, whereas one big whack got the job done. Guess sometimes you need a reminder that there is a right too for the job, as unlikely as it may be!

While cleaning I did do a thorough inspection, thankfully no gouges, mainly what I noticed were areas that seemed to have "cooked" grease on the races, little bit of brake cleaner on some green scotch-brite took care of it, ball bearings all looked good. Overall, I am confident that they will live for many miles yet to come!

I know I always appreciate you sharing as do so many others! TYTY

 

[Xti04]

I am a BFH guy. I have made lots of money using my beloved Estwing 3 lb baby sledge. I consider a hammer to be a precision tool. Anybody can wack at parts and hope they come apart, but its knowing where and how to use it that actually make it work well. My baby sledge was the go to for the axles mentioned above. A quick tap and they come right off. I also made a cv removal tool for the Audis from an axle bolt sharpened to a point to push the cv joint off the axle, similar to the OEM Audi tool.

 

[zmotorsports]

I am a BFH guy. I have made lots of money using my beloved Estwing 3 lb baby sledge. I consider a hammer to be a precision tool. Anybody can wack at parts and hope they come apart, but its knowing where and how to use it that actually make it work well. My baby sledge was the go to for the axles mentioned above. A quick tap and they come right off. I also made a cv removal tool for the Audis from an axle bolt sharpened to a point to push the cv joint off the axle, similar to the OEM Audi tool.

I guess that was the point I was trying to make, you just said it more eloquently. I don't particularly like to use hammers, but using the correct one and striking in the correct spot takes some time to learn and develop. That is the point I try to make to our mechanics as they can be used with precision and not create damage, but you can't just swing away and hope for the best.

 

[Xti04]

Dont forget to teach your guys about not choking up on a hammer. If they are gonna do that they might as well use this

 

[jonshonda]

Nice work on the interior rehab. I'm going through something very similar although not on a cool machine like the VW....IT'S A PRIUS!! We were "gifted" a Prius that needed love, so much love I justified buying another Prius as a donor car.

It is amazing that auto manufacturers have developed fabrics and plastics that can withstand that type of abuse and clean up as well as they do. It's also interesting to go through an entire car and basically restore everything from a timing belt to interior plastics. One thing I've found works really well on plastics with scratches is to run a MAP or propane torch over the scratch (quickly) which almost makes it disappear unless you inspect the panel from a very close distance.

I've always been a Honda/Toyota/Acura/Lexus guy but have really been wanting to dip my toes into the VW world with a newer Golf GTI or R. I just don't know if I can stomach having to buy all those fancy euro tools so I can work on it. haha

 

[fouckhest]

I've always been a Honda/Toyota/Acura/Lexus guy but have really been wanting to dip my toes into the VW world with a newer Golf GTI or R. I just don't know if I can stomach having to buy all those fancy euro tools so I can work on it. haha

Thanks for stopping by! I wouldn't say that there is much special needed for a VW/Audi vs any other Euro/Japanese car, they are all metric based, you may just need a few things like triple squares and big torx bits, otherwise, its just the normal metric hand tools. Occasionally you'll need a manufacturer and even model specific tool, but that is rare and happens with many "specialty cars." A new golf, gti or R would all be super fun cars!

 

[jonshonda]

Thanks for stopping by! I wouldn't say that there is much special needed for a VW/Audi vs any other Euro/Japanese car, they are all metric based, you may just need a few things like triple squares and big torx bits, otherwise, its just the normal metric hand tools. Occasionally you'll need a manufacturer and even model specific tool, but that is rare and happens with many "specialty cars." A new golf, gti or R would all be super fun cars!

If I can't fix it with a 10,12,14,17,19,21mm socked then idk if I can stomach it.

 

[zmotorsports]

Dont forget to teach your guys about not choking up on a hammer. If they are gonna do that they might as well use this

When I see my guys choke up on the hammer near the head, I tell them "you paid for the whole hammer, you may as well use the whole hammer."

 

[fouckhest]

Its oddly rewarding to get into the rhythm of consistent shop work....made it back out last night for a couple hours of work after the real job, finished up some "dirty work"

Drive side/short axle back together, I kinda scared myself b/c I got this inner CV back together on the first try, two for two
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

All buttoned up and ready to go back in
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Once finished with those, I removed the calipers and old pads (which seem to be almost new, despite the huge lip on rotor), but I ordered new rotors and pads from rockauto b/c, I honestly hope this car doesnt come into the shop again for a while.
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Got the rear calipers loosened up, but the ebrake was on and since my hands were covered in axle grease and brake dust I decided to leave the brake release until the rotors arrive and I have clean hands...no need to dirty the clean interior

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice work Mike.

I agree, getting into a rhythm is a nice feeling, especially when you have the tools and parts at the ready and not having to stop to go and get either.

 

[fouckhest]

Nice work Mike.

I agree, getting into a rhythm is a nice feeling, especially when you have the tools and parts at the ready and not having to stop to go and get either.

Thanks Mike.

Hopefully FedEx gets my RA order delivered today, then I'll be able to get the fresh axles installed along with the new rotors and pads. Keep the flow going!

 

[Xti04]

Always good to keep that momentum up! I have my next 3 days lined out with several vehicles, as well as listing a few cars for sale to thin my buddies fleet out. Its important to me to keep the flow going and stuff moving through otherwise I end up crashed out on the couch.

 

[fouckhest]

Its important to me to keep the flow going and stuff moving through otherwise I end up crashed out on the couch.

Especially this time of year, not good to sit down on the couch after work when its dark, easy way to lose 5hrs of your life watching mindless TV.....

I try to find a balance, it usually works well for me to work in the garage until dog dinner time, 630-645, help the wife with that, then depending on where I am in my project, either do a quick dinner then back to work, or back to work for another hour or so, then get cleaned up and settle in for the night

 

[zmotorsports]

Always good to keep that momentum up! I have my next 3 days lined out with several vehicles, as well as listing a few cars for sale to thin my buddies fleet out. Its important to me to keep the flow going and stuff moving through otherwise I end up crashed out on the couch.

I found that I would go in cycles when I would load up the schedule with so much work that it was one after the other or even multiples at a time in the shop. I would eventually get burned out and not want to touch other people's stuff for a week or so. Then I'd get restless and feel the need to get back out into the shop again and go full-bore again.

These days I feel like I have a much better balance of side work and personal projects to keep me from getting burned out as easily. I think it's important to know yourself well enough to know where that line is between enough work and too much to avoid such burnouts. But that could be just me.

Especially this time of year, not good to sit down on the couch after work when its dark, easy way to lose 5hrs of your life watching mindless TV.....

I try to find a balance, it usually works well for me to work in the garage until dog dinner time, 630-645, help the wife with that, then depending on where I am in my project, either do a quick dinner then back to work, or back to work for another hour or so, then get cleaned up and settle in for the night

I agree, it gets dark so fast after work these days that if I don't get right out in the shop when I get home and start doing something, I can get sidetracked and then a whole evening is wasted.

I do slow down a bit more than I used to and enjoy the evenings with the wife, but I'm usually home about 2-3 hours most days before her so I can get a lot done and then go in for dinner and still feel like I accomplished something.

 

[jbrentd]

Nice work on that interior. it looks great. What did you use on the seat belts?

I have some front inner CV joint work in my future when I decide to swap in my 6 speed 01e since the axle cups are 108mm vs 100mm.

 

[fouckhest]

Nice work on that interior. it looks great. What did you use on the seat belts?

I have some front inner CV joint work in my future when I decide to swap in my 6 speed 01e since the axle cups are 108mm vs 100mm.

I used the same "multi-x" cleaner that I used everywhere else, stuff works really well.

 

[fouckhest]

Quick weekend update....crazy how two whole days in a single room working can yield so few photos!

In efforts to finish up our flooring project, after the holidays I wrapped up the flooring in one room, next was moving the wives office into that room so then I could tackle what will become my office/quest room.

Last week while I went on my parts run adventure the misses started on cleaning/organizing what was left in the cabinets in her old office (this room/cabinets became a catch all for too many things after her moving in), which we then resumed on Saturday. Sunday morning I got started on the final cleanup and tear down of what was a built-in desk setup from the previous homeowners.

Center cabinet and counter top removed, side cabinets empty and ready for removal
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Side cabinets removed, I have to say, they were quite the puzzle to get out of the room
by fouckhest, on Flickr

Flooring step #1, considered this a small victory to start the day....doesnt seem like much, but the other bedroom kicked my ****, took me 4 attempts, so getting this one dialed on the first try was HUGE!
by fouckhest, on Flickr


All buttoned up with the exception of the ~1" strip that will run down the wall under the window....didn't have the energy to cut those by this point in the day
by fouckhest, on Flickr
by fouckhest, on Flickr


Next steps for this room will be to get our cabinet guy out to measure for some new built-ins that will have a murphy bed in the middle. Anyone have any experience with murphy beds in general? In particular any brand of kit to focus on or stay away from? Cabinet man is booked up through February, plan will be to meet with him early March, which works well, so I can store some car parts in this room while my silver car goes for paint.
....hoping I can sneak out to the garage for an hour or two tonight to wrap up the suspension on the Golf

 

[Jagmandave]

I was trying to get some outer CV's off of some Focus ST axles and they would NOT come off. I've removed many with a good whack from a 3 pounder but these simply wouldn't - they still moved on the splines and I couldn't see any damage to the outer ends, so I went online and bought "the tool"......it didn't work either. So I went medieval on its *** and got out the cut off wheel and cut chunks out of the race till I could get the balls out - then I took the axle over to the 20T press to get the remaining inner race off and had at it.

Didn't budge.

I wasn't concerned about damaging the splines so again with the cutoff wheel and I had to cut 5 of the six chunks of the inner race out to get the last bit off. After it was off I inspected the splines and circlip....no rust or damage to either so I'm still stumped as to why they wouldn't come off. Of course there were cuts in the splines from the death wheel, but again I wasn't using those anyway as I'll be cutting them down to make the axles for my Mini hot rod project.

 

[fouckhest]

I was trying to get some outer CV's off of some Focus ST axles and they would NOT come off. I've removed many with a good whack from a 3 pounder but these simply wouldn't - they still moved on the splines and I couldn't see any damage to the outer ends, so I went online and bought "the tool"......it didn't work either. So I went medieval on its *** and got out the cut off wheel and cut chunks out of the race till I could get the balls out - then I took the axle over to the 20T press to get the remaining inner race off and had at it.

Didn't budge.

I wasn't concerned about damaging the splines so again with the cutoff wheel and I had to cut 5 of the six chunks of the inner race out to get the last bit off. After it was off I inspected the splines and circlip....no rust or damage to either so I'm still stumped as to why they wouldn't come off. Of course there were cuts in the splines from the death wheel, but again I wasn't using those anyway as I'll be cutting them down to make the axles for my Mini hot rod project.

Thats wild, hope I never find the need for focus st axles! hahah

 

[fouckhest]

I did find an hour'ish last night to get out to the garage, got my axles installed, started on the front brakes, but unfortunately I chose poorly when ordering my front rotors, there were two options, 280mm & 288mm, I chose 288mm, unfortunately that was not the correct choice, so I had to spend a little time with the flap wheel too create some clearance for the extra 4mm....womp womp

It worked out fine, just a little bummed b/c my new brake pads were ordered for 288mm rotors/calipers, which are too big, so in the parts bin they will go, luckily they were a daily driver type pad and only cost $10 for the set, so no loss and the pads that came on the car are in good shape....

All this being said, I have some "other" mk4 suspension bit I had been debating doing some upgrades/swaps with my silver car, so maybe the golf will get an upgrade down the road a bit...

Anyway, got all my parts laid out before install...
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Fast forward, forgot to take a photo of the axle, but passenger side all buttoned up sans final torque on axle nut and drive shaft bolts
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Tonight might start the interior removal on my silver car since the weather looks kinda decent, trying to get it dropped off at PDR to clean up a few things before it goes to paint.

 

[rharman]

@fouckhest - I'd love to see a drawing of what the cabinet guy comes up with. I've long wanted to do a murphy bed flanked with cabinets in a spare bedroom. I've envisioned a drop down leaf on the "underside" of the bed. When the bed is folded up, the leaf could come down and be a crafts table.

 

[fouckhest]

@fouckhest - I'd love to see a drawing of what the cabinet guy comes up with. I've long wanted to do a murphy bed flanked with cabinets in a spare bedroom. I've envisioned a drop down leaf on the "underside" of the bed. When the bed is folded up, the leaf could come down and be a crafts table.

I like the idea of a leaf, I had been trying to think of some way to make use of that now "foldable wall," while we dont do crafts, a little table for plants or something may be cool!

I will certainly post details when the time comes.

 

[zanyad]

I've seen Murphy beds with a shelf that stays level throughout the bed's range of motion, and rests on the floor when the bed is down fully. Something like this:

 

[fouckhest]

I've seen Murphy beds with a shelf that stays level throughout the bed's range of motion, and rests on the floor when the bed is down fully. Something like this:

Thanks for sharing, that is super cool!

This is the hardware kit I found, its "leg(s)" at the one end fold down that same way. I am still in search mode for a hardware kit, I'd like to decide on something early next month to give it time to arrive and relay any dimensions to the cabinet maker while we are working out a plan.

 

[fouckhest]

In shop news, found a little time yesterday in the afternoon to pull the trunk/sub setup out of the silver car so it could go to PDR today, which I just got back from dropping off....kind of exciting and scary to imagine finally getting a car painted and having nice paint

Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Luckily it all comes out/apart super easy, so I was able to knock that out before my last meeting and then still found some shop time to keep working on the Golf. I finished up the driver side brake install, torqued the inner CV flanges, nothing photo worthy, then ran to get some brake fluid to prep for a tonight project. I got home and the wife said she still had some more work to do, so that was my signal to keep working! (don't threaten me with a good time, LOL)

With the additional time I grabbed the heat shields that were removed to access the shifter box, before reinstalling them I gave them a quick bath. They were covered in soot from where the car ran catless for some time before I acquired it....all cleaned up

Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Reinstalled
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Finally, exhaust reinstalled, then it was time for dinner, shower and some relaxation
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Work bench prepped for tonight's project, then the old girl will be close to ready to have wheels back on it and take it for its maiden voyage since all the work!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

 

[rharman]

Thanks for sharing, that is super cool!

This is the hardware kit I found, its "leg(s)" at the one end fold down that same way. I am still in search mode for a hardware kit, I'd like to decide on something early next month to give it time to arrive and relay any dimensions to the cabinet maker while we are working out a plan.

I see the Rockler kits all the time in their emails & catalogs. No clue how good they are.

 

[Geoff289]

I like the idea of a leaf, I had been trying to think of some way to make use of that now "foldable wall," while we dont do crafts, a little table for plants or something may be cool!

I will certainly post details when the time comes.

It may be worth checking out Jack Olsen's murphy bed *** desk. See from post # 5,724 on his thread

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-12-gauge-garage.55006/page-144#post-7922946

 

[rharman]

I like the idea of a leaf, I had been trying to think of some way to make use of that now "foldable wall," while we dont do crafts, a little table for plants or something may be cool!

I will certainly post details when the time comes.

What I'm envisioning if we ever do this is a large enough table for gift wrapping, sewing, etc. Space to spread stuff out.
Likely it will never happen but I still have the idea in my head.

 

[zanyad]

It may be worth checking out Jack Olsen's murphy bed *** desk. See from post # 5,724 on his thread

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-12-gauge-garage.55006/page-144#post-7922946

*ding ding* I believe that was it. Thanks, Geoff!

What I'm envisioning if we ever do this is a large enough table for gift wrapping, sewing, etc. Space to spread stuff out.
Likely it will never happen but I still have the idea in my head.

I saw another one while searching for a picture for my reply above (#1104). It had a drop front cabinet on the front of the folded-up bed, with minimal storage depth but a sizable drop-down table. You'd have to fold the table up to drop the bed, but it's another solution!

 

[rharman]

Other than the shelving on the bed part, that's just what I have pictured in my head. The facing side of the table and, possibly, the legs would be styled to be part of the cabinetry. Probably with doors on the flanking cabinets.

 

[fouckhest]

It may be worth checking out Jack Olsen's murphy bed *** desk. See from post # 5,724 on his thread

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-12-gauge-garage.55006/page-144#post-7922946

Too Funny, after this convo started yesterday, I went right to his thread and drilled back to where he posted that! Thanks for the thought!

What I'm envisioning if we ever do this is a large enough table for gift wrapping, sewing, etc. Space to spread stuff out.
Likely it will never happen but I still have the idea in my head.

*ding ding* I believe that was it. Thanks, Geoff!

I saw another one while searching for a picture for my reply above (#1104). It had a drop front cabinet on the front of the folded-up bed, with minimal storage depth but a sizable drop-down table. You'd have to fold the table up to drop the bed, but it's another solution!

Thanks guys, all great inspiration!

One thing that looking at Jacks thread that I think is a cool concept is that little "cubby" on the one side with electrical for chargers, light, etc., on the bottom, plus the cubbies up top for extra blankets/pillows. I will need to ponder on that as to how it could be incorporated, we need/want some amount of shelves and cabinets, guess we need to get more serious about what we actually want/need.

This project, which stemmed from the flooring, has brought on a couple other side projects, one of which is getting our hands around storage in general, which means we need to clean-up/clean-out the attic. I have a fair amount of car parts still up there, need to get those out and then think about standardizing on bins and getting some shelving built in a smart way to hold bins/totes something, rather than things just piling up (wife has spent too much time up there! LOL).

 

[fouckhest]

In car progress, found a little time last night to keep plugging along....work ran over a little, but managed to get my brakes flushed/bled, which means the Golf is a quick wheel cleanup away from getting pulled out of the garage!

I wasnt too good about taking photos, but grabbed a couple of the old brake fluid

Right or wrong, my procedure for bleeding brakes has always been furthers to nearest of the master/reservoir. This was the fluid that came out of the passenger rear caliper, rather gross and took quite a while to get clean fluid out
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Proceeded to go all the way around the car, by the time I got to the driver front caliper I cracked the bleeder and put another 1/2 L in the jug, bled driver front, then went back around for a quick crack and verify clear.

I am actually really excited to get this car out and take it for a drive, short of wheel bearings & clutch, it is about as refreshed as its going to get with out REALLY getting in deep and thinking about painting components, etc.

Also - dropped my silver car off at PDR yesterday to hopefully save $$$ at the body shop when it goes for paint. Its odd not seeing that car in the shop, but also nice to see some free space and begin to think about getting this project wrapped up and ready for a good shop cleaning! Crazy that this will end up being ~2months of this car being on the lift
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

 

[zmotorsports]

Right or wrong, my procedure for bleeding brakes has always been furthers to nearest of the master/reservoir.

Mike, this has always been the way I have worked as well, with a slight adjustment over the past couple of decades. Now I look at the placement of the ABS module and start with the furthest from the module and work my way back to the closest wheel to the ABS module.

In many applications it ends up being the same as the master cylinder, but there are a few where the ABS module is remote mounted elsewhere away from the master cylinder.

My thinking is that is less **** that is being pulled through the module, or at least getting the worst stuff out of the module first. Again, not sure if this is stated anywhere in a FSM or not, just what makes sense in my noggin.

 

[fouckhest]

My thinking is that is less **** that is being pulled through the module, or at least getting the worst stuff out of the module first. Again, not sure if this is stated anywhere in a FSM or not, just what makes sense in my noggin.

100% agree, I think the FSM says to do it this way as well, there is a procedure that you can perform to cycle the ABS pump as well, but that is typically only needed when you have a "dry" system.

 

[zmotorsports]

I agree, in most situations there is no need to cycle the ABS module unless air has been introduced into the system or new, ie. dry.

 

[fouckhest]

I agree, in most situations there is no need to cycle the ABS module unless air has been introduced into the system or new, ie. dry.

I will need to do an oil change on the car coming up soon, just need to put some miles on it after all the recent work. I am thinking when the car is back in the shop to perform that service I'll go around each corner and give them a quick check, just to make sure everything looks good.

Any value in that? Or just leave it until there is a need for a brake upgrade, or something else lol

 

[zmotorsports]

I will need to do an oil change on the car coming up soon, just need to put some miles on it after all the recent work. I am thinking when the car is back in the shop to perform that service I'll go around each corner and give them a quick check, just to make sure everything looks good.

Any value in that? Or just leave it until there is a need for a brake upgrade, or something else lol

In my opinion, if you have any reservations about something during the repair then it may be worth it. Otherwise, I don't see any value in repeating any part of the process if you feel everything was completed properly. In my experience I rely on my gut here. I'm sure you do the work to the highest degree of workmanship possible and for the most part if you're like me, the work progresses smoothly and without concern. However, IF anything feels out of the norm at any part during or after, then I try to listen to my instinct and will go back and double check. After all, better safe than sorry.

 

[fouckhest]

In my opinion, if you have any reservations about something during the repair then it may be worth it. Otherwise, I don't see any value in repeating any part of the process if you feel everything was completed properly. In my experience I rely on my gut here. I'm sure you do the work to the highest degree of workmanship possible and for the most part if you're like me, the work progresses smoothly and without concern. However, IF anything feels out of the norm at any part during or after, then I try to listen to my instinct and will go back and double check. After all, better safe than sorry.

Got it, no reservations in the process, it actually bled really nicely. I wasn't sure if you'd ever seen any residual old/nasty fluid getting trapped and working its was through the system.

Always appreciate your insight!

 

[zmotorsports]

Got it, no reservations in the process, it actually bled really nicely. I wasn't sure if you'd ever seen any residual old/nasty fluid getting trapped and working its was through the system.

Always appreciate your insight!

Happy to help.

I have mentioned this in the past, but not sure where on the forum, whether on my thread or elsewhere, but anytime I am working at a wheel end and need to push a brake caliper piston back into the caliper for any reason, I open the bleeder to let fluid escape rather than push fluid back towards the reservoir. My thinking is that the caliper is where the nastiest and dirtiest fluid lives due to the heat/cool cycles so the last thing I want to do is push nasty fluid that back into the system, especially back to the ABS module.