Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT My Mini Garagemahal

[Fast_Ed]

Hoist is badass!!

Can't wait to see the v8 floating

 

[fouckhest]

I know shipping a bottom end would be outrageous but if its still decent i may want it.

Honestly, this is out of an older passat, so I think it has the weird external water pump....I dont think it would be worth shipping IMO, plus the last engine I shipped via Fastenal was $300ish, you could get a 1.8t from an LKQ for that and likely be in better shape

 

[fouckhest]

Hoist is badass!!

Can't wait to see the v8 floating

Thanks!

I see you are in Hudson Valley, I have good friend that has a shop up there....you ever heard of Swoops Built Fabrication?

 

[Fast_Ed]

I haven't heard of them so I looked them up. They're only about 15 minutes from me!

I have some small welding jobs I need help with, maybe I will swing by for them to take a look.

 

[fouckhest]

I haven't heard of them so I looked them up. They're only about 15 minutes from me!

I have some small welding jobs I need help with, maybe I will swing by for them to take a look.

He's a great dude, super good at what he does, he is one of the few people I trust to make anything for my cars (that I dont/cant make myself)

 

[garfieldzzz]

Nice work with the hoist, its exactly the setup I plan already for some years to build.
Just had no time yet.

For me it makes a lot more sense than an engine hoist.

Well done

 

[fouckhest]

Nice work with the hoist, its exactly the setup I plan already for some years to build.
Just has no time yet.

For me it makes a lot more sense than a engine hoist.

Well done

the trollies for the cross brace with the centering wheels are the golden ticket!

 

[MrPink]

Honestly, this is out of an older passat, so I think it has the weird external water pump....I dont think it would be worth shipping IMO, plus the last engine I shipped via Fastenal was $300ish, you could get a 1.8t from an LKQ for that and likely be in better shape

ahh figured as much

 

[madison069]

Think if my ceiling would handle a V8 on a trolley such as yours...... Funny thing is I already have the electric hoist!

I'm digging it and also jealous at the same time. I might have to think of doing the same thing if I can determine the load capability of my ceiling.

 

[fouckhest]

Think if my ceiling would handle a V8 on a trolley such as yours...... Funny thing is I already have the electric hoist!

I'm digging it and also jealous at the same time. I might have to think of doing the same thing if I can determine the load capability of my ceiling.

I will certainly be careful the first time I try to lift the engine, certainly will monitor/listen to what the overhead supports are telling me, if anything. But in general they should be quick ups/downs

 

[fouckhest]

Been a busy week to say the least, not really sure where the days have gone....I did sneak out to the garage for a little bit yesterday afternoon and "used" the hoist for the first time, mostly just to say I used it!

After two rounds of ordering first an extended torx bit set only to learn that the 1.8t head bolts have a T52 head...facepalm, so got the bolts out, removed the turbo manifold and off to the races we were

Hoist doing lifty things!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Also ordered this after I got the hoist done, I'd seen it one of the youtube channels a while ago and have had it saved. The cables seem like it may be a little sleeker to help with my lifting dilemma on the v8, excited to try it out
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

 

[fouckhest]

In other news, the wife and I made kind of a big purchase yesterday....or finalized it. Since we got married the idea of my MIL moving closer has becoming an ever pressing topic, she is 75, lives alone with her two dogs, but is 45min'ish away. So too far if there is an emergency and as it goes with many folks of age, her friend group has shrank drastically in the past year and a half.

All that being said, a house as a stop gap for my step daughter and future MIL house have been on our daily zillow searches for well over a year. Between looking for a new "us" house and they take over our house, or we buy a house for them it has been a yoyo to say the least. About a month ago, we went to look at a future us house, which needed way more work than I wanted to get into only to be left with a big expensive house and severely cutting into our cash reserves, we decided it wasn't the move. BUT, there was a nice little bungalow that had popped up a couple days earlier, so we setup a showing for that night, left there to discuss and over dinner we were making an offer. As most real estate purchases go, it happened fast and has been a wild month.

Yesterday we closed on what we call the "downtown house." It is within walking distance to the little downtown of the town we live in, we actually rented an air bnb across the street last year for my wives 40th.

Outside
209 - front by fouckhest, on Flickr

Living room
209 - living room by fouckhest, on Flickr

Dining room
209 - dining room by fouckhest, on Flickr

And for the grand finale for the GJ crowed, my new car storage space!

Not huge ~20x20, but should be great to keep a couple cars in so they dont get covered metal shavings and such from my shop
209 - garage by fouckhest, on Flickr
209 - garage2 by fouckhest, on Flickr


Now I need to get the floors coated and mini-split installed....so there will certainly be some sidebar content in coming! Thanks for hanging around.

 

[MrPink]

Awesome Mike!

The Wife and I are also looking for a new house.

 

[fouckhest]

Awesome Mike!

The Wife and I are also looking for a new house.

Thanks Justin! Good Luck, wildly exciting and stressful process!

 

[MrPink]

Thanks Justin! Good Luck, wildly exciting and stressful process!

isn't that the truth. trying to find something that fits every need/want *****

 

[Xti04]

Congrats Mike! New house is always exciting!

 

[fouckhest]

isn't that the truth. trying to find something that fits every need/want *****

Like many big decisions, it comes down to what are negotiable and what are non-negotiable. We worked through a lot of that with this process and at the end of the day, this little house seemed better in the long run b/c its 1 level, nice size lot, but won't be a pain to take care if in both the short to mid-term as well as the long term. Find a good retirement house for the MIL and us, just happened to line up well!

 

[fouckhest]

Congrats Mike! New house is always exciting!

Thanks, certainly exciting and a bit stressful

 

[Cdubu52]

Congrats on the new house. This is for the MIL correct?

 

[fouckhest]

Congrats on the new house. This is for the MIL correct?

Actually for my step daughter for the next 1-1.5yrs while she is finishing up college, the MIL retires (again) next May, so that will give us some time to finalize sale prep on her house so trying to figure/minimize that overlap/timing.

We've been looking for well over a year, we actually had to extend my step daughters rent at her apartment (now ends in Oct). The plan was always to shift that "rent fund" over to something earning equity, then when she is done with college and gets a big girl job, she will likely want her own place, so we will move to renting to the MIL to cover the mortgage for the foreseeable future.

 

[Cdubu52]

Actually for my step daughter for the next 1-1.5yrs while she is finishing up college, the MIL retires (again) next May, so that will give us some time to finalize sale prep on her house so trying to figure/minimize that overlap/timing.

We've been looking for well over a year, we actually had to extend my step daughters rent at her apartment (now ends in Oct). The plan was always to shift that "rent fund" over to something earning equity, then when she is done with college and gets a big girl job, she will likely want her own place, so we will move to renting to the MIL to cover the mortgage for the foreseeable future.

Gotcha, sorry for the confusion. She at Upstate? Furman? My daughter is a Campbell and decided that she would commute this year, which is about a 45 minute drive, but I would rather pay for that drive than to pay for an apartment.

 

[fouckhest]

Gotcha, sorry for the confusion. She at Upstate? Furman? My daughter is a Campbell and decided that she would commute this year, which is about a 45 minute drive, but I would rather pay for that drive than to pay for an apartment.

No worries, she actually graduated from USC, the plan was to go to physical therapy school, but after graduating and taking prerequisites and working at a PT clinic, she realized that what everyone had been telling her was right and decided to change and do a physical therapy assistant program. So now she is taking classes at Greenville Tech to get into that program, which is also where she will do the program.

All-in-all, her mom and I fully support that tuition savings and ending up with no college debt, which will make the day when she wants to buy a house easier for us to help with a down payment.

 

[Cdubu52]

No worries, she actually graduated from USC, the plan was to go to physical therapy school, but after graduating and taking prerequisites and working at a PT clinic, she realized that what everyone had been telling her was right and decided to change and do a physical therapy assistant program. So now she is taking classes at Greenville Tech to get into that program, which is also where she will do the program.

All-in-all, her mom and I fully support that tuition savings and ending up with no college debt, which will make the day when she wants to buy a house easier for us to help with a down payment.

Mine is Pre PT currently, so we will see what she decides. She applies for the 5 yr program in the spring. If she gets in, its only one year longer and she skips her undergrad degree and goes straight to Dr. If she doesnt, then is 3 years of grad school. So we will see.

 

[fouckhest]

Mine is Pre PT currently, so we will see what she decides. She applies for the 5 yr program in the spring. If she gets in, its only one year longer and she skips her undergrad degree and goes straight to Dr. If she doesnt, then is 3 years of grad school. So we will see.

Oh wow, thats funny!

I am sure that explanation makes sense, my wives best friend is currently a PT and very bluntly shared a lot of the trials and tribulations that come along with that career choice. There can be a lot of good, don't get me wrong, but seem to be a lot of growing pains as well.

 

[gearhead1960]

Love the hoist arrangement....nice work!

@fouckhest do you follow USC sports? Interesting game this weekend with USC vs. VT in Atlanta. Shane against his Alma Mater! My brother and I went to VT and his kids went to SC. He'll be down watching as his daughter covers SEC sports as a journalist and her husband is the voice of GT. His SIL hooked him up with some nice seats....

 

[loganb]

Congrats on the house! Getting family properly settled is stressful but hopefully reduces the stress once she's in!! The extra car storage doesn't **** either!

 

[fouckhest]

Love the hoist arrangement....nice work!

@fouckhest do you follow USC sports? Interesting game this weekend with USC vs. VT in Atlanta. Shane against his Alma Mater! My brother and I went to VT and his kids went to SC. He'll be down watching as his daughter covers SEC sports as a journalist and her husband is the voice of GT. His SIL hooked him up with some nice seats....

Thanks! Don't really follow many sports to be honest, when my step daughter was in school we went to one game in Columbia, was a super fun day/experience, but, like it tell my wife, I don't have the attention span and/or bandwidth to dedicate to keeping up with something so far out of my control LOL

All that being said, when friends have people over for an afternoon of hanging out and enjoying some beverages with the games on, I will certainly participate!

Congrats on the house! Getting family properly settled is stressful but hopefully reduces the stress once she's in!! The extra car storage doesn't **** either!

Thanks! It certainly is, but all-in-all, its a good move for us, eventually you have to make the leap. Its nice b/c the MIL is super excited, I think she has called my wife daily talking about all kinds of things and is chomping at the bit to come look at the/her new place! So that makes us feel super good about it!

 

[fouckhest]

Gearing up for the long weekend, next on the project list is the gate between the laundry and new fence, knowing today would be slow going into the holiday weekend, it was a good time to run to the scrap metal place and sell back all my scraps and some from one of my wives old neighbors, so last night got that engine loaded up along with the rest of the scrap I've compiled over the past probably 6months, some from cleaning/purging at times.

Trusty Colorado loaded up and ready to an afternoon of adventures
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

After the scrap recycler, I was 75% of the way to the to Metal Supermarket, so set out to see those guys and get some material on order. After much searching, discussing with SWMBO and deep thought into how to build and it not become so heavy that you need a front end loader to install/remove, this is what we landed on for inspiration
4a15a9f9fce9ce4ea53af8b11402a895 by fouckhest, on Flickr
12ad31923c83c8768d52c4c838772d6c by fouckhest, on Flickr

I decided to use 1" x 2" rectangle tubing, so it will have a thinner border, but I think that will change the look minimally, came to that conclusion b/c I had this piece laying around for the project car
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Once this was approved, the parts list was finalized and off to the metal store I went, this was the haul
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

I found these hinges on the jungle store that I thought were pretty slick, plus they are meant to be weld on, which as a must, then the grease zerk and ball bearing concept sealed the deal for me! Going to have to strip the powder off the them so I can weld them on
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Even better they had two sizes, the large ones will be mounted to the house and fence respectively and the little ones will be used on the doors themselves.

Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr


That little adventure resulted in about a 2.5hr lunch today, but luckily the HR lady at work set out the email mid-way through that said offices will be closing today, so use your best judgement on when you cut out. Being remote, enough said! Hoping to get this project start tomorrow morning and see where the weekend takes me. Its actually supposed to be really nice this weekend so may try and enjoy a little outside time while we can.

 

[fouckhest]

Small but fun update on the new storage garage, since its a holiday weekend, I saw that HF was having one of there regular sales, so took advantage of a 20% coupon to pick up a new tool box for the new house/car storage garage. The new house is only 2.3 miles from out current house, on of the selling points, BUT, I know I will need to fix thing there and the last thing I want to do is have to constantly run back and forth finding that one tool I forgot to put in the tool bad....which I know will happen, BUT, I want to minimize that pain.

Taking inspiration from @zmotorsports, I picked up a 27x22 roller box that I plan to do a similar "built in" setup he did and make it a small work bench with light and maybe some pegboard behind.

This is the location, works perfect!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Grabbed a couple photos while I was there since its not empty

Back corner looking forward
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Opposite back corner looking forward
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Looking to the back from the garage door opening
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr


Thats all for now, hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

 

[gearhead1960]

Nice pickup at HF. I have the 44” US General in orange and love it. Wish I had room for another one….

 

[fouckhest]

Nice pickup at HF. I have the 44” US General in orange and love it. Wish I had room for another one….

Mark, good to hear, they seem legit from my tool car experience thus far!

 

[Trapps]

Congrats on the new house; looks like a very useful setup!

Looking forward to the fence gate project. We're shopping privacy fence / screens now for a small area in the backyard.

 

[fouckhest]

Congrats on the new house; looks like a very useful setup!

Looking forward to the fence gate project. We're shopping privacy fence / screens now for a small area in the backyard.

Thanks, super excited got to spend a little time over there yesterday w/MIL, continue to really like the place. Ordered new washer/dryer for over there today, good timing with Labor Day weekend, Lowes is running an 18months no interest on their credit card, thank you!

Also grabbed one of the small US General tool boxes from HF and threw together a little "essentials" tool box to leave in the new house. Only had to buy the nail/screw assortment, tape measure, and flashlight, everything else were duplicates from my tool collection.

These things are surprisingly nice!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr


Just took a short break from the gate project right now, currently cutting up material, will try and post an update later today or tomorrow.

 

[fouckhest]

Hope everyone had a fun, safe and productive weekend.

I checked a few of those boxes myself, Saturday got started on the gate, but progress was hit/miss, Sunday was mainly focused on family time at the new house, yesterday was able to get a good bit of work done on the gate project

Saturday I got the upper support bar tacked up, then Sunday got it lifted up and temporarily screwed in place
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Going to monitor how much sag it has when its supporting the gate panels, expecting I will need to weld a piece of channel to the bottom to provide some reinforcement

Once that was done on Sunday the MIL came down and we spent time over at the new house, then had a little cook out and hung out with her the majority of the day.

Yesterday I started finalizing all of my dimensions and began cutting/prepping materials. I wanted to prove which side of the 45 setting on the Evolution chop saw was "truer" to 45, had these scraps to use as mock up, seemed good enough to start making cuts.

Couple hours later, everything was cut and edges beveled to allow for good weld preparation
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Then got really ambitious and decided to layout one panel, got it good and square and tacked it up (these squares are super handy)
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Then took the completed paned up for a little mock-up, I think its going to look pretty cool
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

By the time I got that one done I was ready to relax for a little while before we had to start the dog feeding and cooking ourselves dinner routine. Hoping to get back to work tonight after cutting grass and knock out another panel at a minimum

 

[fouckhest]

Found a couple hours in the garage last night after finishing up some yard work, was going to just get one more frame clamped up and maybe weld it, somehow it went rather easy, and lined up very nicely with panel #1. Now I had convinced myself, why not just do one more, well of course, that one fought me, so by the time I got it square and tacked up, I decided, I know all my dimensions, why not just finish up panel #4, so did just that.

So now I have all for panel frames tacked up, next step is to start working on hinges and the roller support for the inner two panels...I've got some ideas, but I need to get into the garage and put my thinkin hat on tonight

My close enough for gov't work gate panels....I will admit, I am mildly impressed at how close they are w/o the use of a fixture table or any table for that matter
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice work on the gate frames Mike. Although welding tables and fixturing tables are nice, they are no replacement for a standard tape measure and some forward thinking. I have built several trailers on jackstands after the main frame was completed and used nothing more than a tape measure. Knowing your cutting equipment and the tolerances of them is also key. I can generally get within ~.020" when using either my vertical or horizontal bandsaws just because I know them well and where to cut in relation to the marks I made from measuring.

Also, final welding will be just as important, all metal will move to some degree but knowing ahead of time "how" each piece will move and then approx. how much is paramount. Nice thing is, within a couple of test pieces this can be quickly established, and you can make the parts come out where you want simply by offsetting things during the tacking process in preparation for final welding.

 

[fouckhest]

Nice work on the gate frames Mike. Although welding tables and fixturing tables are nice, they are no replacement for a standard tape measure and some forward thinking. I have built several trailers on jackstands after the main frame was completed and used nothing more than a tape measure. Knowing your cutting equipment and the tolerances of them is also key. I can generally get within ~.020" when using either my vertical or horizontal bandsaws just because I know them well and where to cut in relation to the marks I made from measuring.

Also, final welding will be just as important, all metal will move to some degree but knowing ahead of time "how" each piece will move and then approx. how much is paramount. Nice thing is, within a couple of test pieces this can be quickly established, and you can make the parts come out where you want simply by offsetting things during the tacking process in preparation for final welding.

Thanks Mike.

I certainly took a lot of time during the material cutting process to ensure that everything was very close to the same length knowing that at ~96" tall, things can get wonky quick. The final weld part has absolutely been on my mind, during fit/tack, i put one tack on each corner that was facing up, then one on the outside corner, then flipped and same on the opposite. Admittedly, I need to do some additional research on what the best method to reduce the risk of movement, but my initial thinking is to that placing tacks on each outermost corner, which moving around should, "lock" things in to where I can then complete some short runs in between those outer corner tacks.

Since you brought up trailers, that has been a long standing project I've wanted to take on, this is certainly inspiring more confidence in that for a future project!

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

Congrats on the new property. Sounds like it will work out great for a long time to come for your uses.

The gate style is going to look great with your house. No concerns on having a height limit to get to the backyard with the gate design though?

 

[fouckhest]

Congrats on the new property. Sounds like it will work out great for a long time to come for your uses.

The gate style is going to look great with your house. No concerns on having a height limit to get to the backyard with the gate design though?

Thanks, we are super excited about the new place!

While I do have my reservations, I believe the gate is ~90" to the underside of the upper tube, when I looked up the height of a Chevy/GMC 2500HD 4x4, they state in the 82" range....SO...for the time being it should be good. BUT, part of the design and while it may be a PITA if the time comes, the panels can come off/lift off based on the hinges that I am using, so "in theory," while it will be a fair amount of work, the gate panels will come off and the top tube can be removed.

I am considering that to be the 20% exception

 

[fouckhest]

Spent a little time working on the gate project this weekend, I had ordered some bearings Thursday night which were set to be delivered on Saturday, so before we went to some friends that afternoon I decided to build a mock up of my hinge system to ensure that my bifold doors would bifold.

Crude mock up with some scraps, but wanted to make sure there was no interference
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

That convinced me that it would work, so we headed to some friends to enjoy what will likely be once of the last hot enough days to enjoy sitting by the pool, while i was waiting on my bearings, which showed up at 7pm Saturday night, by then, it was a Sunday project.

McMaster Carr always handy to have one state away
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Pivot components
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Centered and tacked one bearing
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Used some scrap threaded rod to ensure they were as close to in line as possible
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

Next up was to make my attachment points, finally fired up my Rockwell/Delta drill press, I need to use this too more often, certainly beats hand drilling!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr


Guess I missed photos of cutting up the mounting points, it may or may not have involved some non-OSHA approved fixturing in the Evolution chop saw, but man that saw is great and cuts so nice!

Here is one side of the Pivot clamped up and ready for some tack welds
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

And tacked up, other side is done as well, guess I didnt get photos of that
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr

By the time I got that done I knew my next task was to either start finish welding everything out or to start on hinges for the bifold and house/fence mount which I need more material to build the house side and didnt have the energy to start welding the frames out, so decided to go enjoy a cold beer on the back porch with the wife while she watched the foozeball.

Heading to the metal store today to get some material to make the brackets for the main support hinges, after I finalized my roller/pivot design i realized that there is an ~4" offset between the support pole and were the hinges will be, so going to need a plate to allow for that offset and support the weight/load.