quadrcr87's garage projects

[quadrcr87]

After loading up the Indiana house, I drove down to Greenville, SC to start work and move into an apartment. I didn’t realize it at the time, it would be over 2 months until we closed on the house and my wife could join me.

I was working 10+hr days to start but I still had plenty of free time to explore the mountains! I was riding at least 2 new trails a week the entire time. SW North Carolina and the upstate of South Carolina have an amazing trail system. Pisgah National forecast and DuPont state forest were like something I had never seen.




The BOSS was able to come down a couple times to supervise the house build, so I took her out to hike the best trails I found.






Living the 1 bed apartment life felt like college all over again. I had a bike maintenance station set up in the living room and I washed the bike on the back patio. I was lucky enough to get a 1st floor apt near the door. Some of those rides were pretty muddy!




One day I went for an early Saturday morning ride and parked in an empty lot at the park. I came back 2 hours later to find my truck surrounded by the most Mini Coopers I have seen in the wild. My truck looked like a giant, tucked in the center of an Upstate Mini Club meetup.


It was a fun 2 months of bachelor life but I was ready to get in the house and get my tools back.

 

[quadrcr87]

We finally closed on the house on Nov 5th, 2021 and were able to schedule the moving truck to deliver our household goods from storage that same week. There was a lot of damage in shipping. We submitted a $20k claim for broken furniture, tools, refrigerator, etc. Everything I saw loaded in Indiana appeared to be packed with care however, when it was moved into and out of the storage facility it was not. As an example, my garage trash can arrived filled with yard tools, the handles from our refrigerator and a lamp stuffed inside with no packing material. Most of what was in boxes survived except for my welding helmet that was at the bottom of a box filled with dumbbells. Idiots.

It was a stressful time and almost a year later we finally settled the claim. I was able to replace what I needed to and just accept some blemishes on stuff I couldn't.

I will admit that I did a very poor job documenting the first couple months in the house because of the chaos. Here are a few I could salvage from my phone.

First look at the working garage. I was able to move my Gladiator cabinets and gear track with me so I started getting organized right away.



I put up a couple of these newage overhead racks in both garages. I highly recommend them. Great way to clear the floor without having to build my own shelves.


I particularly like this setup to maximize storage and allow the BOSS' jeep to tuck underneath. This garage is very shallow so it is dedicated to lawn equipment and her car. No way my truck will fit.



Once we were settled in, we started on the landscaping. We hired a company to cut in the beds and run some drains from the front of the house to the swale in the rear. We get some seriously heavy rain and it was washing the ground out around the house. After that we had a load of mulch and rock delivered. Even with the company doing the initial prep it was a lot of work with the fabric, edging, planting, hauling, etc. Glad to be finished with it.

About 40 plants




I also picked up a new toy that I had ordered a couple months prior (bachelor time). As soon as I started riding in the mountains, I realized that my hardtail MTB was a little out gunned for the terrain. There were several places the bike struggled with the lack of suspension and the steep head tube angle. The solution was an Ibis Ripmo AF (Aluminum Frame) full suspension. What a difference it made, this thing can plow through anything. It truly unlocked some of the black diamond trails I wanted to explore.

With 160mm front & 147mm rear travel, it was quite an upgrade from the 130mm Fr & 0mm rear on my Trek Roscoe.

 

[DeeDubz]

welcome back racer

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Jealous of that IBIS!

 

[quadrcr87]

Shortly after I had the garage setup, the BOSS picked the next project. She has been wanting some raised garden beds. We had originally planned to build a shed in the corner of the yard so the area was already leveled out. I borrowed a friends auger and cemented in 4x4 treated posts. I used a laser level to mark them all to cut off.


I picked up the cedar 2x4 and 1x6 boards from Home Depot. I was surprised to find it in stock.





After making all the cuts for the frames and slats we decided to light them all on fire.


Then it was assembly time.


Then a coat of boiled linseed oil.

It turned out just like the drawing and the BOSS approved.

 

[quadrcr87]

While walking our dog in the new neighborhood, my wife came across a stray cat and some kittens living in one of the homes under construction. She tried to grab one to rescue and it jumped into the storm drains. Feeling that it would drown down there, she called the fire department! They had no luck catching them, but we realized they escaped to the dry retention pond. She was extremely worried about the health & safety of these kittens.

Next thing I know, I was summoned by the BOSS to build a cat trap. I have to be honest; this was actually fun. I saw some pictures online of various drop traps and it looked pretty straight forward. A lightweight wood frame, some plastic catch fencing, a sliding door and hinged piece of board that can be weighted down.
You bait the cat with some food, then pull the rope to drop the cage. Once captured you use the sliding door and a stick to persuade them into a cage for transport.



Since you need to pull the stick out remotely to drop the trap, the BOSS had to be fully engaged in the process. She spent several days feeding the kittens and mother to get them comfortable with our yard. Then she started feeding them under the trap. I just love her stealth setup and dedication, laying in the lawn like an army soldier.


It only took her 2 days to bag her prizes.


We ended up with 4 kittens and their mother. All were taken to the vet for vaccines. The mother was spayed and then released after a short recovery. She now lives in the neighborhood and is cared for by my wife and a neighbor. She was not able to be domesticated so we got her a cat house on an elevated platform to stay warm. The kittens were placed with a foster and adopted quickly. I still have the trap in the crawl space ready in case of another stray emergency!

 

[quadrcr87]

Warning- Graphic Images

Things were going well in the new house and area once we settled in. That is until I crashed at the Kanuga downhill bike park. I ended up with a compression fracture in my T6 & T8 along with a lot of bruising. Luckily my face broke my fall when I landed sideways on a jump and was ejected into the woods. The crash was in early June, so it was a slow and lazy summer. I didn't get back on the bike until the end of August. To be honest I didn't miss out on much as it gets pretty hot in the SC summers, the best riding seasons are in the spring and fall.

 

[quadrcr87]

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and that’s true with my dad and I. We both enjoy projects of all types including cars, wood, metal, etc. Lately he has been getting into more large metal sculptures while enjoying his retirement. I saw this 10’ tall dog sculpture downtown Greenville, SC and sent him a picture as I knew he would appreciate it.


I kind of forgot about it and then a few months later, he surprised my wife with a scaled down version as a gift! He did a great job replicating it based on the photo I sent. It found a nice home in the corner of our backyard and has begun to rust naturally. He made it out of mild steel sheet with a 2" strip between the two sides making it 3-D, just like the original. The original was made of COR-TEN steel, but he had never used that before. He recently ordered some for a new 10’ tall project he is building and said it was quite expensive. It really is the best metal for an outdoor sculpture as it only rusts to a certain point and then maintains that finish for a long time. I imagine I will have to patch and repair this one over the years to preserve it but that's ok.

 

[quadrcr87]

Exploring all of the hiking and MTB trails in South and North Carolina has been amazing, but the icing on the cake has been the Harley riding. Instead of spending our weekends camped at a MX track, we have been staying in national parks & forests.

Our first trip to Smoky Mountain National Park has been my favorite. We saw 10 black bears on that trip and the weather was perfect. We even had a bear come through camp right after dinner! I was happy to have the toy hauler for shelter in when we saw it. Fortunately, we had already finished and cleaned up dinner, but a family down the way was not so fortunate. The bear walked right up to their picnic table and stole a bag of chips before retreating to the woods. No attacks to report.







It feels good to be riding in the mountains again. Something I was desperately missing living in the Midwest. I am glad that I spent the time on maintenance the last few years, so the bike was ready to go. It hasn't needed more than an oil change the past 2 seasons. What it does need is an upgrade in stopping power. I had already swapped out the front fork lowers from a 2000 Softail and installed 4 piston calipers in 2015 so the front is pretty strong. The rear is the weak link. It still has the original master cylinder and single piston rear caliper. So I swapped the rubber brake line for braided stainless and new pads; it helped but not enough. The next step is the 4-piston rear caliper and master cylinder rebuild kit sitting on my workbench. More on that later.



The toy hauler has been great for getting out to new areas and bringing the bike along. It has been an issue not being able to store it at the house. It has now been broken into at two different storage places within two years. The first one was the worst as they pried the side window open and cut though the screen and couch. Just under $2K in damages and they barely stole anything. The second time was only the front storage compartments and they got away with my load leveling hitch for another $500. It left a bad taste in our mouths, and we are considering selling it until we have more property to store it. Maybe switch to a small, covered trailer and stay at an airbnb?



This is an old, abandoned station near Marrietta, SC that caught my eye. The kudzu vines are doing their best to reclaim it back to nature. These vines seem to be consuming the entire area and are quite invasive.

 

[quadrcr87]

After the last few updates, we are getting close to real time. I realize haven’t really shared any photos of the new garage's setup. I decided it is time now that everything has found a home and I feel comfortably organized.

We will start with "my" garage. This is the space where the work gets done. The projects include everything from automotive, bikes, motorcycles to woodworking. I have varied interests and a lot of hobbies, so this space needs to be very adaptable.

The number one objective at this house was to leave a space to park my truck indoors. This is the first garage I have owned that was deep enough for a crew cab extended bed and I wanted to take advantage of that. Ironically this is also the first garage I have owned in a place that gets near 0" of snow. It is still nice to keep it protected and clean.

To accomplish the open floor space, I focused on keeping everything on the right side close to the wall. The front and left sides are still accessible as workspaces when the truck is inside, just a little tight in front.


This is the 3rd garage these Gladiator tracks and cabinets have been installed and I am still very happy with them. The scrap area is still a bit of a mess and I need to come up with some type of cart with bins to keep it organized. I am thinking plywood boxes. I also store some larger pieces in the full height crawlspace.


The cabinets are still a bit of a mess, but I can find what I need most of the time so that counts for something. I probably just need to donate or throw away some of the junk. When we moved I found parts for cars we don't even own anymore.


The front right area needed to maintain clear access to the door, so it seemed the best use of the space to hang brooms and small items on gear track. My HF motorcycle lift is stored on the floor below anytime it is not in use. The door leads to our covered deck on the back of the house so I can enter the house through the patio door off the living room.


My main toolbox and workbench found a home on the back wall. I really like the position compared to the side wall of my last garage. Its much faster to access tools and the bench doing automotive work. I ceiling mounted the hose reel and it has been very convenient and out of the way.


This is the first time I have had a TV in the garage and I really enjoy it. I resisted for years but we ended up with an old 32" with no home so I went for it. It is nice being able to turn on a race while I am working and not feel like I am missing out. This corner is also my mini fab area for metal working and bike maintenance. My old HF compressor has been leaking alot of oil so it will be replaced soon. I just ordered a California Air tools oilless. It arrived damage so there is a bit of a delay on that project.

Sharp eyes may also spot a new bike here. I sold my 2019 Trek Roscoe and bought a 2023 Roscoe. Trek made some major changes with the new model with better geometry, more travel and 29" wheels. I love my Ibis but there is just something nice about a hardtail on a more mellow trail.



Further down the left wall we have Grandpa's old drill press and grinder. This area has a lot of potential for improvement. I plan to build some type of cabinet to store my hardware bins and provide a solid surface for the drill press, belt sander and band saw. I think it needs to be on wheels to maintain full access to the electrical panel. The question is do I build it out of wood or metal... or a combination of the 2?

The last corner is the saw storage. The "BOSS" bought me a table saw this year and it has really made life easier. I also picked up a portable Rockler router table that I was able to tuck behind it against the wall. These types of collapsable tools are key to maintain the flexible workspace. The red cabinet is still the home to the Harley and atv related parts and chemicals.



The next project is on the lift and ready to get started.


Thanks for following along!

 

[fouckhest]

Always good to see someone else in the upstate on here! I am just down the road in Greer, used to live on the edge of TR, its one area always in my sights for a few acres to build a little house and big garage with my boss!

 

[quadrcr87]

Always good to see someone else in the upstate on here! I am just down the road in Greer, used to live on the edge of TR, its one area always in my sights for a few acres to build a little house and big garage with my boss!

I just checked out your thread, nice work on the garage addition! I would love to have that space for a 2-post lift. We have already started looking at property in the area but the prices have really gone up. We moved here in a hurry during covid so options were limited. A little more land and a space for a larger shop are definitely in our future plans.

 

[quadrcr87]

Much like my garage, the goal for the BOSS’ garage was to maintain a clear parking space for her Jeep. Again I need to keep everything I could off the floor and fit in everything I didn’t want in the working garage.

I used the garage deck flooring that has moved with us 3 times to define a parking pad. She knows that if the pad is clear then she is safe to park. It is a side entry garage so lining up to park is key and a hanging tennis ball tells her where to stop in the front. This bay is only a few feet longer than the Jeep so it is a little tight for my liking. I would have loved to have an extra 3' of depth.


Along the right wall is bike storage. I picked up two Steadyrack mounts that allow my mountain bikes to swing against the wall and provide clearance for car doors. I keep the gas in here as well so it is away from any grinding/welding sparks. If you do alot of biking, I highly recommend the 1up racks. Solid aluminum and made in the USA. A cheap Amazon wall mount makes it very easy to store and transfer to a vehicle.


There are a couple more women’s bikes on the floor up front for riding the paved Swamp Rabbit trail near our house. I’ll be honest, the golf clubs have not been used in at least 3 years. Maybe someday?


A pile of yard tools, potting supplies and storage fit nicely on the Newage racks. This has been key to keeping the clutter off the floor.


I setup my small workbench near the door to the house. It mainly contains cleaning supplies and a few tools for house repairs. Having 2 separate garages has been nice but I am constantly finding times when the tool I need is in the wrong garage. I recently picked up a small ultrasonic cleaner that sits on the bench and has been great for cleaning small bike parts.


When the BOSS chose raised garden beds instead of a shed, her garage became the permanent home of the mower and OPE. I snuck the race quad in here as well. I have not ridden it since my last national race in July 2021. A new job and a move across the country has a way of disrupting time consuming hobbies. I still plan to find a trail or track in the area to ride but I may never get back to the same level of racing. The incredible MTB trails and bike parks in the area are scratching that itch for now.


Last but not least, the car cleaning supply corner. This Gladiator setup has served me well for several years, so I kept it in the new space. I only wish it was easier to access as I am always tripping over a lawn mower or something else to reach what I need. The powerwasher has an aluminum frame so its easy enough to lift. I am considering building a shelf/ platform to raise it up and store the push mower below. That would control some of the congestion in this corner.

I would be glad to hear any suggestions you have to rearrange or improve the garages. I have seen so many great setups and ideas on this site I am always learning and adapting as I go.

 

[fouckhest]

I just checked out your thread, nice work on the garage addition! I would love to have that space for a 2-post lift. We have already started looking at property in the area but the prices have really gone up. We moved here in a hurry during covid so options were limited. A little more land and a space for a larger shop are definitely in our future plans.

Thanks! Land prices and the market in general around here are why I built what I did, its not ideal, but its good enough for the time being.

If you ever need access to a lift, always happy to lend a hand and talk shop over a frosty beverage

 

[quadrcr87]

In the spirit of the holidays, I decided to share the Christmas present I bought myself last year. I had owned my 2013 F-150 for 7 years and it had 140K on the odometer. I was starting to have some reliability issues and after replacing a warped exhaust manifold for the 4th time, I decided it was time for a change.

Well, it wasn't too much of a change because I ordered almost the exact same spec only 10 years newer. I considered several different colors but was drawn back to the metallic grey. The key features were the same as well: 3.5L Ecoboost, Max Tow, FX4, Long bed, etc. A big upgrade was the 10 speed transmission. It has been great for towing.

Day 1 at the dealer Dec 2022:



After a couple months I decided it was time to level it out. 2.5" lift in the front and 0" in the rear. I ordered a set of Bilstein 6112 struts and coils for the front and 5100 shocks for the rear. The 2.5" bodies on the struts require a larger coil which also does a nice job of firming up the ride. It is much more stable at speeds on the highway and body roll is reduced.

Stock Height


Struts removed. It was a pleasure working on a rust free chassis. Way different than the rusty Midwest vehicles I am accustomed to.


You can really see the diffence in size. Beefy




Everything went back together with ease.


Back on the ground and sitting level. I plan to keep the OEM wheels and put on a set of 34 or 35" tires, but I am still trying to decide. I have had good luck with BFG ATs so I'll probably go that route. I have been driving it like this for about 9 months as I am in no rush.

 

[quadrcr87]

The Boss put me to work on the long MLK weekend. I have to admit this project was high on my priority list as well. We have a bad neighbor on this side of the house so additional privacy on the deck was needed.

I looked at several options but ultimately decided to take the easy route and buy a HOFT extruded aluminum post kit from HD. This avoided having to mount to the house and mess with the vinyl siding. I decided to mount it to the deck floor creating a freestanding 6’ wall. Our deck railings were built pretty poorly and the top 2x6 rail was twisted. I didn’t trust mounting to the top as I originally planned.

I added 2x6 blocking between the joists below providing support for the lag bolts securing the posts. I picked up some 5/4 6x14 cedar from the lumber yard and cut the 24 pieces to size and awaited the Boss' approval. She did not approve... still too much visibility with the 1/2" gaps.


The 1/2” gap set by the spacers provided in the kit. They slide into a slot in the posts and dig into each board holding it securely in place. In order to adjust it to 1/4”, I ran the end of each 24 boards through the router table 4 times to take off 1/8” of height from the top and bottom of each end.

With the spacing now approved, it was on to a single coat of Cabot semitransparent black. This was the 3rd stain presented to the Boss for approval. I only have 3 sawhorses so I had to get a little creative to get a coat on both sides of everything. Finishing 12 boards at a time worked out pretty well.



The finished look is exactly what we were looking for. If I was to do this again, I would probably remove the side deck rail and replace it with the privacy wall. It just felt a little too permanent for me since it doesn't match the rest of the deck rails on the 10x40' deck. Installed freestanding this way makes it easy for someone to remove it in the future if they don't like the look. Once removed, replacing a single composite deck board is all that is needed to erase all evidence.

(the wall is square to the house and railing; the deck installer did a poor job keeping the decking square)



Now that this is done, I just need to make a BBQ cart to house the Ooni pizza oven and Blackstone. Both of these require a lot of accessories for cooking. I am planning an enclosed cedar cabinet to house the propane and drawer to contain all of the parts. Still deciding between solid black or matching the privacy wall.



Thanks for following along. Ill try to take more pictures of the work next time!

 

[JSGAuto]

Nice work. That wall looks like it was always there!

We must work for similar Bosses......I usually need several resubmittals for work approval!

 

[quadrcr87]

I have been feeling a little unmotivated in the garage lately and stressed at work. I decided I needed a new low stress project that was purely for fun.

I have had my eye out for a tandem since we moved to SC. Something to ride on the nearby Swamp Rabbit trail with my wife. When the right one finally popped up on FB marketplace I thought, who doesn’t love an old Schwinn tandem? 5 speeds and a drum brake, I was in love. I struck a deal for $320 and loaded it up. The Schwinn catalog sold me with the slogan, "Double your pleasure on a bicycle built for two".



A 1971 Schwinn Deluxe Twinn. Listed as a 1963 but confirmed as a 1971 based on the serial number.

With a little air in the tires, it was rideable. But it definitely didn't feel or sound great. The seller who had recently purchased it from the original owner had replaced tires and cables but that was the extent of it. You could feel the bearings grinding and squeaking but my wife and I made it around the neighborhood on day 1. This photo was taken after about 30 minutes of initial clean up including a minor polish.


The real fun started when I lifted it up onto the Park stand. I was impressed how sturdy it felt in the air being around 70lbs. I started at the front and worked my way through each and every bearing, lever and bolt. Remove, clean, polish, grease, assemble & repeat.


A little dry, lots of rust.


The grease that was there was hard as a rock.


Ultrasonic to the rescue.


It took off all but the most stubborn grease, easy clean up.


The chains cleaned up amazingly well saving me about $50.


This may explain the squeak I heard in the test ride.


Bottom bracket bearings were dry as well. Do you still call them bottom brackets on these old bikes or is it just crank bearings?



To be continued......

 

[quadrcr87]

After everything was disassembled and cleaned, I was amazed how good of condition this bike was in. The bearings all spun free, and the races polished up smooth. There is certainly some pitting in the chrome and some paint defects here and there, but I am impressed. I only had to replace 1 headset bearing due to a missing ball. I found a set quick on Ebay for $8 shipped. The bearings are all stamped Schwinn with the part number, so it was extremely easy to source. The Schwinn Chicago factory really knew what they were doing.

Crank bearing races ready to assemble.


Bearing packed with Park Tool PPL-1, nice and thick for these large rollers.


I love the design of these 1-piece cranks; the chrome really shines!


With a single speed in the front and 5 speed rear the front and rear chains are different sizes. 1/2x1/8 and 1/2x3/32. The front is so long you have to buy 2 chains. Lucky for me I was able to save them. I learned alot about Tandems during this build.





I have never worked on a drum brake for a bicycle but lucky for me there wasn't much that needed attention. I just removed all of the rust and scuffed up the pads and drum with some sandpaper. It took a few good stops to break-in, but it now works as good as I would expect.


The drum is actually a steel liner bonded into the aluminum hub. It really just needed a good cleaning and then I was able to polish the hub and wheels.


After 7 days of restoration, I was left with this, and I couldn't be happier. I clean vintage tandem for my wife and I to get out an enjoy. I must say we get some strange looks on the trail, lots of smiles and laughs. I don't think people expect it and I love that.

The first ride on March 2nd went smoothly. Just a few seat height adjustments along the way. The old tires are a little bouncy but mechanically it is sound. A little more wheel truing and some fresh rubber and it will glide.



You can see I added the obligatory chrome bell. The only thing missing is a classy wood crate for the rear rack, that will be my next project.



Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed the quick restoration, I certainly did!

 

[quadrcr87]

 

[jhn9840]

Great job. The tandem cleaned up very nicely. Probably the best shape she has been in since new.

jhn9840
John

 

[Xti04]

You are gonna need one of those sporty short sleeve turtle necks for when you ride the tandem!

 

[sh944]

Just read through your entire thread, great read! Thank you for sharing and I hope the job stress drops to a decent level soon.

 

[quadrcr87]

We had a rainy day Saturday so I spent some time doing my taxes and making a wood basket for the tandem. It was fun to build something from material I had on hand and spend minimal time designing. Normally I design in Sketchup and spend too long stressing on the details.

For the basket/ apple crate, I used 1/4 and 1/2 birch I had left over from some drawer organizers. I started with the base to make sure it fit well on the existing rack. For construction I used glue. 5/8" and 1-1/2" brad nails to attach the slats to some 3/4" pine I ripped on the table saw. Fairly strong but still light.



It was a little tricky fitting around the spring mechanism on the rack as it is not level on top.


The garage was pretty clean so I tried to keep the dust outside this time. I honestly don't know why I waited so long to get a table saw. It makes ripping down boards so much easier and improves the quality of my work.



Starting to take shape. I used some 1/2" ply cutoffs as slat spacers making alignment easy.



The test fit was a success. I double checked with the BOSS too to make sure she had enough clearance for the seat. I was able to slight it back a little further after this photo. I just needed to clearance some of the bottom with a Dremel.



The overall dimensions were designed to fit our Kanga cooler and a couple of drinks. Almost ready for a picnic.



I finished it off with a coat of Kona stain and mounted it up. The last step will be some type of clear satin topcoat. I haven't decided what to use yet. Any thoughts? Poly or spray lacquer? It won't be left out in the elements, but it will get a little wet from the cooler and water bottles.



Just look at that rear view.



I added a little detail inside the basket with cupholders for our water bottles. They are certainly not perfect, I just roughed them out with a jig saw. I used some restraint and left the router in the cabinet on this project. The black knobs are for attachment to the rack. I set two 1/4" carriage bolts into a bottom support bar that sits below the rack. I think the clamp provide enough support to secure it but make it easy to remove for transport. I guess we will see on the first outing.



Thanks for following along. Now get out and ride!

 

[Ohmthis]

The bike is so awesome! I look at it and think of me up front pedaling my *** off and my wife kicked back drinking a cold one! Nice woodwork as well!

 

[quadrcr87]

The bike is so awesome! I look at it and think of me up front pedaling my *** off and my wife kicked back drinking a cold one! Nice woodwork as well!

On our last ride she was video chatting with friends and having a great time. She loves being able to ride along hands free. She does still pedal though.... at least I think so.

 

[quadrcr87]

Wow it is amazing how fast 2 months flew by. I guess life has been good and my projects have been keeping me busy. Even though SC weather is pretty mild, I am way more productive in the spring and fall with 70-degree days.

The first projects I crossed off my list are some upgrades for my truck. I pulled the trigger and ordered up some 34" BFG All Terrains! 295 70 18 that I had installed on the factory wheels. It feels more like a truck now and maintained a good ride quality.



I think the tire fitment is perfect with the 2.5" Bilstein leveling kit I installed a year ago. No rubbing and I did not need to trim the crash bars or fender liner. Clearance at the upper ball joint is pretty tight but that was expected with the high backspace on the factory wheels.



I always check the lug nut torque when I get home from a tire shop and I am really glad I did this time. Somehow Discount Tire replaced one of my factory lug nuts with a random one of a different style. I caught it right away when the socket size was different. They were good about the whole thing and ordered me an OEM replacement the next day.



When I ordered the truck, I skipped the Ford Boxlink kit. That left me lacking tie down options. To remedy the situation, I installed four tie down points in the bed from Builtright Industries. They aren't the cheapest option, but their quality is very nice. I had to run a tap through every hole because LineX failed to plug them before spraying. The install took much longer than I would have liked but it was worth the effort.

 

[Trapps]

Tandems are fun and yours looks fantastic! Nice effort.

It does require good communication though. Every once in a while I get yelled at for not announcing 'coast,' 'brake,' pedal,' or 'stopping.'

Those spring seats look comfy. I added a suspension seatpost on her seat because I also occasionally miss a 'bump' callout.

 

[quadrcr87]

Spring is also a great time for me to work on landscape projects before the 100* heat hits. We get a lot of heavy rain in our area and mulch washing out is a constant battle. We took care of the beds in the backyard by installing drainage, but there was still an issue in the front of the house. Since purchasing the home in late 2021 I have been wanting to build a rock border. When my wife planned a trip to Spain with her mom, I had a perfect time to get it done. I took the week off of work and spent it wisely.

Step 1 was to acquire all of the supplies. I saved at least $200 by renting a dump trailer and picking up all of the dirt, gravel, mulch and 2.5 tons of stone I needed.



I unloaded the stone manually and moved it with a yard cart. That was a lot of lifting! I probably moved each stone 5 times before I found its happy place in the wall.



I wanted to be 100% positive that the BOSS would be happy, so I brought her with me to pick out the stone the weekend before she left. I think we did a great job coordinating with the cultured stone on the face of the house. Alot of the rock in SC is clay red and we definitely wanted to avoid that. This stone actually come out of Tennessee but was purchased about 1 mile from our house.



Step 2 was to wash all of the stone and sort it by size. I was careful to save the largest stones for the top cap. I ended up a little short and went back to the stone yard for another 1/2 ton of cap stones to finish.



Step 3 was cutting out the sod, relocating sprinkler heads and digging the foundation. Not a fun job. With the prep complete I was able to start laying stone at the lowest point. The goal here was to make the wall level across the top which I found is harder than it looks with natural stone. I have a lot of respect for hardscape landscapers that have mastered this.



It was a slow and frustrating process, but I just kept pushing through it. I put down a 3-4" crusher run base and backfilled with crusher run and clay after each course.



I got to hang out with my buddy Ash all week as he supervised. I have to be honest; he didn't love being tied to the post and only stayed out for 30 minutes at a time. He much prefers backyard projects in the fenced yard.



And on the 4th day I finished the wall! It was then time to backfill more dirt, move some plants and mulch.



I had enough small stone left over to make a border around the AC unit. It is another area that washes out frequently.



We have busy planting, and our plants are starting to wake up from the winter. I will take some new pictures and update the thread soon. Thanks for following along.

 

[quadrcr87]

Tandems are fun and yours looks fantastic! Nice effort.

It does require good communication though. Every once in a while I get yelled at for not announcing 'coast,' 'brake,' pedal,' or 'stopping.'

Those spring seats look comfy. I added a suspension seatpost on her seat because I also occasionally miss a 'bump' callout.

Thanks Trapps. I found that you need to have a strong relationship with your stoker to get past the learning curve of riding a tandem.

 

[quadrcr87]

I was able take an updated photo of the finished front wall while cutting the grass today. The photo also shows the inlet to the drain I have been fighting.

You can see the inlet drain in the grass between houses. This collects a lot of the water from the front lawn and sends it to the bottom of the property with a fury! It doesn’t help that the gutters on this side of the house feed into the drain lines too.




Originally at the exit of the dual 6” drain lines I had flat NDS covers. On a heavy rain they would shoot water 6’ into the air! While cool to watch, that water was destructive.

Attempt number 2, I changed to the atrium style outlet covers shown here. It made an even more impressive water fountain. It now sprayed 4’ in all directions with a steady stream of water. It was to the point that it started washing out the planter boxes! I thought the BOSS was going to fire me.





On the 3rd and final attempt, I dug a large hole in rock solid clay to install a 20” drain basin. I ran both 6” lines into the side of it and it seems to have done the trick. There is still a flood of water coming out but it is no longer airborne! I also cut the bottom 4” off the fence slats to allow water to flow through the rocks.



The raised beds are now safe from the flood and already producing some strawberries. The BOSS is pleased, she even let me ride the Harley after.



The ideal solution would be to dump the water behind the fence directly into the swale. I found out pretty quick from the county that there is a 10’ minimum from the center of the swale. Last fall they required several neighbors to regrade the swale and remove all drain lines. Establishing grass in this area has been a challenge to say the least.

 

[quadrcr87]

What’s the biggest repair you have ever done on the side of the road or in an Autozone parking lot? Until recently I would have said maybe an alternator or trailer bearing. Now I can say I have swapped a water pump on a HEMI!


Ironically we were on our way to a dealer 2 hours away to go look at a new vehicle for my wife. We were about 1.5 hrs from home when I lost power steering and immediately saw the battery light come on. I was hoping for a broken belt but it was much worse. The water pump bearing had failed and sprayed the full engine bay with coolant. The same thing happened in 2021 with the original pump. The small shop in TN that repaired it must have put a very cheap pump on.



Being late in the afternoon on a Saturday, no one could get us in for a same day repair. The only option would be leave it and have friends come pick us up. So I decided to pull into autozone and go for it. I was familiar enough with the vehicle that I knew exactly what I was up against. I bought a $140 water pump and $60 in tools and supplies need to get it done. The only tool I had in the jeep was a 1/4” drive socket set… sad, I know.



1 hour and 28 minutes later we were on the road. That only lasted about 10 miles until we started to overheat. I soon realized I had forgot to pull the plug on the top of the pump to purge the air out of the system. A quick fix and we were headed home.

The next day my wife washed the Jeep, took photos and immediately had me list it for sale. She had lost faith in its reliability and I can’t blame her, it’s a 10hr drive to her parents in Michigan and she occasionally does it on her own. Repairs have been growing now that is 13 years old with 140k miles.

All cleaned up.


It sold within a week to a very happy guy who planned to take it to college. We quickly found her new Jeep, a clean 2021 Jeep GC 80th Anniversary Edition with 20k miles.



Now it just needs a lift, wheels and tires. The BOSS saw it parked next to her old one and said it’s too small. I married the right woman!

 

[quadrcr87]

Between all the house and car projects I’ve been finding some time to work on the actual garages. I’ve been improving the layout and making them more functional a little bit at a time.

The carwash corner had been working pretty well but it I had the wire shelf way overloaded. I was out of room and bottles were falling on the floor too often.


I took some measurements and realized a 24” gladiator cabinet would fit the space perfectly. Man the price has gone up on these cabinets over the years. The days of good 50% Sears deals are over. It is a lot nicer storage for towels with easier access than the bin I was using before.



I found some aerosol and bottle racks on Amazon to organize and secure my favorite cleaners. These were cheaper than the Griot’s racks and are very well made.


My long term goal is to add a wall mounted vacuum with a hose reel but I’m struggling with the thought of spending $1k on the one I want. A hot/cold water spigot/ utility sink would also be really nice but I’m running out of floor space with mowers in the way.

 

[quadrcr87]

In the main working garage, I have been trying to create more usable/open floor space. I find that I spend the most time working in the back left corner of the garage near the toolboxes. With my truck parked inside this is the only open floorspace I have.

Here is the area before making the changes. It is relatively clean in these photos but often times projects clutter up the space and block access to the 26" toolbox and air tools.


You can image how congested it gets when I push projects to the side to get the truck back in the garage.



After recently changing to a smaller air compressor in December, I took some measurements and realized I had room to squeeze both toolboxes along the back wall. Its a tight squeeze but it fit. I didn't even need to move the air system and I now have better access to the regulator.



I also picked up a no drip grease gun holder from Pit Posse. I'm glad it is no longer swinging on the side of the toolbox and covering my leg with grease.



It's not much but this little bit of open floor space has made a big difference working in the garage.



Strickly a cosmetic change but I also relocated the wall art. I never rearranged it when I mounted the TV a while back and it didn't look right to me. Now it's up high and out of the way.



I still need to build some type of counter/ cabinet/ workbench along this wall to add storage and a more stable base for the drill press, band saw and belt sander.

 

[Xti04]

House and shop are lookin great!

 

[quadrcr87]

House and shop are lookin great!

Thank you

 

[quadrcr87]

I found a picture of the unintentional water fountain I had before the drain change!

 

[quadrcr87]

Despite the heat and humidity of SC, I have still been trying to get out in the garage more. MTB season is in full swing which brings lots of bike maintenance.

Most days I get into the garage around 8pm after work and the temp is still around 90*F inside. No insulation on the exterior walls or ceiling and an uninsulated garage door turn it into an oven.

I would love to insulate and install a mini split but that would be very expensive. I can't justify that right now as I don't see this as my forever home.

My solution was two Air King air circulators. 4,000 CFM moves the air in a 2 car garage very well. On the low or medium settings, the sound isn't bad at all.

Model 9374 24" Ceiling Mount 5770 / 5250 / 4270 CFM, 59-69 dB
Model 9220 20" Floor Mount 3670 / 3330 / 2940 CFM, 48-62 dB

I mounted the first one near the back door under the overhead material rack. Being a ceiling mount, I can rotate it 180* to pull air in or exhaust it out depending on the need. Just enough space to clear the door and wall racks.

This location allows me to direct air right at the workbench or over the hood of the truck directed at the bike stand/ fab area.

With the swing of the door, I had limited space (27") to mount a fan above and would have had to go with a smaller size. It also would not have been as effective of pulling in the air from outside.



The second fan is a floor model that I can position near the work area or at the garage door. At night it works well when I raise the door and draw in cold air while using the ceiling fan to evacuate the hot air out of the back.


Being portable also allows me to use it on the back deck or the 2nd garage.





Any thoughts on the next steps to keep the garage cooler during the day? I’m considering a foil insulation kit for the garage door and tinting the windows. The 2nd garage also suffers from the same hot oven effect.

 

[fouckhest]

I installed some reflective window tint at my now wives old house when we were dating, it worked really well in the foyer area, the afternoon sun would beat down the front of the house, it made a noticeable difference.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Definitely insulate the garage door. Best money I've spent on my house; granted I live in Phoenix.