Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The 12-Gauge Garage

[PeteMoore]

Pete, I appreciate the input. If you don't like it, then you don't like it. I'm not going to try and talk you out of your reaction -- and I don't have much reason to. I appreciate your candor.

And here's a picture of the car:

As you rightly said, you have absolutely NO requirement to talk me into liking it. Everything in it, the time, the ideas, how everything works along with everything else, and of course its simplicity is overwhelming and as I said in the previous post, it is annoying me that I cant even figure out what it is that hasnt made me fall in love with it.

As for the car - I did happen across your youtube account earlier whilst hunting for a video and found your Porsche factory/build video.

i will continue to read your post and of course steal many of your ideas and for that I thank you very very much.

...some people don'e like sunshine, puppy dogs or beer either...

Jack, thanks for the ideas. I'll be borrowing a couple for my modest little two car happy place. Oh, and cool car.

Northern Ireland see's three days of sunshine a year, i love puppy dogs but beer - not my thing. And no, before you even think it, I am heterosexual

 

[51rider]

That's odd. It works when I click on it. I wonder if the link won't work outside of the US? Maybe a different distributor for other countries?

http://www.woodstore.net/grgama20.html

It's all good now! Hmm maybe I should try working at work instead of trying to catch up on GJ!!....

 

[Squankum]

Jack, I tried to peek at the new magazine article at Lowe's, but they had it bundled with another magazine in a sealed vinyl bag, and I didn't want to get caught tearing it open so close to the registers and all.

I calmed my nerves by going and buying another pair of Knipex pliers.

 

[flybefree]

Mr. Jack,

That magaine was all about GJ, thought they did a nice write up on everyone. As a writer do you just want to sit them down and give them a little "mentorship" on how to get the story straight? I hope your wife enjoys the press as a little treat for all her support.


Shaun

 

[Red Leader]

So Jack,

I cannot recall if I had asked this before, but...

What's next for the 12-gauge? Any future plans your considering for out there?

(maybe getting some nice frames for those magazine articles to put up in the garage)

 

[shopnut]

So Jack,

I cannot recall if I had asked this before, but...

What's next for the 12-gauge? Any future plans your considering for out there?

(maybe getting some nice frames for those magazine articles to put up in the garage)

I'm just afraid he's going to redo it a 3rd time before I finally get mine finished the first time!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Jack, I tried to peek at the new magazine article at Lowe's, but they had it bundled with another magazine in a sealed vinyl bag, and I didn't want to get caught tearing it open so close to the registers and all.

I calmed my nerves by going and buying another pair of Knipex pliers.

Do they still have the 7"/10" Cobra set on special? I live a long way from a Lowe's, but would make the trip.

Mr. Jack,

That magazine was all about GJ, thought they did a nice write up on everyone. As a writer do you just want to sit them down and give them a little "mentorship" on how to get the story straight? I hope your wife enjoys the press as a little treat for all her support.


Shaun

I think the writing in most magazines is pretty good. Style aside, it bugs me when they get the facts wrong. But decades ago I did some journalism, and I know with some certainty that I wasn't particularly good at it. I'm better at just makin' stuff up.

So Jack,

I cannot recall if I had asked this before, but...

What's next for the 12-gauge? Any future plans your considering for out there?

(maybe getting some nice frames for those magazine articles to put up in the garage)

There aren't any big projects on the horizon -- other than some projects to do inside the garage. I've got to weld together a second story to my toddler's bed so he'll have bunk beds. I've got to do some shelving for his room as well, now that the new baby will be moving into the one I put the wall unit in. Before all that, I've got to get the motor back in the race car and the suspension and everything buttoned back together.

But I have thought about maybe insulating the garage door, at some point -- and you're right, a 'wall of fame' for the garage and the car might be fun on that blank space. I still need to find a place to put the skateboard that's got the graphic of my race car on it. They sold out, which was flattering. But that means I've got to be careful not to drop the one they gave me.

I'm just afraid he's going to redo it a 3rd time before I finally get mine finished the first time!

If I'm remembering right, you have MULTIPLE shops that mine wouldn't fit in the corner of, sir. Yours will never be done -- it's too great for that. Mine is 20x22. It'll be a crime if I don't call it 'finished' pretty soon.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

So Jack, the next project is a 'buddy bunk' for the little guy?

There is no doubt in my mind that it too is going to receive the Jack Olsen special design treatment. I won't be surprised in the least when the finished re-worked bed project is displayed and documented here on GJ. I'm thinking young master Olsen is going to get dual 911 silhouette bunks, one above the other. One done in Jack's Black, the other in Race Me Red, and the frame done up in J.O. Green; made to resemble a four post, two car park lift. Of course, the silhouettes will be made out of 12 gauge steel; naturally! lol

 

[Squankum]

Jack, I didn't see any Knipex on sale that day. Haven't seen the 2-Cobra combo deal in recent months, but when I bought my pair about two months ago, ebay and Craigslist were awash in with sets probably purchased that way, folks looking to make just a few dollars off the situation. That's how I got mine, still a fair deal.

Sears-branded Cobras also come in a 2 pack that's competitively priced, too, and I've seen frequent sales at Sears on Knipex-branded Knipex.

 

[Squankum]

Was at Sears last night. The Sears C'man-branded Cobra combo was $45ish for the pair. Not a hot steamin' deal, but not unfair.

 

[bad_idea]

nice shop

 

[Jack Olsen]

I've been sacked in with work stuff this past month, but there has been some progress on the weekends -- most importantly by my friend who's been tirelessly guiding this rebuild along. Last night we got the old lump up on the table and back into the car.

It started up in a way that suggested it had no clue that it had been completely disassembled and then painstakingly put back together again.

Didn't even smoke.

I know these quirky Porsche engines look funny to eyes accustomed to American iron (two distributors -- huh? and what's that fan thing?) But we've all got some common ground when you finally turn the key and the rumble through the Magnaflow muffler makes the neighbors' windows rattle just a little.

 

[Zengineer]

Nothing like a seamless startup of a new build... awesome feeling. Good job!

 

[JMURiz]

I think the easy start-up was your car thanking you for your trick lift system

 

[Zeke]

So Jack, the next project is a 'buddy bunk' for the little guy?

There is no doubt in my mind that it too is going to receive the Jack Olsen special design treatment. I won't be surprised in the least when the finished re-worked bed project is displayed and documented here on GJ. I'm thinking young master Olsen is going to get dual 911 silhouette bunks, one above the other. One done in Jack's Black, the other in Race Me Red, and the frame done up in J.O. Green; made to resemble a four post, two car park lift. Of course, the silhouettes will be made out of 12 gauge steel; naturally! lol

Funny as that may be, I likes some of the ideas. Bunk beds looking like a 4-post lift. Only thing standing in the way would be the wife on that one.

 

[couchmechanic]

RE: When you’ve got a place to put everything, you can clean the whole place up really fast with something like this:

Thats what I am talking about! There are a few garages that I keep coming back to look at again and again because the are functional as well as nice. Inspired

 

[Alfa Ron]

...Alfa Ron, I apologize for not getting you that information. This thread dropped out of sight and out of mind.

Thanks for the info, Jack. No apology necessary, you see how long it took me to get back to this thread after you posted!

I have a space that will become a small outdoor kitchen and I think I'm going to use your arched tubing/fabric cover idea. I'm trying to decide how waterproof the top needs to be and the Coolaroo fabric is definitely being considered. I really like the "lightness" of the small tubing coupled with the strength of steel. It is a fantastic idea!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Milt, I'm glad you like my late night inspiration. Some people think I've got a 'fertile' mind, others know that I'm just full of B.S.! lol

Jack, we do want to see what your MIG spits out for young master Olsen.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Everything's been in speed-up-slow-down mode. I got hired to do a quick TV thing, which meant it wasn't until today that I could the little things on the car like bleeding the brakes, put in a new hold-down strap for the relocated battery and pull off the underbelly cover so I could slide out the old torsion bars.

The lift makes all of this stuff MUCH easier. I lowered the car onto jack stands for the removal of the underbelly sheet, and it was surprising how scary it is (to me) now to get under a car that's only sitting on jack stands. I know it's perfectly safe, but the lift is so much more substantial. Every time I use it, I'm glad I put it in.

I'm going to pick up the steel for the bunk bed today. It's not going to be anything fancy at all -- I'm simply matching a top bunk to an existing steel bed. But I'll take some pictures. Heck, when do I ever do a job and NOT take some pictures?

Another thing I'm grateful for every time I use: the rack for the Jeep to allow 20' lengths of steel. It goes on with six quick fasteners. Very simple, very quick. And thanks to this board, it was easy to do a quick search to refresh my memory of how I do the straps for it.

 

[Dennis Cavallino]

Why doesn't it surprise me you too own a cool brown car...? I like brown retro looking cars with the 70's or 80's look. Although I've got a '78 Mini 1000 now, but I want a brown '78 Porsche 924/928/911 (or all 3 of them). I was born in '78.

 

[Dennis Cavallino]

I've been sacked in with work stuff this past month, but there has been some progress on the weekends -- most importantly by my friend who's been tirelessly guiding this rebuild along. Last night we got the old lump up on the table and back into the car.

It started up in a way that suggested it had no clue that it had been completely disassembled and then painstakingly put back together again.

Didn't even smoke.

I know these quirky Porsche engines look funny to eyes accustomed to American iron (two distributors -- huh? and what's that fan thing?) But we've all got some common ground when you finally turn the key and the rumble through the Magnaflow muffler makes the neighbors' windows rattle just a little.

Is the Twin Plug Setup new to your engine, or did you already run with that upgrade? It's a good solution for the tuned 911 engines to prevent typical engine failure due to bad combustion. Instead of twin distrubitor setups some people also use Jaguar V12 distributors.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Why doesn't it surprise me you too own a cool brown car...? I like brown retro looking cars with the 70's or 80's look. Although I've got a '78 Mini 1000 now, but I want a brown '78 Porsche 924/928/911 (or all 3 of them). I was born in '78.

Thanks. It's a 1983 CJ-7. I've owned it for 17 years. I don't think I've ever washed it or parked it indoors, even. But it still keeps going.

Here's one kid's bunk bed worth of steel:

My neighbors are very polite to put up with me.

Is the Twin Plug Setup new to your engine, or did you already run with that upgrade? It's a good solution for the tuned 911 engines to prevent typical engine failure due to bad combustion. Instead of twin distrubitor setups some people also use Jaguar V12 distributors.

The motor's a 1995, which came stock with 12 plugs. They did the two-distributor thing (instead of one with 12 plugs) in order to be able to keep using the same caps and rotors from the 1984-1989 models. My motor is factory stock, except for a different oil pump (930) to protect me from any kind of oil starvation in track use -- and I now have one fan belt instead of two, since I don't need to run the alternator faster than the blower.

 

[Jack Olsen]

And while I'm posting pictures.

Yesterday was the first day in a LONG time that the chassis of the car came down off the lift and actually rested on jack stands for a while.

Today, I got to put the wheels back on.

There are still 12 things on the 'punch list' before it's done -- including probably another five day wait for the right Aeroquip fitting to replace one that leaks. But I put eight quarts of oil (of an eventual 13 or so) in tonight and started her up.

I won't lie. It's a sound that makes your heart beat faster.

The garage is a mess, but next weekend I plan on having all the automotive stuff put away so I can start welding the kid's new bed.

 

[Boosted1]

And while I'm posting pictures.

Yesterday was the first day in a LONG time that the chassis of the car came down off the lift and actually rested on jack stands for a while.

Today, I got to put the wheels back on.

There are still 12 things on the 'punch list' before it's done -- including probably another five day wait for the right Aeroquip fitting to replace one that leaks. But I put eight quarts of oil (of an eventual 13 or so) in tonight and started her up.

I won't lie. It's a sound that makes your heart beat faster.

The garage is a mess, but next weekend I plan on having all the automotive stuff put away so I can start welding the kid's new bed.

13 Quarts? Wow, that is a lot of oil. Is that all in a pan or is there another reservoir?

 

[PDACPA]

Yup 911's use that much oil ( at least older ones).

 

[Jack Olsen]

How well does that HF hydraulic table work? I'm thinking of getting one to R&R the transmission/transfer case in my truck. Transmission jacks are $$$$ and they never show up on Craigslist.

I've been pretty happy with mine. But with HF, you never know that fifty of them in a row will all work as well. The one thing that might limit it for under-car use is that its lowest height is about 10", and also the upright handle bars have to stay upright -- which is different from a ****** jack. It could be that you could modify it to not need the handle bar, but the release cable is attached to it, which might complicate things.

13 Quarts? Wow, that is a lot of oil. Is that all in a pan or is there another reservoir?

The 911 came with a dry sump oil system from 1964 to 1998. There's no pan, really. The system has two oil pumps and a big external tank. The idea is that you can keep oiling the engine even when you're under sustained high lateral loads. The engine also uses oil for cooling, so I have a loop on the scavenge side that runs all the way to the two front corners of the car -- there's a cooler behind each headlight. Normally, some oil stays in that circuit even during a change. But I had to blow all those lines out with mineral spirits and air pressure and get the coolers cleaned. So it's all empty now. It might be as much as 14 quarts in my system, which really stings when you're using $8-a-quart Brad Penn.

 

[Bob Heine]

It might be as much as 14 quarts in my system, which really stings when you're using $8-a-quart Brad Penn.

...And the filter costs ???

 

[Jack Olsen]

There are two filters. One for each leg of the system.

I think I already mentioned 12 spark plugs.

The last pair of front brake rotors lasted 11 years of regular track use -- but they cost $400 each.

 

[mdbeck1]

I've been pretty happy with mine. But with HF, you never know that fifty of them in a row will all work as well. The one thing that might limit it for under-car use is that its lowest height is about 10", and also the upright handle bars have to stay upright -- which is different from a ****** jack. It could be that you could modify it to not need the handle bar, but the release cable is attached to it, which might complicate things.
...

It looks like we have the same scissor cart from HF. I love mine. I messed up my back several years ago and I use the scissor cart for a pallet jack. It will pick up my workbench, lift high enough to pick large boxes off of the garage shelving (about 36-40 inches), and is portable enough to load those boxes on my workbench or in the back of my pickup. I even use it to load the 5k (or is that 6k) generator into the back of the truck. It makes it REAL easy.

It also makes a handy rolling workbench.

 

[Bad Karma]

like i've said before... if you ever decide to sell that Jeep, let me know.

 

[Jack Olsen]

All right. Today was a good day, since I'm declaring my Summer-of-2011 911 project complete.

Well, pretty much complete. Today it got its final alignment and corner balancing about 55 miles south of where I live. My friend who did the heavy lifting on this project took it into the shop where he works for that. Tomorrow I drive his car down there and pick mine up. So tonight, the garage has a guest Porsche -- a pretty true-to-the-original 1995 964 Euro RS clone.

I'll dyno my rebuilt motor after the rings are seated. We didn't do any upgrades, outside of a new oil pump, but it will be interesting to see if the refresh changes the numbers.

Then, as soon as the baby girl gets born, we'll head out to Willow Springs for a test and tune day at the track. Then I'll see where my lap times are...

 

[Red Leader]

The garage is a mess

Jack, I don't think you've seen my garage lately

It's alllll relative

Nice work on the car as well. I remember my dad saying that his Porsche takes 13 or so quarts of Mobil 1 - when he does an oil change, its like buying a cheap car

 

[couchmechanic]

I really admire the detail you have used in your shop. You have a couple of fold up workbenches and I was wondering what is there height in inches from the floor when they are down?

 

[grim]

^Agreed. An eye for cleanliness and detail is a pleasure to follow.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks very much, guys.

Couchmechanic, the fold-down benches (and the other seven benches in the garage) are all 37" high. I made them all the same so long stock could span them without any issues. And 37" is just the height I've always liked. I'm 5'11".

The car is back, aligned and ready to go. Well, actually, there are still 20 things on the list I made of stuff to take care of before the next track day. But that's actually pretty good, considering.

And the engine and alignment are freakin' awesome.

And it's great to have the garage back after all that car work. Next up is the steel bunk bed thing.

But before then, Junior and I took the car out for a test drive. He liked being able to sit in the front seat for a change. (No airbags in 1972.) Luckily, the booster seat fits into the race buckets pretty well.

Oddly, the boy prefers going slow to going fast. I expect that will change one day -- or I'll have to figure out someone else to leave the car to.

And I also started putting together a thing to go over the changing table to remind the new girl of her name, when she gets here.

 

[rickairmedic]

All right. Today was a good day, since I'm declaring my Summer-of-2011 911 project complete.

Well, pretty much complete. Today it got its final alignment and corner balancing about 55 miles south of where I live. My friend who did the heavy lifting on this project took it into the shop where he works for that. Tomorrow I drive his car down there and pick mine up. So tonight, the garage has a guest Porsche -- a pretty true-to-the-original 1995 964 Euro RS clone.

I'll dyno my rebuilt motor after the rings are seated. We didn't do any upgrades, outside of a new oil pump, but it will be interesting to see if the refresh changes the numbers.

Then, as soon as the baby girl gets born, we'll head out to Willow Springs for a test and tune day at the track. Then I'll see where my lap times are...

Jack that picture is actually kind of funny to me seeing a White Porche where I know theres supposed to be a Black one .

Rick

 

[ChristopherLutz]

not to usurp this garage thread with a Porsche question....but - is that your fuel filler door just behind the passenger side door? Isn't the gas tank in the front...under the ummm bonnet?

The 13 quarts of oil deal sure is a bunch. I knew they used the oil to cool - but geez - there can't be much more than 3 quarts in the engine at any one time.

Thanks for the pics - always nice to see your projects

 

[Jack Olsen]

You're right. The gas tank is in front, and the fuel filler flap is on the front driver's side fender. The thing behind young Mr. Olsen's head is the oil filler flap. In 1972, Porsche engineers got the oil tank moved ahead of the rear axle as a way to slightly improve the car's weight distribution. In 1973, the tank had to be moved back to its previous location (in the engine compartment) because of new federal side-impact regulations. (There's a persistent myth that it was moved because gas station attendants were putting gas into the oil tank.)

The high capacity is deliberate (the engineers were fanatic about reducing weight -- the lug nuts are made of aluminum alloy, fer gosh sakes), but the oil lines run all the way to the front fender of the car, to a cooler just ahead of the front wheel. And in my car, there's an additional cooler over on the other side, ahead of the driver's front wheel. The larger capacity and long lines are what do most of the cooling. There is very little oil in the tank when the engine is at high RPMs.

The dry sump system also doesn't have problems with sustained lateral loads (high speed corners) that a typical wet sump system has.

The oil filler flap is a handy way to identify a 1972 911, since it only appeared for that one year.

 

[Topcat]

I'm missing the Black baby, it don't look whight, rite, ....right white!

Jack you got tonight, surprise him, Paint her Black!

 

[Jack Olsen]

You're right. I'm a one-car-for-life guy. At least, for the hobby car.

Here's what I like about my garage. I finished the car work stuff (well, mostly) and cleaned up. Then I did a quick little carpentry project -- a sign for the nursery for the new kid. (As it happens, I'm going to take it apart and do it in a different color. But you get the idea.)

Then sweep up the sawdust and it's metal shop time. This bunk bed should be finished this weekend, if I can sneak out into the garage long enough.

I moved my drill press onto the folding-down welding table for the holes for the threaded fittings I was welding in.

Doing all the welding on the threaded-hole side warped the uprights slightly. I used the roll bender to straighten them back out.

Getting closer: