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

[Jack Olsen]

My long-neglected Jeep made it into the garage for the first time today. It's not getting any work done on it -- the plan is basically to drive it until it collapses. But my 3-year-old has recently chosen it as his favorite car to be driven to school in, with his sole complaint that the stereo doesn't work. I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to get the stereo working, since he has just one song he wants to listen to over and over and over again.

Actually, it'd be incorrect to say I fixed the stereo. I got an inexpensive pair of speakers and an amp from Amazon. The amp takes a feed from a phone or iPod. The cost for the whole deal was $44. He's fine with that. The radio stations don't play that one song he likes over and over and over again anyway.

But I also got to try raising the Jeep up on the lift. It doesn't go very high because the roll bar shoots right up to the underside of the storage shelves. But it made for a quick picture of a leaping CJ7, badly in need of a restoration.

 

[tinbender 66]

That pic makes me miss my CJ7. Bought it new in '80 and systematically destroyed it over the next six years. But man did we have fun!!!

 

[Dredwolf]

And I have to ask the question as former CJ owner, and now a XJ owner....who made the front shackles?

 

[Bad Karma]

Live i've said before... If you want to sell that Jeep, i'll fly out and pick it up. seriously.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Shackles? I'm not familiar with the terminology for what I assume is a part of the 'lifted' suspension stuff? I think it's all Rancho. It was put on before I owned it.

And thanks for the offer, Bad Karma. But I've got no plans to get rid of it. At least during some weeks, it's the car I drive the most.

I think in the back of my head is the idea of restoring it when my son is old enough to participate. But we'll see if he's even interested.

 

[bad_idea]

shackles are the part attached to the front of the leaf spring. the rear of the leaf spring is fixed and the front swings on the shackle. as the leaf spring compresses, it gets longer.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Today I got a little time from work and did a very small project in the garage. My lift came with a foot pedal type control for raising and lowering it. This never made a lot of sense for the way I use it, so I took the pedals out of the assembly and attached them to the pillar above the bench in the middle of the garage. You can see them in this picture.

Then, a while back, I got a used hand-control type switch on ebay.

I figured I'd have the new switch hang down from the ceiling. I wanted it placed in such a way that the operator wouldn't be standing between the car and the bench, and I also needed to be able to raise and lower the lift whether the garage door was open or not. As it turned out, the best place was still going to be on that pillar -- just a little higher up, and facing where the operator would be standing. So it made sense to have it hanging 'up' instead of 'down.'

When I positioned it up there, the yellow was pretty hard to miss -- and pretty ugly. In an industrial setting, I can understand why it would need to be a bright color like that. But in this garage, well, things tend to get painted green. And I had some paint left over from my recent Metabo grinder resurrection project. It's the Rustoleum they make for plastic surfaces.

So here's the new switch. It's cleaned up, painted Metabo green, set higher, and facing in a better direction. I realized my garage is just too small to have a pendulum style switch hanging down where you might walk into it.

A small step. But sometimes that's all you've got time for.

 

[bad_idea]

i like the switch, but i think it would look better in the yellow. i'm just not digging the green on the switch.

 

[Zeke]

i like the switch, but i think it would look better in the yellow. i'm just not digging the green on the switch.

If it were to be any other color than the favored green, it would be red. Look at the clock! Red and yellow are designated safety colors.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I added a caution sticker to keep visitors from pushing the buttons to figure out what they do.

 

[machine_punk]

I think that would make me twice as likely to try the buttons! (Oooh...the floor lifts! I gotta see that!)

It's nice to see someone else as detail-oriented in their projects as I tend to be. Maybe I'm not the only crazy one out here. Great job, as usual. I'm pleased that our votes helped you out in the competition.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, machine_punk.

I took in a sort of a stray, today. This was an ebay impulse click -- a Wilton 9450 that I probably overpaid for. I already got a set of new 4-1/2" jaws for it from a fellow Garage Journaler, but it will still need some clean-up and paint.

Of course, I don't really need it. But you know how that goes. Now I need to decide where to put it.

 

[Squankum]

The C clamps! They're breeding!

 

[rickairmedic]

Jack that is a nice looking bullet vise and I am sure you will find a great location for it .


Rick

 

[oldthudman]

Top drawer...........love the apple green cabinets/etc..........White tile floor nice too......................

Nicely done!!

 

[colo crawler]

Ok so its my first post and I spent my whole 10 hour day at work looking and reading and then came home a showed my wife, who promptly said why the hell can't your garage look like that? I then spent 2.5 more hours finishing the thread.

One of the first things I thought was all this work and is door isn't insulated? But then you corrected me. With my wife prego I spend a lot of time in the garage escaping the mood swings. I got a lot of ideas to keep me busy the next 6.5 months. Thank you and well done.

-Tom

 

[bad_idea]

Ok so its my first post and I spent my whole 10 hour day at work looking and reading

-Tom

i don't think i would admit i defrauded my company like that on an online forum. we all have slow days at work, but you don't tell people you ripped 'the man' off like that.

 

[colo crawler]

Haha, I am on "light duty" and sitting in a call center making phone calls all day so that is why it took me 10 hours just to get to page 45. They are cool with us looking at whatever we want just as long as we are getting our calls done.

-Tom

 

[bad_idea]

gotcha. lol. sorry to clutter up your thread Jack. I did have a question for you tho. That roller you have from hf (the one you rolled the arch in the square tube for your one bench), will it roll a 14" circle with 3/8 round stock? And a 12" circle? My wife wants an end table....

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks oldthudman. And colo crawler, thanks very much. Although also let me apologize if I've brought on too much work for you with regard to meeting your wife's new garage expectations.

And now back into the shop...

Although this is somewhat off topic -- it's the car that parks in the garage.

I had a great day on Wednesday out at Willow Springs, which is my home track here in Southern California. I go there about ten times a year, on average, and I've gotten pretty good at wringing what I can out of my car in terms of lap times. Or so I thought. With the recent engine freshening and shock rebuilds, I've apparently got a slightly faster car on my hands.

Back in 2006 and 2007 I got my lap times down to pretty consistent low 1:29's at this 2.5 mile track. That's a little better than a 100 mph average speed for the track, which probably boasts the highest average speed for any road course in the country. But in the three and a half years since then, I haven't been able to get the car below my old best of 1:29.1.

Until Wednesday. Click on the picture or this link for the video.



You can see me give a thumbs up at the very end of the clip.

Very gratifying to be back to pushing the number down instead of seeing it creep up. I'm gettin' old, but I'm not done.

 

[tinbender 66]

Congrats. That looks like a hoot!!

 

[bacarl]

NICE work! Your line entering Turn 4 had me a little nervous but then I remembered you know what you're doing. Slow in, fast out!

edit: Not that slow is really appropriate... is "wide in, fast out" an expression?

 

[momach]

Jack,
Nice bit of driving. You took it easy when you had to, and let it run when the track was open.
Glad when the music ended so I could hear the mechanical symphony.

 

[Bob Heine]

Jack,
Thanks for the ride along!

 

[Zeke]

NICE work! Your line entering Turn 4 had me a little nervous but then I remembered you know what you're doing. Slow in, fast out!

edit: Not that slow is really appropriate... is "wide in, fast out" an expression?

You kinda have to treat T5 with respect. The entry is downhill and level which presents itself as being off camber. If you can get down to the late apex the track will let you get it on up and over the hill.

I've ridden in Jack's car one time and he gets real light at the top of T6. I don't think he sees air, but he can't doing anything with the car until it settles. So, he turns the wheel into 6 coming out of 5, then turns it straight while the car goes over the hill and moves sideways a bit.

It's a good ride and Jack handles his machine very well. The 136 into and through 8 should scare the **** out of anyone. It does me and it did when I drove my own car out there. That's the only place on the track that is truly a hair raising experience.

Some race cars can get through there at speeds of over 150. Surprisingly, few people go off there.

Or maybe not surprisingly.

 

[DanCo]

You are a man of many talents, my hats off to you!

 

[BigAl62]

Thanks oldthudman. And colo crawler, thanks very much. Although also let me apologize if I've brought on too much work for you with regard to meeting your wife's new garage expectations.

And now back into the shop...

Although this is somewhat off topic -- it's the car that parks in the garage.

I had a great day on Wednesday out at Willow Springs, which is my home track here in Southern California. I go there about ten times a year, on average, and I've gotten pretty good at wringing what I can out of my car in terms of lap times. Or so I thought. With the recent engine freshening and shock rebuilds, I've apparently got a slightly faster car on my hands.

Back in 2006 and 2007 I got my lap times down to pretty consistent low 1:29's at this 2.5 mile track. That's a little better than a 100 mph average speed for the track, which probably boasts the highest average speed for any road course in the country. But in the three and a half years since then, I haven't been able to get the car below my old best of 1:29.1.

Until Wednesday. Click on the picture or this link for the video.



You can see me give a thumbs up at the very end of the clip.

Very gratifying to be back to pushing the number down instead of seeing it creep up. I'm gettin' old, but I'm not done.

Great job! I am amazed at how much the trunk lid bows due to the air pressure (don't forget the trunk is in front on a 911). At first I thought it was just a change in the reflection due to the suspension compressing and extending, but no, the sheet metal flexes! Damn, that's a lot of downforce!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys. I'm on the hunt for a different video processing box that would combine the two camera feeds to one without sacrificing so much resolution in the process.

And BigAl62, you've got good eyes. The front decklid actually burps in at about 100 mph. You can see it in some parts of the video. It's made of lightweight fiberglass.

But the wing in back does transmit a lot of downforce at higher speeds. The day actually started with a disappointment -- on the way up, I noticed the rear wing swaying back and forth. The 1/4" thick diagonal brace had suffered metal fatigue from vibration under compression/tension and finally sheared. On the way in to the track, I found a Home Depot and was able to re-rig the support. The wing (which I made out of aluminum and structural adhesive) had to be static tested with 350# of sand bags when I finished it -- and is likely generating about 50# more than that when it's in use at 120+ mph.

 

[787B]

Very hot lap, Jack. I'm totally jealous. Looks like open passing rules too, which makes it even more fun. I know I see a harness, do I also see a head and neck restraint? (Say yes!)

 

[Jack Olsen]

Yes, this was a run group with open passing. And yes, I wear an Isaac neck restraint.

I learned my lesson about head restraint/cage/fire system after this bad moment at Laguna Seca in 2002.

 

[JSBriggs]

Congrats on beating your record!

-Jeff

 

[markviii]

Great video Jack! I'll copy this to Tom so he can relive his laps around Willow Springs last spring in the vintage Formula car. That's quite a race complex there at Willow Springs. I'm glad you're back in your game.

Chris

 

[muibubbles]

cool video, you drive like a mad man! i like the commentary

 

[Brian R]

Nothing better than seeing a 911 used in anger! Well done. What gets me is that you look so casual driving it.
Thanks for posting.

 

[Nighttrain]

An old guy in an old Porsche 911 just shaking the doors off those other cars. Did I see a S2000 in there? Kinda ashame to see you zip by that. I have been looking at one of those. Congrats on your personal best lap. Turn 4 also got me holding onto my mouse with white knuckles there for a second.

 

[ChristopherLutz]

That's a lot of fun - thanks for sharing the link.

What's next for the car? I'm guessing your time is already very fast within class - it's got to be cool to pass on entry to T2. That may have been my favorite spot in the video....the text "I need more power on the straights" followed by a decisive pass entering T2.

Fun stuff - thanks for sharing.

 

[28HopUp]

I'm gettin' old, but I'm not done.

Nice Jack! I will be using that reference the next time our teenager says I'm past my prime.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I've ridden in Jack's car one time and he gets real light at the top of T6. I don't think he sees air, but he can't doing anything with the car until it settles. So, he turns the wheel into 6 coming out of 5, then turns it straight while the car goes over the hill and moves sideways a bit.

Thanks, Zeke. There are sections of the terribly-paved 405 where I get air on the way up, but on 6 I think I only get lighter, not airborn. For those not familiar with WSIR, here's what the crest is like. Look at my front end coming up.

Exiting turn 4 also unloads the inside wheels:

Great video Jack! I'll copy this to Tom so he can relive his laps around Willow Springs last spring in the vintage Formula car. That's quite a race complex there at Willow Springs. I'm glad you're back in your game.

Thanks, Chris. I hope you two can make it out here again. I like the Willow Springs facility, partly because it hasn't been turned into a condo-stuffed gated rich-guy-with-a-Ferrari theme park. But at the same time I hope someone will buy it from the original owner's kids at some point in the future and put a little bit of money into the infrastructure.

In addition to being close to my home and super fast, WSIR is also the country's first purpose-built road-racing course (at least, that's their claim). I'd hate to see it fade away.

An old guy in an old Porsche 911 just shaking the doors off those other cars. Did I see a S2000 in there? Kinda ashame to see you zip by that. I have been looking at one of those. Congrats on your personal best lap. Turn 4 also got me holding onto my mouse with white knuckles there for a second.

The driver of the S2000 is a guy named Richard and he's a very quick driver. They S200s are fast track cars. But my 911 has had a fair amount of work done on the suspension -- which makes a battle with a stock S2000 a not-very-fair fight.

What's next for the car? I'm guessing your time is already very fast within class - it's got to be cool to pass on entry to T2. That may have been my favorite spot in the video....the text "I need more power on the straights" followed by a decisive pass entering T2.

I think the car has 1:27's in it. The next big step is to get it out for a testing day with the guy who masterminded the whole car. If I can get him in the driver's seat, and also get some repeated tire-temperature readings and other data, we can adjust spring rates, shock settings, swaybar settings and tire pressures to squeeze the most possible time out of it.

After that, the next investment would be some high-end rear shocks. It has custom-valved Bilsteins in it now, but they're not as good as the adjustable JRZs in front -- and on a 911, the rear shocks, springs and swaybar are much more important than the front. But a pair of good Öhlins would cost me $1500-$2500 easy. And my frugal pocketbook bristles at that kind of expense.

 

[Zeke]

Well, you know how it goes...how fa$t do you want to go?

 

[smschriefer]

Jack, all I can say is, "damn!"

I noticed in your example pics for the turns, you aren't running headlights while in your video, you have headlights. Is that for DOT compliance when you drive to the track? When the lights are out do you redirect air to the brakes? Inquiring minds want to know. I realize they are different times as the windshield has a different banner and your wing struts are different as well. Awesome, simply awesome.