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

Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
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engineer2

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Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
11,801
Location
Chicago burbs
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

OK for tire changes, but I don't think I'd be pushing on the car with any force.
 

Garett

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Joined
Nov 30, 2013
Messages
519
Location
BC Canada
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

I'm sure it's solid, or you would not have attempted. But even on the best lift, using wood blocks is a no-no. Can you build a top cover for your lift with swing out arms? Kind of exactly what a single post in ground lift has. Bolt that to the top of what you have there. I can see you having to drive on planks to get on top of such contraption and I can see it weighing over 300 lbs, but you don't want to take any chances.
 

APEowner

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Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
4,164
Location
Sunny, New Mexico
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

Hey Jack. How do you have the wood parts configured? I can't quite figure it out from the pics.

ddawg. I can see the pics in both the original post and your quote of the original post
 

tatra

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Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Messages
4,785
Location
pirate contest city
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

That looks sketchy . Are the beams running diagnolly full length and secured to the lift table ? And what kind of wood are they ? I’ve seen how your Porsche seems good on here but this , just be careful .
 

MrGiggles

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Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
2,524
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

For your sake I hope you're an engineer..
 

bwringer

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Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Messages
10,281
Location
Indianapolis
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

When I saw the subject line, I thought "that's what SHE said..."

I have the brain of a 12 year old sometimes.
 

jb3

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Joined
May 2, 2014
Messages
14,928
Location
Rhode Island, USA
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

That looks sketchy . Are the beams running diagnolly full length and secured to the lift table ? And what kind of wood are they ? I’ve seen how your Porsche seems good on here but this , just be careful .

this.

that picture reminds me of an incident watching a civic slide off a center post lift onto its nose
 
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Jack Olsen

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Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
6,678
Location
Los Angeles
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

Yeah, to be clear: I have no plans to work on this car on this lift. I wouldn't recommend this approach to anyone else. The lift is set up for the 911, and that's the car I work on with it.

It has worked fine for smaller cars like the Miata and even my old BMW -- but the overhang of the jacking points makes my big X-brace a sketchy proposition with this size of car. I've thought about making the arms out of steel, and even have the materials on hand. But we'll see. I haven't had any meaningful need for that yet.a

If the wood failed, I don't think there would be a life-threatening situation. The car might get damaged on its underside, but the platform itself is large enough that I don't think the car would slide anywhere. It would just put more of its weight on its underbelly. There's a pretty large center piece that distributes the weight and the stress on the wood. I'd show a picture of it, but -- again -- I'm not advocating for this use of the lift at all. In other words, DO NOT try this at home. :)
 

nbruno

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
213
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

Wow! I'm scared sitting here in my La-Z-Boy.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

Dan in Pasadena

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
13,135
Location
Pasadena, CA
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

Jack, I’m guessing you did the calc’s of the car weight versus the lift capacity 2 or 3 times. You probably called the timber strength on a beam table too. All that said, i’s suggest you fab up some metal beams too!

Garage looking fabulous as usual. Best, Dan
 

ex-x-fire

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Joined
Nov 10, 2012
Messages
3,751
Location
Sheboygan Falls Wi.
Re: If this thing falls off, I'm going to feel like such an idiot

Get some skateboard tape and cover all the surfaces.
 

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Jack Olsen

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Mar 22, 2009
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6,678
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Los Angeles
My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

"My car is on Top Gear this week." How often do you get to say that? :)

Well, if just under half a second of screen time counts, and if you consider that what you're seeing is just a tiny piece of my front horn grille, or turn signal, or thereabouts, on my front end. But it's right there, on the show. So I'll consider Black Beauty pretty freakin' famous now. ;)

Back story: the show contacted me and asked if I could shoot two complete laps of the track with a camera mounted on the left side of the car for one lap and on the right side of the car for another. The one important condition was that the footage couldn't show any of my 911 -- which I was ALMOST able to do. As it happened, you could just make out a little piece of the car in the lower corner.

Hey, I tried.

So... if you watch this week's episode of the show, and you happen to freeze the footage at the 20:17 mark, you'll get a half-second glimpse of a small piece of my 911. It's in the middle of a story about Sabine Schmitz teaching Rory Reid to get a Camaro ZL1 around the circuit in less than a minute forty. It's a fine segment, and I apologize for referring to Mr. Reid as 'some guy' in the video (I don't really watch the show). But there it is, a tiny slice of my old 911 on the BBC's venerable and well-loved car show.

They didn't pay me very much, but the fact that they only used 12 frames of my footage in the final cut means that the price-per-frame was pretty damned high.

Here's the video link.
 
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Arps

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Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Messages
5,739
Location
Indiana
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Thats pretty awesome, and so is Sabine!
 

ddawg16

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Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
21,005
Location
S. California
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Way cool.....

I'm still waiting for my 'ride-along'.....................
 

JMURiz

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Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,483
Location
NoVA
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Nice! I was wondering when they were at Big Willow how that ZL1 time would compare to your BB time. Never thought they'd have you film footage :thumbup:
 

Beags86

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Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
106
Location
northern IL
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Care to explain why they need a camera on a different car?
I never really gave any thought about TV shows and cameras, but why pay someone else to drive an different car for footage?

None the less. Pretty cool experience I bet. If nothing else you technically got paid to lap your car! Can't beat that!
 
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Jack Olsen

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Mar 22, 2009
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Los Angeles
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Thanks. I guess they shot the whole piece and realized once they were back in England that they didn't have any forward facing footage without their car in it. That probably wasn't seen as a mistake, per se, since I imagine they go into shooting these things with every shot planned and all the 'spontaneous' dialogue written out. But before they edited it, someone decided they needed some camera-car footage and they contacted me and asked if I would do some particular camera mounts. The trick (for me) was that it had to be on an open track -- no other cars visible. So at my next track day I had to pay attention to staying just far enough ahead of the rest of the run group to make it appear as though the track was empty.

They contacted me a second time during the editing process because they wanted some additional shots -- but then almost immediately canceled that request since they had an edit they were happy with.

I look at it and think they could have easily done it without my 12 frames (one second of footage has 24 or 30 frames to it), but it's nice to see it used -- and kind of funny to think my tiny piece of 'camera car footage' has been seen by millions of viewers.
 

Craig Balzer

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Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Messages
863
Location
Colorado Springs
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Jack - which track is this and what is so magical about lapping it in 1:40?

Ohh -- and have you bested 1:40 in your Porsche?

Craig
 

jayz66ragtop

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Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Messages
1,530
Location
SoCal
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Jack - which track is this and what is so magical about lapping it in 1:40?

Ohh -- and have you bested 1:40 in your Porsche?

Craig

Big track at Willow Springs 2.5 miles, 1:40 is moving pretty good for a stock street car on that track especially if it's a cold/windy day. Typical somewhat track prepped road car is usually in the 1:30-1:40 range IIRC but on a cold/windy day add at least a few seconds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Springs_International_Motorsports_Park
 
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Krash Kadillak

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Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
4,222
Location
Springfield, Oregon
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Did they mention it had to be a clear, sunny day - to match their footage? (Not all that difficult a requirement out at Willow Springs. A 30 degree day looks on camera the same as a 100 degree day....)
 

ddawg16

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Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
21,005
Location
S. California
Re: My car is on Top Gear this week (kind of)

Big track at Willow Springs 2.5 miles, 1:40 is moving pretty good for a stock street car on that track especially if it's a cold/windy day. Typical somewhat track prepped road car is usually in the 1:30-1:40 range IIRC but on a cold/windy day add at least a few seconds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Springs_International_Motorsports_Park

His car is NOT stock.....and my neighbor has seen him drive.....as well as another friend.....as one put it "He's fast".
 
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