The German barn

[Twentyfour]

Hello everyone,

this is my first post, so I better introduce myself a little bit.

I am in the middle of fullfilling myself my garage-dream and I was searching for a forum to show off and chat about this project. I like being amongst fellow people, who share the same interest, may show new ways, have experience, give tips or just aknowledge what I'm doing.
So I ended up here. In the Garage Journal.

Thanks for having me.


Im am 41 years young. German mechanical engineer (Diplom Ingenieur (FH)), working for a major OEM in the HVAC and powertrain cooling team. Where I am responsible for tuning the FATC logics and finding out cooling issues when trailer towing uphill fully loaded, instrumentation of the prototype test vehicles and driving all over Europe during various field trips.
Around 100 days a year, I'm on the road.

Well, I am pretty much the car guy.
"Auto" , German for "car" was the first word I spoke as a baby.
Cars are in my thinking all the time. Besides my son. And girls.
I was born and grew up in Rüsselsheim. This is, where the German OEM Opel is located at. Opel is a General Motors brand since 1928. The founder Adam Opel started his business as a manufacturer for sewing machines here in Rüsselsheim in the late 19th century. So Opel is a big brand. VERY traditional.
If someone around here says "car", he actually means "Opel".
Opel is omnispresent here, so naturally, I am an Opel enthusiast. But I like only rear wheel driven cars, whicj Opel ended to build 10 years ago. So my focus is on the cars that dominated the streets in the 70s and 80s, means good old rear wheel drive Opel muscle.
At this point it may make sense to mention: Front wheel drive is for girls. I will never drive a FWD car. It's just a waste of lifetime.

When I was about 14, I read the novel "Christine" from Steven King. From that day on, I was hooked on American V8. And I mean HOOKED!
In my opinion, the sound of a V8 is the best noise on this planet. period.

I do not own a V8, never did. When I was younger, my parents intevened, considering me crazy and insane wanting to drive a gas guzzler like that.
(fuel prices in Germany are WAY higher than in the US)
So I ended up with cheaper old Opels. Also nice, but not really my dream.
In my teenage years, I was very much into shoebox Chevys. I wanted a 57 hardtop coupe.....and you know what? Back then, They have been affordable!!
In my late teens, my focus changed to Muscle Cars.
A 70 Challenger was the goal from then on. nd guess what...back in 1989...THOSe have REALLY been affordable!!
Well.....I could never make it to own one of my dream cars. Meanwhile, I would opt for an early second Gen Camaro.

But.....what I did now was buying a house. With a barn.
And my days working on my cars in free air will be over May 1st.
That's my moving day......at least the start of the moving. I have to move tons of ****. Car parts.

My cars are:
- 1991 BMW E34 535i - just finished this one LAST WEEK after two years of making it fit for the duty as my new daily driver
- 1990 BMW E34 520i 24V, my old daily driver. Best car I ever had. Just amazing. Fired up my love for the E34 which lead to the 535 (needed more power) / owned since 10/2010
- 1970 Opel Kadett B 2.2litre, Weber carbs, 5-speed, Watt linkage and so on / owned since 1995
- 1970 Opel Kadett B, plain body on a rotisserie / owned since 1995
- 1976 Opel Commodore B GS/E / owned since 2010
-1978 Opel Rekord E /owned since 2010

The plan is, to get rid of at least two cars (the Kadetts) and save money for the V8.
(Maybe I will drop a Chevy LS with T56 6-speed in the Commodore)


But...that's future talk


Here it will be about the garage/barn/shop

Here it is:

It's the classical German layout. Horseshoe-shape. Houese to the left. Barn in the back, 90° to the house and an additional building vice versa the house.

It's a lot to do.
The barn is 18 x 8 m. Consisting of 3 parts/rooms in the base floor. Garage (where the Saab is shown), room in the middle and big room, called "Tenne" with enough ceiling height for a lift.

First action will be building stairs in the barn to reach 1st floor conveniently and be able to carry parts and stuff up there without the danger of a ladder.
Second will be opening the wall between garage and middle room to have more room for the cars.

Like I said, May 1st I can move in. I will keep you posted.

 

[Twentyfour]

My recently finished 535i:

 

[JoniH]

Welcome!

Congratulations on your new house, that should keep you busy for a while..

Nice looking space, plenty of room to work on so most of that space will be more like cold storage and a smaller heated up part? I think it will look awesome with those big ceiling joists when you get it cleaned up.

Enough of those bmw:s, let's see the Opels! I've had a couple b mantas, a-model 2-door corsas, several sedan C kadetts, most of them with 1.2s and one caravan with 2.4l cih. I should not have sold that car, had it over 10 years.. and A, B and, drumroll.. C Vectras, currently a 3.2 GTS as a daily.

 

[8man]

Nice barn! Should provide lots of fun. Wilkommen!

 

[1/2 Cup]

Firstly hello and welcome aboard from Australia and congratulations on your new home Twentyfour

Looking forward to following your progress.

Regards

 

[M-technik-3]

Nice 535i now it's time to add a turbo to make getting about on the autobahn fun. It's too bad the roads are so congested these days. I used to live in Bitburg for awhile and now reside back in the states and miss it.

I don't miss the damp garages though. I had a big dehumidifier when I did have a garage to prevent my BMW from rust while I was on the road.

Nice taste in wheels I have those on my M3.

 

[Bib Overalls]

Garages are for autos (cars ). So if you are into garages you are most likely in to as well. The sum of that is just about everyone here is a big time car guy along with being a garage nut. We always want to know what is rolling into the garages. So a little car talk mixed in with the garage talk is always welcome.

I spent 5 1/2 years in Germany when I was in the Army. Bamberg 1961/62, Berlin 1963, Baumholder 1967/68, and Stuttgart 1972/73. Before you were born I think. When I was in Stuttgart I hooked up with some Germans who were into "tuning." I was surprised at how much "hot rodding" was being done quietly. Always trying to hide the improvements from the TUV. Has that changed? The Weber vergassers on your 1970 Opel Kadett B 2.2litre, 5-speed, and Watt linkage in no way look normal.

 

[Twentyfour]

Garages are for autos (cars ). So if you are into garages you are most likely in to as well. The sum of that is just about everyone here is a big time car guy along with being a garage nut. We always want to know what is rolling into the garages. So a little car talk mixed in with the garage talk is always welcome.

I spent 5 1/2 years in Germany when I was in the Army. Bamberg 1961/62, Berlin 1963, Baumholder 1967/68, and Stuttgart 1972/73. Before you were born I think. When I was in Stuttgart I hooked up with some Germans who were into "tuning." I was surprised at how much "hot rodding" was being done quietly. Always trying to hide the improvements from the TUV. Has that changed? The Weber vergassers on your 1970 Opel Kadett B 2.2litre, 5-speed, and Watt linkage in no way look normal.

Yes, that was before I was born. I'm from 1973 ;-)

And yes, the TÜV is still a pain in the behind. But if you work tidy, prepare your car well and obey some rules, many changes/updates/custom works are possible.

My '70 Kadett started as a 1.7 litre CIH-engine-model (VERY rare as 4-door notchback!! Mine is about the last one in Germany in this combination.)

I upgraded the engine, trans, brakes, suspension, wheels....but kept the dirty rotten look of it. I REALLY like that sleeper style. There's nothing better than to surprise others with POWER....not disappoint by not-keeping-powerwise-what-the-looks-suggest.
In my opinion, a car "looking" faster than it really is, is REALLY embarrassing.


Those pics are a few year old....the little rascal has suffered quite a bit since then. Right now, the engine is disassembled for oil-leakage-fixing.

But....this is about the garage ;-)

Since I will be moving in May 1st and the former owner is still living in it until then, I did not have the chance to really do ....something to it yet.

All the stuff you see on the pictures above and below, is stuff from the former owner and hopefully will be gone until May 1st.

However, last Saturday, I got the "go" from the former owner to come and do some first work.
So I brought the first trailer load of ...stuff...to my new home
That felt good!!

And I could start removing the dirt and hay out of the barn. I do not want it to spoil all my car parts. That dusty stuff has to go....and I mean COMPLETELY!!


FYI
Here's the rough plan what will happen to the garage in the next...well.....years?

1. Clean all dusty dirt out of the barn
2. Remove all old **** from the previous owner(s) out of the barn
3. Build stairs to reach the first floor of the barn in a very convenient way. I hate ladders....have heard about some really bad accidents with ladders involved. I want the maximum safety and convenience! So a broad and easy to climb stair will be built by myself. Have drawn the first sketches.
4. Install my shelves and put all my car parts, tools and stuff in a nice spot.
5. Put up the workbenches, sandblasting cabin, compressor and all. This maybe requieres some time where I will be shifting stuff around until I have found a layout I'm pleased with.
6. Install new electrics and lights
7. Install compressed air system
8. Buy and install a good lift (I assume, the floor in the main part of the barn will have to be replaced, since I do not believe, the concrete will be thick enough for the installation of the lift.)
9. Make the floor nice in some way. Haven't decided yet. Tiles or epoxy or paint....we'll see.
10. Make the walls nice.

My goal is to have one room for woodworking (since I do not want all the dust spreading on my cars and parts and so on), one room for metal work and sandblasting (since I believe producing sparks may not be the smartes thing in a wooden barn) and one small room for painting parts.
One storage area and one big area for working on a car on a lift.

...my plan is to be finished when I retire from work

I will do most of the work myself. I strongly believe in the healing and relaxing powers of craftmanship after a day at work in the office.
Some work, however, will be done by constructors I guess. Like breaking through the big wall in the barn to make the garage bigger.


OK. Pics.

First load EVER!! (Historical moment in my life )

Some impressions from last Saturday:

This will most likely become the wood-working room:

Hay-impressions:

The wooden floor in first floor apparently became weak, so the geniusses doubled it with various plancs and wood the seemed to happen to find laying around.
This floor has to go. I want straight and obstacle-free floors.


Cleaning has begun:

More impressions from the barn:

Tomorrow, I again have the chance to go there and continue hay-removal ;-)

 

[jb3]

Will be watching this with interest!

Beauitful old GIANT work space.

Being a mechanical engineering German i hope you understand that many of us foreigners are expecting to see some intense German engineering solutions in this barn. Like a staircase that converts to a slide with a push of a button, but also turns into an exercise machine.

 

[iceman510]

Greeting Matthias, and welcome. You have much work ahead of you, but the potential of these old spaces is unlimited.

Nice cars too. Look forward to more.

If the current owner will let you keep them, I envision those wooden benches making a nice seating/relaxing/drinking area in your new space.

 

[Danish-welder]

Welcome to GJ!

Very nice looking place you got there, and some brilliant cars
Buildings look in a fairly good condition, if you look away from the hay
This thread is gonna be interesting to follow

- Emil, Denmark (Nearly a neighbour )

 

[thammel]

Ach - Sie haben ein grosse bunch of work to do! Meine deutsch ist nicht sehr gut - es ist veirzig jarhe seit ich studiert! How terrible is that german? I had 3 years from 1966 to 1969. So what I was trying to say is that you have a lot of work to do on that garage set up but it will be nice when done. On cars, I have a 2007 335i which was the first time a 335 was marketed in the states. Your 535 looks to be a little older than a 2007, but looks great! Is it the twin turbo 300 hp engine? It is a fantastic engine!

Good luck!
Tom

 

[A35Plt]

WOW WOW WOW!!! That is incredible to find that much space and be able to transform it in that area!!! And a very nice gate for privacy too!!!
I just left that area, I lived in Wombach (Schlangenbad) from 2006-2013 and loved every minute of it. The only problem was that I could never find a place to have a garage where I could have a workshop!! I tried to get a place at Mainz-Finthen flugplatz but no one ever even returned my calls!!
If I had been able to find a shop I would have probably moved there for life...
Eike Pluger maintained my BMW's at his shop. My 1995 BMW 750i and Honda Prelude are still in Wiesbaden if you know of anyone who would like to make a few Euro selling them for me!!
I used to work at Wiesbaden Army Airfield...I'm an airplane mechanic. Also a 1973 edition...

 

[Cris B]

Great Space with heaps of potential. Good luck with the hay removal, we took 126 industrial bags full out of our former French property. It's a dirty horrible job, make sure you have a good face mask.

 

[Bib Overalls]

Does your farm stead have a "honey pot"? A large open concrete tank into which everything from man and beast along with the stable straw was placed. After sitting open to the rain for several months the "honey" was pumped into a tank on the "honey wagon" and sprayed onto the fields. The the remaining straw and biomass would be pitchforked out onto a trailer and taken to the fields. Even when all of this was plowed under the aroma of freshly distributed "honey" would linger in the air for days. Hopefully, your "honey pot," if you have one, has been retired. I don't think I could ever get over the aroma if I had to live near one.

 

[Twentyfour]

Ach - Sie haben ein grosse bunch of work to do! Meine deutsch ist nicht sehr gut - es ist veirzig jarhe seit ich studiert! How terrible is that german? I had 3 years from 1966 to 1969. So what I was trying to say is that you have a lot of work to do on that garage set up but it will be nice when done. On cars, I have a 2007 335i which was the first time a 335 was marketed in the states. Your 535 looks to be a little older than a 2007, but looks great! Is it the twin turbo 300 hp engine? It is a fantastic engine!

Good luck!
Tom

Hey Tom,
always interesting how many Americans have German language knowledge. And forgetting most after so many years without practice....who's to blame?

The 535 is an E34. Those were built between 1988 and 1995 (1996 for the touring). At that time, turbochargers were found only on Diesel engines in the BMW lineup. (2002 turbo and 745i in the gasoline past).
So no, my 535 has the old M30 engine. A construction which has it's origin in the 1960s. ;-)
Great engine though.

Being a mechanical engineering German i hope you understand that many of us foreigners are expecting to see some intense German engineering solutions in this barn. Like a staircase that converts to a slide with a push of a button, but also turns into an exercise machine.

Well, thanks, but not all of us are geniuses.
I'll be happy when my staircase provides convenient change in person altitude. ;-)

I tried to get a place at Mainz-Finthen flugplatz but no one ever even returned my calls!!
If I had been able to find a shop I would have probably moved there for life...
Eike Pluger maintained my BMW's at his shop. My 1995 BMW 750i and Honda Prelude are still in Wiesbaden if you know of anyone who would like to make a few Euro selling them for me!!

Mainz-Finthen is REALLY close to my place. 20min drive. Cool.
Never heard of Eike Pluger.
You may contact me via PM concerning the sale of your vehicles. Maybe we can arrange something.

Great Space with heaps of potential. Good luck with the hay removal, we took 126 industrial bags full out of our former French property. It's a dirty horrible job, make sure you have a good face mask.

jep. There's NO WAY I can even take a single breath during removal of that hay without a dust mask! I am extremely sensitive for dust. Plus I have strong allergics and a tendency to asthma. So, yes. I am wearing a mask
But that makes it even more important to remove all that ****. Later, of course I want to be able to work in there without a mask.

Does your farm stead have a "honey pot"? A large open concrete tank into which everything from man and beast along with the stable straw was placed. After sitting open to the rain for several months the "honey" was pumped into a tank on the "honey wagon" and sprayed onto the fields. The the remaining straw and biomass would be pitchforked out onto a trailer and taken to the fields. Even when all of this was plowed under the aroma of freshly distributed "honey" would linger in the air for days. Hopefully, your "honey pot," if you have one, has been retired. I don't think I could ever get over the aroma if I had to live near one.

No. Thank god there's no "honey pot"! That farm had animals in the past, yes. Cows, pigs and chicken. But the main business was wine.
The whole area where I move to, is the most famous wine area in Germany. White wine.
The village has 950 inhabitants....but 38 wine-growing farms. Still. Today.
So it's all about wine. Not so much about honey ;-)





Saturday I managed to remove a good deal of hay together with my son.
Now I have to wait two weeks until I can go back there. The previous owner is moving out the next weekend and we will have official hand-over of keys May 1st.
May 1st to My 4th will be the big moving event....

 

[madoc1]

beautiful space. looking forward to seeing your improvements.

jim

 

[Mudnut]

Great Barn,
Love a good project, and I am impressed with your car collection.

My very first car was a 1966 Opel Kadet. It was painted blue (with a brush), and in pretty rough shape, but it got me around, and was lots of fun. This was when I was in the military, and in the land of large cars, and V8's.

Have had 2 x 318i's, a fantastic 528i, all mechanically very good, it was the body that let them down, with rust in the panels and frame. Traded the 528i in on an X5, which SHMBO loves. I am currently in my "English" car phase, with a Land Rover Defender, and (BMW) JCW MINI, along with the X5

Looking forward to your progress, and will post my Garage build once it commences.

Cheers,

Ken from Australia

 

[sean Buick 76]

Very cool cars and nice project with the barn! Keep us posted with both car and barn pics as you go!