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The MPower Garage...

M

MPOWERD

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Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
578
Welcome to the MPOWERD Garage...

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I moved into a townhouse with an unpainted 2 car garage and storage area. Its an attached brick 2 door garage with separate door controls and metal doors...

First thing I did was to strip it down and refinish the walls and then paint it semigloss white to get as much light into the garage as possible. I then installed some Homedepot hanging fluorescent garage lighting to increase the lighting beyond what the small garage light in the ceiling could provide.

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In the bottom picture you can see the storage area to the left. Its rather large. I decided to turn this area into a small shop with 2 grinders, 2 rolling tool chests, a work bench, and 2 drill presses(1 a vintage Craftsman I am restoring), Sanding wheel, and a scroll saw...

There is a small window on the left front of the garage where the storage area is (you can see the sunlight on the garage floor from the window). This allowed me to install a stand along air conditioner (in the bottom photo) to keep the space cool in the summer. The garage sits below my master bedroom and is insulated. Also the walls between the units are also insulated so it keeps the cold out in the winter and should do a good job of keeping the cool in during the summer. I also insulated the interiors of the doors...

I also installed all my garage storage cabinets for my car parts for my BMW M3 and M5 as well as all my detailing gear and products. Also put my diecast 1/18 scale Kyosho diecast collection of BMWs in glass display cases above these cabinets. Installed much garage memorabilia as I could fit inside my modest budget.

I still need to decide on what type of flooring to put in as well as what additional lighting I will install in the shop area. The new garage lighting is good but throws shadows into the shop area and I want to solve this asap.

I will post more pics and details when I get a chance...
 
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M

MPOWERD

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Jun 7, 2011
Messages
578
Here are a few shots of how the garage looks right now... Still no floor in yet but the small shop area with work cabinets installed, tool boxes and work bench and tools... My garage PC, soldering station (next to PC but slightly buried! lol) and storage and my diecast BMW collection in glass cases. I insulated the garage doors and have some of the new lighting up. Still need to add more lights... Still a work in progress! (Sorry its a camera phone so quality isnt that great...)


From left to right around the garage...

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Some slightly better shots

Storage cabinets...
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Shop area...
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Left my ******* hat sitting on top of my Sears Craftsman Columbia (US Made) 502 bench vice from the 1950s...
 
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K

Koje

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Aug 18, 2015
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65
Location
UK
Looking good already. I am a BMW man myself too :thumbup:
What other plans do you have after lights and floor?
 
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Trptguy

Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
6
Love it!!! Just got a new house with garage for my 135i. Love seeing what other bimmerheads have done!!
 
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M

MPOWERD

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Jun 7, 2011
Messages
578
Koje said:
Looking good already. I am a BMW man myself too :thumbup:
What other plans do you have after lights and floor?
Click to expand...

I am going to get a lift, just not sure which one yet. Also have to start working on some of my garage projects. On the workbench is my 1970s SEARS Craftsman 1/2 HP grinder that I am rebuilding. It has some bearing issues. I also have a 1950s Craftsman table saw, jointer, and planer to refurbish. I also have the Craftsman workbenchs that go with them to clean up...

When late fall hits it will be time to do some work on the M3. Already installed an CSL carbon fiber intake plenum, but need to get the new ram air kit to shunt cold air from the brake cooling duct. I also did the VANOS, Euro Headers, Brembo BBK, and fixed the oil cooler flow issues. I have to hunt down an over heat issue in the new all aluminum radiator I installed. I added a full shroud to the electric fan kit but it isnt cooling well... Also need to replace all fluids and up the diff gears to 4.11's.

After that is completed it will be time to do some of the same on the M5. Need to install a new thermostat, headers, and Vanos high pressure lines also need to be replaced as do the rod bearings. I love M cars but they are a lot of work...
 
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M

MPOWERD

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Messages
578
Trptguy said:
Love it!!! Just got a new house with garage for my 135i. Love seeing what other bimmerheads have done!!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I love my bimmers! I want to get more M cars as well... e92 M3 and an e39 M5 in the long run... Want to have sets of both M3s and M5s from the last two eras of the high revving M cars...

:rocker:
 
C

CombatNinja

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Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
1,456
Off to a great start!

That little storage nook is fantastic and something you rarely see in a townhouse.

I see what you mean about the lighting though, looks like you need an upgrade.
 
T

Trptguy

Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
6
MPOWERD said:
Thanks! I love my bimmers! I want to get more M cars as well... e92 M3 and an e39 M5 in the long run... Want to have sets of both M3s and M5s from the last two eras of the high revving M cars...

:rocker:
Click to expand...

yeah, I am planning on an E46 M3 for sure. would like a 1M too
 
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M

MPOWERD

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Messages
578
Trptguy said:
yeah, I am planning on an E46 M3 for sure. would like a 1M too
Click to expand...

I have heard a lot of good things about the 1M... just can't get past the reversed name!

Would really like to pickup a real M1...!!
 
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M

MPOWERD

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Jun 7, 2011
Messages
578
CombatNinja said:
Off to a great start!

That little storage nook is fantastic and something you rarely see in a townhouse.

I see what you mean about the lighting though, looks like you need an upgrade.
Click to expand...

Yes the entire garage had 1 single single bulb outlet. I added 2 hanging Fluorescent fixtures and plugged them into the single bulb fixture via a new outlet with a 3 prong receptacle...

Have to add two more in the shop ceiling area on either side of the work bench...

Had two for the job that were in my X GF's garage that I had installed when we were engaged, but she moved and left them there instead of simply pulling them down off the ceiling hooks. Wasn't happy about that...
 
C

CombatNinja

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Aug 24, 2013
Messages
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Do yourself a favor a do the lighting once by doing it right. You will need to have an electrician put in some receptacles in the ceiling in the main garage and in the shop area. Honestly, a double garage with that extra shop is going to need 8 to 10 2-bulb fluorescent fixtures like you already have up. That will give you enough light to detail the cars and do general tasks. For really detailed work, you would need even more. And turn the lights 90 degrees while you're at it so they run in strips down the sides of the cars.
 
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M

MPOWERD

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
578
CombatNinja said:
Do yourself a favor a do the lighting once by doing it right. You will need to have an electrician put in some receptacles in the ceiling in the main garage and in the shop area. Honestly, a double garage with that extra shop is going to need 8 to 10 2-bulb fluorescent fixtures like you already have up. That will give you enough light to detail the cars and do general tasks. For really detailed work, you would need even more. And turn the lights 90 degrees while you're at it so they run in strips down the sides of the cars.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I cant do that... this is townhouse... I can make no structural changes and only very limited permanent electrical changes per the HOA. I have to live within the limits. They don't consider hanging lights as fixtures, but they do consider plugs as new fixtures and the electrical box is maxed out already...

I will have lots of light with the gloss white walls and ceilings once I add the additional hanging lights. I am going to swap the 2 bulb fixtures in the main section with 6 bulb fixtures and move the two bulb fixtures into the shop area. They will be plugged into existing outlets separate from the existing lights...

I also have a set of work lights on stands I use when working on the cars.

I plan to only be in this house a couple of years while I determine what direction to go on the next house...

This is the garage project I had been working on until the x and I split up...
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187804
 
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B

Burnt C6

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Joined
Jun 1, 2015
Messages
66
Location
Richmond Texas
I'm loving the Garage. I made a nice home for our Dinan 3 series last year and in the process of finishing up the single car for the wife now.



I found for the lights that buying the LED daylight 5000K bulbs makes one hell of a difference.
I put (2) 2 bulb fixture in this one. does quite well.



I'm planning on putting in 2 Big *** light one of the days but the at $399 apiece the wife just isn’t that enthused about it as I am.
 
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OP
M

MPOWERD

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Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
578
Burnt C6 said:
I'm loving the Garage. I made a nice home for our Dinan 3 series last year and in the process of finishing up the single car for the wife now.



I found for the lights that buying the LED daylight 5000K bulbs makes one hell of a difference.
I put (2) 2 bulb fixture in this one. does quite well.



I'm planning on putting in 2 Big *** light one of the days but the at $399 apiece the wife just isn’t that enthused about it as I am.
Click to expand...

I like the way you did the flooring... Might try something like that... Maybe in BMW Blue instead of red... :thumbup:
 
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