Work garage vs Show garage?

[OHEKK]

There are some really awesome garages featured here.

But let's be honest, a true working garage is impossible to keep showroom clean!

Who does welding & grinding & bodywork and painting and still be able to keep their garage clean?

Let's face it, if all you're gonna do is bend a few wrenches or wax and polish your cars, keeping a garage spotless is easy.

Now if you're gonna build cars, well then let's call these a workshop! and don't be embarrassed if it's dirty , dusty or a bit cluttered.

IMHO

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

I classify my SHOP as a WORKING GARAGE. 25 x 32 Pioneer steel building. I also dont see the sense of building a garage you are afraid to work in for fear of: scratching the floor, geting it dirty etc. I classify those type of garage owners as the same type who write checks out to have someone else build their cars, AKA "the gold-chainers" or 95% of the GOOD-Guys events attendess

 

[DynoDave]

Having watched my neighbor build many a street rod from scratch in his shop, I can attest to the fact that there will be metal filings, cut metal scraps, metal dust from grinding, slag/sparks from welding, bondo dust from filling, and primer/paint/clear overspray everywhere! Not to mentions oils, greases, fuels, etc from engine/trans/axle. He sweeps up at the end of each day, and keeps it pretty neat, but he doesn't worry about it.

It will be interesting to see how mine ends up. I'm an organization FREAK, and like to keep things pretty neat/clean in the shop. I don't paint, but I do intend to cut and weld my own metal in patching floor and quarter panels. I might even apply that first rough coat of filler and spray primer to prevent rust. I'll do all my own mechanical work, except transmissions. And I might even take a swag at that. So it won't be like a living room, but it won't be like working outside at the local salvage yard, either.

Maybe someday, when my cars are all done, I'll go from nice working garage to show garage. And remember, nobody says you can't work in a show garage. Go visit a NASCAR shop sometime if you want to see impecibly clean/finished/organized AND productive.

 

[epperstang]

Last week I posted pictures of our garage which when the pictures were taken was pretty clean.
In the past I have been accused of having a cleaner garage than house.
However, in the past year it has become more and more a working garage. The past month my guys have been working on a 67 mustang POS. The hubby has been welding and son grinding. They used a wire wheel on the drill to strip the paint off the entire car. Many of the parts were blasted in our sand blaster.
The result: Fine gritty dust on everything in the garage, other cars, trophies, diecast collection, pictures on the walls etc. Fine dust everywhere. Also pulling engines with leaking antifreeze and ****** fluid and chunks of old grease, and other messy work has created gunk on the floors.

Am I mad. NO! The garage is their playground and I know they'll clean up when they are finished with the nasty parts of this car. Same goes for the fenders and leftover doors and windshields that litter my yard. Actually they are getting better about keeping spare parts contained in one area off the lawn.

I like the look of the spotless clean garages, but the reality of a working garage is gonna be a mess. I much prefer the results they create on their finished projects than worrying about dings in the gargage floor or dust on the picture frames.

Thanks for bringing this up.

J.

 

[ZRWON]

There are some really awesome garages featured here.
But let's be honest, a true working garage is impossible to keep showroom clean!
Let's face it, if all you're gonna do is bend a few wrenches or wax and polish your cars, keeping a garage spotless is easy. IMHO

Thanks for the reality check and causing me to think about my recently remodeled toy shop. You instantly brought back memories of another "Show piece" in my life i.e. Years ago I owned a '70 LT-1 Vette Roadster and raced it on weekends, drove it everyday to work, all over So Cal , etc. Then friends convinced me of how rare my LT-1 was and that "I should take better care of it". Steve LuVisi, Automotive Expertise, (OVERHAULIN) did his 1st frame-off restoration of it to NCRS specs and we got the coveted "Top Flight" award. From that day on the car was NO FUN! All it did was get polished and shown. Never again was it raced, etc. Because of your post I promise myself that my shop WILL be used for my wants; not just for show and tell. THANKS!

 

[Runum]

I knida agree about the show garages. In my case I have a 2 car garage that I am cleaning up but it is strictly used for car storage of daily drivers. Also I have a working shop and it would be hard to keep it clean. I still like seeing the fantastic garages in here though. I hope mine looks as good as some of these one day.

 

[Wile1Coyote]

No Reason you can't have both. Keep the two car garage attached nice and clean to show off the cars and have fun in. Build another garage out back to work on em and make a mess in. Thats my plan anyway. Now All I gotta do is find the money.

 

[OHEKK]

Dream garage

One place that inspired me to do my project was a friend of a friend who had a huge pole building.

He had it partitioned off into distinctly different areas:

STORE ROOM: Racks and shelving stocked with an assortment of labeled parts for his works in progress

DIRTY ROOM: This room was specifically designed and sealed off to do the dirty, messy tasks like welding, grinding, bodywork and disassembly... even had a sandblasting area that vented to the outside.

PAINT ROOM: Complete with small, medium and full size spray booth.

CLEAN ROOM: This is where he had his lift, work benches and tools and did most of the final assembly work. (NOTE: this room was spotless...you could eat off the floors!) Everything had a place and everything was in its place!

SHOW ROOM: This was where he kept his collection of completed cars... it's spotless and looked like a museum with the period correct displays.

OFFICE/LOUNGE: What place is not complete without a place for the guys to hang out? Sofas, chairs, Big screen TV stereo, magazine racks and a well stocked fridge!

Now what I found incredible was that he was just a regular guy. He loved cars!

Get this... on every Thursday after work, he opened his entire shop up for his freinds to use! You could use all his tools and equipment with the only requirement is you clean up after yourself.

I went there one Thursday and every "Room" was being used.

Anyway...what a neat concept! Wouldn't it be neat to get a bunch of guys together and pool their resources, ie tools equipment and talents and form a car guys Co-op?

Think it would work?

 

[Wile1Coyote]

I have been toying with the co-op concept for a long time. I'd love to get a place where I couls store cars and work on them too and hang with my buddies. I fear the insurance though. It has to be outrageous for something like that with the lifts and media blasters welders etc. Anyone here work in insurance?

 

[byrdman]

You'll have your buddies signing disclaimers before you know it...

 

[sca037]

Sounds a lot like the Ypsilanti CarBarn at 884 Railroad Street.
It's a former industrial building that has individual storage / work spaces and common "schedulable" intensive work areas including a lift & such. There's a waiting list to get in (someone pretty much has to die to free up a space ) and you pay a fee every month.......it's the co-op concept alive & well and living in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Neat Place,
Brian

 

[ZRWON]

Similar Wile 1's post "the co-op concept for a long time" in the early seventies there was a fully stocked 3 bay garage that rented their resources by the hour. No overnighters but you could come back the next day (trailered car if needed) and finish. It was a Franchise and similar in management/operations to the facilities currently available to service personel on many military bases. I used this facility many times and thought it a great idea. Guess the Franchise didn't catch on???

 

[erok01]

I'll play devil's advocate here

Why don't you just clean up after yourself. I have seen mechanics shops that were very tidy and didn't have dirt or **** all over the place. How in the world do they do that, considering they are working on far more cars than any of us will work on in our garages?

I think this ol saying holds true "cleanliness is next to godliness"

 

[wythors]

Why don't you just clean up after yourself. I have seen mechanics shops that were very tidy and didn't have dirt or **** all over the place. How in the world do they do that, considering they are working on far more cars than any of us will work on in our garages?

My sentiments exactly. I've worked in the auto industry for years, including a stint at a Ferrari dealership. There you could eat off the floor most of the time and it was kept painted a light grey. Most general repair facilities and dealerships that I know make it a policy for the tech to clean his/her stall before they leave for the evening. My almost completed garage remodel will end up as what could be termed a "show garage" that I will use to display my automobilia as well as store my cars. Will I work in it? Hell yeah! Will I clean it when I'm done? Of course. Just because a person has a garage that is clean and pleasant to be in, don't assume that they're a poseur or someone that doesn't know their way around a car. In fact, as soon as my garage is done I'm going to be doing an intake swap on my Mustang and install a new set seats.

 

[OHEKK]

Let's be clear

I have an aquanitence who says he "builds cars" and is able to keep his garage showroom clean.

The fact is he sends his parts out to be stripped or sandblasted then plated or powdercoated.

He has a fab shop do all the metal work ie Fabricating, patching, welding & grinding.

Then a bodyshop does the bodywork (Bondo) sanding priming and paint.

His parts come back clean, shiney and bubble wrapped.

What he actually does is assemble parts and leaves the messy work for the true craftsmen.

Are you saying that a shop that can do all this can be showroom clean?

I gotta see that

 

[wythors]

I
Are you saying that a shop that can do all this can be showroom clean?

I gotta see that

Ok.

 

[OHEKK]

OK...Nice shop!

I agree that is clean and should be clean. But I would define this as a general automotive service garage: Take old parts off - put new (out of the box) parts on and maybe a few tuneups.

and that's my point.. I'm sure they don't do welding, grinding and and body work in there.

Maybe what you're describing is a "garage" or "service / assembly area"

I'm talking about a "Workshop" which is an entirely different animal.

Case in point..If you watch that "American Hotrod" program on TV, even Boyd Coddington has the "Bodyshop" a few buldings away from his assembly area.

Regardless, I'm getting some GREAT ideas here for my "garage" and I'm also getting some GREAT ideas for my "Workshop".

For me it's a win-win!

I understand that some guys have limited space / resources and have to build their cars in one space and therfore keeping their shop in showroom condition is a challenge.

 

[orphancars]

No Reason you can't have both. Keep the two car garage attached nice and clean to show off the cars and have fun in. Build another garage out back to work on em and make a mess in. Thats my plan anyway. Now All I gotta do is find the money.

Firstpost to the group!!! Glad I found this forum.......y'all feel like brothers


I'll be posting pics soon, but Wile1Coyote has it right! I have the 30 x 33 "clean shop" where the daily drivers, the completed car, spare parts, and tools live.

Out back is the "dirty shop". It's a 24 x 42 pole barn where the next project is currently disassembled and spread across the entire shop. It's also where the heavy tools live (bandsaw, drill press, welder, hoist, chassis table).

This way the clean shop stays clean, and the debris stays away from the house.

Keep in mind, the dirty shop usually gets cleaned up on a pretty frequent basis -- usually when I can't find a tool or a part of the car I'm working on

more later -- this group is great!!

-jeff d
Fort Worth, TX
198? Fiero GT/V8 (complete project)
1973 TVR 2500M (oh noooooo -- disassemble!)

 

[Runum]

Hey jeff d. Welcome to the forum. I agree, you can have both. BTW we're neighbors. I'm located in Joshua just south of Fote Wuth. Fiero V8? Man post some pics.

Greg

 

[Satatic]

I cant keep my garage clean, I sweep and sweep. Then if I go get a drink i have to sweep again. I open the door and there is slag all over the floor and I havent even been grinding.

 

[dodgecharger-fan]

Mine will be a working garage until the Charger gets done. Then, I'll spiffy it up into a show garage but with an eye towards durability - just in case.

I firmly believe that if I had started out with the garage that I envision having after this is all done, I would be much further along in my restoration project.
I'd have better storage. Better lighting. Shop tools would be set up.

I'm "this far" away from pushing everything out the door and setting up shop properly. ("this far" equates to a lottery win or similar winfall. )

 

[dodgecharger-fan]

Ypsilanti

Gesundheit!

 

[Piet]

As a former Mechanic (and yes we did welding and grinding) the last 1/2 hour of the day was spent cleaning up. (Sweeping and puting away tools). It was part of the job and I have never gotten out of the habit.

A clean shop is not nessasarily a non-working garage. I find I am happier to start working another day on my project when my shop is clean. I forget to clean every once-in-a-while (or emergency) but normally it's faily clean. That's what make me happy, if your shop has tools and parts all over... that's your choice. I know that sometimes it's easier to resume working on somthing when all the tools are right there.

I say "Whatever works for you."

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

there is a difference between a clean shop and a showcase shop.

a Clean organized shop is a requirement to work efficiently and SAFELY; however when your shop is a crystal palace where you are afraid to drop something on the floor or scratch the workbench surface: It ceases to be a shop and its a nice place to park your car.

 

[maa139]

I have a working shop. I'm redoing it, so things are a bit out of sorts at the moment, but everything will have it's place. INCLUDING all of the kid bikes and toys. Sometimes the floor needs to be swept if my boy has been out playing in the driveway and dust/dirt has blown in, but everthing is put away after every job. The walls need another coat of paint. The floor could use some help, but I don't care. I have a shop, not a showroom. I'd like to have a showroom, but my cars are both at least 5 years old, and they're both daily drivers, and neither are anything special.

Matt

 

[wythors]

there is a difference between a clean shop and a showcase shop.

a Clean organized shop is a requirement to work efficiently and SAFELY; however when your shop is a crystal palace where you are afraid to drop something on the floor or scratch the workbench surface: It ceases to be a shop and its a nice place to park your car.

Now you're pulling up year old posts to beat this dead horse? Good god man, give it a rest.

Time to add name number two to the ignore list.

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

Now you're pulling up year old posts to beat this dead horse? Good god man, give it a rest.

Time to add name number two to the ignore list.

go dust yoiur models and windex your posters

 

[Steve_S]

There are exceptions to the rule and I may be one of them. Like some others here, I'm an organization freak and even a bit of a clean freak.

I like to call my garage a working and storage garage. I do all kinds of mechanical work but I don't own a welder and have no room to paint.

The garage gets pretty messy during a project but at the end of the day or job, whichever comes first, I clean up everything. All tools get cleaned and put away, floor swept and any grease or oil cleaned off the floor and workbench. I'll even clean behind cabinets and mop the floor if it needs it.

It does take time to keep things clean but it's entirely possible. And it keeps the wife really happy.

 

[BoostAddiction]

It is entirely possible to have a clean, great-looking garage and still do serious fabrication at the same time.

The people who leave their work area a mess are the same people who can't understand how anyone can have a clean garage and still do serious work, including welding and fabrication.

I just finished fabricating (including cutting, welding and grinding) a pretty big materials storage rack for the garage. While I was doing it, the garage looked pretty messy- grinding dust on the floor, material scraps laying on the welding table, etc. But then you clean it up, and the place looks as good as new.

Part of having a clean garage is the attention paid in the initial design to cleaning it. I thought a lot about how I would keep things clean and selected materials that would be able to be cleaned up easily, wouldn't stain, and looked and felt good. That, in part, is why my garage is easy to keep clean. For example, bare concrete floors are dust generators and you will be constantly chasing dust if you have them. Corian and stainless tops make cleanup really easy in those areas. And an unfinished mild steel top for the welding center (just out of view in the pic below) makes it easy to grind off rust or anything else you don't like.

I've posted more pics of my garage in another post, but here is an example- and my garage looks basically the same right now (except that the race car is in the trailer right now...)

The key to doing messy work is to clean up after yourself, and for really messy work (like bodywork abd painting) to be done in a closed-off portion of the room. A friend who has restoed a 63 Corvette in a small 2-car garage built a clear plastic screen around one bay when he painted or did bodywork. Kept the dust and overspray off the rest of the garage and because he used plastic on 5 sides, nothing got anywhewre it wasn't allowed to go. It was cheap enough that he could throw it away every couple of years or so when he wanted a nice clean one to use again.

There are some people on the list here whose garages will never get or stay clean- but that says everything about them, not about whether it is possible for others to have a clean garage where real fabrication and car work is done.

-Will

 

[Bermblaster]

Well put Will. It is obvious that having a clean and organized garage is not as important to other people as to some. I also maintain several cars and trucks in my garage. Not just oil changes. In my last garage very much the same as my new garage my 68 mustang, 70 chevy short step were brought from the dead. Since I have finished this garage I have done a fair amount of painting. It takes a few minuets to lay out platic and tarps for the over spray. All of my cabinets and doors have a polyurethane clear coat for easy clean up. This is where the guys hang out. Why not have a cool place at the same time. Berm

 

[KCHOTBOAT]

I use my garage to paint, powder coat and to rebuild my boat about three to four evening a week. For the most part it is always clean but by no means a show garage like some I have seen here. I spent aleast one night a week cleaning it and wash the floor once a month during normal use. While the oldest was working on his jeep in the garage with my tools it drove me nuts tools everywhere, paper towels all over. When I am done I try to spend a 1/2 hour or so cleaning up.

 

[Daryl]

When I built my house I thought a four car garage would be the answer to my prayers. I installed two lifts for extra parking and service work, and it's been great.....except I now have four hobby cars, my daily driver, my wife's Expedition, the lawn tractor and mower, 2 kayaks, etc. etc. Plus, my wife is in and out of the garage numerous times per day, so all kind of leaves, dust, etc. blows in each time the doors open. Then there is the grinding dust from bodywork, my wife's petunia dirt from her nursery trips....I can't keep the hobby cars clean.. even under covers. Plus, I have lots of posters, car books and car art that the little lady doesn't want cluttering up "her" house. After tiring of hearing me complain about the whole deal she finally suggested I build a detached garage that can be kept neat as a pin where I could have the hobby cars, the art, books, etc. So that's the plan. Service and restoration will happen in the "house" garage, and the "car barn" will be like a museum and library. Heck, with a decent refrigerator I may disappear out there for days.

 

[maa139]

When I built my house I thought a four car garage would be the answer to my prayers. I installed two lifts for extra parking and service work, and it's been great.....except I now have four hobby cars, my daily driver, my wife's Expedition, the lawn tractor and mower, 2 kayaks, etc. etc. Plus, my wife is in and out of the garage numerous times per day, so all kind of leaves, dust, etc. blows in each time the doors open. Then there is the grinding dust from bodywork, my wife's petunia dirt from her nursery trips....I can't keep the hobby cars clean.. even under covers. Plus, I have lots of posters, car books and car art that the little lady doesn't want cluttering up "her" house. After tiring of hearing me complain about the whole deal she finally suggested I build a detached garage that can be kept neat as a pin where I could have the hobby cars, the art, books, etc. So that's the plan. Service and restoration will happen in the "house" garage, and the "car barn" will be like a museum and library. Heck, with a decent refrigerator I may disappear out there for days.

Sounds like the best of both worlds....

 

[shopking68]

I like to keep my shop clean, but if I have to get it dirty to get something done thats ok too. I will just clean up my mess when I am done.

 

[Wardrum]

Daryl -

Could we trade wives long enough for your wife to suggest that I should build a detached garage for my toys? PLEASE???????????

 

[Grim Reaper]

I think you can have it both ways but it takes planning. I have come to realize where my fault was last go around and plan to change it.

Here is my realizations about a clean working shop.

The best thing you can do is make it easy to clean.

Whats on the floor is on wheels. That way to can roll clean under it and around it or roll it out on the drive and blow it off with the air hose.

Avoid open shelfs. If it has doors or a closed container it hides things that look cluttered AND more important when you are doing something messy like sanding, grind etc the door keep the dust out of the storage areas. Then again its a few minutes with the air hose and broom and its back to clean.


I give up on floors though. I keep them swept or blown out. Nothing I can do about the stains. I weld, body work, paint and build engines and transmissions. My floor is going to be stained.

Unfortunately I have WAY to many projects going at once. I have a 59 Airstream in a million pieces right now. Its amazing just how much stuff is in a 22ft camper. I'm prepping an engine to drop in my 70 Lemans in about a week, I got a motor at the machine shop for my DD 4Runner that as soon as the 70 can move on its own power the 4Runner get the shop for a motor swap. My shop is an absolute! mess. Till a couple get done cleaning is just rotating junk from one spot to another. the camper reassembled will be the biggest help. LOL.

 

[Defyant]

On topic response: I will set my garage up to be a little bit of both. Function meets show. I want the space to be like another room in the house, but one that you can use for more then just looking at the car(s).

Off topic response: This co-op idea reminds me of something. Back in the early '90's I was a young guy making good money. I lived at home and could afford the toys my friends could not. Being a friend I would make what I had available to the group. Some in the group became jealous and envious and allowed ego to come between us.

So approach this idea cautiously.

I still have the "If I have it and you need it, then you got it" attitude though

 

[maa139]

I still have the "If I have it and you need it, then you got it" attitude though

I get where you're coming from, but my attitude would be "If I have it and you need it, you can come over to my garage and use it under my supervision if you bring the refreshments!"

Matt

 

[REFLEXX]

Will nailed it.

I work in a machine shop and you can eat off the floor. We've got chips, dust , grinding residue daliy. But it all disappears every night. People who see this automatically know that it shows pride in your work and quality.

1/2 hr a day to clean and prep for the next day. I save HOURS not having to look for tools, parts or other things.

I walk into work in the morning thinking about what I have to do, not "what a damn mess"

My shop/garage will be exaclty the same.

 

[Defyant]

I get where you're coming from, but my attitude would be "If I have it and you need it, you can come over to my garage and use it under my supervision if you bring the refreshments!"

Matt

Good one man! I agree.