Garage / workshop

[Richardhealey]

Evening all,

Planning a new Garage / workshop for my restoration once the body is back from the painters.

I’m thinking that 24’ X 12’ garage/workshop should be an adequate size to work on the car, with good benches at one end and plenty of room for shelving, to store parts, tools and equipment such as my compressor and sand blaster etc. I realise that blasting in the same shed isn’t ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers and I will rig up some outside exhaust from the dust extractor.
The floor will be concrete, with one course of bricks around the base to keep the shed off the ground.
I’m minded to fit a mech-mate pit as the roof will not be high enough for a post lift and I had a pit with my last restoration, which I got on well with and found very useful.
I’ll run power and water down from the house, which is about 50’ away.
I’ll install multiple double plug sockets along the back and sides and good LED strip lighting too.
I also need to be mindful of SWMBO, who isn’t keen on the entire back garden being devoted my hobby!

So, would welcome some thoughts if what I am thinking would be a suitable size.

Any other thoughts to consider too would be most welcome.

Cheers,
Rich

[mgcjag]

Hi Rich.....the bigger the better....have a look at scissor lifts..a friend has one of these.. lifts car up high enough to drop engine out the bottom or drop irs...grit blaster ok inside if you have a cabinet otherwise dont even consider it..you will get dust everywhere.....https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/pr ... ssor-lift/

[Richardhealey]

Hi Steve,
Always prompt with the advice, thanks

Bigger the better - of course...just the balance between big enough and not turning the back garden into an industrial unit!

I’ve seen thes scissor lifts recommended before and I am tempted, but...I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to thoughts of being crushed by any type of lift failing...
Thought I am sure they have suitable locking mechanisms and other very happy users...
And If I am pouring a new concrete floor anyway...and the digger is in the garden anyway...etc

So, back to the main theme - big enough do we think?

Cheers,
Rich

[Turnip]

They're never big enough, but you know that already.
I had a garage built for my finished car. It's approx. 19' x 10', which is just about big enough to do minor jobs. Only one door fully opens in that width. The shelving and tool cabinet at the end are 1' deep and that's about the maximum that's practical.
I suppose how you arrange thing depends on how many big bits you have to store around the place.

Re the blaster, could you arrange it so that you could take it outside when you're using it? I know that has its disadvantages, but the dust does get everywhere otherwise.

Simon

[mgcjag]

Hi Rich...have a good think about light......i had a single width timber shed 20x10....then extended sideways so now 20x20 i have car on one side and use other side as storage/workshop......got some 2nd hand large windows to fit in the sides......in the roof iv fitted opening roof lights (windows)...........up and over doors are easy to use and quite cheap second hand....but i found a roller style door very good as they just roll up into a box over the opening...Steve

[Richardhealey]

Hi Gents,
Thanks for the input and yes Simon, the blaster is in a cabinet and I have previously fitted an dust extractor, which I think I could rig up to blow the exhaust out of the building with some pipework too. I know just how pervasive dust is and I don’t want it getting onto any shiny new paint either!
I thought about putting the blast cabinet on a trolley, so I could take it outside... then I remembered what the weather is usually like and the time of day I am usually in a garage (after dark!).
I will have some windows fitted and I have seen some really bright LED strip lights on the market - which really make the old florenscent tubes seem quite pathetic in comparison...

Sounds like 24’ X 12’ is just about practical then...

Cheers,
Rich

[Turnip]

Sounds like 24’ X 12’ is just about practical then...

Yes, just about. Length-wise you'll be fine. The width is probably the minimum comfortable size for working on both sides of the car.
I had the same problem with the garage/garden ratio conundrum.

Simon

[politeperson]

If you are going to go to the trouble to erect a workshop you really want a 2 post lift. Make sure your clear ceiling height is enough!

I have access to a scissor lift, a 2 post and a 4 post lift and have been using them for the last 30 years.

4 posts are good for structural welding work when you want to replace sills and floors when the weight of the car needs to be on the wheels. Not much use for an e type these days as the wheel track is so narrow and the ramp takes up loads of space in a small workshop. Most are 3 phase.

2 posts have become very well priced these days and many run single phase now, so are suitable for domestic use.

With a scissor lift, it is difficult to lift a low narrow car. Also the platform obstructs the underside of the car making if difficult to remove the exhaust. It is also tricky to turn the front wheels when the car is off the ground as the inside of the tyre hits the platform. The lift can actually damage the front suspension, as it rises-very close to the inside of the tyres and the wishbones, so be careful.

You cannot do a clutch with a scissor lift and brake and fuel pipes are also tricky. You can just take the engine out using a scissor lift but you will find the lift structural cross member will foul the gear box when you drop it to the ground on an e type. Also the whole lift platform arcs backwards and forward as it rises and falls, so it can the tricky aligning things. You get none of these problems with a 2 post lift.

It is also advantageous to be able to walk underneath the length of a raised car for inspection purposes. Easy with a 2 post lift, impossible with a scissor lift. The lift height on many of these is 1.6m.

A two post is easy to use, they are fool proof as well and many difficult jobs become much easier with a clear underside. It is easy to position the arms in the exact correct lifting location as they are independently telescopic and they grab the car very low down.

Engine work, and oil changes are so much easier. Easy to drop the IRS with a 2 post lift and a trolley too.

I would look at one of these for domestic use or something similar.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Strongman-3- ... 0675.m4236

[Series1 Stu]

You've got me thinking now, Richard.

Expanding sides on your garage........

Fold them out when more space required for working. Fold them back to give the family the garden space back.

The design is developing in my mind as I type. That's the problem with spending too many nights alone in hotel rooms.

Regards

[Turnip]

the blaster is in a cabinet and I have previously fitted an dust extractor

Without wishing to hijack this thread, what sort of dust extractor have you rigged up? Does it include a cyclone filter? If so, how well does it work?
Looking at various blaster cabinet "upgrade" videos on YouTube, this might be my mistake.

Simon

[kingzetts]

I have a large-ish homemade blast cabinet, I used the cyclone unit from a Dyson upright (dirt cheap- forgive the pun-on eBay), connected to the cabinet with some 40mm water pipe and Tiger Seal. I use a workshop vacuum (Henry hoover wet’n’dry type) which sucks off the outlet of the Dyson cyclone.

No dust gets past the Henry. The Dyson unit fills up fairly quickly with dust, the Henry bag fills up a lot more slowly. I did once think that maybe a lot of the “dust” in the Dyson might be reusable grit and dumped a load back into the cabinet. Big mistake - it really was just dust.

The most dusty part of the whole setup is opening the cabinet side door, especially if you open it before the dust in the cab8net has settled.

[johnetype]

Whilst I agree with James that some sort of lift is the way to go, I offer some counter points to consider against using a 2 post lift.

I will not contemplate using a 2 post lift on an E type as the IRS is only held on by the glue of your rubber V blocks - videos on YouTube in you want to see what happens

You can buy secondhand 4 post lifts very cheaply. They will be 3 phase but you can buy a single phase replacement motor that will just bolt into place for around £150. Jacking beams on your 4 post let you elevate the car to get access 2 post style when you need it and when it comes to IRS changes you can still use a 4 post, you just have to hang the rear of the car out over one end.

Yes, a 4 post takes up space but you can always store another car underneath it as I do.

[Richardhealey]

Hi gents,
Many thanks for all the really helpful replies!

This is extractor I am using :



It doesn’t really release much noticeable dust, but I thought I could rig up an exhaust tube to the outside world... just to try and make sure I keep everything as clean as possible.
Oh, and whilst I am at it - this extractor did require cutting a faily big hole in the side of my cabinet and it is a bit cheaply made. The first motor conked out within the first weeks of using it, but the eBay vendor did send me a free replacement.

I still have the scissor/ post lift dilemma!
And I know I am in the slight minority, but I do like the access a pit gives...these mechmate ones look very good and are water tight, not that I have a high water table.

The really important question is what height of building do you need to really make use of a post lift, without squishing the car on the ceiling
I’planning to put the building on one course of bricks, but I guess I could go for more...

I am still trying to go for the descrete shed look and for ease and cost I am going for a prefab ( got a freshly painted shell arriving within a couple of months and I don’t have the time or necessary carpentry skills to make one entirely on my own...)
Though I will add supplimentary insulation and definitely have my dehumidifier in there...
But of course Stu, any scale plans you might be dreaming up would be interesting!

Cheers all!
Rich

[MarkRado]

I ve been using a two post lift for more than 25 years and now can hardly imagine working without one. I have to live with the height restriction meaning I cant use to the full, but it is still a big help.I dont know of a professional working mechanic who does not have at least one.

[mgcjag]

Hi Rich.....befor i got my 4 post i looked a 2 post.....hight was the problem......this is a good solution....the posts are 2m high and the max lift is 1.5m ...actually went to see one that one of the forum members has very good piece of kit.......easiest way to work under the car is to sit on a wheely chair....Steve
http://www.cjautosheywood.co.uk/2post.shtml
PS yes when lifted the IRS does just hang by the bond of the mounts but for extra safety just use a support

[Richardhealey]

Hi Mark,
And what is that height restriction, if you don’t mind me asking?
Thanks,
Rich

[kingzetts]

I have a 2-post lift (one of the low post types from CJ Autos) in a garage with a flat ceiling no more than 8’ high (I can just about reach the ceiling if I stand on tiptoe). This does mean I cannot ever get a car high enough to walk under - a crabby crouch is as good as it gets. However I cannot now imagine being without it. Enough height to drop engine or transmission or IRS out onto a trolley or dolly, and for most jobs on suspension or brakes you’d never use full height anyway.

A pit underneath the 2-post would in some ways be ideal as I could then stand fully upright for such jobs as would benefit from that posture.

A 4-post was impossible as I have up-and-over doors which would not clear the posts of a 4-post when opened. I would have bought the 2-post anyway as I prefer the much better access it offers.

As Steve suggests, I use a transmission jack under the IRS when appropriate to avoid strain on the mounts.

[Barry]

Food for thought gentlemen. My garage is now ready for a two post lift to enable me to accommodate another classic underneath the E-type. The only way I am going to get more than one car in the space available. A pitch roof, but designed with a flitch beam, so the garage does not have any trusses to support the roof. Timber framed with ply lining and bags of insulation also makes it condensation free with a dehumidifier running only in extreme circumstances. I am an architect as my day job! Any free advise, message me.....

[kingzetts]

Barry,
Despite my enthusiasm for 2-post vs 4-post lifts, I don’t think I would leave my e-type on one with another car beneath. Firstly, it leaks enough oil to need something to prevent the lower car getting badly spotted, and second while with new v-mounts the risk of failure is low, I wouldn’t leave the IRS hanging unsupported for long periods and I don’t see an easy way the IRS could be supported with another car underneath.

[mgcjag]

Hi Barry....have you seen the extensions that you can get for 2 post lifts......lets you lift by the wheels and prevents suspension hanging.....ideal when storing another car underneath