Can you beat me in the Grassroots Motorsports garage challenge lol?
02-13-2011, 06:41 PM
#1
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Can you beat me in the Grassroots Motorsports garage challenge lol?
Ok, so this is what I do on a slow Sunday night.
While cleaning up in the basement I ran across the June 2009 Grassroots Motorsports mag, which I had never actually read thanks to it ending up underneath an old couch. Since I’m a garage geek (though many of you have better garages than mine!) I loved the “25 secrets to creating the ultimate garage.”
So being bored, I thought of the challenge: Go directly out to my garage and see how many of the tips I had fulfilled without seeing the article previously. Yeah, some of them are no-brainers, but so what...
Here are my results. With pics because that’s what I do….but post up your results as well (with or without pics) if you’re uber-bored, lol. My pics taken tonight are next to the originals…
1. DUMPSTER DIVING – used kitchen cabinets. CHECK. Got mine from a buddy who ripped some of his out to build a new wall. Still waiting for him to replace the rest so I can have them too. Coat of matte black paint makes them look new again!
2. LIGHTING – a lot of it. CHECK. I’ve added several new lights this year.
3. CARPETING – use old stuff, it’s nicer than concrete. CHECK. I actually do. I always thought I was weird….
skip 4 because its boring
5. GET CONNECTED – computer and internet in the garage. CHECK. I use an old laptop, mounted on a swing-out base from an old-style 25” TV, lol
6. BUY IN BULK – buy tools in bulk. CHECK. No photo required. I usually buy a full set if I just need 2 sizes of something, unless it’s something super-expensive.
7. TABLE ON WHEELS – CHECK TIMES TWO. Not only did I, last month, make a rolling workbench that slides away under my main bench, BUT I also happen to have a GT6 transmission painted the same colors as the one in the GRM photo!
8. AIR VERSUS ELECTRICITY. Check? I don’t have room for air, but have some high-power electric tools that work great for my purposes
9. another no-brainer one.
10. PUMP YOU UP: use hand pumps. CHECK TIME TWO. I often use a hand pump on my cars AND I have a set of Rota SDRs just like the ones in the GRM original photo, lol
11. SIMPLY STORAGE. CHECK. I like my shed better than the GRM shed!
12. RIDE THE LIGHTNING. No check. I actually don’t like rechargeable lights. I like plug-in. And I like big Mag-lites, since they’re also handy when in need of a BFH.
15. RUBBER SOUL: Rubbermaid bins: CHECK. I used the really big ones.
16. PLASTIC PALS: use old bottles for scoops, funnels, etc. CHECK. I’m to cheap to buy lots of real funnels!
17. SHELVE IT: good, solid shelves from various sources. CHECK. Though most of mine I built myself out of leftover lumber and such..
18. TAKE GOOD NOTES: ok, I’m bad at this. No check.
20. BUILD A BENCH: CHECK. I have several. Here’s my new small side bench with shelf
21 through 25 here:
I fail on 21. Great idea and I’ll make sure to do it soon.
22: I have three of the power cord reels in the garage…love em.
23. I have an old crappy stereo wired to four old boombox speakers. With iPod connection. I have my music, and it sounds like 1985 AM radio usually!
24. ORGANIZATION…in the eye of the beholder.
25. BORROW DON’T BUY….I hate doing this actually. If I need a tool once, I’ll need it again someday. So I buy it, and then my lousy friends borrow it instead, lol.
So by my count I got 19 out of 25 How bout you?
While cleaning up in the basement I ran across the June 2009 Grassroots Motorsports mag, which I had never actually read thanks to it ending up underneath an old couch. Since I’m a garage geek (though many of you have better garages than mine!) I loved the “25 secrets to creating the ultimate garage.”
So being bored, I thought of the challenge: Go directly out to my garage and see how many of the tips I had fulfilled without seeing the article previously. Yeah, some of them are no-brainers, but so what...
Here are my results. With pics because that’s what I do….but post up your results as well (with or without pics) if you’re uber-bored, lol. My pics taken tonight are next to the originals…
1. DUMPSTER DIVING – used kitchen cabinets. CHECK. Got mine from a buddy who ripped some of his out to build a new wall. Still waiting for him to replace the rest so I can have them too. Coat of matte black paint makes them look new again!
2. LIGHTING – a lot of it. CHECK. I’ve added several new lights this year.
3. CARPETING – use old stuff, it’s nicer than concrete. CHECK. I actually do. I always thought I was weird….
skip 4 because its boring
5. GET CONNECTED – computer and internet in the garage. CHECK. I use an old laptop, mounted on a swing-out base from an old-style 25” TV, lol
6. BUY IN BULK – buy tools in bulk. CHECK. No photo required. I usually buy a full set if I just need 2 sizes of something, unless it’s something super-expensive.
7. TABLE ON WHEELS – CHECK TIMES TWO. Not only did I, last month, make a rolling workbench that slides away under my main bench, BUT I also happen to have a GT6 transmission painted the same colors as the one in the GRM photo!
8. AIR VERSUS ELECTRICITY. Check? I don’t have room for air, but have some high-power electric tools that work great for my purposes
9. another no-brainer one.
10. PUMP YOU UP: use hand pumps. CHECK TIME TWO. I often use a hand pump on my cars AND I have a set of Rota SDRs just like the ones in the GRM original photo, lol
11. SIMPLY STORAGE. CHECK. I like my shed better than the GRM shed!
12. RIDE THE LIGHTNING. No check. I actually don’t like rechargeable lights. I like plug-in. And I like big Mag-lites, since they’re also handy when in need of a BFH.
15. RUBBER SOUL: Rubbermaid bins: CHECK. I used the really big ones.
16. PLASTIC PALS: use old bottles for scoops, funnels, etc. CHECK. I’m to cheap to buy lots of real funnels!
17. SHELVE IT: good, solid shelves from various sources. CHECK. Though most of mine I built myself out of leftover lumber and such..
18. TAKE GOOD NOTES: ok, I’m bad at this. No check.
20. BUILD A BENCH: CHECK. I have several. Here’s my new small side bench with shelf
21 through 25 here:
I fail on 21. Great idea and I’ll make sure to do it soon.
22: I have three of the power cord reels in the garage…love em.
23. I have an old crappy stereo wired to four old boombox speakers. With iPod connection. I have my music, and it sounds like 1985 AM radio usually!
24. ORGANIZATION…in the eye of the beholder.
25. BORROW DON’T BUY….I hate doing this actually. If I need a tool once, I’ll need it again someday. So I buy it, and then my lousy friends borrow it instead, lol.
So by my count I got 19 out of 25 How bout you?
02-13-2011, 10:56 PM
#2
Too many to go take pics of 
I have air and electric tools. I don't have a favorite but sometimes I don't like dealing with the hose... even if there are 6 reels on the ceiling and outlets every 10-12' in the shop.
My tables are 1" slabs of steel, on steel stands, on casters. There are four of them ranging from 3x4' to 42"x10'. You could put a car on them with the two post, fork lift, tractor or excavator. It also makes it nice to setup jigs for metal working.
As for carpet, I have some 2x4' samples that I toss around at home. Any bigger and it becomes a pain. You do not want carpet if you are messing with coolant
Guilty of using the cabinets from my kitchen remodel in the garage.
I have funnels. They are cheap at harbor freight... hell I have a ton of funnels because for about 3 times I forgot I already bought some. "ohhh $1 for 4, $1 for a long one, those will be useful" get home, oops
. It worked out though because I have hoses taped onto some, so its nice not having to undo/redo that.
I have six 1000 watt sodium lamps in the ceiling along with a few thousand watts of florescent tubes, makes needing a flashlight a rare occasion. I have a bunch of maglites but have swapped them out with little CREE led flashlights, they use 3AAA batteries, are much smaller and brighter and just easier. I can't believe the day has come where I don't like my maglites anymore
I have a hand pump and I only use it on my mountain bike, why would I use it on car tires when my garage is plumbed for air?
I don't have power reels, I have 4 outlets every 6', each box has two 20 amp circuits so I never have to worry about blowing a breaker. I also have 220v outlets every 10' for use with welders and plasma cutters. I have extension cords wound up hanging below each outlet. Works well for me. I do have a water reel on the ceiling though, that is fun
I built a computer for the garage but I never use it. I have a laptop that I run my BMW diagnostic software on. I have a TV and stereo out there too, most of the time only the stereo is on.
I keep a spiral binder out there for marking clearances and such, I don't really make notes of things that I won't need to remember in the future. I'm very mechanical and don't need to label bolts/parts/etc.
I have a loft for storage. I keep my tires in the attic. I've been thinking about buying a shed like Irish to keep all my outside maintenance stuff in (lawn/garden/pressure washer/air compressor at home).
I think some of those are really obvious. They should mention a vice
I have air and electric tools. I don't have a favorite but sometimes I don't like dealing with the hose... even if there are 6 reels on the ceiling and outlets every 10-12' in the shop.
My tables are 1" slabs of steel, on steel stands, on casters. There are four of them ranging from 3x4' to 42"x10'. You could put a car on them with the two post, fork lift, tractor or excavator. It also makes it nice to setup jigs for metal working.
As for carpet, I have some 2x4' samples that I toss around at home. Any bigger and it becomes a pain. You do not want carpet if you are messing with coolant
Guilty of using the cabinets from my kitchen remodel in the garage.
I have funnels. They are cheap at harbor freight... hell I have a ton of funnels because for about 3 times I forgot I already bought some. "ohhh $1 for 4, $1 for a long one, those will be useful" get home, oops
. It worked out though because I have hoses taped onto some, so its nice not having to undo/redo that. I have six 1000 watt sodium lamps in the ceiling along with a few thousand watts of florescent tubes, makes needing a flashlight a rare occasion. I have a bunch of maglites but have swapped them out with little CREE led flashlights, they use 3AAA batteries, are much smaller and brighter and just easier. I can't believe the day has come where I don't like my maglites anymore
I have a hand pump and I only use it on my mountain bike, why would I use it on car tires when my garage is plumbed for air?
I don't have power reels, I have 4 outlets every 6', each box has two 20 amp circuits so I never have to worry about blowing a breaker. I also have 220v outlets every 10' for use with welders and plasma cutters. I have extension cords wound up hanging below each outlet. Works well for me. I do have a water reel on the ceiling though, that is fun
I built a computer for the garage but I never use it. I have a laptop that I run my BMW diagnostic software on. I have a TV and stereo out there too, most of the time only the stereo is on.
I keep a spiral binder out there for marking clearances and such, I don't really make notes of things that I won't need to remember in the future. I'm very mechanical and don't need to label bolts/parts/etc.
I have a loft for storage. I keep my tires in the attic. I've been thinking about buying a shed like Irish to keep all my outside maintenance stuff in (lawn/garden/pressure washer/air compressor at home).
I think some of those are really obvious. They should mention a vice
Last edited by MrGone; 02-13-2011 at 10:59 PM.
02-15-2011, 11:40 AM
#4
[QUOTE=irish44j;7930933]
1. No cabinets, but I have some "indoor" shelves the old owners left behind in a closet. they store the paint and crap in the garage.
2. LIGHTING – last year I installed a motion light on two sides of the garage and five 4' fluorescent fixtures inside. Plus a pair of 500W halogen lights for when I have to work in the driveway.
3. CARPETING – carpet in a garage is for people who don't get dirty. my cars all have oil or rubber marbles from the track falling off them, and I can't use a creeper on carpet. so no carpet here.
skip 4 because its boring
5. GET CONNECTED – Wifi + laptop here.
6. BUY IN BULK – same here. I buy Craftsman stuff at 1/2 price before Christmas and have like 8 or 9 metric socket sets and at least 6 sets of metric wrenches of various lengths and ratchet styles.
7. TABLE ON WHEELS – eh.. my garage is too small for that.
8. AIR VERSUS ELECTRICITY. Air and electricity. I have air hard-plumbed through the garage and my 60 gal compressor is in a tool shed outside so I don't have to listen to it.
10. PUMP YOU UP: use hand pumps. I have a hand pump for the bicycles.
11. SIMPLY STORAGE. I got a muthafukkin BARN, *****es.
12. RIDE THE LIGHTNING. rechargeable batteries are a high cost consumable. I have 3 or 4 drop lights and several flash lights if I need something portable.
15. RUBBER SOUL: Rubbermaid bins: I keep my track parts in the trailer in rubbermaid tubs. one for fluids, another for bake pads, filters, belts, etc.
16. PLASTIC PALS: use old bottles for scoops, funnels, etc.
Yup.. same here. I got a good deal on a "6 pack" of various funnels a few years ago. perfect. but when I need something weird, I just reach into the recycle bin and grab a bottle.
17. SHELVE IT: I have... 5 or 6 of those 2'x4' Gorilla Rack shelves and another wire one to store my transmissions and differentials. After several years, the particleboard shelves started sagging, so I replace the particleboard with 5/8" plywood.
18. TAKE GOOD NOTES: I have a dry erase board on the wall in the garage and another 4x8 sheet of it on the wall in my trailer to take notes when racing.
When I'm doing a big project on a car, I tape a couple sheets of paper to the windshield and stick a pen/marker on a string nearby so it won't run away when I pick up tools.
20. BUILD A BENCH: My workbench is about 8' long and i built it out of a restaurant kitchen table I got from Dad's old restaurant. Covered the top with cheap 2x6 lumber so I can cut/grind/drill/whatever on it. when the wood wears out, I just unscrew the surface and replace it for $15.
21. I have an entire drawer of scrwdriver and nut driver bits for my drills. (and I have..... 4 cordless drills, 2 or 3 corded ones, and an electric impact to change tires at the track.)
22: two power cord reels, but I have outlets EVERYWHERE in the garage. I have a 100A service running to the garage with a separate breaker panel in the garage for everything.
I have a 4-way outlet on each corner in the front of the garage, another on the wall about halfway back. each 4-way is on a separate circuit
two more 4-way outlets about 4' high against the back wall on either side of the work bench.
another one on the left side near the floor for my beer fridge.
another dedicated 20A 110V and a 20A 220V circuits for welders and whatnot.
and yet another 220v circuit running to the air compressor.
Oh.. and the lights and garage door opener are on another completely separate circuit running directly to the main breaker panel. (It was the original single-circuit for the entire garage when we moved in. I buried conduit and ran a separate run of 2awg copper to the garage for all of the above and left the lights on the original circuit so I still have lights in there no matter WHAT happens in the garage.
)
23. My old denon home receiver w/ some 8" 2-way bookshelf speakers and a pair of 12" car subs all mounted in the rafters.
24. ORGANIZATION…. Un-check. I'm not ogranized for sheit. my tool box is, but nothing else in the garage is.
25. BORROW DON’T BUY…. SCREW THAT. If I need it once, I'll need it again. It saved my butt this week because I needed a 1" NPT tap for a random project a few years ago. I needed one again in a hurry this week and NOBODY sells a 1" pipe tap at 7pm in the middle of the country. walked over to the toolbox and voila! fixed in 5 min.
1. No cabinets, but I have some "indoor" shelves the old owners left behind in a closet. they store the paint and crap in the garage.
2. LIGHTING – last year I installed a motion light on two sides of the garage and five 4' fluorescent fixtures inside. Plus a pair of 500W halogen lights for when I have to work in the driveway.
3. CARPETING – carpet in a garage is for people who don't get dirty. my cars all have oil or rubber marbles from the track falling off them, and I can't use a creeper on carpet. so no carpet here.
skip 4 because its boring
5. GET CONNECTED – Wifi + laptop here.
6. BUY IN BULK – same here. I buy Craftsman stuff at 1/2 price before Christmas and have like 8 or 9 metric socket sets and at least 6 sets of metric wrenches of various lengths and ratchet styles.
7. TABLE ON WHEELS – eh.. my garage is too small for that.
8. AIR VERSUS ELECTRICITY. Air and electricity. I have air hard-plumbed through the garage and my 60 gal compressor is in a tool shed outside so I don't have to listen to it.
10. PUMP YOU UP: use hand pumps. I have a hand pump for the bicycles.
11. SIMPLY STORAGE. I got a muthafukkin BARN, *****es.
12. RIDE THE LIGHTNING. rechargeable batteries are a high cost consumable. I have 3 or 4 drop lights and several flash lights if I need something portable.
15. RUBBER SOUL: Rubbermaid bins: I keep my track parts in the trailer in rubbermaid tubs. one for fluids, another for bake pads, filters, belts, etc.
16. PLASTIC PALS: use old bottles for scoops, funnels, etc.
Yup.. same here. I got a good deal on a "6 pack" of various funnels a few years ago. perfect. but when I need something weird, I just reach into the recycle bin and grab a bottle.
17. SHELVE IT: I have... 5 or 6 of those 2'x4' Gorilla Rack shelves and another wire one to store my transmissions and differentials. After several years, the particleboard shelves started sagging, so I replace the particleboard with 5/8" plywood.
18. TAKE GOOD NOTES: I have a dry erase board on the wall in the garage and another 4x8 sheet of it on the wall in my trailer to take notes when racing.
When I'm doing a big project on a car, I tape a couple sheets of paper to the windshield and stick a pen/marker on a string nearby so it won't run away when I pick up tools.
20. BUILD A BENCH: My workbench is about 8' long and i built it out of a restaurant kitchen table I got from Dad's old restaurant. Covered the top with cheap 2x6 lumber so I can cut/grind/drill/whatever on it. when the wood wears out, I just unscrew the surface and replace it for $15.
21. I have an entire drawer of scrwdriver and nut driver bits for my drills. (and I have..... 4 cordless drills, 2 or 3 corded ones, and an electric impact to change tires at the track.)
22: two power cord reels, but I have outlets EVERYWHERE in the garage. I have a 100A service running to the garage with a separate breaker panel in the garage for everything.
I have a 4-way outlet on each corner in the front of the garage, another on the wall about halfway back. each 4-way is on a separate circuit
two more 4-way outlets about 4' high against the back wall on either side of the work bench.
another one on the left side near the floor for my beer fridge.
another dedicated 20A 110V and a 20A 220V circuits for welders and whatnot.
and yet another 220v circuit running to the air compressor.
Oh.. and the lights and garage door opener are on another completely separate circuit running directly to the main breaker panel. (It was the original single-circuit for the entire garage when we moved in. I buried conduit and ran a separate run of 2awg copper to the garage for all of the above and left the lights on the original circuit so I still have lights in there no matter WHAT happens in the garage.
)23. My old denon home receiver w/ some 8" 2-way bookshelf speakers and a pair of 12" car subs all mounted in the rafters.
24. ORGANIZATION…. Un-check. I'm not ogranized for sheit. my tool box is, but nothing else in the garage is.
25. BORROW DON’T BUY…. SCREW THAT. If I need it once, I'll need it again. It saved my butt this week because I needed a 1" NPT tap for a random project a few years ago. I needed one again in a hurry this week and NOBODY sells a 1" pipe tap at 7pm in the middle of the country. walked over to the toolbox and voila! fixed in 5 min.
02-15-2011, 09:02 PM
#5
Alright I'll chime in here. I didn't take pics of everything specific but you get the gist. Josh, you should recognize my lift in here. Finally got a place for it. A buddy of mine was building this garage and I offered him the lift in exchange for all access privileges. Works well for both of us. I can get over there and do stuff ranging from minor oil changes to major engine swap action.
I am still working on the garage at my house (Just finished construction 5 months ago on the home) I'll get some pics of it come spring time once I get everything situated the way I want.
Don't mind the dirt track car in there I ran a few races in it last summer, what a rush!
The garage needs a bit of tidying up, its tough to keep it neat over the winter.
1. Dumpster Diving - All the storage cabinets are plucked from site closings. All this stuff was just sitting out waiting to be taken away to the dump.
2. Lighting - 8, 6ft fixtures all in the ceiling, a set of 2, 4 bulb fixtures focused on the work area on the rear wall.
3. Carpeting - Not much carpeting but we do have a ton of cardboard laying on the floor.
5. Get Connected - No laptop but everything else (TV, fridge, Sirius)
7. Table on wheels - got a couple wheeling benches.
8. Air vs. Electricity - 2 air hose reels dropping from the ceiling. You'd be surprised how big of a pain in the rear it is to get an air hose around a car on the lift. So we put one at the front and one at the rear.
10. Pump you up - usually stick with the air hose.
11. Simply storage - Those metal drawers hold most of everything. We did build a little shack to house the air compressor and LP tanks that has some extra storage in it.
12. Ride the lightning - Hate rechargeable lights. Have 2 light drops with the air hose along with 2 drops with 3 ways outlets.
13. Rubber Soul - Don't use the bins currently. Might consider it in the future.
14. Plastic - Definitely use old bottles for funnels. But also do have a set of funnels when needed.
17. Shelve It - Could have more shelves I guess. Only shelf in there really is the tire rack.
18. Take good notes - We do have a clipboard with a notepad, but I prefer to keep everything in excel files on my phone usually.
19. Build a bench - Just finished adding another bench along the wall with the lift. Plenty of others in there as well. I am in the process of getting all my materials together to start my bench in the at home garage.
21-25 - I always buy my tools. Like stated before if you need it once you will probably need it again. I'm always either working on my cars or someone elses so odds are I will need it again. Like stated before, got the stereo, TV, fridge so its a nice place to get the work done.
I am still working on the garage at my house (Just finished construction 5 months ago on the home) I'll get some pics of it come spring time once I get everything situated the way I want.
Don't mind the dirt track car in there
I ran a few races in it last summer, what a rush!The garage needs a bit of tidying up, its tough to keep it neat over the winter.
1. Dumpster Diving - All the storage cabinets are plucked from site closings. All this stuff was just sitting out waiting to be taken away to the dump.
2. Lighting - 8, 6ft fixtures all in the ceiling, a set of 2, 4 bulb fixtures focused on the work area on the rear wall.
3. Carpeting - Not much carpeting but we do have a ton of cardboard laying on the floor.
5. Get Connected - No laptop but everything else (TV, fridge, Sirius)
7. Table on wheels - got a couple wheeling benches.
8. Air vs. Electricity - 2 air hose reels dropping from the ceiling. You'd be surprised how big of a pain in the rear it is to get an air hose around a car on the lift. So we put one at the front and one at the rear.
10. Pump you up - usually stick with the air hose.
11. Simply storage - Those metal drawers hold most of everything. We did build a little shack to house the air compressor and LP tanks that has some extra storage in it.
12. Ride the lightning - Hate rechargeable lights. Have 2 light drops with the air hose along with 2 drops with 3 ways outlets.
13. Rubber Soul - Don't use the bins currently. Might consider it in the future.
14. Plastic - Definitely use old bottles for funnels. But also do have a set of funnels when needed.
17. Shelve It - Could have more shelves I guess. Only shelf in there really is the tire rack.
18. Take good notes - We do have a clipboard with a notepad, but I prefer to keep everything in excel files on my phone usually.
19. Build a bench - Just finished adding another bench along the wall with the lift. Plenty of others in there as well. I am in the process of getting all my materials together to start my bench in the at home garage.
21-25 - I always buy my tools. Like stated before if you need it once you will probably need it again. I'm always either working on my cars or someone elses so odds are I will need it again. Like stated before, got the stereo, TV, fridge so its a nice place to get the work done.
02-20-2011, 11:43 PM
#7
You guys have brilliant work spaces. I can tell you guys are def. car enthusiast. No wonder your cars are so heavily modded. A large garage space is going to be at the top of my list when purchasing a home. Finding such a home in NYC might prove difficult. I might be able to just buy a shop that went out of business with everything inside before I can find the dream home I want.
Im all hand tools, bleeding knuckles, band aids and floor jack.
Im all hand tools, bleeding knuckles, band aids and floor jack.
Last edited by HomerMAC; 02-20-2011 at 11:49 PM.
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