Garage Refresh Completed. Bring on the Coupe!

[Duke]

Paul, congrat's on your next project. Sounds like a fun build. Have you considered adding boost to this one?

[edwardb]

Paul, congrat's on your next project. Sounds like a fun build. Have you considered adding boost to this one?

Thanks! No, don't have boost in the build plan. Assuming I can snag the Gen 3 Coyote, already starting at 460 HP. That's already way more than I need.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Garage and the lift look good Paul---albiet a little empty but I know that will change soon

For the new shop that I'm currently building my wife surprisingly insisted on one thing; make it tall enough for a lift. She says that I'm not getting any younger...it's true but damn, she didn't have to come right out and say it

Jeff

[nkw8181]

Thanks that at least gives me a timeline. Regardless of when it is I'd love an official announcement

First or second quarter 2018. Depending on who you ask. It's in development right now. I'm hoping to get another update in the next few weeks. If it hits this time window, fits my build schedule just fine.

[edwardb]

For the new shop that I'm currently building my wife surprisingly insisted on one thing; make it tall enough for a lift. She says that I'm not getting any younger...it's true but damn, she didn't have to come right out and say it

Jeff

OK, that's funny. I didn't have to be told. I knew it after the first build. Crawling around on the floor and bending over while working just wasn't fun any more. Once you've worked on a build using a lift, you'll wonder how you ever worked without one. Huge difference.

[edwardb]

Woo-hoo. New 2-post lift is finished and running. Got the 220V line run, added 4+ gallons of hydraulic fluid, then made all the final adjustments. All good! Took it for a test drive with #8674. At full height I can walk under it. Little different than the MaxJax and a roller seat. At full lift the garage door clears the roll bars and windshield. Best was the low profile arms work great. The rear slides right under. The front is tight. Slight lift with a floor jack and they also slide right under. Nothing not to like here. Heat is next then get all my tools back from the basement plus something on those bare walls.

[WIS89]

Paul-

Lift looks great! I know it will make a huge difference for you and your build(s) moving forward. I know heat will be a great addition too!

You surely need to bring some tools up before the coupe gets there; no way you want to be running up and down to the basement to get and return tools.

I am looking forward to your coupe build.

Regards,

Steve

[John Dol]

Looks great Paul!
With heat and tools that will be a great place to build.

John

[nkw8181]

That looks awesome!!

[edwardb]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! This has sort of turned into a build thread for my updated garage workspace. But that's OK I guess. This weekend I finished installing the heater. Had to think a little about how to get it 8 feet up in the air and hung in position. Not too heavy at 85 lbs, but a bit awkward. I ended up using the same rope ratchets I've used to lift Roadster bodies off and on. Got it into position by lifting each corner a little at a time (and help from my grandson) and then replaced the rope ratchets one at a time with 3/8-inch threaded rod into the Superstrut channels. Once installed, plenty strong, but because of the amount of drop, swayed pretty easily. So installed a diagonal brace and seems fine. Added power, extended a natural gas line from the basement, and installed the B-vent flue through the roof. I'm using a Nest thermostat, same as in the house, so I can program the heat, and monitor and control the garage temp with the app on my phone. Pretty cool. Fired it up and all works as it's supposed to. No hurry for cold weather, but I'm ready.

[2bking]

ABS has been done by some builders, so there's some experience out there. Would require something other than the standard Wilwood balance bar brake setup though.

ABS works with the Wilwood dual MCs. The ABS module has a input for front and rear lines. The decision is what ABS Module to get, 3 or 4 channel. Three channel control both rear wheels as one while the four channel control all four independently.

Your work space is very nice and the new floor will make for some very good back ground to the impressive photos to come. Congratulations!

[edwardb]

ABS works with the Wilwood dual MCs. The ABS module has a input for front and rear lines. The decision is what ABS Module to get, 3 or 4 channel. Three channel control both rear wheels as one while the four channel control all four independently.

Your work space is very nice and the new floor will make for some very good back ground to the impressive photos to come. Congratulations!

Thanks! And thanks for the correction regarding ABS. Makes sense. Clearly my lack of experience with those systems shows.

[edwardb]

Today I put the final touches on my garage workshop refresh. Lots of work but very happy with the results. First a brief bit of history. I built 2-3/4’s of my 3 builds at our former house of 14 years. Pretty normal suburban two car garage with a slightly higher than normal ceiling. Over the years, I had painted it, added heat, the Racedeck flooring, and the MaxJax 2-post lift. Got a lot accomplished there.



Roughly 15 months ago, my wife and I decided it was time to lose the two story and find a ranch style house. Her arthritic hips made the stairs very difficult and it was time for a change. We were extremely fortunate and blessed to find a single level ranch style house just a couple miles away that needed some TLC but could be made perfect for her. The fact that it had a four car garage didn’t influence my decision at all! Long story short we made the change and have been in the new place just over one year now. Work in the living area including a major remodel in the master bedroom and bath took much of the first year. Being retired certainly helps. I was able to squeeze in getting #8674 done. But not much else. Finally now able to get the garage ready for the next build.

This is what the garage looked like when we first saw the house. Underneath the mess was nearly 1000 square feet, all insulated, drywalled and painted. Plus ceiling height of just over 13 feet. The doors aren’t insulated, but they are solid wood (heavy!) and are a full 8 feet high. In my wildest dreams I never imaged I could have something like this to work in.



A lot of the junk was moved out (including unfortunately the pretty cool antique license plate collection) but I was still left with a bunch of shelves and cabinets. Also a couple families of mice. Right after closing, first order of business was to clear most everything out in the basement and garage. Moved #7750 and not yet finished #8674 in right after. Along with a bunch of mouse traps that did their job.



Cleaned things up a bit after we moved, added some temporary heat, and was able to finish #8674 just in time for the Detroit Autorama in February 2017. The cabinets on the back wall came out when I did the master bathroom demolition.



Fast forward to the last couple months and serious work began. First order of business was to take out the standard chain drive overhead garage door openers. I replaced them with Liftmaster 8500 wall mount openers along with a battery backup. I had one of these at our other house and they are great. Opens and closes the garage door by directly turning the jackshaft. Aside from eliminated the obstruction in the middle of the garage, they are super quiet and smooth, plus connected to our home network. So I can open/close from an app on my phone plus see their status at any time. No more driving back home to see if we left the door open!



I considered having one or both of the garage door tracks raised. But after laying things out, decided it wouldn’t be necessary. Being 8 foot doors, they’re already higher than normal. I’m only planning to use the lift for work. Not storing. So no stacking and the added height isn’t needed. At least not right now.

Next I insulated the attic, patched the walls and ceiling, primed and painted, and replaced the typical ceiling mounted single bulb sockets with eight Feit Electric 4-foot LED shop lights. At 3700 lumens each, along with the windows on each side wall, the lighting is excellent.

[edwardb]

I previously posted pictures of the new BendPak XPR-10S-LP 2-post lift my buddies helped me install. Had to run a new 220 line over from the panel, but other than that pretty straightforward. After that installed my Racedeck flooring. Most of it is from my other garage. I did have to buy some additional squares because of the larger space plus to replace some that were cut for the other installation. I only installed it in the 2 bays of the workshop side. Unlike my other garage, I’m not going to park the DD on the Racedeck. It’s not a problem. It handles it fine. But the Michigan salt and whatever does make a mess on it. Also like my other garage, I installed a layer of landscape fabric between the Racedeck and the concrete floor. Suggested by many to reduce the creaking or cracking sound when walking on the Racedeck. Works, and it’s pretty cheap stuff.

Also posted pictures of the new 75K BTU Modine Big Dawg space heater. That was a little bit bigger project running electric, gas, plus a vent through the roof. But it’s done and we’ve had enough cool Michigan weather that I’ve confirmed it works great. I’m using a Nest programmable thermostat for it. A bit of overkill. But we use those inside the house and really like how they work. I can see the garage temp, set the temperature, whatever, from the phone app.

Hung my worklight/extension cord reel plus air hose reel. I had enough supply line for the reel to route it to the opposite corner of the garage. My 20+ year old Craftsman oil-less compressor is crazy loud. So nice to get it away from the work area. A new compressor is on my wish list. Finally, moved everything back in and hung the all important man cave wall art. Looks like this as of a few minutes ago. The Mk4 kit is something I’m storing as a favor and it will be picked up by Stewart when they deliver my Coupe.









I also have a basement workshop – through the door into the house and down six steps – that has another workbench, tool chest, my bandsaw, sander, power tools, etc. Most of my fab work I do down there. Plenty of room as well to store boxes of parts and sort them out as needed. I’m going to take the garage shop for a trial run next week getting #8674 winterized and prepared for hibernation. Not too happy about that. But it is November and snow is in the forecast.

This week I confirmed everything with my Coupe order at Factory Five (no changes!) and scheduled the pickup and delivery with Stewart. My November 18 completion date is unchanged. I’m probably going to get delayed a bit because of the Thanksgiving holidays (not unexpected) but hopefully will have the new Coupe in the shop by Dec 1. We’ll see. Obviously I'm getting very anxious.

[carlewms]

Paul,

Congratulations! What a great find and setup ... and having the extra basement workspace is a very nice bonus.

Your build threads are fantastic and I look forward to following this new one as well.

Carl

[Jeff Kleiner]

Looks fantastic Paul. Your setup sounds a bit like my old house where the workshop itself with big workbench, HD shelving, less than easily moved toolbox, etc. was separate from the garage and accessed through a set of double doors. Looking forward to spending plenty of time in the new space with you via the forums when the Gen3 arrives.

Jeff

[michael everson]

Paul. Thanks for hanging on to that Mark 4 for my while it waits for Stewart. Here is some eye candy for you while you wait for your Coupe.

[forcefed1]

WOW! not only does teh man give us great build threads of his coupe. but now he hooks us up with a GREAT garage build thread!

my coupe is ready to pick up today.
coyote tranny and IRS cam last week.


Heading to MA monday to pick it up!
im loosing a few hours of sleep every day now.
guess I better start my official build thread.

[CVOBill]

Paul, the garage looks great and looking forward to the build thread.

[Al_C]

Looks great Paul! The best part of your setup is that you don't even have to go outside in winter weather to get to your shop. It looks big enough that you could hold classes there... (the Mott guys probably wouldn't appreciate the competition )

[Vette1972]

Paul,

For us Coupe dreamers, this is going to be a treat. Really looking forward to watching your progress. Super nice garage space.

Thanks, Len

[Yama-Bro]

Wow! That's a dream garage! Looks great Paul. I've had a lot of issues with my garage door openers and springs. Maybe next time my opener kicks the bucket I'll get one like yours.

[edwardb]

Wow! That's a dream garage! Looks great Paul. I've had a lot of issues with my garage door openers and springs. Maybe next time my opener kicks the bucket I'll get one like yours.

Thanks for the positive comments from everyone. FYI regarding the Liftmaster 8500 shaft drive openers, they still require properly installed and adjusted springs. No different than the usual chain or belt drive overhead openers. Per the instructions, the springs must be able to hold the door stationary with it halfway open.

[WIS89]

Paul-

What a nice work space! You did a very nice job taking it from a bit dirty fresh canvas, and getting it all ready for your work. I am envious of your set-up. I really like the fact that you have a space outside of the garage to do some work, as well as for storage; it doesn't add to the clutter that plague most garages -- doubly so in mine!

Like everyone else, I have been looking forward to your coupe build. I have always enjoyed following along on your builds, and I am confident this will be no different!

Thanks for sharing your garage with us, and I know we will all get to see a whole lot more of it in the coming months.

Regards,

Steve

[John Dol]

Awesome space Paul! It's great when the house offers an interest for both spouses.
Looking forward to the coupe build.

John

[wareaglescott]

Looks great Paul.
That is a genius move be Mike asking you to store the roadster. He probably figures you won't be able to stand it sitting there untouched and you will have it half built for him by the time he gets it! haha

[michael everson]

Scott. I never thought of that.
Mike

[edwardb]

That is a genius move be Mike asking you to store the roadster. He probably figures you won't be able to stand it sitting there untouched and you will have it half built for him by the time he gets it! haha

Scott. I never thought of that.
Mike

Pretty funny guys. No, the Mk4 kit is going to just hang out until Stewart exchanges it for my new Coupe. Besides, Mike gets done in a couple hours what it takes me weeks to do. I wouldn't make much of a dent.

[edwardb]

Yesterday my brakes showed up, dropped shipped directly from Wilwood. No surprise, this is how the process works. But somewhat ironic that the very first parts for this build were the very last parts on my last build. The brakes for the 20th Anniversary Roadster were delivered a full six months after I had the kit. Wilwood had a number of issues apparently, including the custom colors on those. And I didn't even get the promised t-shirt. Anyway, all good now. The parts are beautiful. Wilwood stuff isn't cheap but it sure is nice. I like the black calipers with silver logo that I selected. Went through both boxes, and other than the colors, are exactly the same parts as delivered for my Roadster build two years ago. Tomorrow is my Coupe completion date. Hopefully next week I'll get an idea from Stewart about the delivery. Can't wait.

[japollon]

Paul, I don't have experience with Unisteer but I do have electric power steering on my Detomaso Pantera. The system I have is marketed by American Power Train and is the EZ Electric Power Steering unit. It also has proportional boost control. The transition in my car was pretty much flawless. Most difficult issue was finding space. The operation of the system maintains the original steering geometry. Handling and responsiveness is improved with the system. Note, mine is not a track car. Joel

[PeteH]

Paul,
Great workspace! You must receive the magazine Garage Style. You have a lot of blank canvas there to work with! If I can ever figure out how to upload pics directly off my phone to the albums I'll post some pics of my 289 and garage with single post lift.
Only downside in having a nicely finished garage is I won't do any painting at home any longer, and you notice the dust more. Fortunately, I have other connections to a paint booth these days, taking the prepped body there tomorrow, and found a local guy from this forum building a 33 that can do the alignment, that is set for 22nd.Nov.

[Gromit]

As envious as I am with this garage thread if the parts are starting to show up... maybe it is time to start the build Thread... I am looking forward to all the tips and tricks you work into these builds.
Chris AKA Gromit.

[edwardb]

As envious as I am with this garage thread if the parts are starting to show up... maybe it is time to start the build Thread... I am looking forward to all the tips and tricks you work into these builds.
Chris AKA Gromit.

I will when the kit arrives. Promise.

[mcmustang]

Putting those boxes on your counter is the fastest way to break it.

[edwardb]

Putting those boxes on your counter is the fastest way to break it.

All is OK... Thanks...

[edwardb]

Just got this pic today. On the rack ready to ship at Factory Five. Stewart is supposed to pick up next week. Should find out more about the expected delivery to MI sometime after. Now I'm officially getting anxious.

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations & I know this will be your finest build ever.

[Vette1972]

Edwardb,

Christmas will come early for you this year! Can't wait to watch the build.

Len

[TexasAviator]

congrats on the new home, car, and garage. What a great place to be in life. Well done sir.

[first time builder]

Paul I have the same heater and had a problem when first started that the circuit board was bad . They sent new one now all is good.
The only thing I did different than you was I put a gas shut off valve down low for easy reach. I also put a safety electric switch as required by code where I live.
I wish I had that size garage. I also added two ceiling fans that help to cool in summer and bring the hot air down in winter.

Kenny