Hot rodding in a single-car garage... what do YOU do?

So it looks like the place I'm going to be moving into only has a single car garage. Won't know exactly how small of a garage until Saturday, but it got me thinkin' about what others may have done.

So I guess what I'm asking is for some ideas on what some of you have done to make things as good as can be when building a car in a small garage. I've only got a Model A, so at least the car couldn't get much smaller... BUT.... there's tools assocatiated with this project. I know I'm going to be hatin' my Millermatic after a couple days of working in there!

Anyway... let's hear/see what you've done.

Cheers!
Scooter

 

Lots of people have done that. Hell, Ol' Beet doesn't even have a garage...just works in the grass.

I built 2 motorcycles in an 8*12 shed before I built my "garagemahal"...

You'll do allright. You'll learn to keep things off the floor, and how to maximize space. Also, you'll learn not to buy shit you don't need immediately.

 

Seems like Caffiene did an excellent post on removating his one car garage a while back.

Seems like Kevin Lee had something on maximizing his limited space as well. Do a search. I bet you can find something.

Of course, you could live in the garage & build the A in the house.

JH

 

Exactly!! HAHA!! I've got some stuff I may have to just store. Will probably have to sell some stuff pretty soon too. Have some misc. Model A stuff that's just going to have to go I think. Gotta do what I gotta do!

 

I am currently going through a "garage free" state...It sucks! you could be me...I am now garage surfing...( can I wire this here?!/ is this motor in your way, if I shove it over here?! ) My yard makes the neighborhood proud!

 

If it's a pitched roof, build a cheap loft platform out of chipboard and 2x4's so you can store more stuff in the "attic". Otherwise, build as much shelving as you can stand. Put hooks up high to hang stuff from. Put your workbench on wheels so you can drag it out into the driveway for more room. Get the rolling dollies to put under the wheels so you can shift it back and forth. Bet $100 on black and repeat until you're broke or can buy a place that has a bigger garage.

I've been working in half of a two car for three years now, and it sucks, but it can be done.

 

Of course, you could live in the garage & build the A in the house.

Hahahahaha! I like that idea!

 

Oh, man. I have a one car garage, and it's tight. I just lined up the drill press, compressor, and tools against the one wall and built a narrow bench about 28" deep into the garage along the same wall. Under the banch I built drawers and shelves. There is just a little alley between the car and the tool box. I can't even use the side door because the lawn mower blocks it. I built a half-loft in the rafters and put in one of those pull-down-fold-out ladder things so I can walk up it with fenders and big stuff to store it up there. But that's only a glorified crawl space - about 3 or 4 feet tall at the peak. I can't sit up straight in it.

I also built tons of shelves and holders for garden tools. I scored a section of metal grocery shelf from a K-Mart. I made a high shelf to store my snow blower for the summer/ mower for the winter. It's like a submarine in there. There are parts hanging from nails all over the walls and ceiling.

 

This is exactly my problem...and I dont have a yard.I have no electrical in the garage till 7:30 pm when the timer for the lights go on! You just have to get rid of stuff you dont need and hang everything else up.Working on your car in the street is no fun, especially when you need to stop what you are doing, put all of your tools away, make it look like your car is running so the city wont get you...just to go buy the parts you need.
Thanks Darby for the dollie tip, I never thought about those.

 

As a retail store designer, I think I can offer some perspective here.

Don't think of your space a "square footage", but "cubic footage" and really "use the cube". You're on the right track with editing out stuff you don't need, which problably will include some tools, if you really think about it. You'd be amazed by how much stuff you'll be able to fit into an entire wall of shelving. Make it all adjustable to maximize what you need to have handy. Attics, storage buildings and garage sales are for stuff you don't need to have handy.

Just think of it as another design challenge to be solved and have fun with it!

 

pull your hair out, cuss, move shit around for about 15 minutes or so, then dive in and have fun. Seriously, I find that I have to remove anything that is in the way and get myself organized first in order to avoid unnecessary aggrevation, after that I do my best to enjoy working on the hot rod.

 

park as centered as you can so you can walk around all sides and organize your tools the best you can.

 

Covers! For your gas grille & lawnmower, and anything else with wheels you can store outside.

Don't underestimate the utility of a vice mounted to a picnic table in the backyard. Provides an open environment for cutting and grinding, and spreads the work out so you're not tripping over everything.

Some renter-gearheads use an enclosed trailer as garage space. Other popular solutions are plastic garden sheds or metal driveway awnings that can be moved later.

Good luck

 

I feel for you man...I am leaving the my spacious 2 car here in western Pa and moving and moving to south Fla. again...Moving into a 1 car and plan on keeping my bike in the house and putting up 2 levels of shelving around the top of garage, all the way around...worked ok before....

 

What's really fun is having a one car shed, and having to rotate 3 non-running projects in & out of it with no friends to help! One of them willl be running tomorrow though!

 

One car garage with a enclosed parking space behind a stockade fence.
When winter gets here I shut down.
I have two projects a 49 Ford sedan and a 51 Ford F1.
I have to roll the 49 out of the garage to work on it or to move my engine hoist, cutting torch. I have a small work shop in the front and my tool boxes are next to the door so I can get at them working outside.
All I can say is I feel your pain.
I plan to have a four car garage someday when I move.

 

I built a garage a couple years ago. Because of alot of things that nobody cares about, I had to go with one car wide. It's pretty deep though.



I built a small shed to keep anything in that rarely gets used.

 

i have an 18x18, its not a 1 car but it really is small. i am very greatful for having a garage though. its made out of clay block first thing i did was paint the walls white, huge difference. last winter i put in 2x6 joist 16" on center, 1/2" plywood floor, a hole for a pull down staircase, about 6 recessed lights, i am not a big fan of flourescents, al thouhg i may add them. i used to use a wood stove but im thinking of ditching it, it takes up good space. i put my 20 gallon compressor in the attinc with a bunck of fenders and other big light crap. i want to build a lean too kind of thing for my yard crap and 60 gallon compressor. or maybe im going to mount th e60 gall up high on the wall near the cieling. im going to cut my 16' workbench down for a floor to cieling sams club steel shelve and probably buy a jobox or knnack rolling workbench ofr welding, they are pricey but are on wheels and have doors and lots of storage inside. i got rid of my big miller 330 ab to free up some space and bought an inverter tig, i have asmall size mig, im hoping to keep my welding stuff in the compact sizes so hopefully i can store it all inside the rolling workbench if i ever get it. my argon for the tig is mounted against the wall next to my garage door. i also like the tall ball bearing draw filing cabinets for in the garage you can store a lot of crap in them. i have a maple cabinet on the wall for all my paint. i would stay away from any wood wall coverings if you do any welding, you dont want something smoldering when you leave. dont forget your bars for the windows to protect your investment. i liek to do all my welding and cutting i nthe driveway to keep the hot stuff out of the garage.

 

I don't have any great advise, but can say by way of inspiration that a friend has built several ground-up cars in a single car garage, so it's definitely doable.

Here's one of his creations:

http://www.stalkerv6gallery.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2608

 

WOW! What a great response!! Thanks everyone! Love this place!

I won't have a yard to put stuff in, guessing the garage is just big enough for a compact car and opening the doors (which I'm thinking is ample room if the car is on dollies and can be rolled around easy). Just renting this place for awhile until I'm familiar with the area and can move into a bigger place with a bigger garage. Guessing hanging much more than peg board in the garage is going to be out of the question. Maybe some free standing shelves or something if I have the foot room for them. The hardest part about all this is that I'm moving from a 3-car garage (only really occupied about 1-3/4 of it though). Can take the body off whenever I need to, slide things into a vacant spot, etc. I've been sharing tools, so a lot of it isn't coming with. Mostly just the welders (big millermatic and small wirefeed), parts galore, few hand-carry tool boxes, an engine stand and lift, extra Hemi block and heads, etc. etc... you know how it is. I agree with the verticle idea. "Cubic space" for sure!!!

Thanks again for the idea! I'll make it work! I've got a car to build!

 

Ditch the kegerator and buy a mini-fridge

I just moved into a three car and I do cartwheels everyday in it. I had a single for seven years and learned that hooks and pegboard were my best friend. I just got a proper tool box, cause' in the single I just had all my shit hanging from the walls to save space. It was'nt actually that bad. Everything I needed was within an arms reach!

 

When you want something bad enough, you can make it work.......one of the great things about rodders is the creativity......just use your imagination and you'll be surprised what you can do!

 

Wow, you have a full 1 car garage? I built my roadster in the front 1/2 of a 1 car garage as my race car resided in the back 1/2. The pic shows about the total build space I had, the arrows show the front tire and frame of the race car.
My advice is: 1. plan every step of the build to make it as conveinent, smooth and seamless as possible. ( I'm kinda of anal about making plans so it was kind of a fun challenge for me- "I love it when a plan comes together" as they say ) 2. make/buy dollies/casters to roll the frame and/or body in and out as needed. 3. get a chain fall and hang the body from the rafters, raise and lower as needed. And most important 4. When you get totally pissed and frustrated, don't fight it, take a couple of days off and don't even think about it, when you get back to it, it will be much easier. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

 

casters,casters,casters

make everything roll, workbench, storage carts, whatever you can so you can roll em out when needed, moving stuff around in order to work isn't a bad thing per say, just make it as quick and painless as possible to move what's in the way...

casters and rolling carts are your friend

 

I'm building a 15'x25' garage because of the stupid "10 foot property line setbacks" my town requires. Even though my neighbor is grandfathered-in with a huge barn right on my property line!

I found out that my town allows "temporary buildings" (no foundation) to be placed right up the property line. So... I have built a nice 12' x 20' temporary building for storage next to my garage with a pass door between them. It ain't goin' anywhere, but it's on blocks so it's "temporary".

Improvise and overcome dude.

 

I am building my 49 Chevy pickup in a 1 car garage. Right now I have the frame on engine stand rotisseries and keep it pushed to one side of the garage when I'm not working on it. On the other wall I have a narrow workbench, welders, roll away toolbox and cutting torch. It is tight, but better than nothing especially on bad weather days. I bought a 10x16 storage shed for overflow such as lawnmowers and anything I'm not using to build my truck. I have been thinking about one of those portable garages when I get the cab back on the frame since I don't have much overhead clearance to get the truck inside. It takes time to figure out how to take advantage of all the "cubic" space.

 

I have no garage. I work on a concrete pad outside of a 12x20 building. My tools are just inside the door and I have a ramp leading into it so I can roll my engine on the stand in with some help. I bundle up in winter and burn up in summer. If it rains, I take off . Not much rain lately. I use a tarp to cover my car. I still enjoy it . Bill

 

what i did with my garage was wire it for 440 and 220 at least 2 of each on every wall the i insulated the walls and put corregated steel up to keep the fire hazards down intalled shop lights all over the walls to help when i paint. its not the best set up but ive painted i dont know how many cars in their and ive been able to do anything from exhaust to roll cages to chopping topd ect. i will say this though its a big pain in the ass but at least i can do most of my work in a one car garage.

 

no garage, just built a carport last weekend, but working in the grass/mud on my 54 before then..