I retired 21 months ago with the intention of not working on any cars until my shop was cleaned up and organized. I have made great progress but have also brought home about 11 14" trailer loads---so far. This pic is from the second floor.
Sooooooo, Sam, what are you doing this weekend??? Thinking of a nice trip to Illinois? I could trade ya, your work/ expert organization for all the **** I can't put back into my garage, you got a BIG truck? Just kidding man. Four years ago I moved from an acher with outside storage and a 26x36 garage the country into town with a 24 x30 garage and nothing outside. A year later the 24x 30 garage blew down in a storm. I had to move everything into my 40 x 60 welding shop and leave room to run the shop in. Two years ago I moved from the 40x60 building to a 24x24 garage with a 24x24 ba*****t garage, which has to cover all my stuff and run the welding shop from. I've been getting rid of stuff for 4 years. Things are much better organized now. I'm slowly bring some things I really need home. When you don't have any room for stuff unless you get rid of something, I find it much easier to resist bring junk home. If something comes in now, I have about a month before something has to leave. Gene
[ QUOTE ] I feel your pain! Man it just keeps piling up. [/ QUOTE ] SIX steering columns?? Sell three of them and buy some shelves! Sam.
thanks I needed that! lot of sound Idea's As long as I'm "The Old Car Gl*** Guy" I'll probably keep some gl*** around, I searched for everyone of those columns. and I could use two more. outside storage in Oregon can cause some side effects. Other than that I'm on it! Thanks man, good stuff and how much do you charge an hour?
thanks I needed that! lot of sound Idea's As long as I'm "The Old Car Gl*** Guy" I'll probably keep some gl*** around, I searched for everyone of those columns. and I could use two more. outside storage in Oregon can cause some side effects. Other than that I'm on it! Thanks man, good stuff and how much do you charge an hour? I try to keep my engines in line and everything in the shop is on wheels so I can access all parts of the shop in 10 minutes or less. this is my last year with the gl*** and will find time to build the dream shop.
Jim...I've been in both your 1500 foot garage [which seemed huge to me] and your 15,000 foot quanset. I can't see how all that **** could possibly fit in your home garage! I work out of my one car garage under the beedroom and store my one car there...I absolutely have to take full advantage of all my limited room at home.....
Rocky, You know the old saying about four wheel drive doesn't keep you from getting stuck, You just get stuck in worse places. A bigger shop just takes longer to fill. and if everyone out there would take a look a their own space then figure out what they would look like with 90% less space! Thats where I'm at I've sold 12 project cars and given 4 more away. I've sold $7500.00 in small parts at the last six swap meets and only bought two cars and $1000.00 in parts. I'm dedicated to three projects instead of 27. I would love to actually have a driver. I'm trying to change from a Whoarder to a Builder. I have set goals and am holding myself accountable for missing dates. my focus changes almost daily on my three projects. but thing are happening and "Dreams Can Come True!"
Hey Sam, can ya throw up a picture of your garage? I dealing with a 1-car + small workshop right now and two motorcycles and an engine hoist are making it feel crowded. Ed
[ QUOTE ] I have the "ten pounds of **** in a 5 pound bag" problem. It doesn't make any difference what size your shop is. you will always fill it My problem is I moved out of 15,000 foot shop to a 1,500 foot shop and that one zero can kill you I have everything in the shop on wheels. and as bad as it looks it was clean just two weeks ago (kinda sorta) my plan is to build a 100X200 two story shop but I'm a couple hundred grand short right now. So how do you guys that are organized gain floor space? [/ QUOTE ] Looks like you guys need to visit a swap meet
Here's the only one I have at the moment. On the left side is a stoarage cabinet that I keep car care stuff in, red rags and towels and some nice stuff like clean Triumph stuff and a few '97 carbs. I also keep my oil and paint in there and new safety goggles, gloves etc. Up from that is a shelf structure that is about four feet high. I keep cans of nuts and bolts, and odd-ball car parts that I need for current projects there... on top is a display of sorts of old speed equipment... manifolds, carbs etc. Under the thing I keep my four jack stands and on the end my floor jack sticks under it... Against the back wall... from left to right... my compressor in the corner, and my Oxy torch set and mig welder... my workbench is to the right of that with nut and bold organizers hung on the wall (I hate it when they fall over because you're working on the bench) a drill press at the left end and a vice on the right. Then my two roll away cabinets... and a garbage can made from a oil drum at the end of that. Against the wall on the right is a drinking fountain, another oil drum can... my lathe (that you can just see the green cabinet that it sits on)... a Caddy motor that is TEMPORARILY sitting there... a grinder on a moveable stand, as well as a disk sander and a chop saw both on moveable stands. I move them out to the driveway when I use them because I don't want to get metal **** all over the garage... in the winter, I use them inside and cover up the lathe... to the right of that stuff is "Grandpa's cabinet"... where I keep more spray cans... and other car stuff such as bearings, carb kits etc... Also, to the right of the drinking fountain is a file cabinet (2 drawer) that I keep all my catalogs in and a cabinet that hangs on the wall that has a lot of gauges and tune up parts in it... Oh, and the only thing that kinda floats around the garage is the wleding table... that you can see behind that dude taking pics... Right now, in the big expanse that you see is the digger... a '65 Chevy pu ch***is, a Triumph and a 283 on an engine stand that I'm doing for the BFD... so it is more crowded... but soon the Triumph and the ch***is will be gone and I'll be GOLDEN... Almost my whole existance out there is to keep the garage organized... that is unless I'm doing the big thrashola TM... Anyway, maybe I'll take some more pics of little tricks I've used to make things organized... do a post all by itself on it. Sam.
[ QUOTE ] Almost my whole existance out there is to keep the garage organized... [/ QUOTE ] that can't be completely true, we see what comes out of there. thanks for the encouragement, MAYBE I'll do a little of that this weekend. Paul
Very inspirational Sam - I have found what I screwed up when I designed my shop was that I put in too many windows, it's great for light but it eats up valuable wall space. Learn from this when you plan out your shop and leave out the windows.
[ QUOTE ] Same problem !!!!! [/ QUOTE ] I think you have cleaned up a little before taking those pictures. Where is the other roadster body at? and all the rows of shelves? You think you have plenty of shelves and you never do. I love this Hotrodding shop
skylights are great, I had a friend that used to say "people cut holes in their roof then complain because it leaks" I find they get dirty too. don't go with clear ones. Sam you going to be proud of me when you see my next group of photos
OK, I showed the world my messed up shop and Sam came up with alot of good points Let me say that I would never want a shop as clean as Sam's that would be embar***ing. but I started day one on the worst part of the mess. one of the catch all places that had got so bad that there was no where to start cleaning.
this part of the shop was shown in the dark on the before post. I didn't want to show it So I have the first 5 feet fairly clean and 50 feet to go. I'm on a roll now. kind of like the "Blues Brothers" On A Mission
in my situation my wife is starting to take up some of my garage space. shes starting to store clothes and some other stuff that she sells on ebay in there. it was an on going discussion for awhile about her having some space. well i lost that discussion.
Its the same old thing... Just about everyone of us here is obsessive-compulsive BIG TIME. We gather stuff, drag it home and stash it.. So we have it cause "ya never know." We have great ideas for all of it. Once you realize all that **** about yourself its time to take action. Work on every project at least 5 hrs per week. If ya cant do that its simple - you have too many frickin projects!! Get some particleboard and make yourselves some goddam shelves. Line the walls with them. Now all your little stuff is where you can find it. I made a 16 foot wall of shelves 6 feet tall in 5 hrs.cost about 100.00 Then get rid of the **** you know you've lost interest in. sell it and use the money to work on the stuff you're excited about. I know the feeling.. You walk out in your shop.. " Whadda goddam mess! I dont feel like working in this ****." Its too easy to shine it on if everythings a mess. Clean up the shop each night before you go in. I've done most of this pretty religiously and it really makes all the difference.
Wow! Looks GREAT 48 HEMI! My garage is about 26 feet by 26 feet. The good thing is that it doesn't have a water heater or the washer and dryer in it like MOST houses in California. But it's an older home built in '58... the garage is attched, but doesn't have a door to inside the house. Anyway, I'm impressed with what you've done... and don't think for a second that my harage stays that clean all the time... when I'm thrashin' on stuff it gets pretty bad... but then I'll clean it up and then get back to thrashin' Sam.
Sam, I'm thinking about building a 30' x 22' garage, as it's about the largest I can fit on my lot without ******* off zoning too bad. Would you have a problem fitting larger cars & trucks in your shop if it were 4' shorter? Thanks, Ed
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