Restoring the garage bay. Any garage ideas I should do to make life easier?

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BornNaked

BornNaked

Hemi of the small blocks
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
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Location
Pittston PA
Hello everyone,

Like the title says. I started working on my garage 3 years ago, getting it back in shape for the main purpose of working on the dart in a nice comfy and organized space.

So far I got lights and receptacles in, I have a small took chest with some things for the air compressor.

Is there anything I should think about adding to make life easier when working on my project car?

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Definitely agree with more lights based on the shadows in your photos it looks dark in there. I bought LED hanging strip lites from Costco, basically they look like old school twin tube florescent light fixtures except the tube's are dimmable LED, they come with remote controls and simply plug into a 110 ac socket, it looks like you have screw in sockets now so easily converted. They are cheap and amazing, I've had mine 3.5 years and no issues. Next buy a cheap hydraulic press you won't believe how many times you will use it. And of course IF you could afford it, a lift although you don't have a tone of height it's better than working on your back!
 
It looks like you are in PA. Insulate the ceiling and put a bright white ceiling in to enhance your lighting and keep the dust out. Menards has some nice washable 4 by 8 panels that would go up and cover quick and easy. That is a really nice, good sized space with excellent bones to start with.
 
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This is a lot of work to do correctly but painting the floors with a good epoxy paint sure has made my life easier. Even oil spills wipe right up and a mop and water makes it look like new. It also brightens up the underside of the vehicle you are working on. Again this is a LOT of work but it's one of the best things I've done.
 
A fire extinguisher. Or three. Some insulation. Other than that, we all do things differently, so it's a tough call. Nice space you have!
 
Yea, I had a Mopar bud, the burned down his high $ home, his darn six pac 70 Challenger caught fire in his home garage. Darn clone anyway. The home was real though. He had plenty of insurance. Then his wife divorced him. I digress! Sorry!
 
LO23M8B said:
This is a lot of work to do correctly but painting the floors with a good epoxy paint sure has made my life easier. Even oil spills wipe right up and a mop and water makes it look like new. It also brightens up the underside of the vehicle you are working on. Again this is a LOT of work but it's one of the best things I've done.
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I agree with this, and NOW is the time to do it while the floors are still clear of clutter, it isn't actually that hard to do, ive done a few now, I just used the Dupont kit from home depot it either comes in one or two gallon kits depending on the garage being a double or single, simply clean the floors really well with top and I believe the kit has a acid wash kit in it. Scrub it in, rinse it off and let it dry, the paint has a curing agent you add to the gallon, mix it, poor in a tray and use a long broom handle and roller and roll it on. Stop every few feet and toss on some sprinkles that come in the kit, they add a little pasazz and grip then keep going till it's covered, let dry a couple days and enjoy! As mentioned above it sure makes oil and A/F spills easy to clean AND brightens the shop!
 
An exhaust fan. No matter what you're currently doing, chances are you'll need it.
Painting, welding, doing a tune-up in the middle of winter. Even if you're just sitting there with a couple friends sucking down a few cold ones on Taco Tuesday you'll wish you had an exhaust fan.
 
Nice start, you are looking pretty nice in there. Carpet for comfort, large bench areas. A retractable air hose is a great addition to any garage. Locate it near the door so it is fully useful outside too.
 
Before you get too many more things in there......get it all out and get a coating on that floor!
 
Righty Tighty said:
Good call.

My two cents -- one of my biggest pet peeves is electrical cords or air hose on the floor. For that reason, I love hose reels and cord reels. I suggest at least one of each.

Treed by @gdrill!
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I agree with the pet peeve of cords and hoses, I have somewhere around 45 electrical outlets in my 24x30 garage, located at 48 inches and about 72 inches above the floor level. Excessive? Maybe, but I always hated having to hunt for a plug and have an extension cord running across the floor. I only have one air hose reel, I try to use cordless power tools as much as possible, but I do have at least 150' of air hose when I need it.
 
missing linc said:
I agree with the pet peeve of cords and hoses, I have somewhere around 45 electrical outlets in my 24x30 garage, located at 48 inches and about 72 inches above the floor level. Excessive? Maybe, but I always hated having to hunt for a plug and have an extension cord running across the floor. I only have one air hose reel, I try to use cordless power tools as much as possible, but I do have at least 150' of air hose when I need it.
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45 outlets is it not 6-7 on 1 breaker. You must have the largest panel box ever.
 
i agree with what everyone has said. You’ll need to balance budget vs benefit.

One thing not mentioned that I added to mine is a stationary (laundry) tub. I use it every day.
 
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