Oh boy, how’d you like to wrench in that garage? I found the pic at garage supplier Garage Living, and I assure you, if that clinically-clean, impeccably-styled garage could be where I twirl Harbor Freight’s finest, I would be exactly as pumped as that stock-photo guy I dropped in there. I think I searched “Man losing his mind with happiness” to find him over at Adobe Stock, and gash-dang if he isn’t just about perfect.
Sadly, the odds of me acquiring such a space are even slimmer than the chances of me owning a 911 Carrera S like the one parked therein. But hey, I’m happy to have any garage, even if being in there is currently like walking into an air fryer (I’m in Texas, so … yeah). Just walking across the garage-oven to switch on the sprinklers is enough to make me want to run in those sprinklers, so actually working on a car in there–especially one that’s been running–is not the greatest. Indeed, working outside would probably be cooler (less hot, anyway), and the great outdoors has long been host to many automotive projects. See our pal on Twit–uh, “X”– Willie D Jenkins, master mobile mechanic, for many examples of doing whatcha gotta do:
Intake liberated. And more pic.twitter.com/QzTsHuxU2R
— Willie D Jenkins (@WillieDJenkins1) August 6, 2023
Wrenching Wednesday goes wherever you want to take it, but to kick off this edition let’s talk wrenching spaces–where you work on your rides now, where you’d like to in the future, the tips and tricks you use to make your space more pleasant and productive … all that stuff. As for me, I still smile every time I flip the light switch in the garage and every shop light comes on instantly and silently. I swapped fluorescent tube jobs for LED units each time one of those buzzy bastards died off, and man, getting rid of the last one was a treat.
To the comments!
In the last 5 years, we (finally) built a detached garage for me to park in (and wrench in). It is a 28’W x 24’D two-bay / two-door with 9′ a near-full-width bench on one side of the garage, and enough depth for rolling toolboxes and tire storage. It’s reasonably well shaded and definitely well-insulated, so it is comfortable in summer and in winter (if I use a space heater). I’ve got an old PC that I use for looking up videos / documentation as well as any D-CAN flashing in the corner as well as some big Klipsch speakers on the wall for tuneage while I work.
The last piece of the puzzle was the set of QuickJack 5000TL hydraulic lifts I got last spring – makes everything far easier than ramps or jack stands.
I have a 30×30 garage, but with only 7′ ceilings and it’s sliced down the center with a wall because it was built in 2 sections 15′ wide and 30′ deep. It was a big reason that I bought my current house. I agree on the lighting. I also have a good garage sound system with voice control (Alexa), a TV with casting from my phone for watching instruction videos or pulling up diagrams, and a couch/rolling chair combo that I made out of junkyard seats from a Range Rover for someplace comfortable to sit while I’m pondering what I did wrong. Oh, and a beer fridge of course.
We have a 20 x 20 garage now with 8 foot ceilings. We also have 8 registered vehicles: 5 motorcycles, a sporty car, a CUV and Trusty Truck, my ancient F150. We’re moving and are moving into a house with a 3 car garage that’s about 32 x 22 and has about ten feet of overhead storage. Finally, I’ll be able to work on my cars in the garage instead of the driveway. My convertible sporty car will be indoors when it’s raining like hell in the winter.
I’m over the moon and am looking forward to spending some time this winter building it all out so it’s my own Garage Mahal.
We have a 2 (maybe plus .25) car attached garage and a 2×2 car driveway. The vast majority of the time we have 2 cars in the garage, one in the driveway – sometimes house projects take over the one side, but we’re usually pretty good about keeping it parkable. The garage has windows and a back door, so ventilation can be good, but I’d like to at least get a heater in there for the winter months. More lighting is a no brainer that I just need to get done. The other thing that will forever be on the wishlist is a lift for both making projects easier and to be able to park all the cars inside. The ceiling is 8′ under a peaked roof, so I’m thinking this should be possible, but it won’t be cheap.
Well, mostly on my driveway, until at some point i got in way over my head and i ended up sliding a lift under the dismantled car, and then building a tent on top of the car and lift …
https://imgur.com/a/c8LD8Cn