New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (Reddtarga)

Sun, 29 May 2016 08:43:31 GMT

I have done that and I even modded 4 jackstands for it, and the car was stable, but I rarely do it because with most stuff like suspension, brakes etc you mostly only need to work on one end at at time.

Safety wise you could consider it much the same as working on the floor, where it is obviously safer with one pair of wheels grounded and chocked.

Of course this procedure will only work with cars like the MR2 that has a front and rear X member that can be used as a jacking point as well as the 4 side jackstand points.
I also have a Falcon ute that I have had on my hoist to do stuff like oil changes, but I can't get the wheels free on that.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (artymr2)

Sat, 28 May 2016 23:00:56 GMT

Thanks for the info. Is it too dicey to use jack stands at both ends?

Cheers

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (Reddtarga)

Sat, 28 May 2016 11:21:08 GMT

artymr2
Red targa I presume you jack the cross members off the garage floor then insert jack stands between hoist running boards and car sills?

You could do it that way but it is easier than that.
When I first got my hoist I realised that using it would require strict discipline at all times, so I took things very carefully at first until I got used to a safe routine, something everyone should think about.

My routine to get the rear wheels free first move the car near to the opposite end of the runway and chock the front wheels, then:
1. Raise the car on the hoist about one meter off the floor.
2. Fully raise the trolley jack and position it under the X member. (easy because there is no weight on it yet)
3. Slowly lower the hoist while locating the trolley jack under the X member until the weight of the car is on the trolley jack and until the wheels are free, then you can position the jack stands.
4. Raise the hoist up to a convenient working height.
The front is done the same way.

The mods to the jack stands (you only need 2) were to modify the tops with hardwood inserts that really grip under the side jack points.
I also mounted them on a 19 mm MDF base to spread the load on the runway, with has non slip rubber stuck underneath the MDF base.

The trolley jack tops I made fit in place of the stock cup, and locate around the center of the X member on the rear. The one for the front spans the circular molded ring in the plastic under tray. Although it takes the weight of the car through the plastic it doesn't damage it, but it must be precisely located under the front X member.
If you want I could take more pics.

Edit, I found another pic.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (artymr2)

Fri, 27 May 2016 21:26:50 GMT

Red targa I presume you jack the cross members off the garage floor then insert jack stands between hoist running boards and car sills?

What are the mods you made to your trolley Jack and Jack stands?

Better measure my garage again, a hoist would be so handy.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (stuka)

Fri, 27 May 2016 20:06:45 GMT

Dasic1 - Im planning to have the garage and house finished within 12 months. Im nearing completion of the plans, then development application and allowing for 7 months to build.

track_mr2 - there are plenty of hoists around the 3.3m mark, just depends on whether the connecting bar is floor mounted or top mounted. The floor mounted versions are lower. Im planning to rebate the garage floor for the posts and the floor hump so that the hump is flush with the floor, easier getting lowered cars in that way.

Reddtarga - Thanks for posting those photos. I have settled on the 2 post hoist. I wouldnt buy a 4 post without rack jacks and it all ends up being a bit too expensive. I do a lot of work maintaining brakes, suspension, changing wheels etc after track days, hill climbs etc so I think the 2 post is more suited to me.

Treay81 - the 3.3m ceiling will be sufficient for all the vehicles in our household at present. If I had to work on the occasional SUV them I would just do it lying on a trolley, still better than jack stands. If money were no object I would definitely go higher but at the moment thats not the case. I will definitely post photos up when the times comes, this has been a most enjoyable thread to follow.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (Reddtarga)

Fri, 27 May 2016 17:18:06 GMT

FWIW, For anyone who is looking at getting a hoist here is some stuff I have discovered that may be of interest.

My 3M wide X 9 M long garage only has 2.4 M high walls and only about 3M under the center gable - not very high.
Like everyone else originally I really wanted a 2 poster, but even a 4 poster didn't seem possible for my garage.

However after some research and a lot of measuring I was surprised to discover that with a 4 poster that could be moved, I could locate it in a spot that when raised I could full head clearance (6 ft) under the floor of my MR2.
The targa tops only have about 100 mm under the rafters, but I did fit a limit switch.

Now after using it for about 5 years, even if I had enough roof clearance and was doing it all over again, I would still go for the 4 poster.

Pros:
!. Only needs a low garage roof. (for an MR2 anyway)
2. Doesn't need special footings, only a stock 4 inch reo concrete floor and doesn't need to be bolted down.
3. Easily movable.
4. More stable than many 2 posters.
5. Only needs a 10 amp power socket.
6. Opening doors will not foul the posts.
7. Great tool /parts rest right where you are working.
8. I always park my car on the runway, so I don't need to mess around with positioning arms if I want to lift.
9. Although some people don't know, with the use of a good trolley jack it's easy to get wheels free with the car securely held if you only need to work on one end of the car at a time.
But I also use modified non-slip jack stands, and jack top adaptors to safely locate under the X members F/R

Cons:
The only one I can think of is that you have to be careful not to bump your head on the runways when moving around, but that will also apply to a 2 poster although not as much.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (Treay81)

Fri, 27 May 2016 11:05:04 GMT

Hoists are a variable, it truly depends on what you buy and for what purpose.

The 4 posters with casters that swing under the hoist allow for relatively low post height (2.1m height when vehicle not hoisted), ability to relocate or adjust on the fly and you can option them to run on 240v.

But if your planning on working on the car at height you'll be needing that 3.3m roof height to account for a hoisted vehicle.

The other alternative for a low roof height hoist would be a scissor lift style hoist however, this restricts what you can do on the vehicle to some extent. (IE: Pretty difficult to find one for a traditional FR transmission removal) but they are cheap and easily relocated.

Make sure you post pics as your garage comes together, I like looking at this stuff.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (track_mr2)

Fri, 27 May 2016 09:28:31 GMT

Actually 3.3 meters isn't high enough for a hoist all the ones I'm seeing have posts that are 3.6m high.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (artymr2)

Fri, 27 May 2016 00:35:27 GMT

Have a search on autospeed.com there are some great articles when the guy built a shed you might find useful. He has also done some on building solid benches.

I would go for more height to give options of storing a car on top of another on your hoist.

Cheers

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (dasic1)

Thu, 26 May 2016 19:52:07 GMT

When are you planning to build? I have a few of these things to decide, so will be good to see what you do

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (stuka)

Thu, 26 May 2016 19:12:54 GMT

Great suggestions by everybody.

I agree, some natural light would be a good way to go. I can add some slit windows high up out of the way.

The garage will be roughly 8m deep x 10.5 m long, one 3.5m bay with 2.4 m ceiling and the other 3.3 m ceiling. Looks like I have some research to do on epoxy costings as well. If applied right I should get a few years out of it. Any reapplication could be done without completely emptying the garage I suppose. Im in Hobart so I will need to do this myself or pay someone to do it.

Im still keen on the air system as there a number of other tools to use with it such as air gun, cutting tools, tyre inflator etc. Great idea for an outlet on the external wall, will need to be in a weatherproof box.

A shop press is something I have wanted for ages so will definitely be getting one of these, among other things.

Time to do more research on hoists, you have me thinking about a 4 post now although there is no reason to park a car on a 2 post.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (Reddtarga)

Thu, 26 May 2016 17:06:36 GMT

Highlander
Hydraulic shop press

+1
Very handy to have and they don't take up much room, but get at least a 20 ton.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (track_mr2)

Thu, 26 May 2016 12:23:25 GMT

If you in Melbourne I can give you the name of a guy who Epoxied my garage floors. I got a full flake epoxied garage floor. How many meters length/width is your garage going to be? Also for the hoists with 4 post hoists you can get add on's that slide so you can jack the wheels up. I have a double garage with 6meter high ceilings so I was looking at putting in hoists to make it a 4 car garage. I think if parking underneath a 4 post is safer, plus easier to drive in and out of. As for air tools I thought about that too as I used to have a compressor at my parents house but I ended up selling that off as Lithium Ion battery tools are better because most of the time what you need is an impact wrench but with the battery one its easy to take to the track, plus don't need to wait for the compressor to fill with air (I used to drain mine as I didn't want it to rust). The only thing you can't do is spray I guess but from experience of spray painting at home with the compressor it always turns out crap because there is too much dust that will end up settling into the paint, that's why spray places have car ovens.

*Edit* oh I should say, I tried to do the self epoxy floor kits from Bunnings first but they end up lifting with tyres in the space of a year. That why I got a guy in to redo the floor. He ground it down to the point where we could go for grind and seal or just epoxy with full flake. He said it needs to be ground as this opens up the pours in the concrete without that it just lifts.

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (Highlander)

Thu, 26 May 2016 11:51:24 GMT

Hydraulic shop press

Re: New Workshop/Garage Fit Out Ideas (P E T E)

Thu, 26 May 2016 09:13:55 GMT

I agree, put a window in....albeit small but enough to see the outside world. It also means you get daylight in there if you just trying to grab tools etc for jobs outside of the shed without having to go near a light switch.

I'm a little on the fence regarding expoying the floors. Its a great product, but have heard to you need to redo it every 5-10 years? Its a hell of a job to do. I just used the garage paint on the concrete floor myself and its worked a treat. Best part is, you can always just whack another coat on as required which is easy to do.

As Dudeman mentioned, keep walls/ceiling white to give the best light in all situations.

If your going to all the effort of putting in air attachments, maybe put on on the outside of the shed. Could come in useful for painting/grinding or the like outside? (Depends on how decked out the inside is)

my 2c :)