Advice on Personal Garage

[rebel-a-wing]

Hi everyone,
This maybe confusing or even sound ridiculous but I would like some adivce on finding a place for rent near my house where I could store my car(s) put a lift in and have all of my tools. Currently I only have my Lotus but I would love to start building a collection of my favorite cars and cars that tickle me and restore them.

I have been doing software programming for a long time and miss getting my hand cut and bruised and dirty. Also, this would be something fun for me and my brother.

Of Course I would let my fellow Lotus brothers and sisters use the lift, at their own risk, to do any work when they need to.

Any advice from those who have accomplished this would be great.

Stephen

[RacyTracy]

What about a small commercial space, where you could lease space to a couple other car enthusiasts....giving you a rent-free space???

[nvrblu]

I'm currently in the planning stages of adding a detatched garage to my house. I have enough space on my property to add a 20' X 46' garage tall enough to accomodate a lift (Rotary SPOA10 - 2 post asymmetric).

[pianomaniac]

Sounds great. He could drive from NC to Tracy's in Illinois for lunch and then on to Arizona to crank a wrench or two. Hey, I'll buy the beer. I'm in CA which is relatively a short drive.

[rebel-a-wing]

I don't have a ton of room at my house and anyway there are Homeowner Community Rules I must follow which includes no car work.

I was thinking of some sort of storage place but didn't know if there was such a thing that would allow for enough room for a couple of cars and a lift. That is a good idea for a commercial place. I will check around and post my progress.

Stephen

[KGM]

I've been thinking along the same lines. Too many cars and not enough room at the house. I've suggested a move to my wife but if she knew the real reason (to get a really big garage)...
I'll be interested to see how things progress for you.
Keith

[PhlypSide]

a-wing: Sounds like you've got time. I don't know all the specifics or advantages your community affords you, but I'd be tempted to buy a spread somewhere else without the hassles your "Community Rules" give you. You live in NC, surely there is space nearby build your own place and make sure you get a garage with a vaulted ceiling. A "bonus room" is overrated for many gear heads who would rather have a vaulted ceiling and vertical room for a lift

[Brian 111]

I have a 2-car garage with a low ceiling, and six cars right now. I don't want to build a garage since I'm planning to move at the end of the year (3 car/high ceilings or room to build is a must).

I looked into commercial storage but the places where I'd even think of leaving a car will not allow a lift or even working with ramps.

There is a place nearby which sells space condo-style. You can do whatever you want with it except live there. The smallest unit will hold about 10 cars and there is 15 feet of headroom, but there's a $48k buy-in.

Maybe when I can afford to run a pair of 211s with my son, and then we wouldn't need to keep the transporter in the driveway...

I'd consider finding a detached garage for rent on private property. A retired couple willing to keep the Buick outside?

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by rebel-a-wing

there are Homeowner Community Rules I must follow which includes no car work.

I'd move. Seriously. I have yet to live in a house with a Homeowner Association, and I hope I never will.

When we moved to Virginia, we were about to sign papers on a house when we found out about the HOA - I latterly dropped the pen and continued looking for a different house. No way is someone else going to tell me I can't work on my cars.

[nvrblu]

Originally Posted by rebel-a-wing

I don't have a ton of room at my house and anyway there are Homeowner Community Rules I must follow which includes no car work.

I was thinking of some sort of storage place but didn't know if there was such a thing that would allow for enough room for a couple of cars and a lift. That is a good idea for a commercial place. I will check around and post my progress.

Stephen

My home is within an HOA and the CC&Rs are a pain. They have rules against working on cars but it's okay to do it in your garage (but no car construction or reconstruction anywhere). I decided to build a garage soon because the people who run the HOA are getting picky about new construction. I need to act fast.

Another guy in the neighborhood built a long, narrow garage and installed two 4-post lifts. He runs a local Corvette club. He has 4 vettes parked in that garage... end-to-end, stacked two high.

Sometimes you've got to be creative.

[milehitom]

Originally Posted by TimMullen

I'd move. Seriously. I have yet to live in a house with a Homeowner Association, and I hope I never will.

When we moved to Virginia, we were about to sign papers on a house when we found out about the HOA - I latterly dropped the pen and continued looking for a different house. No way is someone else going to tell me I can't work on my cars.

I'm with you on this one! The best HOA is knowing your neighbors and enjoying your neighborhood. I know it sounds a little idealistic, but being able to let the little things slide means everybody has respect for one another, and the freedom to do what they need to do. I can live with my neighbor prepping his RV in front of his house before he heads off to another shooting tournament since he can put up with me washing my car every Saturday.

I, too, have a detached two car low-ceiling garage. When I built it, my dad kept saying "Make it a three car so your shop will be bigger and make your walls ten feet high so you can use one of those car lifts." I wish I had listened...

My Fiat club has a commercial space where we can work on our Fiats. We bought it years ago and our annual club dues pay the light bill. It has a lift and a pit but limited storage for cars.

Tom

[ducatiexigeowner]

Check this out.....

3 w's.....maxxx.to/videos_d_2606_0.html

every elise should have one....
not a link....and you'll see why.

[bikeman]

[quote=rebel-a-wing]I don't have a ton of room at my house and anyway there are Homeowner Community Rules I must follow which includes no car work.

I was thinking of some sort of storage place but didn't know if there was such a thing that would allow for enough room for a couple of cars and a lift. That is a good idea for a commercial place. I will check around and post my progress.

Stephen I'd move. Or you can do what a friend of mine did, He waited
until a nice spring day,got with a bunch of his friends went to the shooting
range. Came home set-up a table on his drive way and started cleaning
a ****load of guns,no one in the H.O.A screwed with him again.

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by milehitom

I'm with you on this one! The best HOA is knowing your neighbors and enjoying your neighborhood. I know it sounds a little idealistic, but being able to let the little things slide means everybody has respect for one another, and the freedom to do what they need to do. I can live with my neighbor prepping his RV in front of his house before he heads off to another shooting tournament since he can put up with me washing my car every Saturday.

Yep. I live in an older neighborhood surrounded by newer ones. They all have HOAs and we don't. The neighborhoods are all about equal, no dumps, no yards with 3 feet grass and junker cars sitting on the lawn. Everyone gets along just fine, and we are all friendly and help each other out when necessary.

People lived in nice neighborhoods for many, many years before HOAs came along. I don't understand why they are necessary now...

[Westrock]

Wouldn't a lift mean physicall alteration of the property? You would at least need to run some hefty bolts into the concrete slab. Some (many) places may not like that.


You could look at buying an acre or so out in the country and laying a foundation and one of those metal buildings. Then you would be free to do whatever you want.

Plus you may even be able to get a loan on it, so it may cost as much per month as renting from someone else....and should something happen you at least have a second "home".

A basic lift for lightweight cars is about $2-$3K and a dynojet is about $30K. You'd have a full "shop" right there

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by Westrock

Wouldn't a lift mean physical alteration of the property? You would at least need to run some hefty bolts into the concrete slab.

Four Post lifts don't need to be bolted down. In fact, you can add casters to move them around...

[Rei]

Build your own shop. My friend did it and it's amazing. We can fit 6 cars in it easily and have two of them on the lifts. There's even a 200 gallon compressor underground it works amazing. What you can do also is get in good with a big shop and rent a lift from them. But it's not the same as having it in your home. Just remember having the space is one thing but the right tools also make a huge difference.

1. At least have a 50 gallon compressor,
2. 1/2 inch impact gun rated at 150ftlbs, a 1inch inpact rated at 300ftlbs plus
1/4 inch cordless impact by found one capable of 250ftlbs works very god worth the money to buy.
3. Deep socket set for your impact and ratchets.
4. A good ratchet I recomend the Huskey ratchet at Home Depot twisting the handle either way spins the ratchet also. This 40 dollar tool has saved me so many times I lost count espeacially in tight spots.
5. Torque wrench one cheap one to use a a breaker bar, one good one for actual specs.
6. Ratcheting wrenches are a must for odd spots trust me they are worth it.
7. 4 jackstands 2.5 ton 4 ton if you want if you opt for 4 ton stands you will need a bigger jack.
8. Low profile jack.
9. One of those cheap 140 bit tool sets from any auto parts store for random tools "sacrafical items"
10. Since it's a "toyota" engine HIGH Quality Sockets and wrenches in 8,10,12 and 14mm especially.
11. Blue wrench or really big pipe 1inch wide 4FT long.
12. Various nuts and bolts, bins and fluids, tin snips.
13. Strut Style Sping compressors.

With all this you have enough tools to build anything and what you don't have you can get part by part. Realisticly a short trip to HomeDepot and your average Auto parts store and your set. DONT buy CRAFTSMAN THERE IS NO LONGER A LIFETIME WARRANTEE ON ANYTHING YOU BUY FROM NOW ON FROM THEM.

I have those tools and a few "special service tools" in my garage and have done countless motor swaps. Body Panel replacements, suspension rebuilds, engine build ups, and general molestation to cars and havent needed much more. Currently I'm planning on building a Super 7ish but haven't found the right kit yet. BTW you don't need a lift really to build cars just makes life a little easier. The money is better spent on AIR tools and spare parts.

[rebel-a-wing]

Recently I was getting my car inspected and noticed a short lift solution at the garage I was in. I am not sure if it will work with an Elise and wanted to ask opinions.

It is a Rotary Lift - Low Rise (http://www.rotarylift.com/ --> Low Rise). It is unique since it can be fixed to the floor and is only as wide as your car. The issue I see with this lift is the fact that it would use the frame as the lifting point not the recommended lift points. The Lift uses cushion pads to lift when directly contacted to the frame however there are adapters you can acquire that might allow contact to recommended Lift point on the car.

Has anyone inquired about this lift if so is there a lot of success with this lift?

[Chris Mackey]

Originally Posted by Rei

DONT buy CRAFTSMAN THERE IS NO LONGER A LIFETIME WARRANTEE ON ANYTHING YOU BUY FROM NOW ON FROM THEM.

I just returned a ratchet to them a month ago. You sure about this? I know they have some rules about power tools, precision tools and lawnmowers, but I am pretty sure that the basic hand tools are still warrantied.

[ace10]

Originally Posted by Chris Mackey

I just returned a ratchet to them a month ago. You sure about this? I know they have some rules about power tools, precision tools and lawnmowers, but I am pretty sure that the basic hand tools are still warrantied.

agree.
torque wrench, no lifetime warranty
screw extractor, no lifetime warranty
1/2" ratchet, lifetime warranty