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Anybody work without a garage?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Terrible Tom, Sep 27, 2011.

  1. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,719

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    I get some condensation when the temps are cool enough and the sun hits it, but a quick fire up of the propane heater and they disappear. They rarely drip in the middle, just slide down to the edges and drop there.
     
  2. ThePontiacKid
    Joined: Feb 10, 2011
    Posts: 63

    ThePontiacKid
    Member
    from VA

    I have a car port, no garage. I'm constantly dreaming up a way to put a small garage behind it. Can't enclose it, it would be too small to work in.
     
  3. Lostj
    Joined: Feb 14, 2009
    Posts: 34

    Lostj
    Member
    from Miami, FL

    My work area is a gravel/dirt area. I use plywood to roll the jack on and cardboard to keep me out of the mud. at least its under a tree so the heat isn;t that bad.
     
  4. jazz1
    Joined: Apr 30, 2011
    Posts: 1,534

    jazz1
    Member

    I worked in a unheated garage 30 years ago..the cam lube got so stiff at -35 that lubed camshaft would hang from my hand. Being committed you just deal with the elements,,today,,gotta woodstove in the garage next to the bar and hottub
     
  5. hugh m
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,143

    hugh m
    Member
    from ct.

    Welcome to the club. Even if you have a nice shop, you'll end up digging out snow to change over tires and brakelines in a puddle because it's full. (like last winter) Before you feel too bad, think of all the tradesmen who are outside all winter, and not just a few days. Do what you gotta do.
     
  6. screwshiney
    Joined: Jan 2, 2009
    Posts: 96

    screwshiney
    Member

    I just moved from New Jersey to Indiana for work and it's my first time living on my own. I swore that i would never live in an apartment b/c i would have no place for my tools and cars and if i didn't have them i'd go crazy living here my byself. Well after 2 months of living with a friend i finally found a house for rent with a 1 car garage and a basement!! It's not as big as the 3 bay shop i used to rent back in jersey, but this is at my own house and i can work in peace. Thankfully my landlord is cool and when i'm ready she said she'll buy the materials to build onto the garage, plus her husband owns a huge steel fab/supply shop.:D
     

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  7. Larry Pearsall
    Joined: Apr 7, 2007
    Posts: 1,462

    Larry Pearsall
    Member

    The larger the garage, the more crap you put into it.. I still need to work outside, becaues theres so many projects and parts, I can't work inside with out moving something out.. This was last weeks project between showers..
     

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  8. 23crate
    Joined: Oct 6, 2010
    Posts: 171

    23crate
    Member
    from nz

    there was a time when my garage was under the lounge (and the fireplace) was the perfect working temperature all year round .... sold that house and now have a garage with a 360 un-interuped veiw nice on a sunny day ,,, least my tools stay dry and warm still
     
  9. well i use to not have a garage to work in...then i bought a house. one of my requirements was at least a 2 car garage. i wanted more. but i just got the 2. by right now i cant get the willys in because of the other stuff...crap...its gona get everything cleaned and the pk pulled in so i can get the engine out. rebuilt and back on the road.
     
  10. Red71
    Joined: Oct 8, 2010
    Posts: 192

    Red71
    Member
    from Illi-noise

    the + side of no garage in the mid west in the winter time is when you
    smash your finger, you wont feel it :)
     
  11. Fordtudor37
    Joined: Jan 5, 2011
    Posts: 273

    Fordtudor37
    Member

    Started out working in the parents driveway while still at home.
    Then got married and worked on cardboard changing a transmission in a '63 Nova in 2 feet of snow.
    Put up portable garage with a stone floor for drainage and built a '48 Ford Club Coupe with 302/C4/8 inch primer black, owned for 6 years.
    Sold the '48 and built a 24x24 garage and thats were I stand today.
    Built a few cars since then thanks to DRY, SECURE space.
    The one thing I've learned, is the more space you have the more stuff you collect !
    If you haven't used it in two years, GET RID OF IT !
    I have plenty of space now for my Ford Ranger and '32 3W even in today's slush and snow !

    Friend of mine lives in a "city area" and we designed folding walls to give more or "open space" during warm weather. For those of you who can't put up portable garages, don't forget enclosed trailers. When you move your shop goes with you !
     
  12. drcliff
    Joined: Dec 22, 2010
    Posts: 9

    drcliff
    Member

    I had a detached 2-car garage before Katrina waterlogged the whole city. When I was redoing the house, I turned the garage into an apartment and lived in it for a year, and now it's a $650/month rental, which is nice, but NO MORE GARAGE.

    Now I have a mig welder, plasma torch, and a mountain of other tools crammed into a 200sq ft workshop, and I do all the car work in the driveway. At least the driveway is a nice new slab. oy vey, waddaya gonna do?
     
  13. macs67
    Joined: Apr 21, 2010
    Posts: 76

    macs67
    Member
    from oregon

    hey red you must live up near noisy chitown with the illinoise accent? midstate its pronounced illinoy w/o the big city noise lmao just kidden around lived in the QC area and can really relate to smashin my finger & not feelin it.....good luck on your project
     
  14. Ya as a kid workin out in the driveway...chipping the tires outta the ice so I could jack the car up to get under it...Ya ever try to change rod bearings outside in winter in Northern Ill? no gloves....work till ya can't feel anything,go in the house for a bit warm up then hit it again! Age 16.car,63 Impala SS, year,1976,aggrivation-immense! Memories-priceless!!!
     
  15. PunkAssGearhead88
    Joined: Jul 9, 2006
    Posts: 1,788

    PunkAssGearhead88
    Member
    from So Cal

    Good thread! Add me to the list of the cursed. Even in So. Cal, I HATE it! You have to work twice as hard, sometimes I spend just as much, if not more time taking out and putting away tools as I do getting a job done.
     
  16. hotrodchevy
    Joined: Jan 20, 2009
    Posts: 127

    hotrodchevy
    Member

    I don't have to work outside ,but right this minute have two finished rods sitting outside in the first big snow storm of the year while i sit inside w/a generator running outside to power my house till public service gets to our area usualy only a couple days.ha ha....:mad:
     
  17. duke182
    Joined: Nov 27, 2005
    Posts: 562

    duke182
    Member

    just reread part of this thread, and i find it amazing how similar many of these stories are to mine.
    makes me feel a little less crazy for doing the things i do.
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2011
  18. Being in the military I get the luxury of having a hobby shop on base where I can store and work on my car for a slight fee. Not having a garage of my own does pose the usual problems that others have mention like; spending time to set things up. The worst thing that I have to deal with is the hobby shop is only open on Saturday and Sunday now because of financial cut backs.
     
  19. Tony
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 7,350

    Tony
    Member

    I don't even have a garage i can work in at my place.
    When i lived with my folks, my dad allowed me to turn his 2.5 car garage into a "shop"..I still use it to this day and have built everything i've owned out of that garage..
    I could never repay him for letting me do that, ever.

    It'd be GREAT to have a real shop though!! haha

    Tony
     
  20. Dat Dirty Rat
    Joined: Jan 15, 2003
    Posts: 3,505

    Dat Dirty Rat
    Member

    When i lived in the city i had a shitty 2 car garage that the roof fell in on....so for the most part everything had to be done in the driveway or yard....Hell my one neighbor let me run extension cord into her house for the lights cause all mine were in use already so i could finish sanding the body down....Some of the coolest cars are built this way and even painted.....its called 'Backyard Boogie'

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgRpZM4JpmE
     
  21. OahuEli
    Joined: Dec 27, 2008
    Posts: 5,243

    OahuEli
    Member
    from Hawaii

    Geez I bet it takes a week just to shine all that chrome!
     
  22. cl350rr
    Joined: Jun 29, 2011
    Posts: 220

    cl350rr
    Member

    No garage here, previous owner turned it into a MIL suite:mad:. got a 10X16 shed and the truck parked behind it with a makeshift tarp lean-to over it. nice this time of year and in the spring but don't get much done in the winter or summer. most of my tools are portable, spend alot of time on setup and tear down

    now at my next house...
     
  23. dirtydixon
    Joined: Aug 2, 2010
    Posts: 296

    dirtydixon
    Member

    good to see this thread still going. It's good for motivation during the winter months.
     
  24. Energy
    Joined: Jan 30, 2010
    Posts: 156

    Energy
    Member

    Last year, I put new floors in my OT el camino in the parking lot of my apt complex!! :eek: Landlady was cool (took me 6 months!), but I could only have it disabled on weekends. Had to have it back together and driveable by monday am. Used the guardrail along the driveway as a metal brake (worked GREAT!!!).

    Helpful hint: If you're working outside, grab up all the old carpet put out for the garbageman that you see while driving around. If working with bigger parts (removing trans, etc) put the backing side down and lay on the pile side. works fantastic on rocks/pavement. If working with small parts (lots of small nuts, bolts, etc) put the soft side down, and lay on the backing. Will be easy to find anything you drop. Keep using the same piece of carpet til its too ragged/dirty, then throw it away. Can also lay the tranny on it, then pull on the carpet to slide it under/out from under the car!

    Refridgerator boxes smashed flat work great too. They will catch all the oil, rust, whatever that falls out of the car, then fold the cardboard and dump it in the garbage when done. Cuts down on flat tires that way too!!

    ask me how I know! :rolleyes:
     

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