Register now to get rid of these ads!

Folks Of Interest Building Cars in a two car garage

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by klawockvet, Feb 20, 2019.

  1. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,773

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    I restored the Car Craft Dream rod in my 2 car garage Car-craft-dream-rod-11.jpg
     
  2. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki








    Hello,

    In late 1959, when we started our 1940 Willys build, we had a nice recreation room in the far back corner of our Westside Long Beach home. (Rumpus Room: birthday parties, quiet area away from parents, loud music area, etc.) But, trying to build it in our family's two car garage was a nightmare for moving cars in and out of the garage to set up a working space. When our dad was not home, it was fine, but the set up time and clean up time just before he got home was hectic enough. That floor had to be spic and span.
    upload_2019-2-27_4-25-45.png
    We also had to modify my mom’s rose garden and trellis fence, so we could get the Willys rolled back into the workplace. Rose fanatics, don’t worry, the advantage to living on this historic flood plain is that the ground top soil is so fertile. Any plant removed and put back in a different hole survived, easily. So, no trophy winning roses were harmed in the process. Ha! Plus, we used some old bricks that were under our 40s house as a mini patio between the grass areas.

    We decided that if we converted the two French doors and take out 4, crank handle, casement windows, that we could install a full two car garage door. So, we got the ok from our parents. We knew from our own two car garage door was that construction came from a 2x4 frame and a plywood surface. The spring/levers could be purchased at Dooley's Hardware. After we were finished with the destruction and reconstruction, we poured a 12 x 20 concrete slab leading into the now one car garage, but sideways. (We were so happy with our skills and finished results. It actually looked like it was there when the whole housing tract was built back in the post war days.)

    The rectangular Rumpus Room could only be opened with the garage door sideways and our Willys coupe rolled right in, parallel with the long garage door. When working on the Willys coupe, it was rolled out onto the concrete slab. When it rained, a large canvas tarp stretched from the open door to some metal close line poles for a tight and secure work area, outside.
    upload_2019-2-27_4-26-59.png
    We still had to have some continuity for my mom’s garden and grass area. For the times we were going to be in that backyard garage, it did not damage the grass or plants. The only time we used the real two car stall was to use the taller, ceiling joists for the engine chain hoist. (We used it 5 times, 3 motors) The newly created backyard (Rumpus Room) garage’s joists were too low and not strong enough.


    The rest of the time, when the Willys was taken apart in its build/rebuild days, it fit nicely sideways in the rear garage. Even when the Willys was complete we could drive the car in at an angle, work on it and close the new, two car garage door. It was tight, but complete and secure.

    Jnaki

    Our mom did not like us tearing down and reconstructing the nice Rumpus Room for such an “awful hobby.” But, when we were finished, she marveled at what we had done to the old doors and windows. After all, her two boys were actually “playing together” and not fighting over some thing or two. It wasn’t the roomiest place to build a hot rod or drag race car, but it provided plenty of space when extended with the overhead shade tarp.

    That was late 1959 "Hot Rod Ingenuity" in action from a couple of anxious teenagers.


     
  3. I hear the comment all the time about how small my garage is and how can I build a hot rod in there....I tell them I spend a lot of time shuffling shit...Organize and build carts for moving things around
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Feb 27, 2019
    Mahty and Stock Racer like this.
  4. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    Today I just pulled the body off my car to start the bodywork and paint phase of the build and the car sure takes up more space when it is apart. Can't imagine working in a one car garage. Think part of the problem is that I'm too paranoid to leave stuff outside. Luckily today there was a respite from all the snow that we have been getting and I managed to snag my neighbor in swinging the body around with the garage door open. IMG_1193.JPG
     
    OahuEli likes this.
  5. it's not the size of the garage.......it's the size of the hot rod you put in it.
     
    Inked Monkey likes this.
  6. MAD 034
    Joined: Aug 30, 2011
    Posts: 775

    MAD 034
    Member
    from Washington

    I built my car entirely from scratch without electricity or hand tools.
     
    chopped likes this.
  7. lippy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 6,825

    lippy
    Member
    from Ks

    I will guarantee you when you are space limited it's like Harley51 says, you keep shit picked up and organized. It's the only way you have room to work. LOL. Lippy
     
  8. 3 cars in a 2 car garage. Never was good at math anyway.......

    001.JPG 007.JPG
     
    Just Gary likes this.
  9. ...have put together lots of old cars and trucks, every one built in my 20 X 26' shop,my garage is actually 46' long but I only work in the back 26' of it, works pretty well actually.
    old post car and shop pics.jpg old post car and shop pics 001.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2019
    72yenkonova and VANDENPLAS like this.
  10. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

     
  11. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    IMG_4219.JPG IMG_4219.JPG Here is my 24x30 garage with my convertible and the 42 Chevy I am building for my daughter
     
    mgtstumpy and stanlow69 like this.
  12. brokedownbiker
    Joined: Jun 7, 2016
    Posts: 651

    brokedownbiker
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Elcohaulic likes this.
  13. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    I hope that you are trying to be funny, or maybe you are a magician
     
    MAD 034 likes this.
  14. jazz1
    Joined: Apr 30, 2011
    Posts: 1,534

    jazz1
    Member

    2 car garage is plenty room to build. I always put my projects on casters so I can bring any other vehicle inside IMG_20140419_140323.jpg if it needs work
     
  15. OahuEli
    Joined: Dec 27, 2008
    Posts: 5,243

    OahuEli
    Member
    from Hawaii

    Man I wish I still HAD a two car garage! Miss this one.
    3. 'glass front clip pre-fit.jpg
     
  16. cheap-n-dirty
    Joined: Jan 28, 2002
    Posts: 896

    cheap-n-dirty
    Member

    I built mine in this 30 foot deep one car garage.
    gargae test shots 006.JPG
     
    72yenkonova and AHotRod like this.
  17. Greaser Bob
    Joined: Mar 5, 2006
    Posts: 1,331

    Greaser Bob
    Member

    My last garage back in Iowa was a two stall and Screenshot_20190305-034029_Gallery.jpg boy do I miss it now. Beasty and a couple other cars built in there.
    Sad thing was, even in winter my wife's cars never saw the inside of it in the twenty some years we owned it!
     
    AHotRod likes this.
  18. LSJUNIPER
    Joined: Aug 17, 2010
    Posts: 243

    LSJUNIPER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from ct

    3 cars 2 motor cycles. the daily drivers are parked out side.
     

    Attached Files:

  19. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki





    Hello,

    Times have changed. Currently, our two car garage is a real two car garage with spaces on both sides for entry into and out of any car. There is space for a nice garage cabinets with a work counter, empty space on the other side for tall cabinets for more storage, as well as getting in two regular size vehicles or even a large station wagon. But, like most limiting things, two big station wagons would make this two car garage small for entry and exit while parked inside.

    Our post WW2 house in the Westside of Long Beach was a two car garage model. Every third house had a single car garage. Some of those single car garages held big family cars and it was difficult to get in/out while in the single car garage. (even in 1964 when our neighbor bought a fairly narrow El Camino, it was difficult to get out of the car in the garage.)

    We were lucky that our house had a two car garage with a cement sink and a work counter with drawers on the left side. Those two presented problems, but it was manageable and the 51 Olds sedan and 58 Impala shared the spaces with our dad’s big Buick Roadmaster.

    If you have seen the 57 Buick Roadmaster, you know it is a large car. It had precedence in the garage space, so we had to make due when the other teenage cars took the next space over. Many times, we wanted to take out the cabinets along the wall and the cement sink. But the sink was a mainstay in our mom’s laundry scheme. The bench/counter could have been shorter, too.

    There was a side door to allow my mom to do her laundry without opening the huge garage door. If the Impala was in that space, there was no room. Plus, before we started using the old wooden cabinets with “our stuff” my dad had his stuff crammed into those deep wooden shelves.

    Jnaki

    When these houses were made 1946-47, it was still a single car family, so the two car garage with a workbench/cabinet for storage was the main attraction. The washing area for the old wash tub, and those cool metal/wood washboards fit perfectly. Access to the outside wires for drying clothes were in every single backyard. There was no washer/dryer available for many years to come.

    Come to think about it, washing clothes was a chore, especially if it rained or was one of those very cold So Cal days. My mom had to plan it out for those days, when my dad was gone to work, we were also gone to school and the whole garage was empty.
    upload_2019-12-18_4-33-40.png upload_2019-12-18_4-33-53.png
    The 1951 Olds Sedan usually sat outside, until my dad was at work. Then my brother’s 51 Olds Sedan took over the whole garage. But, it had to be moved when my dad came home from work. That was my job to back my brother’s Olds Sedan out and drive my dad’s big Buick into his private space.
    upload_2019-12-18_4-34-40.png The 51 Olds in center court of the two car garage.
    In order for the Impala to fit (On the left side of the garage), the tall cabinet in front had to be modified. My brother and I cut off about two feet of the lower door and side of the cabinet. We had to put in new hinges for the dangling remains of the cabinet door. Now, the bumper, hood, headlight and grille easily slipped into the opening and gave us room to park the Impala. The closet was still usable and storage was not a problem.
    upload_2019-12-18_4-35-34.png
    We cut approximately two feet into the cabinet and modified the door.


    Right above the space where the Impala was usually parked, were several sturdy 2x4 cross beams in the open rafters. With a couple of vertical 4x4 posts and one 6x6 beam, it was perfect for mounting the chain hoist for engine pulling and installing. It was done within the confines of a narrow two car garage. Of course, we had to do the engine removal/installation when our dad’s Buick was not there. When he came home from work, we had to stop everything we were doing to make room for that big Buick to park inside. The posts were removable at any time.

    That was not the most conducive place to do any "hot rod" work, so a backyard "Rumpus Room" (recreation room) was converted by the two brothers to make it a usable 1.5 car garage. The 1940 Willys Coupe could fit in sideways as the building sat in the yard.

    upload_2019-12-18_4-44-29.png
    These days, most two car garages are long enough to park an 18 foot long vehicle. As far as height, that is another story. When our son moved into his tract house, there was a tall cabinet in front of where the two cars were parked. The previous owners built the tall, but deep cabinet, since they drove short foreign vehicles and needed cabinet space.

    We had to modify those cabinets to get one of my son’s two cars to fit in this fairly modern garage. His wife was looking at an SUV that was 209 inches overall. It would not fit in front of those cabinets, so she opted for a shorter, smaller SUV without any cabinet modifications to her side of the garage.


    Times change… But, predicaments are the same. 1957 vs 2009, Westside Long Beach vs the OC





     
    willysguy likes this.
  20. NbdyHome2
    Joined: Feb 26, 2019
    Posts: 100

    NbdyHome2
    Member

    I don't have pictures of it at the moment, but the first bike I built (69 Triumph t-100R Daytona 500) was on my roommates kitchen table. Didn't have a bike lift or a garage!! He wasn't thrilled about it but didn't complain either. Also built a hollow-core wooden surfboard in my college dorm room....turning the room into a wood shop and sleeping there...or bringing girls back there...worked...but wasn't ideal (no dust collection). It was a great conversation starter though.

    Nearing grown up age, I rebuilt/built a 70 Chevy CST-10 pickup and a heavily chopped Sportster in my condo garage...was pretty tight at times and realized that the lease stated "no major vehicle repairs" were allowed...missed that...whoops.

    Now I've bought a house and building a '30 Banger for TROG (hopefully) in a two car. Since the days of the kitchen table, this is leaps and bounds to me! The garage is my woodshop, metalshop, theater, storage area, and beer-brewing house! I love it! Also turned out to be the base of operations for a deep sea diver lumberjack chainsaw army for response to Hurricane Michael in 2018. Thinking back, I've amazed myself by the work that I've done in that garage and other spaces. I will admit, I gotta move a bunch of stuff around and into the driveway, the lawn, and in the house to do certain things. But the dog has a 'magic carpet' that he sits on to ensure the neighborhood watch is taken care of. His carpet MUST be in the garage in order for him to stand his post properly. His other duties include workshop supervisor and customs inspections for mail delivery. 75189.jpeg 20171007_191847.jpeg 20190914_111035.jpeg 20190803_124208.jpeg 20181008_104006.jpeg

    Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    olscrounger, Hamtown Al and mgtstumpy like this.
  21. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    Fabricated the chassis, body and most everything else including paint in my 24 x26 garage.
    7DF783C1-E86B-4ADD-BEE1-AB10EF3E3CB3.jpeg 2066C41F-290D-4A37-A75D-1CD1B986A602.jpeg 03700F41-B4F3-417B-9D03-C63DB9788F3A.jpeg
    And yes, the doors still need to be installed, I'm just chasing a few bugs in the meantime.

    38273942-75B7-4A36-9EB9-7DAF4B0FC19E.jpeg.jpg
     
  22. nochop
    Joined: Nov 13, 2005
    Posts: 3,818

    nochop
    Member
    from norcal

  23. IMG_1872.JPG
    Small areas are easier to heat in the winter.


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  24. I'd get a lot more done if I lived in a warmer climate. Things get interesting here in the winter when I have my 52 dodge in the garage, covered with a tarp, working on my project 59 apache, and trying to paint parts in the garage.

    I have a 2 car garage with a small cellar under it that is connected to the basement. I will prep parts in the basement, carry them up through the stairwell in the garage, spray them, then carry back into the heated basement and hang them from a beam. 15 minutes later, I do it all over again for the next coat of paint. The stairs get old after awhile... oh and hoping I don't hit the wall with a freshly painted part as I go downstairs
     
    Stock Racer and bobss396 like this.
  25. There's plenty of room to build/work on one car in a two car garage, and two cars starts to get tight, but you can get it done. The biggest problem I have is all the sports equipment, bicycles, home repair tools/supplies and yard work junk takes up too much very valuable space.

    UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1934.jpg
     
  26. This is when having an unfinished basement (or partially unfinished) and a small shed outside really come in handy.

    I try and keep the vast majority of my spare parts in my basement. I have doors, bumpers, trim pieces, even had bedsides down there for a year.

    Yard stuff stays in the shed.

    Keep as much of the non car stuff out of the garage as you can
     
    D-Russ likes this.
  27. saa
    Joined: Jan 20, 2012
    Posts: 12

    saa
    Member
    from Sweden

    Near city center and a 1 car garage… has to work…
     
  28. adam401
    Joined: Dec 27, 2007
    Posts: 2,856

    adam401
    Member

    IMG_20210124_105027_055.jpg
    When i started this car I lived in the city, rented a heated warehouse to build cars in but it was away from my house which sucked. Then I moved to the country and finished the remaining 60% of this car in my dirt driveway. Outside. Point being it doesnt matter about the shop. A shop doesnt get a car done. Dragging your ass out and working on your car every day gets it done. Every day. Even for 15 minutes.
     
  29. jetnow1
    Joined: Jan 30, 2008
    Posts: 2,152

    jetnow1
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from CT
    1. A-D Truckers

    Better half,s father has a 50's ranch with a one car garage under it. He has restored his 47 Lincoln there, it is so tighr the front bumper is within 6 inches of the front workbench to close the door, and you have to turn sideways to get past the car sides. He has made this work since 1960, and is now in his mid 80's.
     
    Moondog13 and adam401 like this.
  30. Dangerousdan
    Joined: Apr 12, 2018
    Posts: 333

    Dangerousdan
    Member
    from Arizona

    I think this is the perfect chop for this model. For me.it works.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.