Shop upgrades

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Rettax3
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by Rettax3 »

Ouch! I will warn you, four-car sounds like a good step up, but I would suggest a four-car garage WITH room to expand or add on a shop later. :wink: I've got four and a small workshop which is now stuck serving double-duty as a machining shop AND a woodshop -it gets crowded fast, it would be nice if it was at least twice its' size... Plus, I need another half-bay for engine and transmission storage... I have ~15 engines in the bays alone right now, only nine of them correctly 'stored' away, the others are taking up too much room. I've got three small-blocks that will be coming out of 3rd-Gen F-Body cars once I get to them and have a place for them...

Only one of those SBCs will be replaced with one of the engines from the shop (the Corvette L83 350 that is still waiting to get a build-up and a TPI manifold -I might wimp-out and throw on the 305 H.O. heads I have from an older Trans Am, as the older TPI manifold I have can bolt directly onto them instead of rigging adapter-plates for the Vortec heads it was going to go on, but those tiny 305 chambers will put the compression through the roof on that 'Vette 350... And I still have all the GM parts to increase the Vortec heads' valve-lift for the Lunatti cam and increased-ratio rocker-arms I have ready for it, so then I will 'need' to make a home for those if I use the 305 heads... :twisted:

In the shop today, I made another shelf in the corner beside the engine-rack for my old Kawasaki "J" engine. I barely fit next to the 3800 on the end... But barely is good enough, and now the bigger welding gear all tucks nicely into that space, leaving just the MIG and flux-wire welders on their own cart in the workshop. Progress! :lol:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by woody90gtz »

Regardless of how much room you have, it will never be enough. My FIL could be on hoarders. He has a 3car garage full of stuff (not cars) and built another 30x60 shop on another piece of land. That's full now too...

Yeah, fitting TPI on Vortec heads is either pricey, or a lot of fab work. It would be a great combo for torque though. And my last truck had 305 heads on its 350 and it was a pooch. Don't do it. I Vortec-head swapped that one with a carb intake and TBI adapter.

I have my nasty 383 SBC stored away nicely, but my three LS engines are in the way right now. I just gotta test fire the third one and two will be out of there soon.
Image


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
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Rettax3
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Re: Shop upgrades

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You are definitely right about needing more space than you have, it just keeps going. A guy I befriended at the junk-yard a couple of years ago started talking about the 'hundreds of cars' he had... I was actually believing him about 98% until I saw his property -he was understating his collection. Packards, '50s classics, a 4-speed '69 Camaro SS, other 60's and '70s musclecars, Special Edition fourth-gen Trans Ams (pair), antique tow-trucks, even a Herse or two. Rows of performance parts, engines, transmissions, axles, 'stored' under tarps and inside box-trucks. He had several acres, and he was looking for corners and nooks to stuff more. I am probably an engine hoarder, but on a far smaller scale. Oh well, nobody is perfect. :D

I definitely appreciate the feedback on the heads. I've heard both sides of the 305 head debate, and frankly wasn't sure it would make a tremendous difference on what I am putting together -my TPI manifold is stock, and they tend towards restrictive. High RPM just isn't a thing for them anyway, and with the lift and duration of the cam, I was thinking the Vortec heads would be overkill for the intake, and the heads might not pi$$ me off too badly. Were your 305 heads swirl-port TBI heads, or performance heads? I have an '82 Trans Am donor with the 305 H.O. (non-CFI, unfortunately). I have a pair of rebuildable Camel-Hump 350 heads I could play with too... The 350 L83 starts off with 9:1 compression with massive 76cc chambers, my cam recommends 10:1 or better. Vortecs run 64cc, and the tiny 305s would yield well beyond the recommended 10:1...


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by woody90gtz »

Mine were swirl port 305 heads, so yours should be less horrible. And if you're not worried about rpm at all, it should be very responsive down low with the small ports - good velocity. And over 10:1 will also help.


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
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Rettax3
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Re: Shop upgrades

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Yeah, the swirl-port heads are fantastic for low RPM grunt and gas-mileage, but not for much else -my original Camaro had the TBI 305, swirl-port heads... A 5-speed and tall gears got me 22.25-22.5 MPG city and highway. Swapped it out for a high-mileage 350 TBI with swirl-ports, tuned it in (which back then meant dialing-in the distributor... :lol: ) and got consistent 22.5 MPG city and 25 MPG highway -an occasional stall at the end of a long off-ramp was the only indication that the ECM wasn't calibrated quite right for the increased engine size -that and the very lopey-sounding idle, which I didn't mind at all -I think that engine had an RV cam dropped into it a couple of owners before me... But, it had no one home at high RPMs until I put in a massively ported CFI manifold -stock those can suck in 750 CFM, and if ported out, will stomp any of the other GM F/I manifolds of the era, all else being equal. It still didn't have much top-end with those heads, but not as awful.
I may just drop the 305 heads on it if I can wedge some time in for it this winter, then at least I can get the 'Vert back together and running -it has a 5.0 in it now with some issues, and I just don't want to play with it. If I can't stand the top-end, I can probably make myself go back in later and pull the heads in exchange for the Vortec.

Back on topic, I got the maintenance service done on the lift today. A bit overdue, but I just haven't been using it. Nice to get that done, although one of the grease zerks is broken, and I don't have a clue what I did with my package of spares. I've gotten a bit of a procedure down for the lift while using my low-ride transmission-jack. It actually goes high enough to snag the tranny from a full-size 4x4 truck of the lift is dropped all the way down, and it is roomy enough between the ramps for me to maneuver on a creeper. Who says you can't lay down on the job? :D


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by woody90gtz »

Here's the junk I picked up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mke4y7cXJ-g

Got the two post in my old man's shop working. He did a bunch of cleaning up and repainting and had some trouble with the reassembly. The locks were put together wrong, but we got that figured out and fixed. Now it's fully functional. He's gonna put his new truck on it and try it out. Spent $40k! on a used half ton. 2019 Dodge with the small v8. Yikes. But he also got $22k trade in for his 2016 Dodge 1500 with a ton of dents and rotten underneath. Blows my mind.

Next week he's supposed to get heat in his new garage...and a Beretta in there. Yessss.


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
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Rettax3
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Re: Shop upgrades

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Cool! Love the "IWISS" almost as good as a real "Wiss" :ROFL:
Pretty decent, though the drive time to pick them up kinda sucks. Hmm, wondering if such a 'marketplace' is out where I am at? I wouldn't mind a couple of cheap LS engines sitting around... :D For, SOMETHING, I'm sure.

I've worked under 2-post-pogos enough to know, I don't like them. The shop I worked at didn't really have the floors constructed up to spec for them. Most four-posters don't care -heck mine rolls around on its' own wheels when I need it to. :wink: But the pogos do give a LOT more access underneath, there is no arguing against that.

I have been playing around with where and how best to put semi-permanent power supplies (120VAC strips clamped onto the lift somewhere) and lighting. The inner-edge of the ramps have 'drip rails', deep channels designed to catch gunk running off of vehicles and sturdy enough to use as tracks for oil-catch tanks or hydro/pneumatic lift-jacks. Problem is that if I put lights into those channels, my movable 'bridge' (too cheap to buy the rolling jacks at a couple thou each, I did buy a 'bridge' to place bottle-jacks on, in case I want o lift one end of a vehicle up while it is on the lift) would hit them, if I hung lights off of the channels on the inside, my rolling oil-tank would hit them, AND they would narrow my access between the ramps just that much. So I am thinking either lights that stow under the ramps and swing out when needed, or just tube-style work-lights that I can just grab and hook in place when needed. Of course, SO MUCH ROOM under a car on this lift that portable work-lights are half-way decent anyway, but I just want something a little more... Refined, I think. Still playing with ideas.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by woody90gtz »

Swing out lights sound like a pretty good solution.

My old man had talked himself into buying a 4-post until he got a smokin deal on this used 2-post. It was in great shape and then he left it outside under a tarp for a year and moisture rusted the piss out of it. The portability would have been nice, and in many cases the ability to keep the car on the weight of the wheels is hugely beneficial. Little bit of a bummer to have another device to lift the weight off the suspension, but those sliding scissor lift jobs are a pretty cool solution. A bridge and a couple bottle jacks sounds like a cheaper route to the same effect.

I'll just be happy to use a lift, period. I've used one once in my life...and that was just to help yank a (barf) 4l60e out of a suburban to slap in and flip the K1500 I bought from OH that ended up being rusty junk.


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
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Rettax3
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Re: Shop upgrades

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Rettax3 wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 3:14 am I would suggest a four-car garage WITH room to expand or add on a shop later. :wink: I've got four and a small workshop which is now stuck serving double-duty as a machining shop AND a woodshop -it gets crowded fast ... Plus, I need another half-bay for engine and transmission storage...
Working actively on fixing my storage problem now. I am building an 8x24 'shed' to house the engines and transmissions, plus hopefully anything else I don't want to lug up to the storage loft above the workshop. I have the first section of the slab poured, since the weather opened a narrow window of cooperation, and so far this is turning out to be the nicest concrete slab work I have done to date -by the time I am done EVER doing more of this insanity, I should be half-way decent at it! :roll: I decided that due to the length of the shed, it would be best to add an expansion-joint in the middle, even though rolling a loaded engine-stand (or hoist) over it won't be the most fun.

Once the walls and roof go up, I will transfer over my seven-engine storage-'rack', probably expand it out to about double that capacity, install my transaxle storage 'beam' as well, and then relocate the stairs I made up to the storage loft to the back wall of the lift-bay where the engines are stored now. This will give me enough room in that bay to walk AROUND my lift! :D

It has been nice to have a fully-enclosed and dry vehicle capable of picking-up two tons (plus) of concrete at a shot. :wink: A couple of trips was all it took, even the "big box" store's rental truck can't haul that much -not nearly. But my cement-mixer is dying, and I may have to rebuild or replace the motor even before I finish the slab. It is getting a lot less funny to me how virtually every project seems to generate a handful of side-projects to go with them...


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Rettax3
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by Rettax3 »

Rettax3 wrote: Sat Jan 07, 2023 9:12 pm Working actively on fixing my storage problem now. I am building an 8x24 'shed' to house the engines and transmissions, plus hopefully anything else ...
I had to wait longer to start this until the concrete had extra cure-time due to the cold weather, but we got it done. It has been a long-haul to get to this point. But finally... MOVING DAY! (Well, for the engines, NOT me. :roll: Never again.) A couple of in-progress pics of the build and the move.
I am getting better at pouring concrete, but I still suck at it. A bag of self-leveling cement would be enough to cure the few low-spots in my slab, and I did have a slight high-spot near the main door that I had to grind down, but it came out pretty clean and I love my new door -oversized 42-inch fits both of my engine-hoists just fine... I couldn't justify the retail price on one (over $300 for just an unhung door!), so I made my own. It fits secure and tight, and is honestly mouse-proof with gaps under 1/8th of an inch, even the bottom! So far I have tested it in fluctuating humidity AND a good spread of temperatures without any binding from swelling.
Relocating the engines from my shop into the storage-shed is actually taking well over a day to accomplish though, I am not in a hurry and I want to make certain the new storage is secure for them and as efficiently packed as reasonably possible. Each engine/transmission will be individually wrapped in plastic as well. I also have other things going on (amazing, I know), so the move is more like a 'when I have an extra hour' sort of thing. The transaxle beam still needs to be unloaded and removed from my shop as well.
Framing work. The construction-area looks like a bomb went off around it, but I just didn't have any better place to stash some of these parts.  And the old Kawasaki...<br />The white tubing was used to 'tent' the concrete slab during and after the pour.  Controlling the heat was critical when constructing this time of year.
Framing work. The construction-area looks like a bomb went off around it, but I just didn't have any better place to stash some of these parts. And the old Kawasaki...
The white tubing was used to 'tent' the concrete slab during and after the pour. Controlling the heat was critical when constructing this time of year.
The storage rack has been reconstructed and doubled in length.  Each engine gets a custom bracket on the storage rack.  I would have preferred one uniform design, but it isn't reasonable with the variety of engines being stored, even if I made them adjustable.
The storage rack has been reconstructed and doubled in length. Each engine gets a custom bracket on the storage rack. I would have preferred one uniform design, but it isn't reasonable with the variety of engines being stored, even if I made them adjustable.
Even my smaller hoist barely fits for these slots with other engines against the far wall and obviously engines stored under the rack will need to be moved too to access the rack-mounted engines, but I have some plans for this hoist... And none of the engines on the rack are likely to move any time soon. Mostly original 'numbers-matching' or engines I simply haven't thought of a good application for (yet).
Even my smaller hoist barely fits for these slots with other engines against the far wall and obviously engines stored under the rack will need to be moved too to access the rack-mounted engines, but I have some plans for this hoist... And none of the engines on the rack are likely to move any time soon. Mostly original 'numbers-matching' or engines I simply haven't thought of a good application for (yet).


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Shop upgrades

Post by woody90gtz »

You just need more cars! haha


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
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