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    Results 1 to 17 of 17
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Port St. Lucie FL
      Posts
      236

      Garage hacks/tips to make life better in the garage

      I have copied suggestions from other forums and added to the collection. Please share any thing you have done to make working on stuff easier in your garage.


      1. Rubber mats for horse stalls - make great pads to keep your feet from hurting and hard material your creeper seat can roll across and they dont slide out from under you.
      2. Laptop and flat screen tv - for a cheap garage computer for tracing wiring diagrams.
      3. old cheap roll around tool box - make great welder carts and storage for welding/fabrication tools.
      4. installed a poly parking lot bumper keep my front end off the back of the garage.
      5. Colored electrical tape at the ends of tools for quick Identification.
      6. Home Depot Rustoleum Epoxy Garage Floor Kit: BEFORE MOVING IN. $200 and 3 weekends of labor (2 for prep, 1 for application and drying) -Not perfect but looks really great and makes cleanup easy. USE the anti-slip powder!
      7. Retractable electric cord reel on the ceiling: I mounted mine right in the dead center of the garage and it's the most awesome time saver / annoyance saver ever.
      8. Retractable air hose reel on the ceiling: My next purchase. I am putting my air compressor into a Gladiator Garageworks cabinet, then applying dynomat and the foil insulation to the bottom section of the cabinet where my air compressor is (cuts down on noise), then adding a retractable reel air hose close to the electric cord reel.
      8. Sink
      9. Good lighting: I upgraded to LED lighting, but I'm adding 2 more LED lights and a dedicated over-bench light.
      10. Carpet scraps for laying on
      11. Bench Grinder with a dewalt wire wheel.
      12. Bench Vice
      13. Rechargeable blutooth speaker lets me run a show or music off of the phone and still get phone calls.
      14. T-handle ratcheting alan wrench.
      15. I gut my old 18 volt batteries and screw the shells on the wall, then I use them to house my cordless drills
      16. Simple, but I keep a paper towel and toilet paper dispenser on the wall, can buy one at HF.
      17. I made a sheet metal holder for the HF nitrile gloves mounted to the wall to serve as a dispenser, can buy one at HF.
      18. have two wooden boxes under the workbench, one for clean and one for dirty shop towels. (I wash and reuse mine)
      19. made four 10 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 7 blocks out of two by fours. three on top, three on the bottom and two runners. They make great supports for any thing, vehicles, for cutting wood, a quick step, etc.
      20. old bathroom rugs, they're the best for lying on, the toilet ones are great for motorcycles, the cutout fits around the tires.
      21. 4 inch PVC cut it to the lengths I need and mount them to the wall. They make great place to put moldings, wood trim and a variety of other things.
      22. shelves above garage door rails for storage before.
      23. a work bench with shelves under it for storage.
      24. Old cabinets for storing paint,brake clean etc
      25. Set up a commercial account for yourself at your local parts stores, they often sell brake clean for $2.00 a can to "commercial" clients along with other discounts on parts behind the counter. You dont need a charge account or a tax number.
      26. Keep your eyes/ears open for someone that updates hardware stores, I got a rack of bolt bins from an old hardware store for $15
      27. Check the insulation in the attic above your garage if its not already climate controlled, it helps alot .
      28. Tire storage hangs from ceiling to keep them out of the way.
      29. Peg-board double loop screwdriver holders (that never seem to work for screwdrivers I own), mounted to the side of the toolbox to hold the 1/2" drive extra long ratchets and extension
      30. Peg-board fork things, again on the side of the toolbox to hold the vice-grips.
      31. Plastic pipe with caps to hold the drippy grease guns

      Kacy
      79 Corvette, 406 SBC, Holley EFI, 700R4


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Location
      Kankakee IL
      Posts
      362
      Magnetic "bars" or holders, whatever they're called mounted everywhere so that a tool can be held in place wherever you're working. I have loose ones that I take to the car to hold bolts,etc, while I work.
      Tracey

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Ontario, Canada
      Posts
      2,313
      Country Flag: Canada
      Lock the wife out.

      Ken
      If there is a hard way to do something, I'll find it!
      My other car is a Vega.

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Mar 2007
      Location
      Florida
      Posts
      2,391
      Country Flag: United States
      Couple things you might consider.

      Putting a compressor in an enclosed cabinet or closet etc. can easily cause overheating because not enough air flow to cool the head or motor. I've seen several cases here in S FL where the compressor kicks off because of heat build up.

      Putting used rags in a wood box can lead to a fire hazard.

      Be sure the ceiling joists/framing is strong enough to take the weight of tires suspended from the ceiling. If it's 2X4 trusses they may not be enough depending on the span.

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Dec 2008
      Location
      Lehigh Valley Pa
      Posts
      1,269
      Quote Originally Posted by NOT A TA View Post
      Couple things you might consider.

      Putting a compressor in an enclosed cabinet or closet etc. can easily cause overheating because not enough air flow to cool the head or motor. I've seen several cases here in S FL where the compressor kicks off because of heat build up.

      Putting used rags in a wood box can lead to a fire hazard.

      Be sure the ceiling joists/framing is strong enough to take the weight of tires suspended from the ceiling. If it's 2X4 trusses they may not be enough depending on the span.
      Or buy a bigger garage. Sorry to hijack the thread but I wanted to contact NOT A TA but his inbox is full.
      Attached Images Attached Images  
      1996 Federal Cadillac hearse
      1988 Eureka Chevy hearse

    6. #6
      Join Date
      May 2008
      Location
      Chicago
      Posts
      609
      Country Flag: United States
      Number 18 is dangerous as all hell. Your garage could be reduced to ashes in minutes because of it.

    7. #7
      Join Date
      May 2010
      Location
      kitchener,Ontario,Canada
      Posts
      2,336
      Country Flag: Canada
      Agreed ... put any and all rags in steel closed containers, for that matter keep all flammable or easily combustible items hidden
      Spinnin'my tires in life's fast lane

      Ryan Austin
      On twitter @raustinss
      On Instagram austinss70

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Jul 2019
      Location
      GA
      Posts
      38
      Country Flag: United States
      Heating and AC is a big bonus. Also keep an abundance of fans.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Dec 2008
      Location
      Lehigh Valley Pa
      Posts
      1,269
      Quote Originally Posted by Revvv View Post
      Heating and AC is a big bonus. Also keep an abundance of fans.
      You mean like this?
      Attached Images Attached Images  
      1996 Federal Cadillac hearse
      1988 Eureka Chevy hearse

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Out of the Burbs of Detroit to SoCal, then onto my ancestral homeland, the woods of Cascadia
      Posts
      1,753
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by NOT A TA View Post
      Couple things you might consider.

      Putting a compressor in an enclosed cabinet or closet etc. can easily cause overheating because not enough air flow to cool the head or motor. I've seen several cases here in S FL where the compressor kicks off because of heat build up.

      ....

      .
      If the bottom 6" and the top 6" of the cabinet are open, will an updraft keep the deal cool?
      Greg Fast
      (yes, the last name is spelled correctly)

      1970 Camaro RS Clone
      1984 el Camino
      1973 MGB vintage E/Prod race car
      (Soon to be an SCCA H/Prod limited prep)

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Jun 2001
      Location
      Orlando, FL
      Posts
      10,603
      Country Flag: United States
      Related to compressors -- Milwaukee's M12 Fuel series of saws, ratchets, die grinders, and cut off tool will make your compressor practically obsolete. I only need compressed air to blow off chips and dust, and run my pneumatic draw-bar. And I'm eyeing the draw-bar...
      Last edited by parsonsj; 04-27-2020 at 05:22 AM.
      John Parsons

      UnRivaled Rides -- Modern upgrades for your ride.

      UnRivaled Rides recent project -- LS9-powered 69 Camaro

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Mountain Springs, Texas
      Posts
      4,488
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by parsonsj View Post
      Related to compressors -- Milwaukee's M12 Fuel series of saws, ratchets, die grinders, and cut off tool will make your compressor practically obsolete. I only need compressed air to blow off chips and dust, and run my pneumatic draw-bar. And I'm eyeing the draw-bar...
      Blasphemy!

      Don
      1969 Camaro - LSA 6L90E AME sub/IRS
      1957 Buick Estate Wagon
      1959 El Camino - Ironworks frame
      1956 Cameo - full C5 suspension/drivetrain
      1959 Apache Fleetside

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Sep 2005
      Posts
      49,371
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by parsonsj View Post
      Related to compressors -- Milwaukee's M12 Fuel series of saws, ratchets, die grinders, and cut off tool will make your compressor practically obsolete. I only need compressed air to blow off chips and dust, and run my pneumatic draw-bar. And I'm eyeing the draw-bar...
      If the economy was better, I would sell my 60 Gallon 2 Stage Compressor. All I use is battery Powered anymore, the only thing the compressor is good for is airing up Tires!

    14. #14
      Join Date
      May 2014
      Location
      Stanislaus County Ca.
      Posts
      176
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by BMR Sales View Post
      If the economy was better, I would sell my 60 Gallon 2 Stage Compressor. All I use is battery Powered anymore, the only thing the compressor is good for is airing up Tires!
      I use my 20v DeWalt leaf blower a lot in the garage/shop now, But it won't completely replace a blow gun.
      And what about a blast cabinet! When they make an M12 Fuel blast cabinet, I may not use air as much.

    15. #15
      Join Date
      May 2020
      Posts
      24
      There are some good ideas listed in this thread, I didn't think about the overhead ext. chord. The led lights are a huge plus and really help light up your work area.

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Jan 2005
      Posts
      29
      I have a (relatively) cheap scaffold that I bought while building my workshop that I have repurposed as a lumber and steel rack. I store all my long lumber and metal on it and the platform can hold a couple of boxes of smaller pieces. The great thing is that since it is on casters then it can easily be moved around as needed.

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Jan 2006
      Posts
      385
      Country Flag: United States
      Picked up this little shop aid from Ikea for ~$30... A few hot rod decals later and a paper towel holder, and viola...

      My wife gave me some old bath towels she was going to toss out and they make great fender covers that I can keep on the bottom rack.

      Now there's no need to put tools on the fenders or the intake manifold while working under the hood.

      https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/nissafo...65745/#content

      1971 Camaro
      GM HT383, MiniRam EFI, AFR heads
      "8-speed" trans (700R4 + Gear Vendors OD)





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