Ultimate Shop

[Demon Dodge]

This is not a diesel topic but it does relate. I am in the designing process with an architect for a new shop. It will be 70 x 80 so I can pull the whole rig in and shut the doors. I am looking for any idwas you guys might have of what all I should incorporate into the shop. It is primarily for my race cars but I will be doing some restoration and diesel work. One area I am looking at is how many roll up doors are really necessary for access?





Thanks and Happy Holidays

Rod

 

[mopar2ya]

Hi guy, the one thing i could tell you is to have two roll up doors, drive in and drive out,my shop had one door ,i had a fire in 99 and burnt up the other end of the building and in the meen time i removed the bent sheets,and cut the gerts,waiting for new sheets and gerts,i liked the new opening,air blew thru ,it was cooler,didn't have to use fans so much, and i could drive thru, had to rearange my shop,but i like it now,... ... . another idea,i heat with wood,i made my own heaters and i cut the building and put the face side outside,so i could load the wood from outside and save space inside,i thought this was a great idea,and have enjoyed very much, enjoy, mopar2ya

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Look into making the rafters strong enough to put a storage room up there for the light to moderate weight stuff. I am always amazed at how fast a building fills up



Another good idea is a "clean room" possibly with filtered air supply for building engines, working on fuel system parts, etc. You might look into a paint spray booth also. Geez, maybe you need 200x400' never enough room. . .

 

[willyslover]

a lube pit is nice to have... 600 amp electrical pannel also a 3 phase electrical system for the big shop tools like a lathe , birdgeport ect... . a for shure a big 4 post lift set up...

 

[docdyno]

Heating system suggestion

In my shop, I used a gas forced air "roof-top" heating (and air conditioning) system like the ones you might see on a flat roofed building like Wal-Mart or a similar industrial building. However, I mounted mine on a ground-level slab outside the building. The benefits are: combustion flame is outside the building and the heat blows in on the floor. Makes for quick warm-ups and keeps the floor and building comfortable. Hot water heat in the floor is really great as well, but warm up is slower and the overall system is quite a bit more expensive. A big floor drain with a mud/sand catch basin is also a plus. I am a "frequent washer" especially in the winter in salty northern Indiana.

 

[justduneit]

A couple of things that you might add: 1) shower for cleanup after those really nasty jobs, and 2) if you tow a travel trailer, a black water dump tied into the sewer/septic system . . .

Sounds like it will be a great garage!!

Keith

 

[justduneit]

A couple of things that you might add: 1) shower for cleanup after those really nasty jobs, and 2) if you tow a travel trailer, a black water dump tied into the sewer/septic system . . .

Sounds like it will be a great garage!!

Keith

 

[JLEONARD]

Don't know if you need heat where you are, but if you do, investigate using a waste oil heater.

My son opened a repair shop in 01 (in Connecticut) and the first thing he did was get a waste oil heater. It works great! He hasn't used a drop of regular heating oil.

The one he has is made by "Black Gold". Has worked flawlessly for a year and a half so far.

Waste oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, etc. is easy to aquire in Ct... maybe it won't work for Ca, but worth taking a look at.

 

[MikeO]

Several tips

Floor drains to a central 250 gallon tank - drain off the surface water every now and then and you'll only have to have it cleaned once every few years.



Radiant heat in the concrete floor. It's actually cheaper than heating the air... and a hell of a lot more comfortable to walk on in the winter.



8 foot overhang in front of the doors. You will love this! You can actually leave the doors open in the worst rain and stay dry inside, pull cars under and open the hood to work on them in the rain.



Buried copper piping for air with outlets every 10 feet.



Electrical outlets every 10 feet along the walls.



Epoxy the floor white before you put anything inside! Etching it after you get it dirty is a *****. White makes it bright. Don't forget the aluminum oxide to make it non slippery.



Metal Halide lighting. Don't bother with florescents.



If you need me to spend any more of your money let me know.



Mike O.

 

[Tim1]

new shop

Tall, tall,tall is cheaper for the space you get. On my second shop that I built, I went tall for second floor, Insulated, and put a 9000 rotary air over hydraulic in floor hoist with recessed plate so it is hidden. I did put heating coils in the floor, but neved needed to hook them up. I use wood heat for no gasoline projects and a 150,000 btu oil burner forced air furnace for other projects that I can kill the flame with a switch. A good sound system is very nice,since you spend so much time there. Two way overhead electric trolly 2 ton hiost for pulling overhead completes the top. Got the 24" gluelams from a Dept. Store tear out for 2. 00 a lineral foot to span the shop. I guess that I'm ramblin now. Good project!! Tim

 

[JPS]

"ULTIMATE" shop

How about an all steel building with enough strength in the side walls and rafters to support a traveling hoist. Not sure what this would add to the cost. Have one in the area and its a beauty! In our area, most are going to 16' door clearance for farm equip. If just for automotive,I don't suppose that is needed. Most are using a 2 posts hoist for automotive. Have been looking at these myself. May want some type of roof insulation to prevent condensation. jps

 

[JPS]

Don't for get you need 18" of clearance for an overhead door!!! jps

 

[Tim1]

tall front door

Main door as tall as you can get, that way the cement truck can back right in and trough it all. Also you can get the big camper trucks in there,mine is 16 foot. A note on the cieling insulation, I used as wide a bat as would fit (6")and had a 2" space left which I bought some 2" styrofoam and ripped strips on my table saw to fill the gap. I also used some small 1|4"slats and stapled them to hold things in place every so often. Then I took 16" chicken wire and went over the whole ceiling and stapled so nothing would sag, works great. Believe me that this is money and time well spent. If you have the room, a 2 post is really nice and easy to install,MAKE sure your cement is thick enough if you go this route! A friend tipped one in and had to redo his floor! Again good project. Tim

 

["Mad Max"]

Sandblast area

One of the things I will definitely have in my next shop is a sandblasting area, about 15'x15' in the corner of the shop, vented with a high-flow fan to the outside. Think of it as a mini booth. I am amazed how much you can do with a portable sandblaster and a good, dry supply of air. If you have a small area that you can completely enclose (sides, top) you can have a room to blast, paint, anyting messy that makes a lot of dust. And with it all enclosed it diesn't matter where the sand goes - just scoop it up and reuse or replace as necessary.



I have a decent sandblasting cabinette that is fantastic on smaller parts and brackets, but I can't blast doors, inner fenders, wheels, seat brackets, big stuff, to get it preped for painting.



Have fun - I love designing shops (usually in my dreams... ) some great tips in here!



- Sam