Inside Fort54

[54FordPanel]

I'm finally getting around to posting up pictures of my shop, Fort54.

We bought this house in the fall of 2009. It was a bank owned repo. We bought it because the previous owner had added a attached 24'x36' shop with a loft next to the house garage. The garage was really well built, and a blank slate inside

The house was badly dated inside, and we started working on the house right away.

*I put up a slate fireplace with oak shelving:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55052

*I remodeling the master bathroom and put in a steam shower:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90185

*I built a 8'x12' shed to get the garden **** out of my garage:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73350

*Then the biggie, we built an addition, and put in a new kitchen:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96660

*I also restored my childhood pedal car:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70107

*And I refurbished my Dad's free patio set:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115080

(*Cleverly linking all my threads....I saw Etek do this!)

Anyway.....Throughout all this, we really needed the space in the shop to store all the **** from the remodeling. It really came in handy. When we finally got the house squared around, I was finally able to get my shop squared around.

 

[54FordPanel]

The first thing I did was put down Epoxy-Coat on the floor. I had to use a 7" diamond grinder to put some tooth in the floor, as it had been sealed before. I used 20 tubes of caulk filling the joints, and I still didn't get them flush.
I recommend the Epoxy-Coat product, and I used it in the house garage when I did that floor too.
The Epoxy-Coat floor makes wiping up spills so nice!

 

[54FordPanel]

I got my compressor a few years ago. It's a 5hp Champion, and it should be the last compressor I'll ever buy. I finally broke down and bought a Legacy Levelwind retractable reel tool, and mounted that on the ceiling.

 

[54FordPanel]

The previous owner had a ceiling mounted heater, and he took that with him. So I had a gas line already run, and a exhaust vent thru the roof. I found a take-out furnace on Craigslist for $100, and put it in the shop. I made up a box to sit it on, drawing air thru big holes and up thru furnace filters.

 

[54FordPanel]

The shop has a really good size 24'x20' and tall loft. I put in a fold up attic ladder.

 

[54FordPanel]

I put in a good size work bench in the corner. I used my left over Epoxy-Coat to coat the bench, and that's nice because spills wipe right up. I built it at the right height to slide my tool boxes under like they were built in.

 

[54FordPanel]

I put heavy duty shelving up and filled it with plastic bins. I had to have that Harbor Freight rolling tool box, and I've yet to figure out exactly how I'm going to utilize it. But I got a good deal on it!

 

[54FordPanel]

I welded big bolts on the support beam that runs the width of the shop, and bolted electrical support beams to that. I store all my wood & trim on those. I also bought a HF hoist that I will be mounting to the beam. The hoist will have to be in a fixed position, because of the way the joist are attached to the beam, I can't put a trolley on there.
I will use the hoist to move my roller panel truck in & out of the garage, using pulleys mounted in pull pots on the floor.

 

[54FordPanel]

I've had a parts washer for years. It really comes in handy. The shop did not have a sink, but I was able to run hot & cold water and put in a sink and drain thru the crawl space. The sink comes in really handy, and I plumbed it so I can attach a garden house to it. I have 240v outlets around the shop, and a 40' long heavy duty cord I can plug in. With this and outlets by the garage door, I can reach the street with my welder.

 

[54FordPanel]

This is another wall with shelving. When the garage was empty, I could have gotten 4 cars in easily I think. Now it would be really, really tight.

 

[54FordPanel]

I've mounted most of my sockets (Sears 299 piece set) on the wall. I used 2x4s ripped at an angle, and screwed them in tilted so I can access them. I used a combination of Hansen trays and Craftsman plastic socket rails.
I also put alot of my wrenches on the wall with brad nails. SAE on the right, metric on the left.

 

[54FordPanel]

I have a Husky tool chest that fits under my bench with out wheels, and a Husky top & bottom on the side. These are a step up from the usual Husky stuff at Home Depot, and I'm real happy with them. They should last.

 

[54FordPanel]

I made socket trays for my bigger sockets and my impacts. I just welded 1/2" square stock and 3/4" round stock to flat plates.

 

[54FordPanel]

More stuff around the garage. I had to cut a little notch for my welding cart to fit under the bench....whoops. I haven't had alot of luck with my Eastwood sandblaster. I can't quite get the combination of air and pressure to avoid clogging. I've given up on soda blasting.

 

[54FordPanel]

My garage signs. I have an interesting story about getting those......I rescued them. I have lots of them, and I know I'm posting duplicates, sorry.

 

[freddyaudiophile]

Man, some fantastic work here.... I'm envious of the garage sign collection!! I had a pile of these before we built our house and got sick of moving them around (from apartment to apartment), so the wife said that they all had to go (and so they did; thanks to eBay and Kijiji). Now, with the new barn built, I don't have any more signs to hang on the walls!! Argh!

How did you mount all your wrenches on the wall? It looks to be finishing nails...

 

[Kevin54]

54...I have spent the last 2 hours looking thru all of your accomplishments. Some I remember and some I don't. Either way they were all worth looking at again. Very nice tour of everything. I am just awestruck at the detail you put into things. Very, very nice indeed.

In reading through the thread about the pedal car and the overspray that you had, I would recommend getting a roll or two of Sharkskin It comes in 12', 14' wide, and various length rolls with most being 400' long. It is real handy for covering things up from overspray. It's not expensive for all that you get. Anywhere from $30-$50 per roll. You'll also need a roll when you get the Panel painted.

 

[54FordPanel]

Man, some fantastic work here.... I'm envious of the garage sign collection!! I had a pile of these before we built our house and got sick of moving them around (from apartment to apartment), so the wife said that they all had to go (and so they did; thanks to eBay and Kijiji). Now, with the new barn built, I don't have any more signs to hang on the walls!! Argh!

How did you mount all your wrenches on the wall? It looks to be finishing nails...

Thanks Freddy. I have a bunch of those signs left too. They were tearing down a whole block of buildings and one of them was a sign shop. I went inside right before the bulldozers came, and there were all these signs. I picked up boxes of them. I'll keep you in mind.

Yes, I used brads for all the wrenches.

 

[54FordPanel]

54...I have spent the last 2 hours looking thru all of your accomplishments. Some I remember and some I don't. Either way they were all worth looking at again. Very nice tour of everything. I am just awestruck at the detail you put into things. Very, very nice indeed.

In reading through the thread about the pedal car and the overspray that you had, I would recommend getting a roll or two of Sharkskin It comes in 12', 14' wide, and various length rolls with most being 400' long. It is real handy for covering things up from overspray. It's not expensive for all that you get. Anywhere from $30-$50 per roll. You'll also need a roll when you get the Panel painted.

Thanks, Kevin. I will look for that stuff. That would be great for the floor and covering the tool walls. Have you seen the portable/temporary paint booth things? They are basically spring loaded push bars that you hold up plastic sheeting with to create a paint booth. I'm going to be looking for some of those too.

 

[colt zantop]

very cool space.....I really like the epoxy bench top and the signs are bad *** too!

 

[54FordPanel]

Here's my Grandpa's bike that I keep around, and the pedal car before I restored it. I do let the grandkids play with it, although I run around trying to keep them from crashing into stuff. I need to get them a big wheel or something.

 

[stonemason80]

Wow! Very inspiring. I'm searching for ideas for my new garage as mine burnt down two months ago and you've helped considerably . Thanks for sharing!

 

[54FordPanel]

Finally, my '54 Ford Panel. I've had this thing for probably 20 years, and it's never moved under it's own power since I've had it. In the days before the internet, I saw a magazine article on how to weld the back doors together, and use a Pinto station wagon back door hinge to make the panel truck a hatchback. So I did that. I've sandblasted the whole thing, and started on the body work. I have a bunch of pictures of when I first started working on it, but they are all "pre-digital" pictures, so I'd have to scan them in to post them. Which I hope to get around to.

I have a 9" that I will put in it. I want a MII type airbag front, with 4 link or triangulated 4 bar on air bags in back. And a really sweet motor. And a Tremec 6 speed.

And that's about it. It sits while I dream about what I want to do with it, if I only had the money. I'll be paying for all the other house stuff for a few years, so I doubt I'll make any progress on it for awhile.

But someday!
I'll never sell it, I am going to finish it, and I will cruise around in it.....someday.

 

[demonspeed]

That is a really cool garage. Very functional, with some cool new storage ideas, while still keeping it stylish. I like it a lot. Nice truck too! I have a '54 ford too but it's a sedan. Mine appears to be a never-ending project as well, so we have that in common haha.

 

[930dreamer]

Nice work, love the panel. I was going to ask about the Eastwood blaster but you answered it for me.

 

[Nighttrain]

Very well organized. Maybe stealing some ideas from you.

 

[54FordPanel]

Nice work, love the panel. I was going to ask about the Eastwood blaster but you answered it for me.

Ah, the Eastwood blaster.
1st of all, it's a combo sand blaster/soda blaster. Bad idea. In order to convert it from sand blasting to soda blasting, you have to take off the hoses from the bottom and change the bottom valves out. Well, the hose fittings are barbed, so the only way to get the hoses off is to cut a slit in them and shorten them. If you've done it 3 or 4 times, that's it. The hoses are now too short to keep changing them out!
I think a dedicated soda blaster and a dedicated sandblaster is the only way to go.

And I just can't get it to go. I followed this thread, and thought the answer was in post #13.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65244
I messed with the air pressures, and still didn't have a consistent flow.

Then I was looking at the HF ones, and noticed they have an extra valve between the input air and the tank, so that you can lessen the tank pressure while keeping the hose pressure up high.
So I tried went to HD and got some fittings, but the Eastwood blaster has these goofy Chinese/metric threads on the top of the blaster, and nothing I could buy would fit. So I can't change it.

 

[54FordPanel]

I added a HF hoist. I think it's the 1300 lb model. Because of the way my framing is set on my main beam, I couldn't use a trolley to roll the hoist back and forth. So I welded the brackets to the beam, and it will have to be stationary.

I used it to pull the body off my Cherokee project. It's very useful so far.

 

[Hardware]

Awesome Organization.. Inspirational!

 

[tinbender 66]

Somehow I missed this one the first time around. I'm glad it popped back up. I really like it.

 

[54FordPanel]

Like most people, my driveway slopes away to the street. This one slopes away pretty good.
I wanted to be able to use my hoist as a winch to pull cars in & out of the garage.
At first, I put a D-ring anchor at the back of the shop. (I didn't really want a D-ring right in the middle of the floor)
But that didn't work, as the long lead rose up the winch cable, and put a bad angle on the cable, and tripped the safety hoop.
So I moved the D-ring to directly beneath the hoist, and put on a 12" intermediate pulley. That worked much better.
Now I can move rollers in & out without having to try and push them, which was impossible.

 

[fullthrottle24]

Isn't mechanical advantage great! Nice setup.

 

[54FordPanel]

Isn't mechanical advantage great! Nice setup.

Yes, thanks! Trying to push them around *****.