Modern Garage in Far East

[shopnut]

150 kph (93 mph) winds can do some real damage! I hope you and yours are doing fine Andy.

[abstamaria]

Thank you, shopnut. The typhoon did a great deal of damage, but my family was not affected directly. Another storm, at least at strong, is due this weekend, forecast to follow the same track. I pity the folk in the provinces North of Manila, still reeling from Tuesday's typhoon, no standing homes, crops devastated, fields flooded, without electricity, and now to be hit again. I hope the storm weakens or diverts to the sea.

Thank you again.

Andy

[abstamaria]

I apologize for yet another off-topic digression, but I wanted to show what the general Philippine car scene was like, for those of you who may never get to visit.

Here is the second segment of Car Crazy, just aired the other week on US TV. This focuses on "tuner" cars and, perhaps of more interest to the more senior members like myself, classic cars. Up to the late 60s, US cars dominated this market, so attachment to them remains strong. In this video, Barry Mequiar is visibly affected by memories brought back by a 1950 Chevy convertible. I hope you enjoy the show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J48FyOVnCsI

Andy

[moji]

I just finished reading the whole thread and all i can say is wow..

It is great to finally see actual pictures of an impressive garage with an equally impressive collection of cars here in Manila. From your posts i suspect you live in the area down south where stories abound of where exotic cars are supposedly seen and heard.

It is also nice to see someone actually living in a minimalist house and garage (not just as a rest house), so it is indeed possible. As an architect i find it rare to find clients who specifically like pure minimalism as the basis for their home. Even rarer is someone who can actually live day to day in a minimalist way.

I guessed correct when you showed the picture on who designed your home, the only minimalist architect i know here in Manila and one of those whose works i get inspiration from.

Regarding your tool storage, did you get them all locally?

[abstamaria]

Thanks, Moji. I'm happy you like the garage and house, particularly as you are an architect. I am sometimes tempted to do an article for the local architecture or living magazines called "Modern House Lived In," with the house not staged for photos, to show how a minimalist design has fared after almost 9 years of use. And, as you say, to show it is indeed possible to live in and maintain a minimalist setting. It does require some discipline, not buying stuff principally, but that in itself can be quite liberating.

Where that discipline is most tested is in the garage, as we garage guys do tend to accumulate. No tool has yet been invented that our lives don't depend on.

I will tell the architect you liked his work. His father is one of my favorites, too. Both of them are very focused modernists.

The tool cabinets are all Proto, except for one Snap-On, all acquired locally (but over many years) through the distributor. The work-bench is aluminum and from Moduline, imported from the U.S.

My best,

Andy

[abstamaria]

I had struggled with various options for lifts. I wanted to be able to remove wheels easily, so narrowed my options to either a scissors-type or a 2-post. The scissors-type lifts, such as the Nussbaum Sprinter, were interesting, but in the end I decided they took up too much floor space and blocked too much of a car’s undercarriage. Ultimately, I settled on the MaxJax. It was small and seemed an easy install.



A critical part of installation was locating the posts, so that I spent some time laying out the lift points of the cars I wanted to lift on a large piece of cardboard. The suggestions of several GJ members were invaluable here. In the end, I decided on a 120" spread (measured from the rear of the base flanges). The allowed maximum is 130".

[abstamaria]

Each MaxJax column is held by 5 bolts that screw into Wej-it anchors. The anchors are hammered into holes drilled in the concrete and then are pulled up, wedging them in the holes.

I couldn't find the required 7/8" SDS bit, so, rather than buy a rotary-hammer SDS drill (there are no equipment hire companies here), I decided to contract out the drilling to a specialist. The contractor came (3 engineers and 2 crew), brought the right tools, including a wire brush and air pump for cleaning out the holes, and did the job quickly.

To be honest, I was reluctant to do the job myself on my nice new epoxy-finished floor, afraid of the wandering bits and off-center holes that plagued some of the installs described in the MaxJax thread in the General section. The contractor’s holes were drilled exactly concentric with those in the lift’s base plates, as shown in the photo below. I hope the anchors hold!

[abstamaria]

I torqued the mounting bolts to 75 lbs-ft and then removed the bolts and columns to inspect the anchors. They seemed all right, so I torqued the volts down again and lifted our Honda CRV, a small SUV, on it, with no apparent problems. When the rains stop, I’ll try one of the older sports cars I intended the lift for.

Here are the columns, as installed. I didn’t want to add to the colors in the garage and so removed the stickers on the MaxJax (I hope this doesn’t invalidate the warrantee and isn’t illegal) and stayed with the red color already in the garage. I hope this looks all right.

Andy

[turbo-systems]

Wow super clean super cool garage.

[abstamaria]

Thanks, Turbosystems. I cleaned up a bit before taking that photo.

That's my costant companion Xena on the floor, a frisky eight years old.

[Scuderia-F1]

That looks very good Andy!

Regards,

Anders

[turbo-systems]

Xena looks comfy lying there!

[Wingnut65]

Originally Posted by abstamaria

... I hope this looks all right.

It looks Awesome, Andy. It looks like it was made for your garage.

[jimmie jam]

Andy,

The install and garage look perfect! You're right about the colors. Is your lift a "super sized" Max? The posts look larger than any that i've seen before.

You are a great inspiration to me and MANY others i'm sure!!!

Jimmie

[shopnut]

The MaxJax lift looks great Andy. It seems like a perfect choice.

I'm seriously considering a MaxJax lift for the Asylum middle bay where most of my major car projects will take place (see Reply #643 in my thread if interested). Not only do I like the portability aspect of being able to wheel them over in the corner for storage, but also the fact that I can have multiple floor anchor locations so their position in the shop can change to match the current project at hand.

With an alternate wide spacing on the columns, I think I could even use them to lift the sailboat off the trailer for easy bottom painting.

Please continue to update us on the functioning of this lift. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

[abstamaria]

Many thanks, Anders, Jeff, Jimmie, shopnut, all.

That's a standard MaxJax, Jimmie; I took the photo from a lower perspective to show the whole lift.

Yes, the MaxJax has many advantages, shopnut. I'll let you know how it fares; the experience of others recounted in the Discussion section seems very positive. The MaxJax pump motor and fluid reservoir are mounted on a basic hand trolley; I'm anxious for you to get a MaxJax as I am sure you will devise a more elegant, portable device which I can copy. Seriously!

Best regards,

Andy

[shopnut]

Originally Posted by abstamaria

The MaxJax pump motor and fluid reservoir are mounted on a basic hand trolley; I'm anxious for you to get a MaxJax as I am sure you will devise a more elegant, portable device which I can copy. Seriously!
Andy

If it bothers you Andy, it will most likely bother me as well. But you may have to wait a while for me to get around to it - before a MaxJax can be purchased, I still need to finish the ceiling, build a front loft, and install a Bendpak HD-9 for car storage. Work is progressing nicely these days, but projects still move at a snails pace in the Asylum compared to other builds on GJ.

Thanks for your vote of confidence, however.

[abstamaria]

Here is the MaxJax in use. The difficulty with old cars is that they don't have specified lift points, but this car went up easily. At the moment, I am quite happy with the lift. It is quite a treat.

[abstamaria]

Until Shopnut (whose garage spills over with novel ideas, many of which I've borrowed) gets a MaxJax and comes up with a more elegant device, I have simply cut off the hand-cart handles from the MaxJax's pump trolley and installed an unused chrome handle from the Proto tool cabinet. It looks better, I think.

My best,

Andy

[jimmie jam]

Andy, i'm up for adoption right now.