My vette smiled
06-19-2008, 11:35 PM
#1
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My vette smiled
This is long....
When I decided to buy a Corvette I never realized that it would involve some major life changes.
I buy a new car about every three years and just treat it like a means of transportation. Leave it parked outside, wash it once in while, etc.. Live in a nice house, great wife (Doris) and a two car garage which had enough room for my 47 Jeep and some tools , odds and ends, etc..
After spending many enjoyable hours on the various Corvette forums something happened. I felt guilty parking the Vette outside, exposed to the hot summer sun, damp night air and cats sleeping on the top. I loved my Jeep but its old and the vert is new and besides its just a Jeep, so I moved it to the barn. The vert is now inside and cozy but something was missing, some how I decided it was a lift so I could change my oil and do other things (Like look under the car.) So I bought a “Bend Pak” and installed it. (A great lift.) Of course I had to move shelves that were on the wall, work benches that were now in the way. I then discovered I had no room at all. I could park the Vette on the lift but had very little room to open the door say nothing about working on it. So my wife decided that I really needed a “Shop”. This of course involves building another room attached to the garage and moving everything our of the garage.
I now had a nice new shop with plenty of room, moved all my tools, equipment and odds and ends to it. I now had lots of room in the garage but it was pretty ratty looking except for the floor but no way “Good Enough” for the Vette. . So..... it was time to remodel the garage.
The ceiling lights were old fashion 4 tube florescent, they had to go and were replaced with 8 flush mounted 2 tube florescent.
The door opener was a screw rod type and hung down about 18" from the ceiling. No way I could raise the tracks for the door to make it closer to the ceiling. Solution, get a “Jack Shaft” type of opener, which I did and that was an easy install. (Still have to raise the tracks but that’s for later.)
The AC cable and Air line for the Bend Pak were just strung down the wall so of course they had to be moved and dropped from the ceiling and not exposed. The AC cable was easy but the air line had to be copper (PVC would have worked but after all this is for a vette) and the Air compressor was installed in the new shop.
The paint looked bad and the block wall portion was never painted. 6 gallons of paint later it was now White and Blue (Blue to match the Bend Pak Lift.) Some trim work added, it was looking better and the Vette seemed happier. But the floor (Cement) now really looked horrible, grey and with oil stains etc..
You know I got a great wife, she insisted (suggested) that we put in tile - grey and black. I argued for a while but finally gave in and in less than a week I had the tiles from Race Deck at a great price. While all this was going on I noticed that the walls looked kinda bare so I went shopping on Ebay for signs, flags, posters etc.. We laid the tile last weekend and put up the signs, flags and posters. Doris says it looks great and being a good husband I agree with her.
I’d swear that when I drove the Vette into the garage on Sunday that it smiled.....
Following are the pics.
The garage after the Lift Not much room
The new Shop under construction
Moving from the garage
Empty at last
Paint Preping
New Lights
New Jack Shaft Opener
Laying Tile
Finished
When I decided to buy a Corvette I never realized that it would involve some major life changes.
I buy a new car about every three years and just treat it like a means of transportation. Leave it parked outside, wash it once in while, etc.. Live in a nice house, great wife (Doris) and a two car garage which had enough room for my 47 Jeep and some tools , odds and ends, etc..
After spending many enjoyable hours on the various Corvette forums something happened. I felt guilty parking the Vette outside, exposed to the hot summer sun, damp night air and cats sleeping on the top. I loved my Jeep but its old and the vert is new and besides its just a Jeep, so I moved it to the barn. The vert is now inside and cozy but something was missing, some how I decided it was a lift so I could change my oil and do other things (Like look under the car.) So I bought a “Bend Pak” and installed it. (A great lift.) Of course I had to move shelves that were on the wall, work benches that were now in the way. I then discovered I had no room at all. I could park the Vette on the lift but had very little room to open the door say nothing about working on it. So my wife decided that I really needed a “Shop”. This of course involves building another room attached to the garage and moving everything our of the garage.
I now had a nice new shop with plenty of room, moved all my tools, equipment and odds and ends to it. I now had lots of room in the garage but it was pretty ratty looking except for the floor but no way “Good Enough” for the Vette. . So..... it was time to remodel the garage.
The ceiling lights were old fashion 4 tube florescent, they had to go and were replaced with 8 flush mounted 2 tube florescent.
The door opener was a screw rod type and hung down about 18" from the ceiling. No way I could raise the tracks for the door to make it closer to the ceiling. Solution, get a “Jack Shaft” type of opener, which I did and that was an easy install. (Still have to raise the tracks but that’s for later.)
The AC cable and Air line for the Bend Pak were just strung down the wall so of course they had to be moved and dropped from the ceiling and not exposed. The AC cable was easy but the air line had to be copper (PVC would have worked but after all this is for a vette) and the Air compressor was installed in the new shop.
The paint looked bad and the block wall portion was never painted. 6 gallons of paint later it was now White and Blue (Blue to match the Bend Pak Lift.) Some trim work added, it was looking better and the Vette seemed happier. But the floor (Cement) now really looked horrible, grey and with oil stains etc..
You know I got a great wife, she insisted (suggested) that we put in tile - grey and black. I argued for a while but finally gave in and in less than a week I had the tiles from Race Deck at a great price. While all this was going on I noticed that the walls looked kinda bare so I went shopping on Ebay for signs, flags, posters etc.. We laid the tile last weekend and put up the signs, flags and posters. Doris says it looks great and being a good husband I agree with her.
I’d swear that when I drove the Vette into the garage on Sunday that it smiled.....
Following are the pics.
The garage after the Lift Not much room
The new Shop under construction
Moving from the garage
Empty at last
Paint Preping
New Lights
New Jack Shaft Opener
Laying Tile
Finished
Last edited by Ampcass; 06-22-2008 at 06:02 AM.
06-19-2008, 11:58 PM
#5
Drifting
awesome !!!
06-19-2008, 11:59 PM
#8
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06-20-2008, 12:10 AM
#10
Race Director
What a great story! I laughed, I cried....well, I didn't actually cry. It truly is amazing how a car can change your life.
Congratulations on the car and what I assume is a kick a.. garage.
Last edited by INGER67; 06-20-2008 at 12:10 AM. Reason: fixed it
06-20-2008, 06:58 AM
#17
Dang good job sir..Enjoy
06-20-2008, 10:30 AM
#18
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Wow! what a great place for the car and what a wonderful wife. I am going to show this to my wife! I want a shop like that!!! Now you'll enjoy time in the shop as well as driving can't lose!
