5 Affordable Luxuries for a Hard-Working Garage
By Kyle Smith
(REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAGERTY MEDIA)
Just having some time alone in the garage is a luxury for most of us, so building our dream shop with all the bells and whistles often stays a dream as we focus on simply enjoying what we have. Just because we can’t have 2000 square feet, a mill, a lathe, and a lift does not mean we should ignore little touches of luxury that make our projects more enjoyable—or, at least, more tolerable.
A luxury does not have to be a big-ticket item, merely something that makes you look forward to your time in the garage or that makes your projects run a little smoother. With that goal in mind, here are five affordable upgrades for just about any space.
Affordable Luxury #1: Good Lights
Lighting technology has come a long way in recent history. Compact and efficient LED work lights are easy to hang, run tens of thousands of hours with little maintenance, and sometimes can even be put on a dimmer. That last feature may seem a little absurd, but I don’t particularly enjoy how surgical my garage can feel when I want to just hang out with friends.
Hardwired, battery-operated, or plug-in, lights are great options that can fit anyone’s needs at almost every price range. Consider lighting an investment. It might feel like a decent chunk of change now, but most lights will last years, and they will make working on just about anything more enjoyable.
Affordable Luxury #2: A Decent Stereo
The jury has been split 50/50 here whenever I bring up having a television in the garage, but it’s pretty much universally agreed that a good stereo is a must-have. While the Panasonic boombox purchased with Pepsi points in 1996 might still be cranking out the tunes, if you care about sound quality at all, a good set of speakers and a decent amplifier are very affordable, and they allow you the advantage of any music format you might prefer.
Obviously, no one would want to keep records where they use an angle grinder, but not every garage is focused on fabrication. After I splurged for in-ceiling speakers and a tidy wall-mounted amplifier, it became so much easier to listen to music, and the sound doesn’t change much no matter where I am in the space—and my setup cost about $200. Do what works for you, and make it sound good.
(Editor’s note: I am on the side of having a TV in my garage. These days with smart TVs and even having internet in your garage, it just doesn’t make sense not to have one. Mine even has a built in DVD player for the car featured videos I have on hand!)
Affordable Luxury #3: Sturdy Shelves
Even the most minimal workspace must include storage. The prices of sturdy, strong, and decent-looking shelving are budget-level when you consider that it takes a lot to wear out shelves. Similar to the lighting above, good shelving is a buy once, cry once decision. Adjustable shelving can be had for just a couple hundred dollars, perfectly suited for the projects and parts you store currently. It can even leave you room to grow or change the space in the future. For the same price, you can also buy materials and build custom shelves for your space.
Affordable Luxury #4: Reels
If your garage is bigger than a closet, the addition of extension cords or air hoses is less about convenience and more about necessity: Overhead or wall-mounted, retractable reels make it easy to keep tripping hazards to a minimum. These have gotten budget-friendly as of late—just be sure the wire gauge is appropriate for your use.
Some of the low-end, cheap electrical reels can be 14-gauge or smaller, while most heavy-duty plug-in power tools are best served by 12-gauge. Roll out the length of hose or cord semi-regularly to inspect for imperfections or damage. Cables and hoses that live on the floor pick up debris and, if those bits are rolled into a reel, they become grinding compounds that can damage cords over time.
Affordable Luxury #5: Rugs
Okay, maybe not a rug. We couldn’t imagine a garage with wall-to-wall carpet, but something that people can wipe their feet on, or a standing mat at your workbench are little things that go a long way to make a workspace feel less industrial and more like a place you enjoy being in. Use them to inject a little personality into your space, if you want: Novelty door mats can say just about anything, so we won’t give you any ideas.
(Editor’s note: I am very fond of the cushy floor mats that you can pick up inexpensively from Harbor Freight. They are component-like and can be configured into many other shapes besides the basic rectangle or square. They are a life-saver, actually foot and leg saver, when standing at your work bench for long periods of time during disassembly and reassembly of one component or another.)
Winter Storage Tips to Keep Your Vintage Ride Safe
By Kyle Smith
(REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAGERTY MEDIA)
It’s that time of year again. The weather shifts, and while there are some drivers anxiously awaiting the cooler weather, most are looking at forecasts and lamenting the disappearance of convertible season. In its place is storage season, and while the wait can be tough, a little preparation and attention now will pay dividends in the spring. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Keep clean
When putting a car up for the season, it is best to do so with it clean. Dirt and debris packed into the nooks and crannies of a car are an open invitation for nesting animals who want that junk to make a home. Giving the car a wash is a good idea, and be sure to get the underside of the car too. Any pockets of leaves or grit that are still stuck under the car after those final fall drives will not just magically disappear and could instead become a nest.
Protect—if it makes sense
With a freshly washed car, it might be tempting to try to keep the dust away, but be careful: Wrapping the car up may not be the protection you expect. In fact, a car cover used improperly will do far more damage than one not used at all. For example, I occasionally store one of my own cars in a single-sided carport, and the winter wind blows through it fiercely in the evenings. If I chose to cover my car, that cover would flap about, filling with dust and dirt that would be beaten and chafed into the paint.
If I were storing my car inside—even unheated storage—I would opt for a soft cover to help prevent anything that might get tipped onto or nudged into the car from making a mark. It won’t stop everything and won’t do anything if boxes get stacked on top before spring, but a cover indoors can be helpful in keeping the car looking sharp.
Catch up on maintenance
Spring is months away, whether we want to admit it or not. That means our cars will likely be pushed to the back of our minds for a bit. Thinking that I will remember the small, quirky problems all winter and then immediately want to fix them is foolish. Instead, now is the time to deal with any lingering issues that appeared during the driving season. The coolant, oil, and other fluids in a vintage car can be easy to forget about when a car only sees a few thousand miles per year. Nearly all of us remember oil changes, but coolant, power steering, and other fluids age as well. Take the moment while putting the car away to not only check these fluids and top up, but also replace them if they are contaminated or aged.
For convertibles, storing with the top up will prevent the fabric from shrinking and making it tough to close the top next summer. With the top up, take the time to look around inside at the top frame to make sure the pivots are properly lubricated and there are no leaks on a hydraulic power top.
Also top up the gas tank, especially if it is steel. Fuel can draw in moisture, and that moisture can rot out a fuel tank from the inside, leaving chunks of rust to clog up the fuel system. Add some fuel stabilizer of your choice to non-ethanol fuel (if you can get it) and then top up the tank.
Plug in maintenance
Batteries do surprisingly well in storage left on their own, but a storage maintainer will help keep a battery healthy and topped up so that the first start-up does not involve a delay (like the kind that happens when you have to head out to the parts store for a new one). Using a maintainer like a Battery Tender makes battery upkeep simple and allows for easy checking on the battery while in storage.
There are a lot of storage tips and ideas out there. Anyone who has stored a car for multiple years often develops their own process, but don’t let habit get in the way of adapting to new information or techniques. Your vintage car just might love you a little more for it.