66gutlass

Hey all! Finally moved forward and got into my first house. Best part for me is the two car garage. I can keep the ladys car inside and also have the 66 and a solid work area on the other half. (24' x 26'). So my question to all of you is, what sorts of things have you all found impossible to live without in your shops? After all, any of you with a dedicated work space likely have some opinion on what you would like to do, have done, or wish you had not done. Help a young guy out?

Sugar Bear

If you are young buy a lift ASAP so you get the most use of it. A lift will save time, allow you to do more and keep you more comfortable.

Lighting, good electric, fire extinguishers,...the list is long.

Good luck!!!

Fun71

Work bench and air compressor.

66SportCoupe

X2 but a work bench with a vise. A small beer fridge goes a long way too.

Jamesbo

GIANT tool box, makes you look like ya know what you're doing even if ya don't.
Jack stands a flour jack'

kitty litter [floor sweep]

Koda

Preach. I needed a lift three times this year already.

Vintage Chief

Depending on your garage's current configuration - install electrical outlets which are appropriately placed (instead of running extension cords [yes, you'll need them] - e.g. along the work bench, near the tool chest (which has electrical outlets contained on the side). A garage full of electrical cords is a PITA.

Lighting, install good lighting right off the bat (depends on your current configuration).

Some of what I'll list others have already stated:

(1) Six ton hydraulic floor/service jack;
(2) Four three ton jack stands;
(3) Sixty gallon vertical air compressor;
(4) Three foot deep solid wood work bench w/ mounted vice;
(5) Four to five 5-gallon plastic buckets;
(6) Two piece (upper/lower) locking tool chest;
(7) 24" or 36" steel wrecking bar (sometimes referred to as a crow bar);
(8) Bench Grinder w/ Burnishing wheel (mounted on work bench);
(9) Portable work light for working under the hood and under the car;
(10) Floor dolly - saves your back & your legs;
(11) 'Good' flashlights - one large/one small;
(12) Wire brushes;
(13) Grease gun;
(14) A large bag of good garage red rags;
(15) A 16 oz. tin of waterproof grease (cut a hole 2" square hole in the top and insert a .99 cent cheap bristle brush) - use it often.

EDIT: El Cheapo blanket(s), sheets, towels to drape over the front fender and elsewhere when working on the engine or elsewhere.

vCode442

Music!! Preferably a vintage silver face receiver from the 70s.

75 W-30 H/O

A good matching set of power tools, Milwaukee is my brand of choice. Get enough batteries too.

VI Cutty

Lifts are great to have, but you are limited by ceiling height although there are some low lift options out there. A lift might also take up more of a footprint in the garage than you'd like, leaving you little room for workbench, tool box and wife's wheels. Check out Max Jacks or similar.

If you want to run a sandblast cabinet you'll need the larger compressor, but for lighter duty stuff a 20 gallon will get the job done when you need it and move out of the way when you don't.

I've been going the Milwaukee route too. Great tools. Replacing a lot of my air tools (impact gun, ratchet, die grinder, etc) with M12 and M18 units. Great portability and don't have to deal with air lines.

oldcutlass

A fairly good sized and sturdy work bench with a good vise, a stool, and a small compressor. All the rest you acquire as you need and can afford them.

Fun71

I have a 33 gallon 6HP horizontal compressor that fits underneath my work bench. That saves some square footage, and the compressor has been sufficient for all the body and paint work that I have done on my car. I made sure to get one that sufficient scfm to keep up with air tools.

Vintage Chief

I don't know - I had smaller air compressors before and they were difficult (for me) to manage their portability. While the 60 gallon is certainly larger and heavier, I find it easier to maneuver around the landscape when using it on other projects besides inside the man-cave. But, you make a good point, a 33 gallon is most likely very efficient.

otto72

Another 24x26 Garage

Fun71

Mine is a Sears/Devilbiss with wheels so it’s very easy to move around, but in reality since moving into the current house it has not moved from its location under the work bench. It’s short enough to fit under there so I can make good use of space.

Tuffnut

I can tell you it’s nice to have heat living where you get snow. I have modine hot dawg natural gas fired ceiling hugger heater. Works great.

69HO43

Hadn't seen it mentioned yet, sorry if it was and I missed it, but a GOOD wet/dry vacuum cleaner. Doesn't matter the brand as much as the sucking ability. That could go for other things too, but here we're talking about vacuum cleaners. If you get a portable one, make sure it has wheels. You'll be surprised how handy that bad dad is. Oh, and a good floor broom helps, too.

And before you get too much stuff in there, consider coating or some sort of floor covering for the concrete if not already done. It'll make cleaning up spills and such MUCH MUCH easier when stuff doesn't soak into the concrete.

scrappie

^^^^^^^^^^^^
ha!

Weezer

Don't go cheap on the rolling toolbox. I still have my starter, the 5 drawer $100 Craftsman box. It is now too small, as my collection of tools (which is still inadequate) has the capacity overflowing. Save up and spend a bit more.

allyolds68

12' ceilings for a lift, thickened concrete at the post location

gs72

We have a central vac system in our house and i have a 30’ extension hose for use in the garage. This baby will almost suck all the oxygen out of the room. The only problem is that it is pretty loud so it’s kind of a bummer when I’m working in the garage and my wife is cleaning.

BangScreech4-4-2

A car.

BangScreech4-4-2

Nice shot, but shouldn't your car have a Type O rear?

66gutlass

Got a 66 cutlass 2dr that will make good use of the space.

Fun71

Well thank gawd you got the "Silent Master" instead of the regular noisy one.

matt69olds

I put a small shed next to my garage for storage, and that’s where my air compressor is located. I hate the noise of the compressor!!!

You can never have enough storage space. Lots of cabinets, shelves, attic access, anything that keeps the seldom used items out of the way.

Lots of outlets, plenty of good lighting, either lots of air hose connections or a hose reel with enough hose to reach out to the driveway, and anywhere in the shop.

Once you start working in the shop you will without a doubt think of dozens of things you wish you had done differently, and need to change or add.

allyolds68

Nothing is correct on my car.

It's a nice driver. 70 455, Muncie M20, repro OAI

Brian Trick did the rear end about 12 years ago. It's out of a 70 or 71


Oh, and on the garage.....a stair accessed attic is really nice too

BangScreech4-4-2

Well, beautiful car, and nice garage too. I can see how that catwalk/attic would come in handy. I wish that had occurred to my when I was building mine.

Weezer

Really thinking out your layout for everything, storage included, is a good idea. Figure out where your workbench and toolbox will be, then plan around that area. I was just out in the garage organizing AGAIN on Sunday. More hooks up, mounted a power strip, and reevaluated possible future additions.

BangScreech4-4-2

Yes, a little planning for storage space will save you covering your walls with hooks and shelving like I've done.

brianbeez67

If you are going to build shelves, buy storage containers first to see how high you need the shelves to put them on, to your liking.