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If you want to get REALLY nerdy about lights, this thread is the best I've ever seen: Light Fixture Layout Collections - The Garage Journal Board

For uplighting I use cordless stuff. The milwaukee flood light on the floor or bench means no cords to kick, and if i kick this thing(which i've done) it is pretty tough and just lands where it lands.

I also am in love with underhood lights, lots of good ones out there but i'm stuck on milwaukee batteries soooo this is the one i use, works great underneath hoods, inside cars clamped to the roof, under cars clamped to frame rails, you name it.

The underhood light makes stereo work a breeze.
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I'm definitly doing lower recessed lights in the walls this time for the bodyshop room. My old one has the lights on the walls, and yeah same problem, never enough light in the wheel wells.
Are you going to build in a paint booth? If this virus doesn't wipe out my retirement, I would love to do that in my barndominium. In my current shop building its not practical because its not big enough and I could never move the other cars and all the stuff out long enough to set up a makeshift booth either. I've used my attached garage to spay primer (I can leave my daily drivers outside temporarily), but I've never had the gumption to attempt a finish paint job at home. Its the most expensive and most obvious part of any restoration and so I've always wanted to someday have the facilities to do it myself. That would probably pay for itself in only a few cars.
 
Gamble, that Milwaukee work light BLOWS the one that have AWAY! Mine is just OK. :cautious: I also paid too much for that one.
Well, I'm not a Milwaukee guy. Be happy that you are.
Mine does not have an external battery-it's internal.
Old eyes like mine need lots of light.
Um, better light=better work.;)
 
Thats a nice light setup! I've made do with the ol traditional trouble light, a halogen floor spot light and my little trusty LED flash light. I should have better light everywhere this time around in the new shop.

Are you going to build in a paint booth? If this virus doesn't wipe out my retirement, I would love to do that in my barndominium. In my current shop building its not practical because its not big enough and I could never move the other cars and all the stuff out long enough to set up a makeshift booth either. I've used my attached garage to spay primer (I can leave my daily drivers outside temporarily), but I've never had the gumption to attempt a finish paint job at home. Its the most expensive and most obvious part of any restoration and so I've always wanted to someday have the facilities to do it myself. That would probably pay for itself in only a few cars.
I actually have an enclosed bodyshop room with air ventalation in my old shop already, so I will be doing something similar. My philosophy, after working in autobody for a bit, was that a guy who sprays cars everyday will always be able to lay a much smoother and near perfect coat of paint then I will be able to as I only end up spraying a car every few years at most, and it takes constant practice to get and stay good at it. The amount of polish and sanding work you create for yourself by not laying down a perfectly level coat of paint in the first place is huge. That and cost wise, you don't save that much as, to drop a car off at a body shop that is already fully prepped, and if they let you mask it there yourself, the cost in labour is minimal and the paint cost is actually less as you end up with a lot of left over product when you buy it all yourself. HOWEVER, that was my experience in the past, working with a really good bodyshop in the city I used to live in. The last go around, I had to select a local shop to do the same thing with, and it was a total shit show and it really soured the experience. It was expensive, they were a PITA to deal with, and ultimately they didn't do that good of a job and I ended up having to do a lot of sanding and polishing to get the finish we wanted. If there were a better shop in town to deal with I'd consider it again, but the reality is I have like 5 cars that will need to be painted in the next decade or so, so its time to make my self less dependent on a paint shop. But this is a public forum and putting paint boothes into your shop is frowned upon here, so to very directly answer your question, absolutely not, I will not be putting a paint booth into my new shop.
 
HOWEVER, that was my experience in the past, working with a really good bodyshop in the city I used to leave in. The last go around, I had to select a local shop to do the same thing with, and it was a total shit show and it really soured the experience. It was expensive, they were a PITA to deal with, and ultimately they didn't do that good of a job and I ended up having to do a lot of sanding and polishing to get the finish we wanted.
Understand completely. I went through that too. My usual painter, Cuco, had outgrown me and was eventually charging as much as the concours shops so I went looking for someone new. A car show friend who always has a new project completed every year offered to introduce me to his painter, Rick. Well, turns out Rick was a nightmare and I wound up having to take the car to a third guy, Chris, to be done over again at great expense. I wasn't going to let Cuco know that I'd tried somebody else and needed rescuing. ;)

But if I'm going to ever paint a car myself, its going to be a solid color with no metallics or pearls or anything like white or SDR, maybe black after three or four practice cars. I'm not likely going to have a professional "booth" either, just a room with positive pressure ventilation and AC filters. As long as I can sand and polish out a few nibs I'll be OK.
 
Well the prep is the really hard part. Especially with black.

The other problem is all of the paints changed again to a new water based formula. The new paints are really hard to deal with, and technically need to be baked. I have to check, but at the time I was still able to get some of the old non water based stuff as "fleet" paint. Not sure if thats still possible or not, working on the water based stuff at home is a problem. You can't even polish it the same way, its a whole new set of methods, pads and compounds.
 
You won't have to worry about painting it yourself if the waterbourne paints spread from CA in a few years. You need IR to cure them.
 
Yeah, I had plenty of time to plan the table. I welded nuts on the 5x5 1/4in plate for the feet of the 4x4 box legs so i could bolt casters to it. I rolled it around on them to get it in place, then jacked it up and pulled them off. Somehow, one leg is either a slight bit shorter than the others, like 1/8in, or the floor is warped. lol. I cleaned it up and painted everything with self etching primer and then flat black tracor paint except the top, and a section under the lip of the top, and on one of the receivers so I can clamp my ground to it out of the way.

All the metal was free except the top plate, the receivers, and the metal on the top of the shelves. My dad had the scrap box and angle at is house as he was an iron worker before retirement so would bring home leftovers for projects. Took forever to clean the rust and old paint off of all of the metal. I cleaned the black scale off the top with a wire brush and muratic acid. I try to keep it sprayed with wd40 when not welding so it doesnt rust.

Also, I put 2 of the magnet strips from harbor freight on the next shelf lip down for putting the wrenchs for the grinders on. I got lucky with the chop saw fitting. It just barely fit. I bought this heavy duty welding blanket a LONG time ago and the plan is to hang it on the wall behind the table so when grinding or welding etc.. sparks dont hit the wall.

I will try to get the pics from my phone onto my PC so I can post them. I have some pics showing all the grinders etc.. on it. I bought a bunch of 2x2x1/8 box and 8x8x1/4in plate to make more vice mounts etc.. from. I have like 4 big vices, and a bench grinder. I want to get a bench polisher as well, and maybe a belt sander too.

I put the whole thing together with the Hobart Beta Mig 200 I got for cheap. Had feed issues and is ugly. I got lucky and it already had an aftermarket tweaco 15ft torch on it so I just had to replace the liner, and then I took the feed motor apart and cleaned all the old dried up grease out and put new grease in. Works awesome! I need to start practicing with my tig when i get the 4 wheeler engine done. I want to be sure I have plenty of practice before making the control arms for my 5 lug swap.
 

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YOu can see most of the grinders plugged in, and the Dewalt 14in chop saw etc... Also the 2 sections i didnt paint for ground clamp use. I just hit them with a wire wheel to clean them up before clamping. Cant stop the rust in humid ass Florida. My Tungsten grinder isnt plugged in down there yet either. Still need to adjust it before doing so. I bought a kit that fits onto a Dremel for sharpening my TIG tungsten's

The box tubing is for my vice mounts. Just need to drill the holes in the 8x8 1/4in plate for each vice then weld them to the box tubing and paint. Holes are all drilled so I can rotate the vices any way I need them. .
 

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I also added a block heater to my parts washer, and put it on a furniture dolly so I can wheel it around. I put pure Formula 88 in it, which as it turns out, disolves paint so the inside of it is now rusting. Oops. It is biodegradeable and I figured it would be the safest thing to have in it since I have a 3 year old that may accidentally get into it somehow. Plus no fumes like Diesel or the solvent they actually sell for it. I drained a bunch out and dilluted it with water. The heat helps a LOT in cleaning things. Takes maybe 30min to heat it up. Heater shuts off at 175, but the liquid in the washer doesnt get that hot before it shuts off. You can put your hands in it without burning your self, but it is damn hot!.

Also my 4 piston single stage compressor with 6hp motor. Fills that 80 gallon tank fast. I put it all together from stuff I got at various places. Quietest compressor I have ever heard and the pump is rated to 21.5CFM@105PSI. Not sure why they rated it to 105psi, but mfg date is 1984.

And pics of my 1930's craftsman drill press. Made by Atlas. Good solid unit. I got the 8in Palmgren rotary table prolly 15 years ago for a good deal. Has x and y on it as well.
 

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It saves time not having to plug/unplug and also not having to change what is on the grinder. I can grab a cutoff wheel wire wheel, flap disc, grinding disc etc.. and its already ready to go. Being able to remove the vices and put them down below out of the way by just pulling a hitch pin is nice too.
 
Outside.. Found out my garage had some rotted boards in the rear, so pulled them. Big mistake.. Have to replace the whole sill and a lot more of the boards, on a garage everyone of my friens says I should just replace.. Well, no time for that now! :p
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Mother earth is eternally trying to reclaim her raw materials. Whether by rust or rot, termite or tinworm, she'll get it all back in your lifetime if you don't constantly fight to keep it.
 
Yup! You think that is from snow pilling up there in the winter or rain?
Your framing and insulation look good, you probably just need to replace the damaged sections, then toss out that wood siding (and make sure your roof is in good shape). Go with some kind of concrete on the outside, wood is the worst. I am stucoing my new shop, but there are these concrete based siding boards called Readiboard here that is pretty good too. Vinyl would be an improvement over wood siding for sure, but people are finally starting to move away from vinyl siding. Stuco is king in my book. It hasn't been trendy in a long time, but it lasts and holds paint like nothing else. Plus awesome fire resistance, easy to paint, it can be patched and repaired and its great at containing noise.
 
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