Marty Rogan

That is a very nice shop! What did you use for insulating the roof? What kind of heat do you have? Insulation and heating are next on my list for my shop once the weather starts getting better around here. Why did you opt for the 2 post vs a 4 post lift?

That's some nice driving!. I have seen those at the track. They are just stupid fast, since they are so light. The power to weight ratio is way better than most anything out there.

As long as you are using a redirect up on the C Pillar, you should be ok then. Good to hear.

Jeff, You mentioned in this video that you plan to mount the seat belt retractor on the wheel well. That is a really bad idea, unless you install an anchor point up high on the pillar. If you anchor it down low, so that it just goes up and over your shoulder, then down again to clip into the buckle, you could compress your spine in a crash. I do some racing with NASA (National Auto Sports Association) here in the U.S.. Here is the section in the regulations that addresses this: "The shoulder harness should be mounted behind the driver and above a line drawn downward from the shoulder point at an angle of no more than twenty (20) degrees from horizontal with respect to flat ground. " I hope this makes sense to you. If you have questions, let me know. Marty

First off, I don't know much about 280Z's as I have only owned 240Z's. But this sounds like a problem I had with my first 240Z. It had been running fine. Then one day, I could turn the key, it would crank and fire, then die. I realized that as soon as I let go of the key from the start position it would die. If I held the key, it would continue to run. It turned out the be the ballast resister going bad. Once I replaced that, it was back to normal. If the 280Z has a ballast resistor, I would replace that and see what happens. Good luck!

Ok, I get it now. It just made me scratch my head every time he called it the 680.

I guess I missed something along the way. Why do you call it the "680g"?

I had a contractor out at the house for some other work. I had him look at the barn while he was here. He also talked about the macerator pump. Unfortunately, his plumber blew out his knee before he could come out and work up a quote. I had heard stories about raining inside of a pole barn. The contractor recommended the steel ceiling , with blown in insulation in the attic. He recommended some additional ventilation to keep the air flowing in the attic. Sheet rock might be tricky. The trusses are 8' apart. I am not sure if the trusses are designed for the additional framing that would be required. I am trying to get the company that built the building to come out and discuss my options. I also want to discuss with them the best way to insulate. The walls that are finished so far do not have a vapor barrier. That really concerns me. I don't want the walls sweating and get moisture in the insulation.

It is 36'x64', so just over 2,300 square feet. Up here they call it a pole ban. Build as big of a garage as they will let you. You never have enough space. You need a large space to work on No 26 & 27.

Yeah, that is probably a wise choice. I already have a ton of car stuff in there, but I could paint half of it at a time and then move the stuff over to the other side to finish it up.

It sounds like a large (4'x8??) metal topped bench on casters is the way to go. Right now there are 10 pretty crappy barn style lights in there. I bought some LED light fixtures that I believe are 6500 lumens each. I am going to need more than 10 of them though. If I go with a white steel ceiling that should make it pretty bright, I would think. One of the original plans was to put in a 6'x10' bathroom, with a shower, so I could get cleaned up before going back into the house. My architect student son laid it out for me. I figured the parts mezzanine would go up on top of there. As I start to price things out, I am afraid it would cost too much to put in the bathroom. The barn is 200+ feet from the house. That is a lot of trenching, water and waste pipes. I would also need to tie that into the existing septic tank, if that is even possible. Another car guy down the block wants to do the same. He got a quote of $3K just for a septic tank. I will have to think real hard on that part.

Thanks Jeff, A work bench is definitely higher up on my priority list. My wife was suggesting that I buy a work bench. The ones I looked at seemed pretty sturdy, with steel bases and a 1 inch hardwood top, in either 6" or 8" sizes. However, they were only 24" wide. That seemed too narrow to me. How wide is your bench? I was thinking it may be a better idea to just build one. Then I could make it to any size I like. I was also thinking about making it slightly taller too, so I would not have to bend over to work on stuff. I really like the idea of a steel top and having it on casters. Having a lot of the shop be flexible in the configuration is really desirable. Putting the compressor outside in an insulated box makes a lot of sense. Why put up with all that noise if you don't have too. As a good friend of mine always says "The planning is 80% of the fun in a project". I plan to have a lot of fun this winter!

Thanks for the compliment. I am really getting to like being in the country, away from the congested city. I looked at Exmark, but they were pretty expensive and they would not deal on it. I ended up with a Ferris. The specs on it were about the same as the Exmark. It started out much cheaper, were willing to deal and then they issued a $400 rebate. It was a no brainer at that point.

I bought a 61" commercial zero turn mower. It can do up to 10 MPH on flat ground. It takes me about 3 1/2 hours to cut. I usually do it over 2 days, so it does not feel like lawn mowing is my second career. And with the zero turn, it s ALMOST fun.

I knew that I need to get a compressor. I never had the space for one, so I don't know what to look for. Thanks for the tips.

A four post lift is definitely on the must have list. I have 12' to the joists, so I should have plenty of height for that. I like the idea of a dust curtain. Ventilation and exhaust is a great idea too. I never thought of that one. Heat is another high priority. I live in Wisconsin and it gets pretty cold here too. I want to look into radiant tube heating. My friend has that in his 1,500' hanger. He keeps it at 65 degrees all winter long and it costs him about $40 a month. The barn has 200 Amp Service with a lot of spare spots in the box left, so I just need to decide where to place the outlets and what type.

Ha! Well, I did not have time to work ON garage, but I did have some time to work IN the garage. Already spilled some grease. I absolutely loved being able to work on a car without being cramped and bumping into walls and other stuff. Thanks

Hey guys, It has been my dream for many years to move to a spot where I could build my dream garage. Well, this year my dream was realized. We moved to a new house and I did not even need to build the garage. It came with a 36'x64' Pole Barn!! The barn is a great space. It really is a blank canvas at this point though. I have the shell, but I need to finish the interior. The previous owner got a start on the wiring and putting up some insulation and walls. They also left an area at the back in gravel, with the intent of building in 3 horse horse stalls. The first thing I will need to do is to get that filled in with concrete. After that I want to have an asphalt driveway put in. I had a gravel driveway put in this year as a temporary step, so I could get to the barn without having to drive over the lawn. This year I was consumed with working on the house and getting it to a point where the wife is happy with it. Is that even possible, LOL!! She always comes up with more stuff to do, or things she wants to add. So, next year is the year of the barn. I am just getting serious about putting a plan together. This is where you guys come in. I know a few of you have built some pretty nice garages. I would love to hear all of your ideas on what I should build into the garage. I am particularly interested in what I should do now, before the walls and ceiling are installed. All ideas on nice features to add and the timing of the build process are welcome. Thanks, Marty

I find it interesting that you kept the SU's and the stock airbox on a 3.1 Stroker. What kind of HP are you expecting to get out of that setup? Did you ever consider going with triples? I know they add a lot of complexity, and I am not sure it is worth all the extra effort and expense. I ran a bored out L28 (probablly about a 2.9L) with SU's and the stock airbox on my '71 track car. It was a real strong performer. I never got a chance to dyno the car though in that configuration. The car is looking great Guy. Marty

Do the wipers work? It's just rain. If it was snow, I would say reschedule. You wash the car with water, right? When I bought my yellow '71, I drove it home 18 hours from NC. Part of the trip it was raining so hard, I could barely see the tail lights of the truck in front of me. The rain was coming down so hard, it was bouncing off the pavement and coming in the fresh air vents, which I had to close. A little adversity just adds to the adventure!! So unless it was unusually severe weather, I say go for it. Marty

Well that damper definitely looks sturdier than the ancient ones that came with these engines. Hmmm, I would have thought a 3.1 Stroker would put out more HP than that. I am sure it will be a definite improvement over stock though. Putting an L28 in place of the L24 in my track car definitely put a smile on my face. A 3.1 would make that grin even bigger for sure. I am looking forward to seeing what your actual dyno numbers are.

That looks sweet!! I have never seen that "Super Damper" before. Is there a story behind using that? Are you going to use the SU's or tripples? Any idea what horse power that engine will put out? Marty

Damn. I wish it was closer and was better timing. It doesn't look too bad of shape, from the pictures at least. I just bought a house though and as cheap as it is, would not be in the budget at the moment. That is the kind of car I would like to pick up in another year or two for my next project.

Indeed. He used to be a steady contributor back in the day. I think he sold his car and comes by only now and then since. I wonder if he is kicking himself for selling yet?

Glad to see you are doing well. Good to see you are enjoying your time instead of working too hard. stay in touch! Marty