Project : Workshop

BenG · Jun 13, 2015

After lining the walls and roof with insulation I was left with the the decision of what the internal walls should be lined with. I had a few ideas but in the end I decided to fit enamel white tin liner sheets as I thought they would look nice the best. I've pretty much finished lining it now, it has taken me 6 months to complete it as there is a lot of work involved. It just needs a few more rivets in places.

It looks a hell of a lot cleaner and brighter inside now and after the warm weather recently I'm happy to find it nice and cool inside, it used to be like a greenhouse!

I have a 4 post car lift being installed on Monday!

StevieH · Jun 13, 2015

Looking good mate!

hoolio · Jun 13, 2015

Always envious of the space and now it looks like an even nicer place to be.

Miller · Jun 14, 2015

Good work I'm well gel

Fiona · Jun 14, 2015

That looks amazing!! Wish I had a space like that!

Luke335 · Jun 14, 2015

Looks awesome

Retro74 · Jun 14, 2015

Love this thread! Good to see an update

BenG · Jun 15, 2015

Thanks for the comments guys.

My 4 post lift arrived this morning! It felt like Christmas.

Imagine my disappointment when I unwrapped it to find it shaped like a banana. The installation guys said it must have been dropped and one of the runways had taken the full impact, everything else looked ok. After a few phone calls to head office I was given 2 options... Install the lift without one of the runways and have a new runway sent up, or, take the whole lot back and get a new one dropped off Wednesday and wait for an installation date. I opted for the new lift.

^^ Straight as a roundabout.

I took delivery of 2 jacking beams. These are used to jack up the vehicle in order to lift the wheels off the runways. They slide between the runways on rollers. 2 jacking beams are required to lift all 4 wheels off the runways.

So that's it until Wednesday...

Miller · Jun 15, 2015

That's lucky but glad they are sorting you out a new lift soon and my eyes are turning greener

BenG · Jun 26, 2015

....4 POST CAR LIFT INSTALLED....

Yesterday I had a new lift delivered and installed after my other one was sent back due to being badly damaged. It arrived at around 9am and took around 8 hours to install and commission.

I've always thought about installing a 2 post car lift in the workshop, however, after doing lots of research I realised that my concrete doesn't quite meet the minimum requirements. Most manufacturers recommend a minimum thickness of 6 inch reinforced concrete with a strength of 3000psi. My concrete is 6 inch unreinforced with a strength of 2200psi. I have been told by many that I shouldn't have any issues with it but I didn't want to risk it.

After deciding on a 4 post lift I somehow convinced myself that it was a better option due to it being easier to get the car up in the air and by adding jacking beams it would allow me to lift the wheels off the ramps to work on the suspension, steering and drivetrain.

Compared to the 2 post I was initially looking at, the 4 post cost me and extra £2k which was mainly due to the addition of jacking beams which were an extra £800 each. In total I paid £5800 for the lift which was by no means easy to save up for and a huge outlay for me. I realise that it's probably not going to pay for itself with the amount of use I'm going to get out of it but then who wouldn't have one if they could?

The lift is a Bendpak HD-9...

This is the lift at maximum height.

First lift with the Trophy. The height of the workshop is perfect.

Positioning and setting up the jacking beams once in the air...

Jacking beam accessories...

I know.....

hoolio · Jun 26, 2015

Yeah, I'm not jealous.

Up to Ben's for a big lovein Trophy workshop session then?

BenG · Jun 26, 2015

hoolio said:
Yeah, I'm not jealous.

Up to Ben's for a big lovein Trophy workshop session then?

You are all very welcome, anytime.

hoolio · Jun 26, 2015

BenG said:
You are all very welcome, anytime.

Ok, well I have AST top mounts, Mark Fish springs, Koni rear dampers, refurbed front Sachs, wishbones, engine mounts and still thinking about the PMS exhaust to fit, what about everyone else.

BenG · Jun 26, 2015

hoolio said:
Ok, well I have AST top mounts, Mark Fish springs, Koni rear dampers, refurbed front Sachs, wishbones, engine mounts and still thinking about the PMS exhaust to fit, what about everyone else.

I haven't even told you what my hourly rate is.

Mikeyjp · Jun 26, 2015

That looks awesome

great job

Hoolio, have you looked at http://www.btbexhausts.co.uk/ about 1hrs drive from you

hoolio · Jun 27, 2015

BenG said:
I haven't even told you what my hourly rate is.

Half a sack of pig food these days isn't it?

BenG · Nov 7, 2015

POWER!

Finally the workshop has 230V AC power that doesn't require the use of ear protection. It comes in the form of 2 x Rolls 12V 260 amp hour batteries and a Victron 5000W Pure Sine Inverter. The Inverter runs off 24VDC and puts out 230VAC, the 12V batteries are just wired in series to output 24VDC with a capacity of 260 amp hours.

To size the system I just had to take into consideration how much power I'm likely to use and for how long. The batteries capacity are rated in amp hours, in my case 260, this means they can output 260 amps of current for 1 hour before going flat, or, 130 amps for 2 hours and so forth... If I was using an AC power tool of 1000W I would divide that by 24 as that's what the voltage source is, that would mean that tool would use almost 42 amps if I ran it for 1 hour. Obviously my batteries would soon go flat but the likelihood of me using a power tool for that length of time is very small. My 2200W lift motor for instance would pull 92 amps from the batteries in 1 hour if ran continuously, as it only takes 45 seconds to raise it doesn't cause a significant drain on them.

I have solar panels capable of putting out up to 20 amps which keeps the batteries topped up, but only when it's sunny. At some point I will have to install a small wind turbine to offset the lack of sunlight hours in winter.

There are other factors to take into consideration but I'm not going to go into them unless anyone's interested.

The AC output from the inverter is connected into a consumer unit and everything else is just wired as you would normally. I have installed an earth rod outside from which everything is earthed.

I have installed a 24/12V DC/DC converter to supply anything that runs off 12V. Most electronics run off 12 or 24VDC and in most cases are attached to a 230VAC domestic plug in which houses its own 230VAC transformer and rectifier to give out the required DC voltage. My alarm system runs off 12VDC but is attached to a domestic plug, I've basically just cut off the plug and wired it straight into 12VDC. Doing that means I don't need the inverter running when I'm not there.

The whole system including the solar panels cost around £3500.

Electricity is amazing!

BenG · Nov 7, 2015

LIGHTS!

Lights were a tricky one. I had to pretty much guess how many I would need and hope for the best. I also had to keep the power consumption as low as possible due to the battery capacity restrictions. I considered 6 x 6ft Twin High Frequency Fluorescent battens (2 for each bay) but I opted against them due to their power consumption and reliability. They required 140W each (840W in total) and would draw around 35 amps an hour from the batteries.

I came across 6ft Twin LED Battens which were only 60W each and virtually maintenance free. They were the most expensive option at £75 per fitting but the power saving seemed worth it.

After installing them I still had no idea if they would be adequate, however, after switching them on I must say I was blown away by how well they performed. They are absolutely perfect! The light gets everywhere which I believe is helped considerably by the white liner sheets. There's enough light even when working under the car which is about the best I could have hoped for really. Worth every penny!

No more going home after dark!

SharkyUK · Nov 7, 2015

I approve

Love it.

jlpower · Nov 7, 2015

This is awesome...