plewis66
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| posted on 13/11/02 at 01:37 PM |
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Setting off
Hi,
I bought the book a couple of weeks ago, and a friend and I are becoming more determined that we'd like to have a go at building a locost for
racing.
However, the biggest problem facing us at the moment is premises.
Neither of us has a garage or space to build one. Commercial workshop units are
horrendously expensive.
We are on the waiting list for a council lock-up, but are not sure that this will really be suitable. I presume most people have their own garages
where the build and maintenance takes place, but I can't imagine that we are the first to face this situation.
I suppose my questions are:
Is a council lock-up going to be suitable (in terms of space, safety, nuisance etc.)?
How have other people overcome this (very early) hurdle?
What ideas might anyone have for what we can do?
And, (worth a go) does any one have a workshop they don't need in the Manchester (UK) area  ?
Thanks
[Edited on 13/11/02 by plewis66]
[Edited on 13/11/02 by plewis66]
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Spyderman
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 posted on 13/11/02 at 02:16 PM |
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Phew!
And I complain about my lack of space in my tiny single garage attached to house!
I think your main problem will be power. Electricity that is.
Unless you get yourselves a generater. This could be difficult as you can do without a lot of power tools, but can't do without light and heat when
it's cold.
Have you considered a pagoda? I think they are called that! Cheap enough from Woolies and such. One of these in the back garden with some plastic
sheeting attached to the sides make a good temporary workshop.
Done an engine change under one of those in mid winter.
Terry
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MK9R
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| posted on 13/11/02 at 02:46 PM |
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I built a Fotmula 27 chassis in my fathers garage loft when i was 17. Never got much further than that, and it stayed up there for about 3 years. We
then cut out two joists, put a great big trap door in and lowered to the floor. Would have been more impresive if it was finished!
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charlie
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| posted on 13/11/02 at 02:47 PM |
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if youve got space such as a garden you could try building it inside one of those plastic canopys (with roof and sides) just plug an extension lead
into your house. Thats what Im having to do since the garage is full of Crap like my parents freezer etc. Dont try to weld up your chassis outside
because the slightest wind blows the gas shield from the mig and will seriously effect the strength of the welds to the extent that they just snap.
hope this is of some use.
charlie
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plewis66
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| posted on 13/11/02 at 03:08 PM |
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The problem with soft sided solutions is security. Not having a garage, I have nowhere to store tools, and anything left in a tent in my neighbourhood
would be gone in 60 seconds!
Including the car itself, as soon as it has wheels
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philgregson
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| posted on 13/11/02 at 03:29 PM |
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When I first considered this many years ago I rented a workshop.
However, many years later (I only finaly started my build this summer) I could have bought a car for what my workshop has cost me. Mindyou I use it
for all sorts of other projects too.
Another problem is that since I have had a workshop it has become so full of tools, parts, scrap bits of car, steel etc. that I could never afford to
get rid of it again.
Another disadvantage of the rental route is that mine is 10 minutes drive from my house - not a lot you wouldn't think but enough to stiffle those
moments of inspiration when you would otherwise nip next door and act. Also it prevents you from just nipping out for half an hour to finish
something. I guess it introduces discapline in the sense that I need to plan what I do a bit better though and am less distracted.
All that said you can't beat having somewhere warm, dry and spacious to work.
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theconrodkid
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| posted on 13/11/02 at 05:26 PM |
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James is building his at his local college,doing evening classes,worth a try
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MrFluffy
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| posted on 15/11/02 at 07:26 AM |
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I rented a council lockup for a while, and it was a bit of a pain, first having to get a genny/welder (combined unit) in there for power, then the
people round it moaning about the genny running and stuff. Was a bit of a posh neighbourhood though. I chop topped and fabricated a chassis for my v8
ford pop street rod in there, so pretty much anything is possible. BOC do a nice tiny portapack oxy acetelyene set, thats under the legal storage
regulations limits so you can keep it in your lockup without breaking the law. Paraffin heaters take the chill off well too. Grab a old battery from
somewhere, and rig up loads of old 12v spotlights in the roof for lighting, you can charge the battery at home then or use the genny to do it. You
also then have the possibility of using a voltage inverter on the battery for smaller jobs, giving you 240v ac without having to start the genny. And
buy a plentifull supply of wetwipes, and keep a 5 gallon drum of water around for washing your hands with.
I moved to a dodgier (read cheaper)area then and my next lock up was next to the house, but it was forever getting broken into and the car inside
vandelized when the little b*stards realized there was nothing they could nick left in there (my poor mini *sniffle*).
It also got pretty bad for kids hanging round and bricking it from a safe distance for a chase, not good while your trying to work on something. I
ended up not wanting to work in there at all because of the kids causing a nusance, and only got anything finished during school times..
A LOT depends on the area, your rapport with the local kids etc, I used to share a house with my brother who used to wind them up so this caused a lot
of it...
I moved again, into a bloody flat darn sarf, so I rented a industrial unit, sure it was a little expensive, but it was a dream, power, warm, water,
shedloads of space. Depending on your area, there could be all sorts of grants encouraging small businesses to rent a unit (I do know someone who
formed a "business" and ran it just so he could get the unit almost free for his projects), and they can almost outweigh the cost. Downside? 20 mins
from the flat, hence you had to cater in 3/4 of a hr getting there and back, and that definatly puts the kybosh on nipping there for a hour after
work. Plus theres the question in some places of what hours you can actually legally work there, some parks lock up for sunday etc.
Plus if you can find a few like minded looneys, you could rent the unit as a collective thing, I always was really jealous of a street rod club that
rented their own unit between members with shared facilities for the bigger stuff.
Finally I got a workshop behind my new house in sussex (mortgage was almost the same as the flat one + unit costs), and it was good but cramped (after
having had to get the contents of the unit stuffed into it), So latest step was to sod off to rural france, to a house with loads of workshops and a
acre to park dead vehicles on, that didnt cost a arm and a leg, and doesnt have neighbours at all
Be warned, this building things is a slippery slope, you may end up a hermit with a dislike for neighbours, building things is addictive!!
[Edited on 15/11/02 by MrFluffy]
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