Ideas for shop organization

[Brokenarrow]

I've decided it's time to start the restoration on my '68 mustang and would like some pics/ideas on how to get my shop organized for it. I've already started on some benches and shelves and moved some stuff (all ford parts) around. I'm going to tear the car down completely and plan on keeping all bolts and small parts bagged, labeled, and organized so I can keep track of everything. I've never done a restoration so any and all experienced advice will be appreciated.

[averagef250]

I don't know how to achieve what your after. Vehicles take a very large area to disassemble completely and keep track of parts. I've found the best solution for me is doing it in stages. Bringing a section in the shop at a time to work on start to finish. I have 1500 square feet with 2 full 10X30X10 bays devoted to whatever project I'm working on. Having a way to move the big parts like the bare body of your mustang or a cab, front clip or chassis from a pickup is a necessity for completing a large project in a timely manner. A forklift, tractor with forks on a loader or even a wrecker or boom truck works well.

I plan on moving to a 2500 square foot shop this summer with atleast 15' ceilings. My organizational solution will be pallet racking and a small forklift. I have plenty of shelving, cabinets, Vidmars and toolboxes, but pallet racking and a small forklift has been the most efficient way to store anything I've seen.

[Brokenarrow]

My shop is 30' X 30' with 12' walls and a 4' wide loft across one end for storage. I'm building a 12' long workbench with shelves underneath and I'm thinking maybe some more shelves for stackable containers. I have a cherrypicker and also an A-frame I can move inside if I need it. I guess what I'm asking for is advice from others who have done restorations as to what order I should tear things apart in so as to keep things best organized Does that even make sense?

[fordman]

i have done several tear down to part out and only two that where just parts replacements. so i know what a bolt looks like and what it goes to. some smaller screws and stuff i do put in sandwich bags so they dont get lost of mixed up with other stuff. but mainly all the bolts for everything pretty much go in whatever container i have at the time. one truck i put all the bolts into ta center console cup holder thing the truck had in it when i got it. one truck is a large peanut can./ one is a large metal coffee can. last year when i did my 4wd i used a five gallon bucket. mainly because i had so many larger parts to save for that rebuild. or parts replacement.
now on to how i took the truck apart and in which order. since the engine was gone we had pulled the front clip off of the truck and put all of that in the bed. i then took the cab off. i then could get to the transmission and front frame to do everything i wanted to it. i should have at least spray painted the frame. but i wasn't after a restoration. i was only after replacing bad parts for better ones. if i would have went any further i would have pulled the transmission and transfer case then the bed off. and then i probably would have started getting the rear end and front end cleaned up repaired and then painted the frame and axles to make the foundation of my truck something to build on. then basically i would have put everything back in the same order i would have taken it out . now when i pulled the cab off. i did remove the doors to lighten up the cab as well as the seat. that made the cab pretty lite. i would probably do the mustang about the same way pull the front clip remove the engine and trans then take the rest of the body off. and then start doing the frame and axles. each part of the build wouldn't get done until i was ready to do it. i wouldn't take apart anything until i was ready to deal with it. that way i could remember where things came out of and how they were suppose to go back in.

[Brokenarrow]

I plan on stripping it down to the shell ,doing the floorpans,suspension, and underbody myself,then sending the body out for paint. (BTW, there is no frame, it's a unibody car.) When I do tear it down it's going to be down for awhile. There will be a ton of bolts, clips, trim, and small parts to be stored. I have a compressor, sandblaster, mig-welder, plasma-cutter, grinders, chopsaw, and all kinds of airtools. So I'm set up to do the work but I know it will take a lot of time. I think I'll just take a lot of pictures and try to catalog everything as I tear it down, then hope for the best.

[mrsnicks]

Wander on over to http://www.garagejournal.com and browse through the forums.

I'm a member and it's ALMOST as good as this site.

Patrick

[Brokenarrow]

Perfect , Just what I was looking for. Thank's a lot

[Brokenarrow]

Been doing a bunch of cleaning, rearranging, and building. Built a corner workbench w/ pegboards and some shelves for storage. I never claimed to be a carpenter but I think it turned out pretty good. I still have a bunch more tools to put up (ran out of hooks). Sorry, no before pictures

[Racer Z]

The pictures look good. Your ideas sound good.

I've never done a full tear-down. Partly cause I just don't have the space. Our shop looks like something exploded in the center and landed on all the edges. We have florescent lamps in a "U" shape that cover most the shop. One more over the bench and one more over the tool box.

We have a big work bench (was already installed) and a heavy movable work bench. I find the movable bench to be my favorite as I can get to any side of my object. Two can work on the same object from opposite sides and the bench can easily be relocated when need be. It was the perfect size when we rebuilt our transmission. And now it is proving itself as we work on the dashboard of our 240Z racecar.

One wall is shelves (not nearly strong enough, one section collapsed) from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. In the corner is our air compressor with enough line to go down the driveway and across the street. (It's amazing what a person collects if they live long enough.) The grinders/wire wheels/buffers are all on pedestal stands so we can relocate them as needed. The arbor press is small and can be slid around easy.

The shop is the typical two-car-garage, about 20x20 and not nearly large enough. Now that we have extra motors, trannys and even a diffy, there is not enough room to pull a car inside. We usually roll some stuff out just to have "breathing room" before we can do our work for the day.

[69rangerf100]

well im jealous i wish i had that garage

[mhobryan]

I've done a few 'restifications' . Best advise I can give, is a Sharpee, and zip lock bags are your friend! I use both the gallon size and the quart size zip lock bags, try to keep things categorized by natural assemblies (e.g. "alternator bracket and bolts"). I then put the tagged bags into milk crate(s). One other thing: I also label even obvious stuff, although this is more applicable when doing just an engine swap. Why do I do this? It's much easier to find a tiny vacuum line or coil wire when it has a 2-3 inch piece of light colored masking tape on it. For me it makes it a lot less likely for me to overlook something.

The other thing, is that I am ubber anal about immediately putting my tools back in their rightful spot as soon as I am done using it. I may repeat some motions, however, I'm one of those absent minded folks that puts things down and then forgets where I put it... def. saves me time in the long run.

[basketcase0302]

Brokenarrow,
Your shop looks nice man!
Something I've had in place for some 18 years is the use of "lateral filing cabinets" for tool and part storage. You can sometimes find these on CL for next to nothing, (and at around 20" deep X 42" long X 30"-32" tall they slide right under most work benches)!

[Brokenarrow]

Thanks for the complements guys. I plan on "baggin' & taggin'" all the small stuff, and I have several big tupperware tubs that will fit nicely under my bench and on the shelves. Also have some old stackable coke crates that are real handy. To anyone who has a tall enough garage or is planning to build one, I highly recommend building a loft as I did. It's kind of a catchall but it's handy for the stuff that normally clutters up your floorspace. Mine is made from 4" C-purlin and 3/4" plywood,& hung with 5/16" cable. BTW, anyone notice my custom made air-tool hanger? I drilled and slotted some holes in a piece of an old aluminum diamond tread pickup bed-rail.

[Mancar1]

Good looking shop