5.5m x 5.4m garage. Too small?

5.5m x 5.4m garage. Too small?

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Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
The doors are hardwood.

As for the 500. They are not rare. Over 4 million were built and thousands survive. I had already swapped out the original engine for a 126 unit. So, the car wasn't original.

This was the car when I bought it five years ago. The car's renovation took 18 months to complete. (Yes, we converted it from LHD to RHD.)



So, I contend that rather than ruining the car, we actually rescued it from the scrap heap and gave it a new lease of life.

Oh, and saving the planet has nothing whatsoever to do with it. Mrs B wanted her car electrified so, it was electrified.

thumbup


Wozy68

5,392 posts

171 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Blib said:
The doors are hardwood.

As for the 500. They are not rare. Over 4 million were built and thousands survive. I had already swapped out the original engine for a 126 unit. So, the car wasn't original.

This was the car when I bought it five years ago. The car's renovation took 18 months to complete. (Yes, we converted it from LHD to RHD.)



So, I contend that rather than ruining the car, we actually rescued it from the scrap heap and gave it a new lease of life.

Oh, and saving the planet has nothing whatsoever to do with it. Mrs B wanted her car electrified so, it was electrified.

thumbup
Blame it on the vino .... I’d had far to much. The garage is looking great and fair dos saving the 500 driving

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Wozy68 said:
Blame it on the vino .... I’d had far to much. The garage is looking great and fair dos saving the 500 driving
beer

Spurry

178 posts

91 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Looks to be a very neat job. As you now have large wooden doors, just be a bit careful when it's windy, if a gust catches them wrong, you can get a good smack in the teeth. You also need some method of holding the doors open. I found a pull operated door-stop at the top of the frames helps on both counts.
Apologies if you already have stops fitted, as pix do not show the doors securing method.

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
I call them the 'Spurry doors' smile

I'd not thought about a method to hold them open. I suppose that's because previously I've had up n over, metal doors.

Could you elaborate on those door stops, please?

The garage builder is here at the moment. I'll have a word with him now.

AJLintern

4,202 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
A simple way to keep them open would be a floor bolt that extended far enough to locate in a piece of tube buried in the drive.

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
AJLintern said:
A simple way to keep them open would be a floor bolt that extended far enough to locate in a piece of tube buried in the drive.
Sadly, as we have a gravelly drive, they're a non-goer.

The garage chap suggested something like these.

https://www.locksonline.com/Corded-Garage-Door-Hol...

Looks like they'll do the job nicely.

Unless someone else has a better solution?

ETA: Reading back, Spurry mentioned exactly those!

You strike again, Spurry. bow

dhutch

14,391 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Blib said:
Sadly, as we have a gravelly drive, they're a non-goer.

The garage chap suggested something like these.
https://www.locksonline.com/Corded-Garage-Door-Hol...
You can nail a length of scaff bar into gravel for a door bolt to engage with as long as it's not somewhere you will drive into.

We had exactly the same type of door opener/closer on a set of workshop doors at high school and they worked well, best not to let the wind take it into the end stop, but espically with a larger door you will mainly be opening it up to the stop rather than flinging it open anyway. There was just a normal size pair of double doors but were external/firedoor type weight so good an heavy if thrown open on the assumption there where on a normal oil damped fire door closer!

dhutch

14,391 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Blib said:
The doors are hardwood.

As for the 500. They are not rare. Over 4 million were built and thousands survive. I had already swapped out the original engine for a 126 unit. So, the car wasn't original.

This was the car when I bought it five years ago. The car's renovation took 18 months to complete. (Yes, we converted it from LHD to RHD.)



So, I contend that rather than ruining the car, we actually rescued it from the scrap heap and gave it a new lease of life.

Oh, and saving the planet has nothing whatsoever to do with it. Mrs B wanted her car electrified so, it was electrified.
I can't fault that at all, looks a cracking project, and certainly no worse (I would argue less of a crime) than putting a 2ltr blacktop zetec into an Escort, which would I expect raise far fewer eye brows.

Worth a thread in its own right (hint hint) but how does it drive? Comments on the conversion process?

Daniel

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Thank you. I may do a thread on the whole build someday. The car's being delivered over the weekend. I hope to get it out Monday/Tuesday.

Sadly, Mrs B had a fall a few weeks ago and damaged her shoulder. So, no driving for her for a couple of months.

A win for me! I can't wait to try the little 500 out! hehe

dhutch

14,391 posts

198 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Blib said:
Thank you. I may do a thread on the whole build someday.

I can't wait to try the little 500 out! hehe
Sounds good. Commiserations to the shoulder!

Spurry

178 posts

91 months

Wednesday 17th June 2020
quotequote all
Blib said:
The garage chap suggested something like these.

https://www.locksonline.com/Corded-Garage-Door-Hol...
Yes, those are the right things. Try and fit a coach-bolt through each end if possible and the strongest screws that the holes will take. Sorry to hear about your wife's mishap. My wife is 5ft-and-a-fag-paper, so found windy conditions very trying!

Glad to hear the previous info was useful. thumbup

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Friday 19th June 2020
quotequote all
First resident arrived this evening.

Settling in well, so far... .


Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Sunday 21st June 2020
quotequote all
Well, they fit.


AJLintern

4,202 posts

264 months

Sunday 21st June 2020
quotequote all
Looking great smile I'm still a very long way from finishing my garage build, but I put my mountain bike in it today - so that's the first vehicle in there!

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Sunday 21st June 2020
quotequote all
Congrats!

That's Mrs B's bike leaning against the back wall. I really dont want freestanding bicycles near the cars. However, delivery of our bike shed is way behind schedule. So, needs must.

spikeyhead

17,342 posts

198 months

Monday 22nd June 2020
quotequote all
That Fiat 500 would be a great city car

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Monday 22nd June 2020
quotequote all


To all intents and purposes the garage is complete. The doors get their last coat of paint on Friday.

The cars have their new home.

Thanks to those who followed my trials and tribulations. A special thanks to those who offered excellent advice along the way, on this and a couple of related threads.

We took the electric 500 for a spin this morning on deepest Suffolk country lanes and it surpassed my expectations by far. What a FUN car to drive.

On Wednesday it's the 964's turn. Hopefully, I'll keep it out of the ditch.

thumbup

dhutch

14,391 posts

198 months

Monday 22nd June 2020
quotequote all
Just great to see it really, and to hear the 500 is a good drive.

Well done.

Blib

Original Poster:

44,206 posts

198 months

Monday 13th July 2020
quotequote all



This morning the garage doors received their final coats of paint. They're still drying.

The project is complete. Nothing more to see here.

wavey



Edited by Blib on Monday 13th July 14:32