Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Scotty]

I would recommend you try and remove as much as you can whilst the car is still a rolling chassis, that way you can wheel it in and out of the garage to remove as many of the larger items such as doors, bonnet, boot lid, bumpers, etc as you can outdoors, all with ample space to work around in and in comfort. This is particularly important as I think with the space you currently have it'll be all too easy to damage body panels attempting to wriggle them over and out of the narrow spaces if you do it in the garage.

Once all these big parts are off the car, then, with the car in the garage start removing the parts that are going to render the car immobile - with all the big stuff off I'm certain it'll be a much easier job, not to mention access should be simpler, especially so if its a Spitfire with its one-piece bonnet removed.

The build-up should be the reverse process - and dare I say even more important to have the space to replace those pristine restored panels.

Of course the down-side to my suggestion is - its a wee bit dependant on the weather!

[Dirty Habit]

[47p2]

Greeney, I did look at the fibreglass pits, but you still need something to support the weight of the soil and that would mean building below floor level. I feel thet there are too many negatives to justify the work involved. The pit has been dug out of the ground and at the moment I have one massive hole where my garage will be. Also by the time I add the actual cost of building the pit, (bricks, mortar, concrete, labour, waterproofing etc) it is cheaper to buy a ramp....yes really

Headroom will be enough for my needs but I am not sure whether to get a 2 or 4 post.
Each have good and bad points.....
_________________
ROVER
One of Britain's Fine Cars

[Rich5ltr]

Interesting thread this, I've got the management (wife) to agree to allowing me to building a new garage for the Aston. It will be around 9 feet in width and long enough, also I have a workshop in the existing double so that's not an issue. I'm interested in the comments about pits because I was thinking about one so I can get underneath to clean the chassis but now I'm also thinking of a lift instead. There's a group of TVR chaps on Pistonheads who got a group deal from a manufacturer in The Netherlands for about £1,000 each. One thing to bear in mind about lifts is that you need to height in the garage and also don't go for up-and-over doors! Rich...

[Uncle Joe]

As I pointed out on another thread, I dont really like ramps. THey have far to many disadvantages for me. I far prefer pits. Mine is done in a bit of an odd way though. Or at least, most people who have seen it think so...

[old gto]

A "pit" would be hard to do for us here......water table is too high. Basements would be considered in-door pools! The ONLY pits I`ve seen around here are in those quickie lube shops, and their buildings are usually built up a bit higher, so the pit isn`t actually in too deep.
_________________
"The only thing I`m sure of.....is that I`m not sure of anything!"

[ukdave2002]

You are right about checking the water table, we had a pit in my old school garage and virtually every time it was needed we had to bucket water out. I have a pit in my garage at home which is just brick and it’s as dry a bone, what ever the time of year or weather, the water table is very low by us

In terms of the cost end effort of a brick pit, you will no doubt have a digger to dig the footings, to dig the hole will take about an hour with something like a Bobcat (we can hire them in the UK for about £50 a day). the hole needs to be lined with a membrane, the same stuff that would be used under floors (£10 worth), concrete for the base and wall footings about 0.3 cubic meters, £40 (mine is a 150mm thick slab that is both the floor and base for the sides),about 600 bricks (allow 50 bricks per square meter of wall) £100 , about £50 worth of sand and cement, an amateur will be able to lay the bricks in a weekend. I tied the brick work into the soil with some 600mm stainless steel ties every 18" wall height.

If you need to hire a skip to get rid of the soil, you are going to fill half a 8M skip so about £60 worth, however if it is just soil the skip firms will often take it away very cheaply as the sell soil on, dont have to dispose of it.

Then you need some wood for the cover, I used 2" x 8" plank which cost about £25

Total cost to do it yourself around £300 £350 tops.

If you are getting a pro to do it at the same time as your garage is built it will probably add £300-400 worth of labour cost.

I am assuming those fibreglass liners are just liners so you need the brickwork as well? If they are built to support the sides then I guess you only have to dig the hole and put a concrete base in, even quicker

Dave

[Uncle Joe]

I dont know about the costs involved outside of this country, but UK's advice seems to be about right.

With mine, the hole was built twice as wide as it should be, and then a ''roof'' built over the extra width. This extra area is now used for storage.

We have a high water table here, and the membrane does keep it dry. As an extra safeguard, plans are afoot for an extra seal behind nice shiny tiles, as well as covering the wooden covers with aluminium checker plate.