I'm about to start some serious car restoration work (as opposed to
tinkering out on the driveway). I have an adequately sized space
in a garage in which to work, which is a new experience. I have
a reasonable amount of experience in what I want to do in the
restoration but almost no experience of decent surrounds in which to
do the work.
I need to go from garage corner to workshop suited to various
restoration tasks - welding, mechanical repair, dismantling and
reassembly. I'm looking for any advice or tips on how to go about
setting up a workshop - have not been able to find any good info
in the library (any pointers to suitable books appreciated).
- workbenches - I want to build one from angle/box iron as an initial
project. Any advice (size/shape/surface material/plans/etc)?
- air tools - what size compressor is needed to run drills/grinders
without having to wait for the compressor all the time.
- any advice about converting the empty space into a suitable area.
- Tools. (Sockets, screwdrivers, panelwork, air/electric tools etc).
What are some names of "can't go wrong if you buy this" brands. I'm
tired of cheap sockets that wear out in a few months, especially ones
that look the part but aren't.
- Hand tool storage - what is a good way to store various tools.
- Gas welding - I have done some gas welding, but if I want to go into
a shop and buy a complete setup for doing automotive panels and some
box tube/angle iron construction what do I need to ask for and what
would a good setup cost.
- Spot welding - For the restoration I am doing a dedicated spot welder
is appropriate (I have researched this). What are good brands/prices/
duty cycle. Home wiring here in New Zealand is 240V at 10 amps - is
this sufficient?
Even if you only want to answer a couple of these please send me
an e-mail as it will go a long way to relieving my ignorance :-)
Thanks in advance,
Hamish
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Mini Cooper Web: http://www.mini.org/minirestoration/CooperWeb.html
Mini FAQ: http://www.mini.org/minirestoration/Technical/TechFAQ.html
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