With some good planning and...
With some good planning and attention to the layout you can fit a lot of race shop into a small space.
It's almost that time of year again. The racing season is over, kids are making Christmas lists, and Moms and Dads around the country are wondering what to get each other for the holidays. Well, we decided to give all of you a little help in deciding what to spend your hard earned money on this holiday season to make next year's racing season that much more enjoyable. Ignoring the obvious items that would make your car go faster, we decided to focus on some tools that would make your life a little easier. Here's the idea. If you can save time and hassles in the shop then your work on the car will go smoother and faster. That in turn will make everybody happier.
Readers of this magazine will recall that Project DLM was housed in a good sized race shop. That shop, while spacious, wasn't convenient for the team or the CT staff. So we downsized our shop, although that '90s buzz word "right-sized" might be more appropriate. As you'll see in the following pictures, the new shop is smaller and divided into two separate rooms. One houses the car and all of the components for it while the other is a tool room specifically for keeping all of our tools under lock and key. In the unlikely event of a break-in we should be able to minimize our losses by having the tools and car in two separate rooms.
In addition to the layout of the shop we also found an unlikely place to find some really cool tools and storage options-Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse. That's right the big blue sponsor of NASCAR's Jimme Johnson actually turned out to be a great place to find some exceptional deals on high-quality tools. Check out the sidebar for a cost breakdown and more details on racer-specific tools from Lowes.
A variety of AFCO, Longacre,...
A variety of AFCO, Longacre, and AllStar Performance products hang on simple pegboard. Everything on this wall is directly related to suspension and by keeping it organized, needed chassis components are always right at our fingertips.
This wall is specifically...
This wall is specifically for engine and driveline components. Our Rockwell Jawhorse, one of the most useful tools in our shop, sits right in front of a new race seat. Available from Rockwell for $179, this tool is worth its weight in gold for fabricating, welding, and other projects where you need an extra set of hands.
If you refer back to the lead...
If you refer back to the lead image in this story, you can see a door directly over the rear of the race car. Through that door is our tool room. All of the hand, impact, and cordless tools are kept in this room, which is in the center of the shop. The door can be locked by a keyed deadbolt. By separating the tools from the race car's components we enhance security.
The drawers on our new rolling...
The drawers on our new rolling Kobalt Tool Chest are wide and deep allowing us to neatly store a full set of 1/2-inch drive metric and SAE impact sockets, a full set of 3/8-inch drive metric and SAE impacts, along with 10 different pliers and wrenches. Check out the sidebar for some more information on the toys in our toolbox.
The workbench to the right...
The workbench to the right of the toolbox was specially built to be high enough to allow us to work on a variety of parts while standing up. It also doubles as a charging stand area for our set of Ingersoll Rand, IQ Series cordless tools, which include the cutting wheel, flashlight, and impact wrench. At the same time, it has plenty of storage underneath for items such as a pressure washer, which you can see in the photo on this page.
The wheels on the right side...
The wheels on the right side of the toolbox are both swivel and locking. We chose this toolbox because it is the perfect size for the shop or at the track. The heavy-duty construction of the wheels allows us to roll it on and off the trailer with ease. The locking wheels along with one ratchet strap keep it put while under way.