So it's been a long time since I posted an update and my extensive renovation/construction/landscaping project at my property is largely completed and my workshop has recently been (mostly) cleared of various house items so I've finally been able to direct my attention to setting up my garage/workshop area.
At the current rate of juggling house/family/kids responsibilities, I reckon that getting back to working on the Mini is still at least many many months away but at least I've now got room to move around my garage so I'll provide some quick updates on that progress before getting back to the build.
First thing I've done is insulate the northern wall of the garage, because that wall gets the majority of direct sun in summer and is the wall the workbench will be along. The radiant heat off that wall on a hot day is horrible! I had some sheets of Foilboard cavity wall insulation (rigid foil faced foam board) from a granny flat I completed earlier this year and it was perfect for what I required. I welded some ceiling battens between the girts, trimmed and installed the 15mm Foilboard around the battens with a 15mm air gap between the external wall sheets and the insulation (to increase the R-value) and screwed oriented strand board (OSB) over the top, onto the batten pieces. I wanted to keep the raw look of the OSB so painted it with a clear polyurethane to seal/protect the timber.
I've also started running the lighting/power cabling and conduits around the garage and I am making sure I have an abundance of power outlets including two 15A pendants for my MIG welder so I can roll the MIG trolley anywhere in the garage.
When the garage slab was first painted a couple of years ago, an overnight drizzle damaged the paint surface over some of the slab (see the discolouration in the photo below) so I've prepped & repainted that half of the slab with the same commercial epoxy paint which is resistant to oils, acids etc etc. That's it for now, but in the new year I'll start on some shelving, paint booth (small 2m x 1.5m), workbench, sink/water supply, custom lathe bench & compressed air lines.
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-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.