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Garage Improvements 2000What's New For Your Mustang Working Environment From the January, 2000 issue of Mustang Monthly By Mark Houlahan Photography by Dennis F. Ruggieri, Mark Houlahan, The Manufacturers
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We all clamor for more space. While it would be nice to have that heated (or air-conditioned) four-car workshop behind the house, for most of us, our Mustang restoration and repair environment encompasses a small corner of the family two-car garage. On the weekends, when you should be enjoying your Mustang hobby, you end up shifting around other household jobs, bicycles, lawn equipment, and more just to get some room to rebuild those brakes, or recover a seat. Part of this problem is tool storage and workbench size. We all want more countertop space for our work areas, but those large counters get in the way when we are finished with them. The same goes for tool storage. Those huge toolboxes look impressive, but storing tools in other ways will help alleviate your space problems. What we intend to do with this article is get you to think about your working environment, and what you can do to make your little bit of heaven more useful. We also will be showing you the newest tools and workbench systems, as well as offering up a refresher course on tool and shop safety. So on with the show. First things first: Tool and Equipment SafetyTool and equipment safety and proper usage go hand in hand. Choosing the proper tool is just as important as correctly using it. Buying inferior tools or using a tool for other than its intended purpose is just asking for problems. If you follow these basic guidelines, you won't have any problems. Protect yourself by thinking-that's right, think first. When breaking a bolt free, use an open hand and push away from you (if possible). This accomplishes two things. First, if the wrench or ratchet slips, then your open palm can much more easily take a blow against a hard object than your knuckles. Second, pushing away from you will prevent you from flying back away from the workbench or car. When it comes to prying or scraping, use the correct tool. A screwdriver is just that, a tool that drives a screw in or out. Don't use a screwdriver to pry two items apart or to scrape a gasket surface. When using chisels, make sure the proper-type chisel is used, and don't let the end mushroom too much. Dress the end of the chisel on a grinder to remove the excess mushroomed metal. When using a grinder, always have the wheel guards in place and a suitable work light shining on your part. Having a sliver of metal in your eyes is no picnic, as it has happened to me. When grinding small items, make sure they are secured by locking pliers. The pliers will prevent the bolt, bracket, or clip from becoming airborne and possibly being embedded in your forehead. This might sound like common sense, but don't use broken tools. We all have that ratchet that doesn't lock or the chrome socket with worn points or a small split down the side. Replace those tools now. A $12 socket is less expensive than an emergency room visit. People have a tendency to use a test light by holding the wire in their hands or over their fingertips, and then probing with the sharp test light tip. This usually leads to the sight of blood and excruciating pain in the aforementioned fingers or hands. Instead, use a small piece of wood or plastic (something that won't conduct electricity) to place behind the wire you are inspecting. Cool Tools
Some modern advancements in tool design have created some new tools that are easy to hold, more efficient, and make your repair work easier. Here is a quick sampling of new tools from our favorite tool retailer, the Sears Craftsman line.  Replacement eyes aren't available...  Replacement eyes aren't available at your local Wal-Mart (not yet, anyway), so protect them at all costs. If you wear eyeglasses, ensure the lenses are shatterproof plastic. If you aren't sure, ask your doctor. If you don't wear glasses or if you wear contact lenses, be sure to use eye protection. From full-face shields (for grinding) to simple plastic protective eyeglasses, any protection is better than none at all.  If you have a lot of books,...  If you have a lot of books, how-to guides, and shop manuals, then keep them inside. Don't leave them on a shelf in the garage, as the humidity and moisture will ruin them. If you are following a certain procedure in your manual, photocopy the pages you will need to keep your book clean.  A fire extinguisher at your...  A fire extinguisher at your disposal in your shop is a must-have. Your typical A-B-C extinguisher will handle electrical, fuel, and paper-based fires well. Flameouts through the carburetor, hot droplights, leaking fuel lines, frayed electrical connections, and more can lead to a disastrous fire in scant seconds, destroying your Mustang, your home, and possibly a life.  When it comes to equipment...  When it comes to equipment in a home shop, the most common shop items are a floor jack and jackstands. Don't get cheap with these items. Inferior versions can damage your Mustang and quite possibly hurt you. Look at the floor jacks in this photo. The larger 3-ton on the right has a larger jack pad and a higher rating than the 2-ton next to it. Since the difference in price is minimal, go with the larger, stronger jack.  The same can be said for jackstands....  The same can be said for jackstands. Select a pair of nicely welded jackstands with cast risers, such as the one shown here in the foreground. They are stronger and easily adjusted, unlike the cheap stamped version behind it. Notice that the hardened pin is missing and someone installed a regular bolt through the hole. That bolt's shear strength is what's holding up your Mustang over you. Just think about that.  Never, and we mean never,...  Never, and we mean never, work under a car without the safety of a jackstand. Editor Ford is shown here adjusting his aftermarket clutch linkage. An accidental kick of the jack handle or failure of the hydraulic circuit in the jack and I would be the new editor. Hey, why hadn't I thought of that sooner! Workbench Wonders
(with technical text assistance by Joe Adams)
We've all seen the haphazard work areas in our friends' garages: a couple bolt-together metal shelving systems and maybe an old door propped across the tops of the shelves, or perhaps a stationary workbench that's so large and heavy you have to back the car out of the garage to get in front of it. These are not our ideas of efficient workspace and tool storage systems. When it comes to having the utmost in workspace-area efficiency, the first name that comes up is Joe Adams and his Adamstand workbenches. The Adamstand workbenches are adaptable to almost any project that can be addressed. The Adamstand is, for lack of a better analogy, a big erector set designed to allow you to rotate work-holding fixtures and work surfaces like one would rotate from one socket to the next on a ratchet. The Adamstand is available in several configurations and options levels. The Pro II is the home workshop model line, and the Pro I-used by several race teams including "Big Daddy" Don Garlits-is the professional line and can hold complete engines and transmissions with the correct adapters. We asked Joe Adams to design a revolutionary workshop environment for our readers, which is what you see here in the following photos using the Adamstand Pro II and several attachments. Read on and drool for yourself. Currently, a major tool company that we all know is reviewing this patented product line for purchasing manufacturing and marketing rights for a possible infomercial marketing release. Of course, we'd love to tell you who that tool company is, but in today's wonderful legal world if we told you, we'd have to shoot you. Expand your mind just a bit more and understand Adamstand has a product that professionally transforms in this same fashion for you heavy hitters. For more information and to get in touch with Adamstand Workbenches' president, Joe Adams, you can reach him at www.usastand.com. Good luck in regaining or attaining your small corner in the garage.  We all leave a few things...  We all leave a few things lying around during the course of a repair or parts replacement, but don't let it get out of hand. This toolbox hadn't had its top cleaned off in three months, and now there is little room to work. If you're going to save something, then save it. Otherwise, pitch the stuff and get on with your life. There is no sense in saving an intake end gasket or an 8-inch length of wire. These loose items are all work-space hazards.  Organize your tools by type...  Organize your tools by type (sockets, wrenches, pliers, and so on). This way, you can easily locate what you need without searching through your entire toolbox. If you feel so inclined, engrave your initials or social security number on your tools for antitheft protection. When your tools are organized, you can easily scan your toolbox to see if any tools have been left under the hood-a definite safety hazard.  Available only through the...  Available only through the Craftsman Power and Hand Tools catalog, the new 38-piece Titanium Steel Tap and Die set (PN 52862) will last up to six times longer than standard tap and die sets. The set includes the most popular standard and metric sizes along with a T-handle tap wrench, tap, reamer wrench, thread gauge, and screwdriver. The titanium coating provides greater rust prevention and special lubrication properties that improve the tools' life by keeping them cooler.  Craftsman's PowerSnip (PN...  Craftsman's PowerSnip (PN 45466) is a revolutionary cutting device that cuts better than tin snips or aviation shears through tin, thin gauge metals, vinyl siding, wire mesh, plastics, 11/44-inch dowel, wiring, and more. The combination razor-sharp, straight, and serrated blades and a 5:1 power ratio of the tool help accomplish these great cutting tasks.  The Craftsman Professional...  The Craftsman Professional Fluorescent Worklight (PN 83911) is the perfect underhood or underdash worklight. The pistol grip handle houses the transformer (reducing clutter and possible vehicle damage), and also features a 13-amp-capacity grounded outlet for attaching other power tools. For hands-free use, a hanging hook is located at one end and a powerful clip-on magnet at the other.  A bench grinder is an essential...  A bench grinder is an essential tool to a home repair shop and Craftsman's line of new 6-inch (PN 21126) and 8-inch (PN 21128) grinders get the job done. Both feature flexible gooseneck lighting to illuminate your work and amber-tinted eye shields for safety. Nonslip tool rests, wheel dressers, a two-section cooling tray, an adjustable spark arrestor, and exhaust vents are also featured on both models.  The Craftsman Handi-Scraper...  The Craftsman Handi-Scraper is a general-purpose scraper that handles cleaning jobs, such as gasket, paint, and rust removal, with ease. The Handi-Scraper has a comfortable ergonomic handle and interchangeable blades. The Handi-Scraper comes in a four- (PN 40690) and seven-piece set (PN 40691).  The new Craftsman 8-inch Drill...  The new Craftsman 8-inch Drill Press Stand (PN 25923) provides you with the means to make a drill press out of your standard handheld drill. The Drill Press Stand features a fixed 3/8-inch chuck and an adjustable strap clamp that securely holds your drill or rotary tool. The Drill Press Stand allows drilling to a depth of 2 1/2 inches in 1/16-inch increments. For rotary tool usage, simply slide off and rotate the head assembly.  Craftsman's new Grip Driver...  Craftsman's new Grip Driver is not your ordinary screwdriver. Sure, it has the ability to ratchet in both directions as well as being locked in a fixed mode, but the Grip Driver also features a dual-position handle that allows the user to generate up to 350 pounds of torque while driving a fastener. That's up to three times the force of a regular screwdriver. The Grip Driver also features a magnetic tip for bit retention. The Grip Driver is available as a 5- (PN 47454) or 12 piece set (PN 47455).  This Craftsman 40-inch creeper...  This Craftsman 40-inch creeper (PN 51001) features an all-new and exclusive ratcheting mechanism that adjusts to any of 12 positions up to 45 degrees. The creeper also sports six 2 1/2-inch oil-resistant wheels on its 3/4-inch tubular steel frame that supports up to 1,000 pounds. For those with broad shoulders, the new V-drop-style frame will offer extra clearance for you as well. The creeper is available through the Craftsman Power and Hand Tool catalog.  Here, we begin to see the...  Here, we begin to see the work system finally take shape. Setup time from completely disassembled to assembled took approximately two minutes. Notice the gentleman in the background plugging in one of the Adamstand fixtures-a traditional bench-mounted vice-into one of the Adamstand bench mounts, which allows you to move tools and other items as well as traditionally solid-mounted shop tools into just the right area.  Notice the pieces hanging...  Notice the pieces hanging on the Peg-Board. These 20 components hanging on the front Peg-Board are two complete Adamstand units minus the legs that make these units mobile. Also notice there is plenty of space in front of the two vehicles by making the traditional workbench fold down to the wall. This area takes up less horizontal space than a set of handlebars from a bicycle. So to clarify it in your mind, imagine a bicycle leaning up against this wall. Believe it or not, in a matter of two or three minutes, you can expand this area to 37-plus square feet of usable bench space. Once transformed, you literally have a mathematical multiplicity of adjustments and adaptations to assist you in your projects. And just as fast as the system assembles and is ready for work, it disassembles for maximum space-efficient storage.  After the vehicles have been...  After the vehicles have been backed out, there are two stationary receivers bolted to the floor. These receivers, which reach only 531/44 inches in height, allow you to easily drive over them with most vehicles. This makes for two workbenches that can be endlessly transformed into the best work-holding helper a person could have. Notice on the right wall there is one complete Pro II unit hanging on the Peg-Board, and above that Peg-Board, a 2x6 work surface that is used later in the story to span two of the Adamstand Workbenches.  Although these workbenches...  Although these workbenches are floor mounted in this particular photograph, with one quick turn of the disconnect lever they can move from a floor-mounted position to a mobile position in seconds. This allows you the same transformable working configurations in other areas around the house, such as the driveway, if your traditional work area is currently occupied with sensitive pieces and parts one shouldn't work around. The mobile base, as with the rest of the system, collapses into a tremendously space-efficient piece by simply pulling the four corner pins and folding the leg configurations. By the way, that's Andy Leggs' '69 428 CJ Mach 1 modeling for us.  We've folded back up the traditional...  We've folded back up the traditional workbench top and removed the spanable work top, rehanging it on the wall, and have replaced it with four Adamstand work trays-two on each floor-mounted unit. Although it appears from the camera's angle to fill the area, understand that both these top assemblies spin 360 degrees on the center axis, where they plug into the main body of each workbench. You simply walk up to a tray and push it while walking through the area and it spins out of the way with ease, like a turnstile. Yet when you are directly positioned in front of the engine compartment, it allows you 6 square feet of bench space within arms' reach without moving a step. These trays can be set up with magnetic rails and holsters for holding air tools and other hangable items.  In the following photographs,...  In the following photographs, we took the Adamstand workbenches to task by using them for everyday tasks. A door that needed planing and refinishing was held with ease and spins 360 degrees, allowing the work always to come to us on one Adamstand. The other Adamstand is holding a cabinet, awaiting sanding and refinishing.  With the Adamstand, you can...  With the Adamstand, you can easily mount the bicycles, shown here mounted for derailer and brake adjustment and general maintenance, using numerous configurations available to you.  The push mower is mounted...  The push mower is mounted in such a fashion where the blade is easily accessed for removal, sharpening, and replacement. Standing in one position, the mower will spin 360 degrees, bringing your work to you with ease. The weedeater is mounted for easy string replacement and carburetor cleaning and tuning.
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