Garaged - at last!

[RIDDLER]

Well after 5 years of living on my driveway under a cover, my 260Z is finally tucked up in a garage just as winter draws on.
I have never been able to get my car into my garage before because it has been full of bikes, other gear, a tumble drier, fridge freezer etc etc.
But I have now invested in a large garden shed, got power connected to it, moved all the aforementioned stuff into it - finally freeing up my garage for the Z after 22 years of living here.
After a massive clean-out of the garage, the Z was triumphantly driven into it.
And here is the picture to prove it!

 

[Jimbo]

great stuff riddler.
you might want to get the sledge out before the white stuff hits. last thing you want is foot prints and sledge shaped dent across the bonnet. in fact remove anything anyone might want while the cars in there!!

a pal of mines 309 goodwood special edition was ruined by his missus who wanted a pot of varnish that was on a shelf at the back of the garage. as she reached over the boot to get said varnish it fell off the shelf landed on the boot lid and the top came off. of course it rolled away from her so she couldnt stop it falling off the other side flicking varnish everywhere when it bounced off the floor.
oops

 

[Ped]

That must be a very satisfying feeling. Great effort, but as mentioned above beware of falling objects!

 

[Mr.G]

I always get an enormous sense of satisfaction when the cold, rain and wind is out and the cars are nice and snug indoors .

 

[RIDDLER]

I always get an enormous sense of satisfaction when the cold, rain and wind is out and the cars are nice and snug indoors .

Yes, I fear the worst. After years of championing the cause of those who like to take their cars out whatever the weather, I am now looking at it all polished and shiny in the garage, then watching the rain fall outside, and thinking: "hmmm . . . do I really want to take it out and get it all dirty?"
What has become of me?
My other car, the Rover 3500S, is also now tucked up in the garage at my old mum's house because - at the age of 89 - she has (thankfully) decided to give up driving and sold her car.
Two cars in two garages and me sitting inside watching the clouds burst.
Still - I know I will still drive them both regularly all year round. I just can't resist!
Just got back from a 500-mile round trip to Edinburgh at the weekend in the Rover.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Good move Riddler, wish I had a second garage.

Did you see last week's programme about British Classics? The 3.5 P6 got a good mention.

 

[RIDDLER]

No I missed it! But have just found it on YouTube. It was the Channel 5 one? The car they featured was nigh identical to mine. Have now added a picture of my two cars together (outside my mum's garage) on my last post.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Yes, Channel 5.

 

[uk66fastback]

Superb stuff Riddler. Glad to see it's undercover - it certainly deserves it after all those years.

That Rover looks fantastic.

 

[RIDDLER]

Superb stuff Riddler. Glad to see it's undercover - it certainly deserves it after all those years.

That Rover looks fantastic.

Thank you. The cars are very different to each other in every respect - but both great fun to drive.

 

[Sam_C]

Definitely remove EVERYTHING from the garage apart from the car! If it can fall, it will fall, and onto your car. Even when it looks impossible, it will happen. A mate of mine was round yesterday in his Bullitt-edition Mustang (new style of course...). His garage his really tight. He showed me the ding on the front wing caused by the strimmer handle as it fell over, the two scratches on the rear quarter caused by a coat hook coming out of the wall and spinning in mid-air just in time for the points of the screws to be facing downwards as it hit the car, and the ding in the rear bumper where his padding came away from the edge of his freezer as he was reversing in.

I countered with my tales of my last Z where a set of Lambretta forks fell out of the rafters onto the rear quarter (BIG ding), followed shortly after by the Grinder Incident. I was doing a bit of fettling with a hand-held grinder when I stretched too far and the plug came slightly out of the socket, stopping the grinder. I reached over and pushed the plug back in. Unfortunately, the grinder switch was locked in the "on" position, and I wasn't holding it very tightly. As it started up, the torque spun it out of my hand and neatly onto the same rear quarter as the scooter forks had landed on! The Z was under a thick car cover, and I thought just maybe....but no, some lovely circular swirls in my special-order paint.

In summation then, your car is probably safer outside! Unless you are me....I won't go into detail (as it was technically outside the garage) about the time I pulled a stubborn tree stump out by roping it to my Peugeot tow bar and setting off down the drive, suffice to say it soared beautifully over the car roof and landed with a nice crash on the bonnet.

 

[Jake RAH]

I must remember not to visit Hutton Buscel. Come to that, I'll just stay well away from North Yorkshire :lol:

 

[Sam_C]

Sensible decision, Jake. Although I will be driving through the Midlands on Saturday so I can't guarantee your safety or that of your car , I'm afraid...

 

[RIDDLER]

Definitely remove EVERYTHING from the garage apart from the car! If it can fall, it will fall, and onto your car. Even when it looks impossible, it will happen. A mate of mine was round yesterday in his Bullitt-edition Mustang (new style of course...). His garage his really tight. He showed me the ding on the front wing caused by the strimmer handle as it fell over, the two scratches on the rear quarter caused by a coat hook coming out of the wall and spinning in mid-air just in time for the points of the screws to be facing downwards as it hit the car, and the ding in the rear bumper where his padding came away from the edge of his freezer as he was reversing in.

I countered with my tales of my last Z where a set of Lambretta forks fell out of the rafters onto the rear quarter (BIG ding), followed shortly after by the Grinder Incident. I was doing a bit of fettling with a hand-held grinder when I stretched too far and the plug came slightly out of the socket, stopping the grinder. I reached over and pushed the plug back in. Unfortunately, the grinder switch was locked in the "on" position, and I wasn't holding it very tightly. As it started up, the torque spun it out of my hand and neatly onto the same rear quarter as the scooter forks had landed on! The Z was under a thick car cover, and I thought just maybe....but no, some lovely circular swirls in my special-order paint.

In summation then, your car is probably safer outside! Unless you are me....I won't go into detail (as it was technically outside the garage) about the time I pulled a stubborn tree stump out by roping it to my Peugeot tow bar and setting off down the drive, suffice to say it soared beautifully over the car roof and landed with a nice crash on the bonnet.

Well I have taken that sledge off the wall. But you've given me nightmares tonight with your horror stories!

 

[richiep]

Exhibit A, 2004:

Dangerous places garages...

My shelving racks in my present garage are screwed to the wall. All heavy stuff below knee height or floor standing away from car. Of course, Doesnt account for all the bits I have in the rafters...

 

[status]

I've got exhausts,coal,portable pond for my koi,jack,bags of salt,few boxes,that's just on one side of my Zed and I ain't even got the cover on it,thinking of a carcoon,set of wheels,will have to pull me finger out and sort it out,already got a couple of scratches that will be getting done in the winter

 

[status]

Sounds like the generation game

 

[RIDDLER]

Oh my goodness Richie - I bet the horror of discovering that lives with you to this very day!

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Rich, you are kidding us - that's your utility room!

 

[richiep]

Ha! Actually that was my parent's garage. I used to store the car there during winter as, like Riddler's, it lived outside under a car cover the rest of the year in our flat's car park in Salford. Sod's Law - the second winter, some shelving full of books collapsed on it (the screws had rusted through in the wall and just chose that time to snap), hence the ripple effect.

That precipitated the rebuild that led to where it is today.

The horror Rob came via phone call from my parents. Apparently my Mum cried when she walked into the garage after hearing a bang and found it.