When Vanessa and I moved into this house fourteen months ago, I promised her that I would share the two car garage with her.  The general agreement we had is that she gets to call all the shots when it comes to things inside the house, but the garage is my domain.  Even so, I would really prefer if the vehicle with the soft top parked inside at night.  Not that we live in a shady area or anything, but it’s just the principle.  It’s a lot easier to agree to share the garage space than it is to reclaim that space for the actual second car.

The two views of garage organization.

It was my friend and fellow Mustafa Samli who told me one evening (as we were stepping over and around all kinds of Mitsubishi engines strewn about his garage), “If your garage is clean, it means you’re not actually using it.” This is the first view of garage organization, and one with which I tend to agree more often than not.  Show me a project car that a gear head has stated is completed and I’ll show you a gear head who’s already got another project car on deck and waiting to get into the shop to take it’s place.  One of the greatest benefits to having your own garage is that you can work on your vehicle until you feel the homicidal rage building up, then walk away to cool off for a while, leaving your tools and everything out without fear of them “walking away.”  In this respect, the garage is like a vault; you keep your valuable inside until you want to see them.

On the other hand, there is merit in the other view of organization which is keeping things neat, clean, and orderly.  First and foremost, it’s rather convenient being able to find exactly what you’re looking for right away.  It’s also nice to be able to walk directly to wherever whatever is located without having to take the scenic route around the siezed engine block on the pallet, the two temporary spare tires, and the mountain bike you rode home from the store, but never again.  Keeping your garage clean and organized also means that, when you want to actually work on your own vehicle (I tend to do more working on others’ cars these days), you can actually do so in the garage, with Pandora streaming on your laptop and a cool breeze from the fan rather than out in the driveway, where you can’t really hear the music and that fan is no more than a cruel mirage in the distance.

Did that second part sound a bit too specific?

I finally got tired of the parts and tools piling up on the hood of 195 and the sad realization that, even with just one car in our 2CG, things were still crowded.  I also got tired of tripping over that damned siezed engine that came out of 195 when I bought it that’s been under foot going on four years now.  I really got tired of working on 464 or the Amigo out in the driveway in the sun where I couldn’t hear the music or feel the breeze from the fan running diligently in the garage.  I stood in the doorway at the back corner, moved a few things out of the way, and swept the floor.  Next thing I knew, I had room for my laptop, Pandora was streaming, and I was backing 195 out of the garage so I could get to that side as well.

Get your cones in order!

Sometimes, they can actually be among the most organized spots in your garage!  Dave and I got these (and many other) cones from his SCCA contacts for use in our rallycross events some day when we actually find some place to hold such an event. They spent a month in the trunk of 464 before I got tired of loading groceries around them and set them in the garage next to that siezed 4G63.  Now they’re neatly stacked next to (from right to left):

• A blue trash can full of random Volvo parts stuffed into a
• Trash can box full of old blankets for when I’m spray painting trim pieces or entire Galants
• A set of 15″ wheels off a 91 Galant LS which look a little like OZ Superturismo Corsas needing rally tires beneath
• An old boom box I can’t bear to throw out (made my first mix tape on it in the eighties) in a box under
• Another box with four or five sets of baseball and football cards from the early 90s supporting
• Computer speakers that weren’t loud enough for the garage, an empty tin for bolts (someday) and a shoebox of solder gear
• (Almost forgot that pair of drilled rotors I can’t use and a trash bag full of magic)
• Next to a brand new tent (might use next weekend – woot) and
• The EZ Up some dude left at Havasu last Labor Day weekend that I sort of adopted.

I bet you’ve got stuff like this in your garage too.

Nietzsche said, “Stare into the abyss and the abyss states back into you.” Staring into your garage is much the same.  I still think that those uber garages with the fancy floors and fanicer lighting where all the cabinets match and keep all the tools conveniently out of sight are cool, but that level of cleanliness and organization makes me suspicious that no work actually goes on there; that no hands ever get dirty, that someone is just a posuer with a lot of money.  But letting things slide too far the other direction is no good either.  What’s the point of having a garage if it pisses you off every time you go into it?

What good is a 2CG if you can’t actually fit two cars in it?

Not much good.  Nice to have, but you could have so much better.  So much better, in fact, that today, after spending just six hours straightening up and sweeping last night, I felt inspired to do some work on the Galants (details on their site: Tarmac-and-Gravel.com).  Last night, though, for the first time in fourteen months, Vanessa was able to park the Amigo in the garage next to 195.  It’s just a shame we don’t have a remote for the opener yet!

PS – When I started, I had no idea I’d manage to make this much progress.  I actually laughed out loud when it was done.

In the glovebox:

• Social Media is a Vehicle
• Update: Evolution of a Blog
• AutoJournos, Meet Auto-Journo