BLOG (2014-2021)
FOLLOW ALONG WITH WHAT I GOT GOING ON
My new QuickJack portable lift system arrived this week. After hauling in home from the shipyard in my SQ5, it has been sitting in the middle of the garage. I was under the weather today, and spent all day in bed. I finally got up some energy so I decided to head out to the garage to assemble and test this puppy out. The detailed instructions made assembly a fairly painless process and it seems to be working well. I quickly ran out of gas, so I haven't had the opportunity to lift my vehicle with it. Once I feel a little better, I plan to put the SQ5 on it and see what happens. I'm hoping to find some time over the weekend to spruce up my rusty brake rotor hats, so stay tuned. I'm quite curious to see how things go with the RaceDeck floor. I think it should be fine, but I will keep you posted. So, why QuickJack? The main reason I went with the QuickJack lift was the portability factor. I will probably use it a dozen times per year, so I didn't want something that was going to permanently occupy valuable real estate in my double garage when not in use. Its low profile design enabled me to slide each section away so it won't get in the way of the other happenings in the garage.
The other reason I chose this over a scissor or two-post life is that it is tailored more towards my needs. I plan on using it primarily for wheel swaps and detailing, so I don't need my car way up in the air. At max height, it should provide me with a foot of body lift which will make a world of difference when polishing the lower portion of my SQ5 and detailing my wheels and wheel wells. I think it was the perfect solution for my needs. Click here to learn more about the BL-5000SLX. The order has gone in. Soon, I will be using one of these little beauties for various garage-related activities. Be sure to drop by in a few weeks when it is ready to show off. I can't wait. We've been experiencing a mild winter this year, which equates to a messy winter. The temperature was a balmy plus-6 degrees Celsius today, so I was able to tackle my floor after months of watching the dirt and debris compile. The process has been captured in a video, but here is a little slideshow to show you today's process. This is the dirtiest the floor has ever been, but all is fine now. Every couple of years, I seal my exposed aggregate driveway, but I have never actually sealed the garage floor. This year, I decided to do it first. I am using the same sealer as I use on the driveway which has a high gloss finish. This will make my garage floor quite slick, which I don't mind since my RaceDeck FreeFlow floor will sit atop of it. The sealer should help protect the floor from the damaging salt that the city lays down in the winter as well as aid in rinsing and cleaning the floor. The sealer goes on with a basic paint roller and the entire job took about 2 hours including the time it took to power rinse the floor and dry it with my Metro Master Blaster Car Dryer. After allowing the sealer to cure for 4-5 hours, I will pull the RD floor back in. Here is the finished product:
One question I get a lot is, "Can you lift a car using a floor jack atop the FreeFlow floor?". The answer is yes, but you will damage it. In this video, I demonstrate how the floor reacts to the force of a floor jack lifting my Audi SQ5. I had a few extra tiles laying around, so I thought I would give anyone interested in installing a FreeFlow floor by RaceDeck a look at how it performs in this regard. While the damage isn't terrible, you will see some significant divot marks and gouges caused by the casters sinking and cutting into the tiles. I use a heavy duty rubber mat to protect the floor, which is an extra step, but keeps the floor free from damage.
I can't believe I'm doing this, but I am going to show you the ugly side of things in the garage. The slope of my slab forces water out the left-hand side of my garage (when looking out), and with all the water and snow that gets tracked in during the winter, it causes me a bit of an issue. As you can see in the photos below, the garage door track rusts. It's not a big deal to clean up, but it is a job I could live without. You can see the calcium chloride residue that likes to cake itself over everything. Winter is rough.
As you can see from the pics, the calcium chloride clings to the tiles and the floor and looks pretty gross. During the winter months, a lot of my time is spent trying to keep my car and my garage space clean. Given the weather conditions up here, it can be a monumental chore. The City has introduced a new road salt product that is disgusting in every regard. It is a calcium chloride mixture and this stuff is nasty. It clings to everything and is a real pain to remove from floors and car surfaces. I'm thankful that my RaceDeck Free Flow floor allows the water to pool beneath the floor tiles, but the run-off contains so much of the substance, that my floor inevitably becomes coated with the crud. The City claims it is "environmentally friendly", however the findings of a 2000 Environment Canada study examining the impact of de-icing agents would suggest otherwise. It concluded that calcium chloride is toxic to the environment, and I can say that I've noticed huge dead patches of grass in the Spring in the areas that my garage run-off drains to.
I've been doing some quick cleans, but I really need the weather to warm up so I can do a more thorough job. I keep my garage door an inch off the pad to allow the water to drain out. I am very jealous of my garage buddies who live in more hospitable climates. |
RAD GARAGE is my personal detailing theatre. I am a teacher who finds immense pleasure in completing deeply therapeutic, thorough and highly satisfying detailing projects in my residential garage. I have converted my suburban double car garage into a world class detailing environment and I enjoy caring for my own car and select cars belonging to others. The garage and the work I complete in it have allowed me to connect with other detailing enthusiasts from around the world.
I have teamed up with Teespring to offer viewers an opportunity to grab some RAD gear! Click here to see the current inventory of RAD merchandise available at my Teespring store!
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Carzilla is a local detailing store that caters to the North American community of professional and enthusiast detailers. I have been a longtime customer and I am fortunate to call the owner a friend. Besides stocking a vast quantity of top quality detailing products, the owner has supported various garage and detailing projects of mine over the years.
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