The Official Hot Rod Thread - Part 2: No Replacement For Displacement

[bigretic]

Salamander......all I got for you.

My shop was the same construction. Built in 1958 and bare bones. We ran all the power, gas lines, insulated and drywalled it. We had to.
Used to have the old fuel oil furnace we pulled out of the house when we went gas. Man that thing would heat up fast.
Now we have a unit heater and keep the shop 50* except when we are in there....60* work temp. Maybe warmer.

My new construction is bitter cold as i'm trying to work in it to get it finished. Got a forced air kerosene last night from a buddy, 80k btu, barely takes the chill off... can't wait til the soffit is up and the spray foam insulation is done...
FWIW, the old single car was terrible even though it was partially insulated, the roof was not. I put up that foil covered bubble wrap on the ceiling with a staple gun and it made a world of difference. Did some of the walls too. It was almost a complete faraday cage... lol.
Heated it for working with a single propane topper like this: MH15T Single Tank Top Heater | Mr. Heater

This is the kind insulation stuff. : https://www.westsidewholesale.com/r...MIptLB24Wr2AIVj4uzCh02Ewb9EAYYBiABEgIp0_D_BwE

Full disclosure, i got it for free because it was left over from a job he did. I could get that single car garage to 80 if i wanted with that little heater.

 

[thunderchicken]

I have looked at insulation options but it would be a big job moving everything we have atound. Plus we have some heavy duty wood shelves hanging from the studs. Not that it can't be done just would be a big job and Idk where we would put everything to do it

 

[femurphy77]

My shop is 30X40 with 10' walls, pole barn construction. We've spent the last couple of years insulating, lining and painting the interior and getting the roof leaks sealed off. I have a largish forced air propane heater hanging at one end and a couple of bottle topper heaters that I use in close proximity to where I'm working. I don't really try to heat it so much as I try to get the temp to a point where I can bend my fingers!

I'm trying to decide if I want to spray foam the under side of the roof or not. I'm definitely planning on doing some type of drop ceiling, nothing fancy maybe tyvek across the bottom of the rafters or some of the foiled bubble wrap to decrease the air space I'm trying to heat.

I was hoping to get some work done on the Galaxie AND get the racecar at least sitting on its suspension by the 1st but it ain't gonna happen. Even with the heaters when it's 6 degrees outside it is still pretty damn cold inside without running the heater all day and it's not that important.

 

[thunderchicken]

I hear you FE- our garage is 24x36 with 9ft to the rafters (with a layer of insulation above). My brother installed an electric furnace several years ago which is nice but still pretty much everything inside is still cold. We run it 4 or 5 hrs before we go out and that usually isn't too bad. Except when you have to be down on the floor. Its a decent size garage but with 2 cars in there and all the other stuff, space can be at a premium. I looked at an overhead heater today but not sure where to put it so it doesn't interfere with the overhead door. Looks like the cold is going to stick around into next week anyway.

 

[churchmouse]

If you let the shop get dead cold it will take a full day or better to get all that steel up to temp.

 

[thunderchicken]

If you let the shop get dead cold it will take a full day or better to get all that steel up to temp.

Thats part of the problem it was already dead cold when I kicked the furnace on yesterday for a few hours. If we leave it on that thing won't hardly shut off in this weather.

 

[Bigtanker]

My cousin heats his garage with the hot water lines in the concrete slab. It's more of a barn cause that is where he keeps the farm equipment. It stays warm all winter.

 

[femurphy77]

My cousin heats his garage with the hot water lines in the concrete slab. It's more of a barn cause that is where he keeps the farm equipment. It stays warm all winter.

I've considered doing a slab on slab just so I could add radiant heat but again the operating costs vs usage just can't justify doing it. The GF said its supposed to get back into to 30s next week so I guess the daily driver will have to wait a few more days to get the new water pump.

 

[churchmouse]

I've considered doing a slab on slab just so I could add radiant heat but again the operating costs vs usage just can't justify doing it. The GF said its supposed to get back into to 30s next week so I guess the daily driver will have to wait a few more days to get the new water pump.

The magic bus (the family van) is into the warning tabs on the front brakes. It is a conversion and will not fit inside of a standard garage door. Looks like we are doing it outside.
I have a serious salamander in the shop for repairs. 160,000 BTU bad boy. I might wait until I get the new nozzle for it and finish the repairs. The test run could be us doing the brakes on the magic bus.

 

[churchmouse]

I've considered doing a slab on slab just so I could add radiant heat but again the operating costs vs usage just can't justify doing it. The GF said its supposed to get back into to 30s next week so I guess the daily driver will have to wait a few more days to get the new water pump.

The brothers I used to work with in some serious racing projects live in Colorado. Above Black Springs around 6000 feet up the Hill as they call it. You can see Pikes Peak from the porch. The built a shop with the water lines in the slab. They bought a generator with propane BB chevy power at an auction. The cooling system for the BB is the slab in the floor. It has a heat exchanger to transfer the heat from the engine to the floor loop. The loop temp is dictated by a reset stat that keeps the floor toasty warm. The colder it gets outside the hotter the loop is maintained. The genny runs the entire compound in the winter.

 

[thunderchicken]

I guess I just never realized how well ine of those hot water line radiant systems works. Or how common they are.
CM- 160,000 btu salamander? Are sure thats not a miniature jet engine? That beats the crap out of the ones I looked at yesterday.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

I guess I just never realized how well ine of those hot water line radiant systems works. Or how common they are.
CM- 160,000 btu salamander? Are sure thats not a miniature jet engine? That beats the crap out of the ones I looked at yesterday.

I’ve seen the thing. It’s ridiculous.

 

[femurphy77]

I guess I just never realized how well ine of those hot water line radiant systems works. Or how common they are.
CM- 160,000 btu salamander? Are sure thats not a miniature jet engine? That beats the crap out of the ones I looked at yesterday.

Radiant heat is the ! I had a house with radiant ceiling heat in every room, if I weren't REMC now I'd install it in the house we own now!

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Any thoughts on the stall speed at which you need a dedicated cooler?

 

[churchmouse]

Any thoughts on the stall speed at which you need a dedicated cooler?

In my mind you need a dedicated cooler for any hot rod.
I believe I have one in the shed.

 

[thunderchicken]

Any thoughts on the stall speed at which you need a dedicated cooler?

Yes expect the trans to live make sure you put a dedicated cooler on it

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Well I know a lot of radiators have integrated trans coolers, didn’t know if those would be sufficient.

 

[churchmouse]

Well I know a lot of radiators have integrated trans coolers, didn’t know if those would be sufficient.

No. Those coolers are in 180*+ environment. They are as much for warming the fluid in cool/cold weather as for maintaining and operating temp under normal driving conditions. Every towing package has an external cooler in series with the internal. Well....the ones I have seen do.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

No. Those coolers are in 180*+ environment. They are as much for warming the fluid in cool/cold weather as for maintaining and operating temp under normal driving conditions. Every towing package has an external cooler in series with the internal. Well....the ones I have seen do.

 

[RustyHornet]

Don’t forget, the trans doesn’t like cold fluid. Sometimes it’s better to “re-heat” it before it makes the trip to the trans.