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Rent-A-Garage?

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Posted by: Iszi

*sigh*

There's nothing more depressing to me right now than knowing that I have the parts I need and the people I need to get my car running, but not the place/equipment I need.

As a few of you know by now, the transmission in my '93 is toast. I picked up a used '98 tranny the other weekend, which I had arranged for someone to put into the car this past weekend. The short end of the story is that things didn't work out, and now I don't know how I'm going to get this job done.

I've got the parts, and I know some people that would help me with the work, but I just can't see getting the job done in my driveway with the car on jackstands. I've heard of "Auto Hobby Shops" on military bases, where you could rent a garage bay with lift and tools for a few hours or a whole day. Does anyone know of a civilian business like this in the Orlando area? The nearest military base I know of is MacDill, and I'd much rather not drive my car that far in 2nd gear.

Thanks in advance.

- Iszi

Posted by: mespock

I've dropped my Tranny while on jack stands... There is just enough clearance.

I did have the privilege of having a garage to work in.

But it has been done many times.

You don't need too many tools. lots of extensions a good wiggle-be and a good socket set. Not a cheap wal-mart set.

Oh and don't forget some good old PB Blaster. A set of threaded nut removers would be good also (these things are da-bomb).

Posted by: MediumD

I don't know of any civilian places that will take on the liability of you working on your car on their property.

I do know my friend just pulled the trans from his 96 in his driveway using jackstands. They're pretty tall jackstands but still..

Posted by: Moes8

yeah,i swapped my tranny on a lumpy stone driveway (grass)too,it wasnt as easy as having a garage floor,but it can be done,i did the entire removal and replacement with absolutley no one else helping,so trust me it can be done.
And i am a small guy to boot.

Posted by: Stack

Do it in the driveway!

Posted by: lscmkviii

If you lived near CT I would help you on base. They just rebuilt out Auto Hobby Shop!! Sorry...

Posted by: mespock

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moes8

yeah,i swapped my tranny on a lumpy stone driveway (grass)too,it wasnt as easy as having a garage floor,but it can be done,i did the entire removal and replacement with absolutley no one else helping,so trust me it can be done.
And i am a small guy to boot.

That pic was great... see there is plenty of room under a Mark VIII...

Just get ready for the Tranny bath... Unless you have a drain plug in your tranny pan.

Posted by: Iszi

I probably could have access to MacDill if I asked, since my dad is retired USAFR. Unfortunately, it's 88 miles out and towing would be $350+ which is just out of my immediate price range for non-parts costs. Besides, if I was going to put out that much I may as well take the car to a local shop that quoted me $400 for the labor. A friend of a friend has his own lift at his house in Mims, but it's still 60 miles out and mostly highway driving.

So, it looks like the driveway is probably going to be it. It is on a bit of an incline - downwards towards the road - and it's paved. The incline isn't horribly steep, but just enough to give cause for caution. If I really wanted to, I could probably drive to the local AutoZone, which usually has plenty of room in the parking lot for people who need to do work.

In fact, there's a mobile mechanic that frequently does jobs in that same parking lot. I had asked him about renting a garage bay or lift locally, and he also advised me to just do the job myself in my driveway with the car on stands. He didn't even suggest that I would need him to help, but when I asked how much he would charge he said $250 if I'll work on it with him. It's nice to know there are some mechanics out there in the business of "teaching the man to fish".

Posted by: Iszi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moes8

Thanks for the pic, Mike. It's very encouraging! How tall were those jackstands by the way? My jack and stands only go up to 21".