Show Us Your Shop Contest Winners Announced

David S.
By David S. Wallens
Jan 31, 2018 | Posted in News and Notes | Never miss an article

Every workspace is different. Some shops are huge, some are modest. Some of you don’t even have dedicated shops, making do with just a parking lot space and third-floor apartment.

We asked to see those shops, and you obliged–in record number. After much deliberation and debate, we’re (finally) ready to announce the winners of our Show Us Your Shop contest. What impressed us? Efficiency, practicality, creative solutions and, yes, some style. In short, our winners have shops that we’d love to share with our friends.

We’ll be featuring our class winners in the next three issues of GRM. And after that, we’ll showcase many more. Get ready for some new ideas and some new solutions.

Our contest sponsors put together some great prize packages for the winners. All three class winners will each receive:

• An Eastwood welding package valued at approximately $600: Eastwood 175-amp MIG welder, professional welding cart and welding helmet.
• A prize pack from CRC Industries full of various products valued at $500.
• $500 gift certificate to be used for any Race Ramps equipment.

Small Shop Winner: David Kirk

David Kirk doesn't just use this two-car garage for his toys. Yes, he completely built that Westfield kit car in this garage. And, yes, his organization skills are top-notch. But David's day job is building custom bicycle frames, and he creates them all right here in his home garage.

Large Shop Winner: Steve Amanti

The large shop category always brings heavy hitters, and this year was no different. Steve Amanti calls this "the hangar." It's 3264 square feet of pure garage glory. The exterior matches the family's 1860 Victorian home. The floor is warmed by a radiant heating system that required almost a mile of PEX tubing. One of the coolest touches: That massive workbench in the middle of his fabrication area came off a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and weighs about 4000 pounds.

Commercial Shop Winner: Kevin Kay Restorations

Kevin Kay Restorations caters to British and European car and motorcycle collectors. They have a 14-person veteran crew who are experts in everything from engine building to painting and even 3D printing. They say their true bread and butter is six-cylinder Aston Martins.

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Comments
EastCoastMojo
EastCoastMojo GRM+ Memberand Mod Squad
1/31/18 3:33 p.m.

Congrats to David Kirk, Steve Amanti snd Kevin Kay, those are all fine looking shops! I am envious of all that open space in each one laugh

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
2/1/18 4:09 a.m.

David Kirk is living my dream... Congrats to all!

Trackmouse
Trackmouse UltraDork
2/5/18 6:56 a.m.

“So the award goes to..........(drum roll)............ all the people with the nicest shops and cars!”

perhaps I didn’t understand the competition?

STM317
STM317 Dork
2/5/18 7:33 a.m.

In the nether regions of my mind, I suppose I knew that places like that Aston shop existed but I'm not sure I really comprehend how.

akylekoz
akylekoz HalfDork
2/5/18 7:43 a.m.
Trackmouse said:

“So the award goes to..........(drum roll)............ all the people with the nicest shops and cars!”

perhaps I didn’t understand the competition?

My thoughts exactly, maybe next time it can go to the shops that need the most help.  If that were the case I would have a chance, and spend some time entering.

Maybe, an organizationally challenged class.

 

mazdeuce - Seth
mazdeuce - Seth Mod Squad
2/5/18 7:51 a.m.

I'm impressed with that 3500 square foot shop. I would think that wouldn't look as roomy. Food for thought.

And yes, it's always been about "nice" shops that photograph well, that's the game. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltraDork
2/5/18 7:55 a.m.

I knew that my shop stood no real chance, but entered since Ed told me to and as a result I was secretly holding out hope that there was an unannounced "most untapped potential" category cheeky

On another note, how berkeleying tall is that lift with the C5 on it?  I'm sure it's just the perspective and the way the picture is cropped, but it looks like you could put the car 30ft in the air if you wanted to!

Ransom
Ransom GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
2/5/18 9:01 a.m.

Wait, *that* David Kirk!?

Well done to all!

D2W
D2W HalfDork
2/5/18 9:25 a.m.

I wasn't going to say anything because I knew all along as most do how this was going to play out. What's the point of having a show us your shop contest when everyone knows the winners are going to be garage journal showcases. I think I have a nice shop. At 24'x36' I have plenty of room, but my shop is full of stuff and the floor is stained from hundreds of projects. Even if there was a category as said above for "most untapped potential" or "doing the most with the least" I don't think I would win because I've seen what some of our members are doing with very little. But at least you would see some guys get some of these prizes who earned them buy being resourceful and inventive, not just who can spend the most money. Isn't that what GRM is all about?

DrBoost
DrBoost MegaDork
2/5/18 11:10 a.m.

These always leave me a little salty. Partly because, as a working stiff supporting a family of 5 I can't afford these garahe-mahals, and partly because I didn't like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous when it was on TV, seeing it here is much the same. 

At least the ridiculousness was tempered by the small shop category.  

Then there's the story on the 308. 

Time to go find my old issues and read the coverage of the $1500 challenge to restore my faith. 

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