design of mechanics

[JD86]

hey guys just after some advice

im studying to be an architectural draftsman and have been assigned to design a mechanics factory.

do any mechanics on here or just people who have a bit of knowledge, know of any common problems in the layout of a mechanics?

any advice or help would be much appreciated.

also i would like to know standard sizes of hoists and anything else i will need to include.

i am at school at the moment and am in a rush.

i will think of some more things later on.

cheers guys

josh

[GOLDIE]

I will post some details later and over the week end.

Ian

[JD86]

cheers mate appreciate it

[Rev28K]

Go have a look at a local mechanics place i.e. Servo or whatever. Measure their 2 post/4post hoist.
Think about having a sunken pit space where you can walk down some steps to get to the underside of the cars rather than use a hoist – the sunken pit will require a sump & sump pump.
Don’t forget the oil storage tanks for used oil.
Good ventilation (to get rid of carbon monoxide).
Evap coolers for summer and radiant heaters for winter.
And a “clean” room for engine building.
Heaps of space for storage.
Good security.

[JD86]

thanks very much, i didnt think of a sunken pit.

very good ideas thanks a lot.

any other ideas or advice?

very much appreciated

cheers

[GOLDIE]

Just qiuckly at the moment sunken pit is a problem now with some enviroment laws not all goverments allow them.

As for hoists 2 posters roughly 4 meters wide.
4 posters about the same not sure on length but they can be made to order.

Regards to room around hoists i like 1.5 to 2 meters on either side and about 4 meters in front of the car when it is on the hoist.

All workshops should have high roofs with vents fitted
As much natural light as possible.

If possible not only roller doors at the entrance to work area but also other large doors to allow air flow.

the floor should slope towards drainage area drainage to local enviorment laws.
But this is the hard part because if the workshop does lpg work you can not have open drains in the workshop it self as lpg goes to the lowest piont.

Any drainage should be in front of the work area so that any spills or water do not flow under the car.

Ian

PS i will add more later.

[JD86]

thanks a lot, anyone else have any useful knowledge for me to take into account?

[Rollin]

make sure its easy to drive directly onto the hoists, and reverse off, also good size benches in front of each hoist, painted floor so its easy to mop up spills, DONT have pits they are the spawn of the devil.

remember to have a parts washer, drill press, hydraulic press, brake lathe, bench grinder etc. lots of natural light (like clear panels in roof) as well as artificial lighting, and LOTS of power points.

[wulos]

I know THIS has been on AFF before. However I think it may prove very useful to your project.
A couple of other things to consider.
There is a new type of 4 post lift available(rated to 4t I think it is) that has movable / jackable lifts built on runners that can slide forward / back that can make things substantially easier.
A few environmental considerations to think about include safe storage of fluids(seperate flammables) perhaps storage tanks for new / used oil. Reclamation of used coolant, cleaning facilities for dust(possible asbestos etc)
As has been pointed out, pits are a dying breed, and should really be considered as a thing of the past for your project (I would have one here in an instant)
Adequate lighting both in the form of natural lighting as well as artificial. One of the things I'd always thought would dowk well would be to mount a row of lights inset into the flooring(would obviously pose a cleaning problem though, as well as a row of lights around the beltline height.
Anyways that should be enough for starters

[mik]

dont forget fire extinguishers

[JD86]

thanks very much guys, i am getting a lot of information here, thanks very much.

im after as much info as possible tho so if anyone has anymore ideas, that would be good.

cheers guys

josh

[turboute]

Make sure there is plenty of room to move around in each bay - lets say enough to wheel an engine on an engine stand past a car (ie hummer) with no chance of the two meeting. Also make sure there is heaps of storage so that everything has it's place and there are spare places for new tools etc.

Not sure if there are any pics of the toyota F1 shop that I saw on RPM last week but that seems like the ultimate setup for car maintenance

[McobraR]

Hmm, i designed an industrial building before for a TAFE assessment a couple years back, i'd say a mechanics factory will be the same.
pretty simple, RC slab foor base, use U-beams for the structure (portal frame type structure), use pre-cast walls on the outer. Gable-type roof, pitch of about 7 degrees, corrugated roof sheeting. Dont forget to integrate an office area, with the right amount of toilets. check the BCA, Council requirements and the sort. Cus if you do a mistake, the owner can sue you for i dont kno how much money (for architects that is, but should be the same for you since you're desiging it youself). Remember, keep it within the rules and regulations, and you'l be alright.

[JD86]

ok cheers thanks guys

[JD86]

any other ideas guys? i appreciate ur help

[JD86]

anyone else have any ideas?

[Rollin]

a hose for water and oil (engine and gearbox) for every two bays (or 4 if the bays are end to end up the middle of the shop) and a seperate airline for each bay.

meters on the oil guns to ensure the correct amount of oil is put in the car and also charged out to the customer.

air compressor in a seperate room to keep noise levels down in the shop.

[BLKFPV]

There is a new type of 4 post lift available(rated to 4t I think it is) that has movable / jackable lifts built on runners that can slide forward / back that can make things substantially easier.

4 poster with scissor lifts .... excellent

did someone mention fridge? :1syellow1

[quest]

At our dealer we have a "tool room" where most of the special factory issued tools are kept.
The room is about 5 meters wide by 25 long with shelving along both sides.
There's also a small desk in there with a computer (most of our service manuals are on DVD) and a phone

[BIGDOG]

Check with authorities PITS are no longer aloud to be constucted????
Existing ones are tolerated

BIGDOG

[JD86]

cheers guys thanks for your help, anything else i should consider?

[JD86]

anyone else with any help?

[XR8putts]

Heya, can't help ya but I'm doing a Bachelor of Architecture. Currently 2nd year student (of 5) and loving it too.

Best of luck with your brief.

[JD86]

cheers dude

anyone with some extra info?

[Rev28K]

Roller Dyno in the back? Exhaust on a neederman arm so that all of the monoxide gets sucked out.

Crossovers – get these at a shallow angle so that lowered/bodykitted cars don’t get hung up on them. Porsche Australia have actually got a bit of steel plate fitted to theirs to make the angle shallower.

Space for customer parking out the front – and a secure enclosure where they can chuck their keys if they want to drop off their car before normal hours.

Comms rack for the computer server – internet, stock levels if it is a franchise store.

Waiting space for customers – with coffee machine and car mags.

Plenty of racks for storing bits and pieces.

Space for the track car and trailer (all good workshops have an after hours project car).

Flow bench?

[JD86]

cheers mate, didnt think of throwin a dyno in there, i think i will do that, cheers, very good info, i jus need as much as i can so if anyone else has anything at all plz post it up

cheers

[XYGTHO]

Gday mate. I work in this industry (technical design draftsperson - elec, mech) But work along side a lot of architects obviosly. I would go to some local well known larger mechanics that are newish and find out who they did the work through if you can. Or just go ask around a few architects who you think would deal in this strand for some info on standards ect. Don't know much about them myself but things like

Ventilation requirements
Safety requirements
Structural requirments ect.
And as said positions for comms cabinet, security panel, distribution or main switch board, mdf. Maybe outdoor air fan?, thinking maybe they won't use a/c. Otherwise a position for condensers or units ect.
Also as said a compressor room with internal air lines with fittings around the place?

As youd probably know use the BCA and aussie standards
Normally you deal more direct with the client to see what they want. So maybe do it as if you where doing it for a client. Find a mechanics and ask him what he would require, what he wants ect. And say in the assessment that you have dealt with such and such and design in terms of what he needs and wants. I might be way off track, in a hurry and didn't read your question real well. Just thought id quickly type my thoughts. Good luck with it.

[JD86]

cheers dude, yeh i know about the BCA and australian standards

anyone know the exact size of a 2 / 4 post hoist?

any other help would be good

cheers

[quest]

Another thing we have in the shop is the oil dispensing system
There are 3 900 Liter tanks along 1 wall
2 of them are connected and hold 5W20 - our most popular oil
The third independant tank holds 5W30
There are pumps on the tanks and plumbing along the roof to a central location
Out of the roof are 2 retractable hoses with metered nozzles on the ends
Saves creating a lot of trash opening little bottles
Outside we have a 1000 liter tank to hold waste oil and a 300 liter tank for waste antifreeze

We also have a room thats about 6 x 6 meters that house 2 large air compressors that supply both our service & body repair areas

Maybe you would like a picture to get a better idea?

[JD86]

cheers, yeh mate a pic would be very handy, thanks mate

anyone else who works in a garage and can easily get pics i would appreciate it to get a good idea on what i want and need.

does anyone know the size of a dyno? or where i can find out?

cheers guys

josh