Buildig your own Auto Service Pit
W ell, in short working on the ground on your car is always a problem.
You can certainly see what I mean ! Right position, wrong application.
And so I decided to buildig my own service pit.
I had two options for where - either in the one garage, or under the carport.
T he latter seemed a better location as there was more space and the carport
needed a cement floor anyway.
F irst the ground had to be dug out to the level where the cement floor would
be poured. We had about 250mm of gravel to get rid of and it was hard as
rock. Wetting it the day before helped some.
Then the hole had to be dug...
Decisions are easily made, and I was halfway there when it struck me what it
really was I've undertaken. It was a big job ! Keep in mind it's only Rina and
me doing this. Half the size of a swimming pool. The hole at the far end is a
water trap.
The walls built up and the outsides filled up. I've left some cavities in the walls
where one could place tools and small spares, they are the white-ish blocks visible
in the left wall.
Te-he... if I flipped the pic you'd be able to see the right side cavities also.
The paving brick spacers would be removed when the cement cured.
The 5-step alluminum ladder works well as steps for now.
He re we've finally started the floor. The paving bricks were removed
and the cavities in the sides are clearly visible. Works quite well too.
I'll add some racks inside them later that would prevent round things
like sockets to roll out.
Day 2 working the floor. One more to go.
The water trap. Don't forget this one ! The white powder is chlorine for
deterring mosquitos breeding here. The pit's floor has been cemented.
The pit is not finished yet... but it's already fixed an audi's clutch, built a new
trailer for the boat and built a custom tow bar for the Bee-em. The audi
clutch and Bee-em's tow bar would have been impossible without the service
pit. Some minor things were also fixed up on the wife's car's front suspention.
It makes under-car inspections and work really easy.
Wiring for lightning gets fitted temporary until the pit is plastered and
properly waterproofed. The thin wire gets connected to a TEL-I-COM
unit so the lights, air compressor etc can be switched from here or
from anywhere inside the house.
T emporary lights fitted. Visibility is not too bad at night. I plan a few
mains plugs all round for electric appliances as well. The boat and trailer
is parked over the pit currently as it covers it from front to end.
The next step would be to fit a heavy duty angle iron frame on top of the hole,
and to make a removable cover so someone would not fall in by accident.
Considering the crime here, the thought did occur to make a lot of these holes
in the yard with large spikes in them, then cover the holes with thin cardboard.
I'm thinking of adding an overhead beam for lifting out an engine, and some
hydraulic swivel lifts for lifting a wheel(s) off the ground.
Finally I'd like an electric lift instead of stairs to get in or out of the pit.
Was it worth it ? Now that it's there, it's really very nice. No more jacking up.
No more crawling down under. If you're a DIY'r, I'd say go for it.
It's well worth the effort. And it'll be useful for many years to come.
Important !!! This pit is not suitable
for motorcycles ! Trust
me...
Some dimensions...
Length inside 4m800. This is almost too short, 5m500 would be better
Width inside 850mm. I've measured the smallest car's wheels width,
- the smallest car I could find was a Smart car... it fits.
Depth 1m600. One can also sit on a bar stool if whatever you do there
is going to take some time. The depth is just right.
When you dig the hole compensate for a floor and wall thickness...
Do some planning before you do.
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PLEASE READ !!! A service pit can be a death trap under certain conditions so if you plan one of these, I urge you to consider the following: It is a confined space, and petrol fumes pose a serious fire and explosion hazard. A continuous running extractor fan is a good idea and should be a brushless induction type motor. Brushed motors arc (make sparks) on the brushes and can ignite fumes. Keep this in mind if you use a drilling machine, they all have brushed motors. Do not keep containers or cleaning buckets with fuel or flamable liquids down there. In case of fuel spills clean up immediately and throw rags and paper towls outside the pit, not on the pit floor. Ordinary filament globes burst when liquid spills on them and may cause fumes to ignite. Use compact fluorescent lamps and enclose them in a protective housing like in case you drop a spanner. Clean up oil spills. Wood shavings throwed on the oil makes it easy to sweep up for disposal. It is desired to have a pan for catching up liquids that fits over the width of the pit. Placing or leaving stripped-off parts on the floor may cause a trip hazard. Fit a suitable fire extinguisher for just in case... |
Yeah yeah, 'buildig' is for build and dig.