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) rea…
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 
David Kirk is living my dream... Congrats to all!
“So the award goes to..........(drum roll)............ all the people with the nicest shops and cars!”
perhaps I didn’t understand the competition?
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.
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.
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.
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 
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!
Wait, *that* David Kirk!?
Well done to all!
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?
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.
mazdeuce - Seth said: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.
My first two houses don't add up to 3500 sq ft.
the game used to be about doing a lot with a little, we used to call that grassroots.
But yeah, gotta sell magazines. I get that.
I understand the frustration, but here's what the shop contest is for:
It's to give everybody access to the tips and ideas that are usually kept secret among the fortunate few that have 3500-square-foot shops. For the record, if you add up my shop, house, shed, carport, and driveway, you still wouldn't be at 3500 square feet.
By dangling the prize carrots, we get behind-the-scenes looks at some pretty incredible shops, and we turn that access into editorial for you all. After the last Classic Motorsports shop contest, we turned the photos and descriptions that were submitted into ten full stories about organizing your shop, including one titled "Shop Secrets" with "80 Clever Tips for Streamlining Your Workspace."
And no, I'm not talking about tips like "Always order caviar in bulk–it's cheaper that way." I'm talking about stuff like mounting your hose reels on the wall near your overhead doors, instead of the back wall by your benches. Why? Because now you can reach the entire shop and your driveway, too.
The goal of these contests is not to make you feel bad for having a smaller garage. It's to get those with spectacular garages to open them up and share their knowledge. I looked through the entries, and I'm pretty sure I learned something from every single shop. Without this contest, all we'd know is that there's a guy in that airplane hangar with a few old cars, not "hey, that guy with the airplane hangar had a great tip about wrench organization."
DrBoost said:mazdeuce - Seth said: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.
My first two houses don't add up to 3500 sq ft.
the game used to be about doing a lot with a little, we used to call that grassroots.
But yeah, gotta sell magazines. I get that.
And neither do mine, but all of my "dream shop" builds are MUCH larger than my house, so bigger square foot shops are of great interest to me. Even if you discount the space, the rolling mounted seats and the wall mount metal rack both stand out to me as great ideas. I'm always interested in lift positioning in big spaces. My lift is where it is because there aren't any other options, but I'm always interested in seeing what people do when they do have options.
A bunch of us are just as interested in the bottom end of vintage Ferraris (which are cheaper than a new Mustang GT) as we are in old Miatas. They're all cars. They're all cool. They don't have to be $1000 to be relevant.
Dream shops draw more interest and most of us don't want to show a picture like this (not mine but let's say close):
My 2c is it helps to get things up off of the ground when it's cold and try to set up a comfortable ergonomic position or 2-3 workstations and switch to something else after a while.
Ransom said:Wait, *that* David Kirk!?
Well done to all!
And.... I am down the Rabbit hole that is David Kirk bikes........ WOW he does some beautiful work.
Tom Suddard said:I understand the frustration, but here's what the shop contest is for:
It's to give everybody access to the tips and ideas that are usually kept secret among the fortunate few that have 3500-square-foot shops. For the record, if you add up my shop, house, shed, carport, and driveway, you still wouldn't be at 3500 square feet.
By dangling the prize carrots, we get behind-the-scenes looks at some pretty incredible shops, and we turn that access into editorial for you all. After the last Classic Motorsports shop contest, we turned the photos and descriptions that were submitted into ten full stories about organizing your shop, including one titled "Shop Secrets" with "80 Clever Tips for Streamlining Your Workspace."
And no, I'm not talking about tips like "Always order caviar in bulk–it's cheaper that way." I'm talking about stuff like mounting your hose reels on the wall near your overhead doors, instead of the back wall by your benches. Why? Because now you can reach the entire shop and your driveway, too.
The goal of these contests is not to make you feel bad for having a smaller garage. It's to get those with spectacular garages to open them up and share their knowledge. I looked through the entries, and I'm pretty sure I learned something from every single shop. Without this contest, all we'd know is that there's a guy in that airplane hangar with a few old cars, not "hey, that guy with the airplane hangar had a great tip about wrench organization."
I think the "prize carrots" thing is kind of funny.; It's pretty clear that none of the shops that won have owners who are in need of (for instance) an entry-level welding setup. Meanwhile the guy with the "budget shop" may be using some crappy old HF welder, for which the Eastwood 175 would be a nice upgrade (disclaimer - I have a decent welder, so not talking about me).
Maybe next year, do a bit of an expansion:
Top Commercial Shop: No physical prize, but a free page of advertising in GRM magazine for XX amount of time (more value to a commercial shop anyhow)
Top High-Dollar Shop: A gold-plated plaque or sign to show off to friends and visitors
Top Large Grassroots Shop: Prizes
Top Small Grassroots Shoo: Prizes
Judges' Choice (for any reason: Prizes
With "Grassroots" being determined by GRM editors or whatever. Just a thought.
Mine doesn't win in any of those categories (and it was already in CM a few years back!), so I'm not complaining so much as trying to think of a way to keep the true "grassroots" crowd involved.
irish44j said:I think the "prize carrots" thing is kind of funny.; It's pretty clear that none of the shops that won have owners who are in need of (for instance) an entry-level welding setup. Meanwhile the guy with the "budget shop" may be using some crappy old HF welder, for which the Eastwood 175 would be a nice upgrade
I totally agree with this... I didn't bother entering my current, single car garage because I figured it didn't have a shot at winning... yet I could definitely benefit from the prizes offered. I'd definitely submit if there was a category that I thought was appropriate for my small set up.
How about a 'Most Cluttered' category. I could win that hands down. 
Tom Suddard said:I understand the frustration, but here's what the shop contest is for:
It's to give everybody access to the tips and ideas that are usually kept secret among the fortunate few that have 3500-square-foot shops. For the record, if you add up my shop, house, shed, carport, and driveway, you still wouldn't be at 3500 square feet.
By dangling the prize carrots, we get behind-the-scenes looks at some pretty incredible shops, and we turn that access into editorial for you all. After the last Classic Motorsports shop contest, we turned the photos and descriptions that were submitted into ten full stories about organizing your shop, including one titled "Shop Secrets" with "80 Clever Tips for Streamlining Your Workspace."
And no, I'm not talking about tips like "Always order caviar in bulk–it's cheaper that way." I'm talking about stuff like mounting your hose reels on the wall near your overhead doors, instead of the back wall by your benches. Why? Because now you can reach the entire shop and your driveway, too.
The goal of these contests is not to make you feel bad for having a smaller garage. It's to get those with spectacular garages to open them up and share their knowledge. I looked through the entries, and I'm pretty sure I learned something from every single shop. Without this contest, all we'd know is that there's a guy in that airplane hangar with a few old cars, not "hey, that guy with the airplane hangar had a great tip about wrench organization."
Tom,
Was this stated as part of the contest? (I did not not enter due to me kind of getting this vib when I saw it a while ago so I have no clue) I completely understand the reasoning behind it BUT it still probably stings a bit for those with more mundane shops. I think the real frustration is that the winners don't appear to have a need for the prizes where as I am sure that there were many, who had they won, would have benefited greatly from the prizes. I get that you have a business to run and ultimately everything you do is directed at generating content and / or brand exposure. I think that may have been lost in the marketing of this contest. I also think that some people don't realize that there are only so many stories you can do the focus on duct tape and crazy glue backed up with zip ties. GRM appears to have an audience that crosses the full range of the automotive financial spectrum and lets face it you have to have content for the entire audience. This happens to be aimed at the higher pay grade portion of the audience.
irish44j said:A lot of good things
Haha. I also saw the irony of the shop-mahal winning an entry-level welder too. Maybe Jay Leno will enter next year?
GRM is still one of the best (used to me #1 in my book), but the GR is becoming a small part these days. I find myself checking in to the forums less often, instead I go to YouTube and finding the content I like there.
It doesn't really matter. If they're smart, they'll print what sells or go the way of so much print media in the last decade or so.
Mine at the moment just made the the move to Winchester VA, 7 miles from Summit Point
And at the opposite end of the spectrum we have ........drum roll please......RushCanuk & Sally frankenstein...winner in my book 
Can we have a thread dedicated to garage tips and tricks?
Give the forum a place to show off the neat stuff you have done in your own small, dark, busted, cluttered shops? I know I want to see the best your tricks. And the tech tips section is good, but I think one thread per tip is not quite right, but maybe one garage tips thread with each tip being one post would he really fun. I have one to post as soon as I take a picture sunday.
In reply to Robbie :
There have been a few of those, but they die off when they drop off the first few pages. Also the Photobucket berkeley up caused a lot of issues with some of the older ideas that were shared.
I think if this were resurrected, making it a sticky might be a good idea.
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