Shipping Container Parts Storage Layouts

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I started to move the engines that are on engine stands and dollies out of my shed and into the shipping containers. The second one to make the move was the engine out of my 2A ex-Army Land Rover Ambulance.

I used the "ute" crane mounted onto one of my trailers to lift the engine out of the shed. I took it for a ride in the paddock and set it down on the shipping container floor. The engine is parked up until I start rebuilding it.

I now have more uncluttered floor space in my shed and can now get in and out of my car without having to worry about opening the door onto an engine mounted on a stand. With the other engines moved I also have free aisle space in my shed and full 360 degree access to my 1940 Chevrolet ex-Australian Army truck in the shed too.

The next part of the plan is to move and sort all the stuff that has been placed in front of the shelves in my shed. The step after that is sort everything out and know where it has been placed. My dream is to be able to go into the shed or a shipping container and be able to lay my hands on a specific tool or a part immediately. You know - for me to be able find stuff without any dramas, or risk to life or limb.

Then I can start back on restoring some green painted motor vehicles - and make some real progress.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well Saturday came and went. The morning started with an area that had three parallel mounds that were once formed to drain part of an orchard. Only a few straggly trees were left when we bought the property.

After the arrival of one or two machines - Saturday finished with a road-base level pad 14 Metres wide by 15 Metres long.

I just have to wait until the contractor brings in another roller that will consolidate the road-base more. Then I will track down a local mobile crane company to position the two shipping containers onto their designated spots on the new pad.

While I wait for the rolling to be done and for a crane to arrive; I have been working in the shed. Two sets of shelves that made it difficult for my wife to park her car in the shed have been removed. The shelves have been relocated into the shipping containers. I also have clear aisle space within the shed.

It could be a part of a delusion - however, I think I am am slowly reining in the chaos that once ruled my shed! Chaos still has its head. However, order is gaining some small degree of force on Chaos' reins and it is not running as rampant as it once did.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

It has been months since my last update on the shipping containers. This was mostly brought about by some issues with the construction of the pad. The original shape of the land was made up with a series of raised mounds and valleys to allow drainage for the previous owner's citrus trees. Instead of cutting the ground out level we did a mix of cut and fill. The fill had a higher clay content and spewed up through the surface of the road-base material when being levelled with machinery.

Some months passed and more road-base was brought in and a similar thing happened. The more the road-base was worked the more the clay fill spewed up through the surface. I called a halt to operations.

Weeks passed by and I grew increasingly uncomfortable about where the shipping containers were stored. They were temporarily positioned right alongside of the water course's bank. This is in a lower area which frequently overflows when the creek rises up. It is also now the "wet season" here.

Having visions of a couple of shipping containers bobbing their way down the flooded creek I decided to act. I ordered a mobile crane and the shipping containers were carried over to the pad and lowered down onto the 160 mm high concrete blocks under each corner.

Now the next time it rains I can breathe a sigh of relief. Also, tomorrow I can start mounting the particle board for the pallet rack shelving. Once this is all done I can move all the stuff that is blocking ready access to the shelves in my main shed.

I am very happy that the shipping containers are in their designated place - at last

Future plans: I have engineer design plans being drawn up for a gable roof to span between the containers. The plan includes proper concrete anchor points into the ground. I had a soil test performed to allow the engineer to sort out the correct depth and diameter for the anchor points. After spending some time in the containers today - it is Summer here - a couple of whirlybirds are on the immediate agenda. The roof spanning the containers is a long term goal. . Depending upon how many roof trusses are needed, the roof will be done by covering the span between two roof trusses at a time - to form a series of completed roof "panels". The roof top ventilators (whirlybirds) are a much more immediate item.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Happy and Safe 2021 to all.

New Year's Eve and the first day of 2021 found me swinging off an endless chain - block and tackle, while I lifted sheets of particle board to lay on top of the pallet rack's rails to make shelves.

Today the 2nd of January, I drilled and screwed the sheets and fixed them to the rails. The particle board is very slippery so the screws will hold them in place and avoid things crashing down on me.

The best bit about the pallet racking "Shelves" is that I able to collect various body panels, bonnets, mudguards and doors that I had temporarily stored in other places.

The purpose of trying to make order out of chaos is not having to waste time trying to find tools or parts; or having to play Rubik's Cube in order to shift things out of the way of where I want to work. My goal is to be able to say, "I am going to walk into the shed/shipping container and start where I left off on that engine yesterday".

Yes - one can dream!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well, it is on the down-hill side of September 2021. I just finished sorting out and removing all the pile of crap that was on the back of on of my truck's in the big shed. Some parts went into a shipping container. Some parts went to a shelf in the shed the trucks are stored in. Some items went to the wheelie bin or are making up part of a load to the scrap metal yard.

I had previously arranged a layer of plastic pallets down on the REO Speed Wagon truck's bed. However, when I walked over the surface the plastic pallets flexed and felt a bit scary to stand on. To eliminate the flexing I cut a layer of particle board flooring and laid it on top of the pallets. The flooring feels secure and much better underfoot.

Earlier l had been directed by SWMBO to store some household items on the pallet shelving at the back of the shed. This was accompanied by some of our now adult children's storage after they left home. I consider this "stuff" as chewing up valuable space on the pallet shelving. So it was all relocated and neatly arranged on the back of the REO with its new floor.

The next challenge is to clear off all the goodies that are currently cluttering up the back of my ex-Army Chevrolet Holden 1940 General Service 30 CWT truck. The stuff will be sorted and some parts will be stored on their correct shelf one of the shipping containers. Some items will be stored in the truck shed.

Once the Chevy's tray is sorted out I will lay some particle board flooring over the timber pallets that I have laying on top of the truck bed's skeleton. Both trucks need new wooden beds. Only the main timber framing is still sound. I have added lengths of steel rectangular hollow section to strengthen both truck beds. I have then arranged either timber or plastic pallets on top of the steel supports.

The back of the Chevy is the last major item on my "Sorting out the Shed" list. One of the largest milestones has been reached already. All the items that are in front of my pallet rack and metal shelving are on wheels and can very easily be moved out of the way. I can see what is on any shelf and simply walk directly up to it and pretty much effortlessly wheel an obstruction away. The required item can then be grabbed and brought into action without having to play Rubik's Cube with layers of detritus, or without my having to risk life or limb in the process of fossicking through boxes in an attempt to find something.

I still have to sort through the previously loaded up shelves so things can be a bit better organised. This marks a shift from temporary home to permanent and easily accessible homes for different items. These will be stored where I know they are and their being arranged so they can be easily reached.

I have already reaped some benefits of this protracted clean-up. I now have a very high track record of wanting to use a tool and being able to walk directly up to where it is on the shelf. I can see where it is from a distance away. I have been able to frequently reach over wheeled items without having to move anything. Then I just grab the tool and start using it straight away. All done with no angst involved.

In the shipping container I went wild with a Dymo LetraTag vinyl labelling machine. I have shelves marked for parts for different vehicles. The smaller parts are bagged, labelled and stored on their correct shelf. I finally have some confidence that I can find tools and parts so I am much more confident and encouraged to get into some of my truck restoration projects. All being done in a safe and competent manner. At last. Well I am almost there.... just the load on the back of the Chevy to sort out.

Apologies to Jimmy Cliff .... I can see clearly now ...that most of the crap has gone out of my shed.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Matthew P]

Thanks for the update! Sounds like this has been a big project for you. But even for those of us with only a few vehicles in the restoration que and only a smallish shed worth of parts and tools having things organized can be a big boon to production. Your post is encouraging me to go straighten out my own mess of stuff. So maybe I'll actually get some projects completed.

Matt

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by Matthew P

Thanks for the update! Sounds like this has been a big project for you. But even for those of us with only a few vehicles in the restoration que and only a smallish shed worth of parts and tools having things organized can be a big boon to production. Your post is encouraging me to go straighten out my own mess of stuff. So maybe I'll actually get some projects completed.

Matt

Hello Matt,

You are dead right about having parts and tools organised being a massive boon.The other aspect it that it encourages is safety.

Taking hours to be able to find a tool or a part and this process involving risking life and limb is not the way to operate. I worked out that this aspect was a real barrier to progress. I actually slammed the brakes on my restoration work because I knew the situation would only compound itself when I did start working on a vehicle. I had to sort stuff out.

Now, after today's efforts I can actually walk up to either the REO or the Chevy and lift their engine bonnets or hoods. Their roofs are also clear. I also have clear aisles to walk around unimpeded in-between the trucks. Plus I can walk behind them and easily access the contents of the shelves that are located against the back wall.

My good car just happens to be parked out in the yard tonight. This is because its bay in the shed has stuff that needs sorting out piled on the floor after it was taken off the back of the Chevy.

I will soon have space to be able to work on an engine in a clutter free environment and be able to store parts on a shelf once they have been cleaned. I am really looking forward to be able to make forward progress.

Best of luck with your project Matt - do you have a thread on your project?

Kind regards
Lionel

[Matthew P]

Lionel,

I do not have a thread for my projects as none are Canadian in origin. I mostly came to this forum because of the wealth of knowledge and photographs shared on the Welfare Vehicles thread. It's a topic very dear to me and I'm working on some articles and a book on the topic. But I occasionally tip in with comments on other threads.

Matthew