Garage Overhaul - Summit Racing

Ready for our close-up, the garage is the ideal place to pull a truck into and get to work. It also doubles as the perfect escape for us guys whenever the women start talking about whatever women talk about. A man cave? It sure is.

Ready for our close-up, the garage is the ideal place to pull a truck into and get to work

A man's garage is special. It's a place to come and bond with his custom truck, a place to learn, fabricate, and see his dreams turned into realities. A garage is also a place to hang out with your buddies, tell fishing stories of racing a so-and-so against a so-and-so, or simply bench racing previous custom trucks we've owned. What it's not is a parking place for the wife's minivan, or even worse, a storage space for all the extra junk we've accumulated over the years. Especially during the winter months, we tend to spend more time in the garage working on our custom trucks rather than suffering from the elements out in our driveways. Combine the winter months with the holiday season, and let's not forget the always-present need to upgrade our tools, and we had the perfect equation to make over our basic garage.

This is our basic, boring, and downright pathetic garage before we made it over. As you can see, we had the beginner toolbox from the local shopping mall, minimal storage, and no real décor to speak of. The only nice thing we had was our G-Floor garage flooring. Time spent in here really wasn't much fun at all.

This is our basic, boring, and downright pathetic garage before we made it over. As you ca

Turning most of the wrenches ourselves on Project Novakane, our in-house '04 Sierra performance truck, we've taken a great deal of pride in sweating the small stuff when it comes to doing things right the first time. The same "build it like the pros would" mentality can easily be applied to your garage as well, but in the form of professional tools, shop styling, and being smart about where you spend your money. We kept all of these things in mind when we placed our garage makeover order with Summit Racing and Genuine Hotrod Hardware. Rather than driving down to the mall to see what the local tool company had available, we cracked open the Summit Racing tool catalog. Filled with thousands of tools, toolboxes, and shop accessories from brands you've come to trust over the years, Summit provides low prices, easy ordering, and fast shipping. Best of all, you don't have to walk through the perfume and gardening sections to get to your tools, simply place your order at your house and in a few days, your front doorstep will be filled with boxes. If you're satisfied with your tools, but you know your garage décor could use a shot in the arm, good news, Genuine Hotrod Hardware (GHH) has what you need. From vintage metal signs and neon clocks, to hot-rod wall art and old-school gas pumps, GHH has you covered with prices that will make you question why it took you so long to create your own man cave. If you're tired of getting socks or sweaters for Christmas, circle the parts that you'd like to see in your own garage and leave this article laying around for the family to see. Hopefully you've been good and Santa will handle the rest. Take a look at how, with parts from Summit Racing and Genuine Hotrod Hardware, we transformed our boring garage into a place we're proud to hang out, cut loose, and work on our trucks.

Thanks to Summit Racing and Genuine Hotrod Hardware, now the first thing you now see when the garage door opens is the improved back wall. The sturdy Gladiator Cadet workbench is perfect for any garage and the wall-mounted storage cabinets, also from Gladiator Cadet, provide good looks and extra storage options. A versatile wall-mounted tool storage system from Summit included shelves, assorted hooks, and a screwdriver rack to put the most commonly used tools at an arm's reach away. Great wall décor, such as the GMC Trucks tin sign, Polly Gas neon clock, huge So-Cal Speed Shop tin sign, and the Cold Beer Testing Station directly above the toolbox fridge really livened up the back of the garage.
Thanks to Summit Racing and Genuine Hotrod Hardware, now the first thing you now see when
Upgrading the limited storage was a must. Summit carries these awesome two-door Gladiator Cadet wall-mounted cabinets, which allowed us to get rid of the wooden bookshelf we were using for storage and helped us reclaim some much-needed floor space. Not only do they look rugged (they're made out of stamped steel), but they also have adjustable shelves for fitting large and small items.
Upgrading the limited storage was a must. Summit carries these awesome two-door Gladiator
The ultimate upgrade was Summit's Professional 19-drawer tool chest and cabinet combo. With more than 27,000 cubic inches of storage, we more than doubled our tool storage compared to our beginner toolbox from the shopping mall. Large casters provide easy movement and lock for stability, and each section has its own key for security while the top compartment has two gas struts for easy opening.
The ultimate upgrade was Summit's Professional 19-drawer tool chest and cabinet combo. Wit

Full-length drawers have aluminum handles and glide on ball bearings for smooth operation. With 18-inch-deep drawers, we were able to easily organize our tools and forever say good-bye to tool clutter. Another bonus, each drawer came with a pre-cut, slip-proof liner. Purchased as a combo, this professional box and cabinet is hundreds of dollars less than comparable boxes at the shopping mall.
Full-length drawers have aluminum handles and glide on ball bearings for smooth operation.
As we mentioned in the intro, we're stepping up our wrenching abilities and when you need to install something yourself, you need the right tools. A major upgrade was the addition of Miller's Millermatic 211 Auto-Set with MVP plug. This welder can run off 230 V or common 120 V found in most home garages. Miller includes everything you need to get started, except the argon gas. Also pictured, we picked up a Summit Racing 12-ton shop press, which is great for suspension bushings and ball joints, and on top of the storage rack, you can see Summit's convenient Grab-n-Go tool bags, which are perfect for quick repairs at a buddy's house.
As we mentioned in the intro, we're stepping up our wrenching abilities and when you need
A real jaw-dropper and incredible addition to the garage, this Genuine Hotrod Hardware wheel and tire rack is adjustable to 60 inches wide, can hold up to 400 pounds, and instantly frees up floor space. Thanks to the wheel and tire rack, our custom 24x14-inch Raceline wheels and Pirelli tires are now safely mounted and are on display for all to see. If you have a set of wheels and tires for the winter, or perhaps a set used only for shows, this rack is ideal and gets those tires up off of the floor.
A real jaw-dropper and incredible addition to the garage, this Genuine Hotrod Hardware whe

Perhaps the one item that made the garage a bona fide man cave, this toolbox isn't a toolbox at all. Nope, it's a refrigerator that looks exactly like a toolbox.
Perhaps the one item that made the garage a bona fide man cave, this toolbox isn't a toolb
Perfect for any garage or workshop, this 37-inch-tall fridge has locking roller casters for easy movement, and once the door is opened, adjustable shelving and compartments make for the perfect place for beer, soda, and snacks. Now we don't have any excuses to leave the garage.
Perfect for any garage or workshop, this 37-inch-tall fridge has locking roller casters fo
We scrapped the huge and outdated "boombox" in favor of Kicker's new iKICK iK501 portable iPod player. With a pair of two-way speakers and a 6-inch-square subwoofer in the back, the iKICK can get extremely loud, while maintaining a clear sound, with booming bass. The two coolest features are the included remote that controls the iPod and iKICK and also the compatibility with iPod players of every era. This thing rocks!
We scrapped the huge and outdated "boombox" in favor of Kicker's new iKICK iK501 portable

Providing the wall décor, we ordered a host of tin signs from Genuine Hotrod Hardware that not only look good, but will also last as long as our tools. Seen here, we added several signs from the Holley line, including Weiand, Hooker, NOS, and Holley. The Hooker Headers neon clock adds a nice retro touch and the Crankshaft Motors lithograph adds some class to the garage. All Holley signs and neon clocks are available from Genuine Hotrod Hardware or from Holley direct.
Providing the wall décor, we ordered a host of tin signs from Genuine Hotrod Hardware that
If you're spending time in the garage, most likely you're working hard to improve your custom truck and the last thing you need is body aches from bending over a fender or killing your knees while doing a brake job. Helping to keep the comfort level high, we ordered a new Summit swivel stool and creeper seat. Both have padded seating areas and really save your back when working. A must for any enthusiast, Summit's new low-profile jack can fit under the lowest of trucks and with a 2-ton rating, it can still safely lift your truck to a height where you can slide jackstands under the frame.
If you're spending time in the garage, most likely you're working hard to improve your cus
Complementing the hot-rod theme, we ordered a clock from NOS that looks just like a NOS pressure gauge, and while we were at it, placed an order for this NOS "Refill Here" tin sign. Now, when our NOS bottle isn't being used in Project Novakane, we have a great place to store it.
Complementing the hot-rod theme, we ordered a clock from NOS that looks just like a NOS pr

Banners really brightened up the plain white walls, and along with the tin signs and neon clocks, our humble garage was quickly transformed into a professional-looking shop. If you're decorating your garage, you can call most of your favorite companies and order banners that will add a race shop feel to your man cave.
Banners really brightened up the plain white walls, and along with the tin signs and neon