Ultimate Garage

09/29/2025

Cleaning out my Workshop & Warehouse - Lots of new/old stock BMW Parts, manuals & publications, factory tools, etc (1966 - 2006)
I was a BMW parts retailer from 1978-2006 and got out of the business when online competition and pressure for free shipping killed my profit margins. I took all of the parts listings off of my website with occasional spreadsheet lists to sell off some of the inventory. Now as I approach retirement, I'm still sitting on a fair amount of NEW inventory of parts for what are now considered "Classic BMW's" (E3/E9, 2002/2002tii, E21, E12, E30, E28, E23/E24, E32/E34, E36). For the past few weeks, I've been taking pics of what's left for sale and putting the listings back on the website. Many of these items are "no longer available" (NLA).
The BMW listings (also some Porsche and other parts) are on my "Ultimate Garage" website - see https://www.ultimategarage.com/classic-bmw-parts-pre-2006
I'm in Northern NJ if you want to stop by and browse. Still have hundreds of more items to list.

06/12/2022

01/08/2022

Backyard shed....most people around here have a shed in their backyard for the storage of lawnmowers and garden gear. This one was a little unexpected.

08/22/2021

Consecutive model number Porsches....917 and 918. Both rare, fast and expensive. The 917 pic was taken at the open house of a new Porsche dealership in 1999 which closed 10 years later. The 918 at a nice race shop in Italy.

08/22/2021

If McIntosh audio (Binghamton, NY) built a technical workbench, this would be it.

08/22/2021

Recycling some old shop cabinets, workbenches and shelving in a loft apartment.

08/22/2021

I've told press and clients over the years that an "ultimate garage" is "like a man's kitchen with power tools". The whole package (below) is "industrial art"....the storage, lighting, hvac, skylight/window trim details, etc. Not one of mine (unfortunately)....kudos to the folks that pulled this together.

08/04/2021

Facom Mobile Tool Set for Site maintenance - Not sure if this will ever make it to become an official product offering........currently going under the part number EM.A

07/06/2021

Lista cabinets in "flag white". Nice clean look. Plus an interesting "restomod" Volvo P1800 with a fresh T8 electric powerplant (400+ hp).

07/02/2021

Heads up on Replacing your Air Conditioner - many people have AC units in their homes that were purchased and installed before 2010. Most of these were still using an ozone depleting CFC (R22). Production of R22 was discontinued in 2020 and current AC systems are likely to be HFC (hydro fluorocarbon) based using R410a (Puron) as a refrigerant.
Now it appears R410a will be eliminated from new systems in another year and a half (Jan 2023) due to its high Global Warming Potential (GWP). R410a has a GWP of 2,088 (higher than the R22 it replaced) and the 2023 guidelines for the industry will require use of refrigerants with a GWP of 750 or lower. A kg of R410a has the same greenhouse impact of 2 tons of CO2. Plus R410a remains in the atmosphere for decades. Not good! R410a will be phased out in 2025.
AC manufacturers have been using R32 in place of R410a since 2012, especially in Japan, Australia and Europe. In Japan alone, over 10 million R32 AC units have been installed. R32 systems are more efficient, use less refrigerant and the Global Warming Potential is 677 (below the 750 GWP threshold).
Unfortunately, here in the US, other than Daiken and some of the portable and window AC companies, most are still using R410a. My ideal system (for now) is a Mitsubishi Hyper-heat mini-split heat pump. I have a 1.5ton unit in my garage and it provides heat (to -15F) and excellent cooling. We've got some 30 year old Sanyo mini-splits (R22) that need to replacing and I've decided to try and get another year out of them until the Mitsubishi MSZ-LN or MSZ-EF (both R32 systems) are available for purchase. They've been available elsewhere in the world since 2018. Stylish and efficient....multi-zone and available as heat pumps or AC only. BUT....I still couldn't find them for sale here in North America.
If your home needs a new AC system, check with your contractor to see if there are any R32 systems available before investing $5000+ on a new unit which may have to be replaced or retrofit in a few years

04/25/2021

My take on Home and Shop Vacs........