garage atmosphere

often when my wife comes out into "our" garage to tell me something...phone call...whatever...while i'm working on my collection of british rust, she will comment that the garage "smells." now, i think it smells wonderful-it smells of oil, grease, old grease, by-products of combustion and maybe a hint of smoke accidently released from wiring. one night this week we had one of those conversations but she said the smell was diffent and a little funky. what i was doing was tearing down a "junk" motor that i picked up free this summer. because i know that oil will absorb moisture and i know that these engines have sat in somebody's basement or car-port or something for a WHILE, i wonder if i have brackish sort of water absorbed in the oil in that engine. or to say it another way the oil and absorbed water in that junk engine have stagnated and thus changed the atmosphere in my garage. (parts washer to the rescue!) thoughts?

Mine definately smells. It might be the oil spots on the floor or the exhaust fumes but I really think it's the fact I haven't emptied the oil tray since the last change. Sort of a Channel No. 6 (or 7) tinge.

Many years ago, my Grandfather had a Sinclair gas station south of Jackson MS. My uncle used the service bays yo operate a small engine repair shop and Triumph MC dealership from. It had such a wonderful smell-a combination of musky stale gas tinted air, Liquid Wrench that my uncle used to start balky engines and whatever pie or cake my Grandmother made and sent for the regulars to snack on. To this day, anytime I enter an old gas station it brings back fond memories of the many summers I spent working at the station as a kid and of all the local old men that gathered there to drink beer and shoot craps.

I have asked my wife to forgo her perfume and use either Marvel Mystery Oil or Hoppe's #9 but she won't oblige. Damned selfish of her I say!

When we moved from the "flood house" to the "new house" in 1994, I promised Jean that I would not bring any car parts into the house.

That lasted about three months when I finally broke down and brought the C bonnet and some upholstry and stored them under the bed of the spare bedroom.

Jean walked into the house, took one whiff, and commented, "Now it smells like OUR house!"

Even though I now have a huge barn at our most recent home, I still have some car parts in the house....and a very understanding wife!

There is a message here.

Some Enterprising young twerp should start marketing men's cologne and air fresheners based on garage and LBC odors.

The ultimate would of course be "Eu de' Hot Castrol R Bean Motor Oil" but that couldn't be stuffed into an aerosol can. Rather it would work best if burned in a shallow dish with a wick sticking up in front of a BMC sign.

Anti-deodorant could be anything you wish, from burned clutch discs to that funky musty smell that you are talking about.

I am not sure that "Eu de' Budweiser Bottles Collected In An Open Trash Can In The Corner" would work though.

Where is Billy Mays when you really need him!

Jack

I for one never like the smell of a roasted clutch the way I love the smell of hot engine block.

I have 3 Corvettes, 2 MGBs, an old Porsche and an assortment of old 4 cylinder Honda motorcycles in the garage. To me, they all smell different....but put them all together....jeez...keeps the wife out of the garage that's for sure.(:D

all of that is great guys, but my question was as to your opinion: old engines, old oil, old water in oil, slightly brackish smell = not a coincidence.

c'mon. on topic!

Add fumes from facing fuel, very sexy! I've got about 10 bottles of Marvel mystery Oil on the shelf, but my wife refuses to wear it.

tell your wife not to go in there and keep her out.

Before I ran across this MGB, the only thing in my garage was the desoto rat rod. The engine has been rebuilt, and really the garage did not have a lingering smell. If I welded out there, I would leave the windows open for a night or two, and gone. (Doors must be closed, have racoons and BEARS around here).

Brought the MG home, stuck it in the garage, and went chasing after bushing problems and just routine type stuff. Now every day when I open the door, it smells. I have left the car out for three or four days, and it still smells.

I suspect it is a 40 year old greasy engine block, PB Blaster, welding torch, rotted and new bushing smell. But I suspect it is a lot like yours!

MY GARAGE HAS A '74 B AND A HARLEY. MY WIFE ALSO THINKS THE GARAGE STINKS! I JUST KEEP ADDING THOSE BUDWISER CANS AND ENJOYING THE BLEND!

I quite often come in the garage to be greeted by "you smell of MG".

yup. i agree. i love the smell of old british iron, oil, grease and whatever. just not the funky tinge i've been getting from tearing down these "junk" motors.

I would bet the "Funky Tinge" is from a bit of rotten gas in those old motors.
There is nothing quite as foul as rotten gas!

I'm going to say it's not the engine, or oil/grease/gunk, but something to do with the interior of the car. I bought my MG a little over a year ago. When I went to sit it the first time there was an unmistakable "scent" to it that instantly brought back memories from my youth. My guess it's more to do with the materials used, the age of them as they are deteriorating, and a musty smell that comes from moisture that has been absorbed and stagnated. I'm thinking sound deadening, insulation, seat foam, cardboard, etc.

Face it, we stink.

71 cutlass supreme convertible
65 MGB
2001 Yamaha LS 2000 jet boat
Indian Mini-mini
8 bicycles and all the tools to fix and repair and then some!
This doesn't include the 3 family cars.
TMS (too much s___)

So the garage/shop has ordorous petina. Whats the problem?

Mine usually smells like a combination of oil/gas/coolant/tires due to the couple of oil drain pains which are sitting out and the 12 or so tires stacked up in the corner. Then there's the two engines without valve covers just sitting in various states of disarray.

My woman at least sits in the garage to keep me company. She even changes her own oil.

Jack,
Bottled garage olfactories would draw men from far and wide. Not sure that's what we're looking for.