<VV> Ray Rodriguez returns! Garage flooring and fuel pumps

[Ray Rodriguez III]

Howdy all,  

     I'm happy to say that things have finally settled down a bit around here and I should be able to more or less keep up with VV again =).  

     The first question I have isn't Corvair specific but it's something I'm sure many of you have dealt with plenty... setting up a garage!  I'm just beginning to set up the 2 car (24x24) garage we put up last year as my shop and I'm one of those OCD types who likes everything not just neat and tidy, but also pretty.  Keep in mind I have to accomplish my goals on as small a budget as possible!

     That said the thing I'm trying to do is make my shop area into sortof a show space for my cars without ruining it's functionality.  I have two problems so far that I need to deal with.  The first is flooring.  I really want a nice floor to set off the cars.. I think this is key to making the garage into a show space and not just a shop.  My first choice is to go with the "traditional?" black and white checkerboard floor I have seen in other guys garages.   

     Now before we get started I'm aware of the high quality garage floors out there, but for me its either raw concrete or something cheap!  I'm thinking about putting in basic vinyl sheet flooring with the checkerboard pattern.  Vinyl is usually pretty durable and would also be easy to replace once it gets ratty.  I've seen this stuff for about $1.10 a square foot.. which is still more than I'd hoped but within reach.  Based on my past experience with vinyl I'd expect it to stand up well to oil drips and the like... does anyone have any experience with this kind of stuff in the garage?

     The next problem is how to protect the floor (and the rest of the shop to some extent) when I'm spraying primer and paint.  I use a HVLP setup so overspray is minimal but still a problem.  Does anyone have any practical ideas on how to protect the floor in particular and possibly the walls and such as well?  I figure I could get some sort of mat to put on the floor to park the "project" car on top of.. but what will work best for working on top of and painting over and also be economical?  As far as protecting the rest of the shop maybe some kind of plastic sheeting setup?  This is something I'd be doing at least once or twice per year so it has to be practical for frequent use. 

    Last is my unrelated fuel pump question for corvair content.  I've found that if I park either of my Corvairs for much more than a month without starting it I need to loosen the fuel pump and manually pump it with my hand in order to get the car started (or do a ridiculous amount of cranking).  I don't imagine this is normal and was wondering what the cause is.  If it is something I can't do anything about maybe I'll go to an electric pump after all.  

Thanks for all your help guys!

Ray Rodriguez III
Lake Ariel, PA
66' Corsa 140 coupe
63' Monza pg coupe
65' Corsa 140 coupe (under construction)