Owner: Marc Mellgren
Shop: Crystal Lake Automotive
Location: Lakeville, Minn.
Marc Mellgren has come across toolbox setups with a closet or two. But he says you rarely see a box with four closets – like the one he has.
The technician at Crystal Lake Automotive in Lakeville, Minn., has had his top-and-bottom Mac Tools Macsimizer for 18 years. The box – which measures 13’ long by 69” high by 27” deep – boasts 21 drawers, including six additional drawers and 12 shelves located within his bevy of closets.
“I wanted the big storage, that’s why I added on the four closets instead of buying a triple-bank,” Mellgren says, noting he installed two closets right away and then affixed two more a couple years later.
Mellgren, who has been a tech for 25 years – the last 22 at Crystal Lake Automotive - has one shelf dedicated for paperwork. Also, plastic cases for ball joint presses and fuel pressure gauge sets store better in the closets than they would in the main part of the box or on the floor. “It opens up extra drawer space,” he says.
The toolbox was easy to configure with adjustable drawers and shelving. He keeps frequently used tools like sockets, extensions and ratchets in the top drawer for easy, everyday access.
“The way I’ve got it set up, is pretty much the way it’s going to stay. It took me a little while to figure out how I wanted it. Once I got it there, it pretty much stays there,” Mellgren explains.
About six years ago, Mellgren mounted a radio inside the box, adding speakers on top, as well as a refrigerator.
Because his shop works on all makes and models, and even performs body work, Mellgren added a pair of Mac rolling carts, which both measure 43” high by 36” wide by 20” deep. One has six drawers and one has three drawers with an open bottom. Both have slide-away top shelves on them.
“I’ve always had carts, but I got these two about a year ago,” Mellgren says, explaining the units add extra storage space and mobility from job to job. “I’m not always in my stalls. I may have to go over to the body shop and do a wire harness or I may have to go across the shop and do an alignment or something. So I’ll just pack my tools up on there and head across the shop.”
