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[Blake Discher]

My garage is unattached, non insulated.  I'm looking at a kerosene bullet-type heater.  It's a standard two-car garage.  Any idea what expectation I should have about how many degrees above outdoor ambient I can achieve?  I'll likely install wall insulation, the pink sort that staples to the upright studs.

Thanks for any additional suggestions.

[tracepac]

Are you looking to maintain a temperature or simply raise it temperarily to work in there?
By bullet are you refering to one of the forced air style heaters?
The forced air heaters work great and put the heat out fast and on target.  You can get it pretty hot while it is running.  When I have worked in front of one I'd say it was in the 60 - 70 degreee range - no coat required.  Going to get something elsewhere in the garage was a diffeent story though.  I also believe that you need to have the kerosene bullet heaters vented so that you don't suffer CO2 poisoning.  So that will allow the cold in... Not sure on that since I have never actually read the directions and only used one in an open door situation.
  Keeping the heat in is a totally different story.  Most garages in my part of the States have zero design for temperature control.  My house was built in the mid 80's and the garage has a drywalled ceiling but there is no insulation above the drywall.  The walls are 2 x 4 studs while the rest of the house is 2 x 6.   If you are going to insulate the garage to retain the heat ( or keep out the heat in the summer) you should start up high and work your way down.  The roof leaks the most heat as heat rises and also gets the sun in the summer radiating the heat in.  You should also be able to find the hard foam pieces to fit into your garage door to insulate it.  I see them at our Home Depot and helped a guy install them in his garage ( either cut large and trim for a friction fit or use glue to help them stay in place).
   My brother in law went as far as to install a wood stove with a copper coil on it that fed into a radiant heat spread on his garage floor.  It's pretty funny to see him happy to lay in the garage floor.  

[Mark Richlen]

I use a gas infrared tube heater running along the ceiling, my garage is insulated.  The top of your head gets kind of warm if your ceiling is not real high, 10' in my case.  I would not use the kerosene heater, they are dangerous in an enclosed area.  I think the infrared would work ok in a non insulated shop because they heat you and the objects, not the air.

[Mark Jones]

Blake,

Without insulating the garage it will only be warm in front of the heater for the most part; the garage really won't heat up.  Without insulation the garage is really just a windbreak.

[Chahles]

I use Hydrosil   http://www.hydrosil.com/ radiators. They're electric, and filled with silicone so they won't freeze when shut off.
You can hook them up "hard wire" using 220 or 110 VAC, with a wall thermostat, or plug them into a 110 socket with the thermostat on the radiator itself. They are cheaper than gas or oil heat (so claimed), because...once the room...er...garage gets up to heat and it calls from heat again, they only go on part way so as to save electricity.
Check out their site for some very interesting reading.
You can also call their tech...tell them it's just for working on your TR, where it should be a comfortable 55 or 60 or so.
I have a 20 X 40 barn with a ten foot ceiling and use two 8-footers and a 5 footer. It can bring it easily up to 70 degrees, but I usually turn it down while working in a sweatshirt to 55 or 60.
Two more things Blake:
I bought their damaged goods. Had small dents and a few fins were crushed. As for the dents...who cares...as for the fins...I sat down with a coffee and my favorite radio station, and straightened them out.
Second: My barn is heated...3 1/2" pink on the walls...and 6" inches on the ceiling. I wouldn't pay for heat without it. Also....A ceiling fan is also a must....we miss feeling that precious ceiling-hugging heat without it

Good Luck

Charlie Costa
The Boston area
'57 TR3 small mouth
In "frame off" now
See my pics here
http://thecostafamily.net/triumph

[gusc]

Blake,

My metal shop is well insulated but my doors leak air something fierce. The insulation is mostly for protection from hot summer sun.

For cold weather I use highly directional quartz electric heaters. They need to be moved as you move your working location but I find them very efficient.

I use portable infrared LP gas heaters in my bus RV conversion, and they are very good, since I don't want to run my generator to have heat, but electric is better for garages.

I recommend blue foam board insulation for lining your garage vs pink insulation. It has a much higher R value and is easier to handle. You also eliminate all the itching from fiberglass strands.