wackjum

Finally after a few fits and starts (thanks Hurricane Harvey), I finished my garage overhaul and I can now get all of my sports cars under one roof! I hope this is the right subforum as it is car related. I got a 4 post lift!

This thing is so cool. I have been messing with it ever since it was installed. It is going to open a whole new world of maintenance/DIY for me. For the next 3 weekends I've already budgeted working on a few maintenance things that I have been putting off.

I did all of the modifications to my garage myself, and I assembled the lift myself too. If you're a car enthusiast, I think you really should look into getting one and I would recommend Advantage Lifts without hesitation.

mrmako

Nice collection of toys.

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

Badass. No 4 doors allowed!
Did you have to reinforce the concrete at all for the lift?

wackjum

The 4 doors are parked in the driveway. Actually I tried to get a double lift so I could get 4 cars in, but there was no way my garage door could accommodate it.

I did not have to reinforce the floor. You might with a two post lift since you have to bolt them in, but this is not necessary for a 4 post since it just sits there like a table. As matter of fact, it comes with casters so you can re-position the lift.

SamDoe1

Nice! What modifications did you have to do to your garage to accommodate the lift?

Costco

That's awesome, plus no need to dig out the concrete in your garage!

NSX is the perfect choice to put up top, given how low it is

wackjum

I had to cut out some rafters that ran across my garage. I had a structural engineer come in and evaluate the building before I did anything. He determined the beams did not really provide much structural support and could be safely removed, and drew up some plans for reinforcement gussets I had to install.

The existing lighting fixtures (two bare bulbs) hung from the rafters so because I was removing the rafters, I ended up installing 8 LED workshop type fixtures further up in the roof. I ran power into the roof of the garage for them.

I also had to remove my traditional overhead garage door opener and change over to a jackshaft opener.

The lift draws a lot of power and was tripping the existing garage's 15 amp circuit, so I ran a new circuit from the panel on a 20 amp breaker.

That's about the main things I had to do for the lift itself. I also added some receptacles on the back wall so I could get every car onto a battery tender. And I tuned my garage door and replaced the steel rollers with nylon rollers while I was at it. That made a huge difference on the noise and smoothness of the garage door.

Also, I had to remove some shelves I had built in the garage to make space. I constructed a gravel pad behind the garage so I could put a storage shed on it to hold all of the displaced stuff.

All in all, it took me about 6 weeks to do all of the changes and one weekend to assemble the lift.

I'm going to bed soon but I can get some more pics tomorrow of the changes.

TacoBello

TacoBello

AZuser

Where do I turn in my car enthusiast membership card?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the 911 is my dream car. can I come by and merely look at it?

CCColtsicehockey

Wonderful collection you have going on there. Lifts are awesome. I would be nice to fit 3 cars in a 2 car garage.

Any pictures of the convereted garage door? I would have to do this as well to add a lift.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

OK, first thing... I love the cars

But.... I have questions on the lift . What made you go 4-post over 2-post? I've been leaning 4-post b/c of the storage advantage, however, I feel like it's easier to work on a vehicle with a 2 post... especially stuff like brakes, tire rotations, etc. That's really been my dilemma and I'm revisiting it as I'll be building a shop in the next 6-10 months...

SamDoe1

This is good to know. They are also located in Elk River MN which is like 15 mins from my house. Should save on shipping...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

FYI one of the garage doors in our garage is modified to fit a lift. They just raised the tracks for the door all the way to the ceiling to make room. I can grab a pic next time I'm there...

CCColtsicehockey

From the research I have done a 2 post is definitely better for doing work but they are not nearly as safe to use for storage plus you need to have proper concrete work to do a 2 post. You can get a 4 post with a lift frame in the middle to help you with brakes, suspension work, and wheel swaps. The only thing then that it really prevents is doing exhaust work. Those are the ones that I have been looking at.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Yeah, I've seen the 4 post lifts that have that middle frame lift to get the wheels in the air and that's the way I've been leaning. For the few times I'll do exhaust work I can just use a jack with stands if it's not on a truck since I can just crawl under those no problem

wackjum

Actually my NSX is needing some work. But I did buy it that way. Once I get some time to dig through it, we'll see how bad it ends up being.

The real problem is not height or weight. My biggest problem is the garage door. I have already set up the garage door to not go up all the way, but there is still not enough clearance. The NSX is the only car that can fit above without having to park backwards so the door will go over its hood. The other two cars have to be moved in backwards.

Here's some shots to show how much space there is still to go, and how tight it is where the door ends up being.









I just mean it is not as inaccessible as you think. I made it a goal of mine to eventually get a lift. It took 3 years, but I finally was able to execute and I'm glad I did.

The first time I put a car on the lift and then walked underneath, it was a fascinating experience. It doesn't matter how many pictures or diagrams you've seen, being able to see and access the underside of your own car on your own terms is amazing.

PM me. We can meet up.

The garage door is the same. This is my door opener:



So I was thinking of getting a lift for at least 3 years. I have since thoroughly prodded this topic to death. Here's what I've learned:

Yes a two post lift is better for servicing. They do need to be bolted into the ground though, and they require significantly more overhead clearance to operate. For me, a 2 post was never a serious consideration because my primary concern was safe storage. Being able to work on the underside was a huge bonus but the lift would be spending 95% of its days just for storage.

Most of the 4 post lifts have a rolling jack tray option. It is a very sturdy and removable metal tray that goes between the two parking platforms. You can then either get a proprietary jack, or you can use a bottle jack and stands to lift the car off the platform so you can service the suspension. You can also remove the tray entirely to get full access to the underside for exhaust work. With the jack tray, I think a 4 post can do almost everything a 2 post can do (if not quite as elegantly) while being much safer to use, easier to install, and safer for storage.

There are 4 main brands to consider out of the 4 posts. There's Bendpak, Direct Lift, Backyard Buddy, and Advantage. There's a few others but I think they're mainly rebadged generics of the Direct Lift.

The Direct Lift Pro Park 8 is by far the cheapest and smallest, and I was pretty set on probably getting one of these. But after seeing one in person, I was not particularly impressed with the design and quality. Both the Direct Lift and the Bendpak HD-9 are C-channel designs. This means the 4 posts are like a C or a U and the lifting platform fits inside this channel.

The Bendpak is significantly heavier duty than the Direct Lift. Even though it is a C-Channel design, it does look to be quite a bit sturdier in construction. I observed some Bendpaks and I thought this was the direction I would go. Unfortunately, Bendpak is the most expensive option as they nickel and dime you on every accessory. I also couldn't get through to Bendpak itself with some questions I had. Finally, the Bendpak requires an airline to operate the locks and this seemed like a hassle to me. I do have air in my garage but I don't leave my compressor on all the time.

The Backyard Buddy had the highest base price but both the BB and the Advantage use a fully boxed post. Basically the posts are square and the lift rides on these posts on a track that fully wraps around the post. The BB also is supposedly entirely made in America.

Then I came across Advantage Lift, which looks to be a copy of the Backyard Buddy but made in China. Their pricing is much more competitive. I also liked that I got the cell phone numbers of the president of the company and their main sales guy who completely walked me through every question I had. I could text them questions I had. I really liked that because I was working with so many dimensions and everything had to be perfect or the lift wouldn't fit. What finally sealed the deal for me was when I saw their lift in person at the Mecum Auction in Houston. They were running a special at the time for 10% off so I ended up getting my lift for $3,300 shipped.

If you check Youtube, Advantage Lift has a 5 part video where they cover the entire installation process from unpacking and getting it off the trailer to putting in the last bolt. It made me really comfortable to buy it, knowing that if I bought the Bendpak, I'd probably end up having to hire professional installers (yet another cost).

The downside to Advantage Lift is that they only have essentially one size. They have their basic 9,000 lb model, then their extra height/extra long 9,000 lb model, and then they have a double lift.

Bendpak, Direct Lift, and Backyard Buddy all have 7,000 lb lifts which are significantly smaller dimensionally. I may still get a 7,000 lb lift if the space permits on my unused side, but that's far enough into the future that I am currently not looking into it at all.

Also, Direct Lift and Advantage come with the main accessories in the price. This is the underside trays (plastic trays that stop condensation/oil/dirt from falling on the car below, the rolling jacking platform, and the positioning casters. These accessories alone add another $1200~ to the price of Bendpak and Backyard Buddy.

CCColtsicehockey

$3300 shipped That is far more reasonable than the ones I have been looking at in the past. Bendpak is what I had been looking at a few years ago.

I appreciate you sharing all your research. Definitely saving this.

00TL-P3.2

Envious. The first photo really makes the 996 look quite large next to the AMG.
Justin can have the 996, the NSX & AMG would get all my attention.

wackjum

Any questions you have on installation, operation, whatever, just let me know. I will help if I can.

I had to solve a number of complications before I could get the lift to work out. The main problem is that my garage door is pretty much fixed where it is.

Most people have garage doors rails that are suspended quite a ways from the ceiling like this: (Pictures stolen from google images)



That's pretty easy to deal with. You just need to get a high lift conversion kit. The de facto supplier is this garage door shop out of Chicago called DDM Garage Doors. I spent a good bit of time on the phone and by email with him trying to figure out a solution for my garage. In the end, there was nothing he could do for me, but I would highly recommend him. I think he the only source of DIY high lift conversion kits anywhere.

Here is a pic after high lift conversion using his kits:



If this solution works for you, then great. You can pretty much get any lift on the market.

If you don't have a high flat ceiling but a sloping ceiling, you might be able to do a "follow the pitch" style garage track much like this (image from Google):



I couldn't do this either due to my garage not having a uniform slope.

I thought about converting to two single car garage doors. That way I could follow the pitch on the lift side and keep the other side the same, but the costs were pretty high.

I also looked into custom swinging carriage style doors but the price was astronomical ($11,000). A local carpenter thought he could build a set of doors for $7,000 but this was still too much for me for a pair of doors.

If you're in a snowy area, this is especially not going to work for you as you'll need to clear the sweep area of the doors.

In the end, what I ended up doing was cutting 5" off the 4 posts so the lift could fit under the garage door. On the Advantage Lift, this means I lose the topmost lock. Nobody at Bendpak could give me an answer on whether I could make this modification.

It was an adventure. And figuring out the garage door problem took a few years off my life I'm sure.

wackjum

Actually the two cars are almost identical in size, except the SL55 is longer by 4 inches.

The SL is pulled up further because there are some shelves in front of the 911.

00TL-P3.2

Must be the angle & the SL being further forward, they definitely look closer in size in pic 2.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for all of the info!

This option is what I have been eyeing up with the 4-post lift options and is likely what will steer me in that direction. The ease of a 4-post lift combined with this option makes it very enticing for me. Like you, most of the time will be storage and really the only maintenance I'll be doing regularly is oil changes and tire rotations, both of which seem easily possible with a 4-post lift and the right accessories.

SamDoe1

Dude, thanks for the info. All of this really helps. I actually got the go ahead from the boss to start looking into what it would cost and take to make this happen in my third stall. Now I'm excited.

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

So awesome ... I'm jealous of how high your garage ceilings are and your lift setup.

As much work as I do to my car, I would kill for a lift .. working on the ground sucks.

wackjum

I just wrapped up my first big maintenance job with the lift, which was a transmission pan drop and transmission 3x3 drain and fill on the FX50S.

I managed to get a few more shots of it in action to help you see the flexibility of a 4 post.

Here it is unloaded.



Here's a closeup of the rolling jack tray.



FX up



Full length access to the underside.





Pardon the FX. It lived its whole life in Massachusetts.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Those pics were super helpful!! Looks like even if I wanted to do an exhaust swap or something I'd have full access. Awesome

As for the rolling jack tray... are you just using a regular (mechanical) jack as opposed to their hydraulic or airbag jacks? Sorry for all the questions. I'm literally meeting with a builder in a few hours so this is fresh on my mind

wackjum

So I have not personally used my lift in this manner yet, but after reading substantial posts and youtube videos and examining my own setup, what I think I am going to do if I need to get the wheels off the platform would be to jack the vehicle up while it is still on the ground (roll a jack right in between the rails and jack up on diff or front subframe) and then I would put the car on jack stands on the lift's rails. Then I would raise the car like normal.

I also have a bottle jack I can use to lift from the rolling jack tray. But so far I've just used the tray as a place to hold my container as I drain fluids.

I don't have any suspension/tire related maintenance coming up yet, but if I do I will post pics of how that goes.

wackjum

BTW the jack tray is heavy duty. I didn't take it out for the pics to show full access because it weighs at least 60 lbs and has a capacity of over 4,000 lbs.

CCColtsicehockey

Thank you for all the pictures. My garage door is like the first picture you posted with adjustable rails. I would just need the extension to flush it to the ceiling.

Now to start saving to do a lift next year.

wackjum

Then you have the ideal garage. Or as ideal as a residential garage can have without being custom built.

If you can see my top set of rafters (not the ones at the level I had to cut out, but the ones above that), that is 12'

With my SUV on the lift, it looked like I was getting to within 6" of that. So I parked the lift at the closest lock setting. If I bent my head, I could stand underneath the SUV. I just put a rolling stool underneath and worked that way and it was perfectly fine. I think I probably had at least two lock settings left to go before the SUV would be in danger of contacting the 12' rafters but I didn't want to chance it. It can be hard to judge distance when looking from the ground.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the info. That's a good idea as well (jacking it up while on the ground, then put jack stands. Probably more stable that way as well...

Majofo

Wacky.. based god

Majofo

Does you SIL still have tig ole bitties?

wackjum

Yes. But now the rest of her body is catching up (she's getting a little pudgy).

I mean I have no idea what you're talking about.

Majofo

I stopped reading after Yes.

I'm still in Austin, HMU if in town and tryna check out tig ole asian bitties..
Bring Justn, we'll hit up Yellow Rose. It's where all the naughty asian UT girls go to make ends.

tl4thewin

I friends dad was in his garage and hurricane harvey came in and crushed him

cu2wagon

This is an awesome thread. I too have a pie-in-the-sky dream of putting a lift in the garage. And almost thought it might be possible, except for the relatively short ceiling in my garage. Even considering all those garage door track tricks, I think my only real option is getting a new house first.

The local dude exhaust place I took my wagon to when I gave up on trying to install the exhaust myself, had a 4-post that he uses. There was plenty of room to work underneath along the full length of the car. It's what put a slight glimmer of hope back in my mind that I might be able to put one in my garage, until reading about all this door track drama. I don't see where you'd run into problems doing exhaust work with a 4-post vs. a 2-post. Unless you're trying to change out a full length system on an extended bed F250 or something that sticks out over both ends. (But if that was the case, you could just lie on the ground and swap that bad boy out without a lift)

Oh, hey... Just chopped liver over here, I guess. Cool. I'll just hang out by myself. You guys have fun though.

Majofo

Brah, of course you're invited
but you and I are going to Kurt's house after
For reasons

Can pre-game at yellow rose tho