Turbinator Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Gents, I studied and studied over the best selection of garage lifts. I did all I could to buy American. My wants and needs coupled with I wanted to spend could not balance out for an American product. The two post lift just did not resonate with me, so I bought a 7000 lb capacity four post Challenger from a dealer in DE. The dealer assured me for what I was going to use the lift it was plenty strong and safe. The dealer installed the lift and I bolted the uprights in my 5” concrete floor. As I’ve aged physical problems out of my control made it necessary I have a lift. With the repairs and restoration I’ve been able to do with my lift it has more than paid for itself. I have a 10 ft ceiling and enough space to raise the 63 Riv and stand under with ease. So, if budget allows you have the space and you are a marginally competent mechanic I’d recommend you have a lift. Maintaining the under carriage is a breeze with the lift. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 I will comment and say A two post lift with the movable supports would give you more room and more access to the car. On mine I have a Jack that moves on rails back and forth. To take off a tire you must Jack the car up already on the lift. Arthritis I’m my back really limits your bending and twisting. I’m sure most of you already know about stiff joints! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Turbinator said: Arthritis I’m my back really limits your bending and twisting. I’m sure most of you already know about stiff joints! I'm a fast learner on that subject 😒 Thanks for your input on these 4 posts. Edited December 10, 2020 by MrEarl (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 On 12/10/2020 at 5:13 AM, Turbinator said: On mine I have a Jack that moves on rails back and forth. I did the same when I bought my Direct Lift. Local support was important to me and I also had them install mine. The fact that the Direct Lift is ALI certified sealed it for me. I was a little nervous about access with a 4-post, but I wanted to use mine for winter storage also, so that ruled-out a 2-post. Needless to say, like Turbinator, I'm very happy with my lift and undercarriage access really is quite good. The optional, sliding axle jack was money well spent. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 6 minutes ago, EmTee said: I'm very happy with my lift EmTee, I can see you very good with measuring tape. Your space for the two collector cars is well done. There have been times I wished I had a second sliding Jack. I get by with bottle jacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 Like you, I have a 10-foot ceiling. As you see, there's about 1 1/2" of clearance when I pull the Riviera into position with about 2" to the ceiling at the closest point. But hey, a miss is as good as a mile, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 12 hours ago, EmTee said: Like you, I have a 10-foot ceiling. As you see, there's about 1 1/2" of clearance when I pull the Riviera into position with about 2" to the ceiling at the closest point. But hey, a miss is as good as a mile, right? EmTee- A victory nonetheless! it has occurred to me to have a second collector car. You have demonstrated I have space. Of course the car height comes in to the equation. I’m not sure I have the desire to renovate another car. My car was in original when I got it. I could have lived with the overall condition if the car was a kept as a seasonal weekend driver. It was in me to improve the car to be as road worthy as possible for long trips. My first trip was over 800 miles and the only thing I experienced was a trunk leak and a firewall leak from rainwater kicking up on the interstate. Since then I’ve done some add on items that weren’t necessary, but I wanted them: security, coolant over flow tank, batter cut off switch, 4 note horns, vacuum trunk release, and some other minor stuff. I did have the engine rebuilt top to bottom. I’ll get the pic this morning of drill guides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 3 hours ago, Turbinator said: it has occurred to me to have a second collector car. You have demonstrated I have space. Of course the car height comes in to the equation. You could always let some air out of the tires if necessary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 20 hours ago, EmTee said: You could always let some air out of the tires if necessary! EmTee, The ROA gents ALWAYS have a solution. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelnut Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 It's a little more comfortable with an 11 foot ceiling. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 23, 2021 Author Share Posted January 23, 2021 54 minutes ago, Wheelnut said: It's a little more comfortable with an 11 foot ceiling. I’ll second the 11! Did you design the ceiling for the garage at 11 feet when you built? I love the Sedanette styling you have on the top deck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelnut Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 9:17 PM, Turbinator said: I’ll second the 11! Did you design the ceiling for the garage at 11 feet when you built? I love the Sedanette styling you have on the top deck. I think it's actually 11',2". But yeah, there was some intentional reason I chose that dimension when I designed it. Only now years later I can't remember why! I think it was a compromise between having room for a lift while not making it too tall for the inside stairway up to the 2nd floor loft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 9 hours ago, Wheelnut said: I think it's actually 11',2". The art of assembly and building always amazes me how much thought goes in to space utilization. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wasted space or did not allow enough space. I drew an 880 square foot 3 bay garage, stand alone. I put in what I thought necessary for ceiling height for a lift. My father in law a licensed professional engineer and at one time a supervising engineer built the. Garage for me. He did not use any supports in the middle of the garage. He specified engineered roof trusses. In summation in worked out good. I’ve always been the helper on residential construction work. Never laid out a job. I’ll get a pic when I can find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Four post lifts are fantastic for both service and storage. I built my garage ceiling at 13 feet for my tall pre war cars. I bought 9k lifts that go extra high. I put the "thin" cars on top. I have 85 inches clear underneath........makes for so much room you don't even have to duck to get in and out of the car. Best thing about lifts.........a much smaller garage saves yearly tax bills that can run up to thousands of dollars per year. When building a house or garage, spending a little more in the beginning saves thousands later on. Two post lifts are not good options for many cars..........the four post also has some drawbacks......here is something to consider.........much less than a larger garage, and no posts in the way. They will handle a Duesenberg as is.....and no problems with door clearance.............I also like these new platform lifts because you can put a motorcycle or jet ski on them........as well as lawn mowers and kids bikes.............I have seen one with a platform that is the "workshop with a bench and tool box". Edited January 25, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Love having my 4 post. Leaves my 2nd bay open to pull in and work on other cars or household projects. I did 12ft side walls on my building to accommodate. It's nice, I can run the car up and down with the hood up when working on it and have plenty of space. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 22 minutes ago, NC-car-guy said: Love having my 4 post Great installation. Plenty of room. for both cars. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 How tall is the clear area at the lift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 10 feet. I have a 63 Riviera that is 53” high. I’m 5’i8”. With the Riv on the lift inches from the ceiling I have plenty of room to stand under the lift for work. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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