Lifts

[Ken Greene]

ok 'm hopefully building a garage this fall and it WILL have a lift.
Was going to do a two post lift. But the place i am looking at purchasing from Mohawk lifts now has a another option....the TSL-7000
what do you guys think of this lift???? will build at lest one cobra with it... plus service a few porche 944's on it. plus service my tow vehicle.
sooooo what do you guys think???
no idea on price yet but the two post i was looking at was going to be in the 3 grand range installed

[Bill Wells]

hey, you can do what you want to do...but you won't find me under a scissors lift with a 7000 pound capacity. they could be fine, but not for me...i will stick with my 4 post STINGER drive on and two column two post assymetrical ROTARYLIFT lifts thanks.

i am sure they pass all safety measures, but seems to me to have more extra baggage underneath and to walk around/step over, reach thru or dodge around than you need to have.

all those arms / suppports will surely be in the way at some time. the platform the big suv is sitting on mght not be good for pick up points on your snake frame and/ or side pipes...or porsches

this design to me seems like too much restriction...see my pics in picture gallery...

my recommendation, reconsider other alternatives of more standard designed units . the cost difference can't be that much .

bill

[Lew the taxman]

I just bought a Bend-Pak 4-post lift. I bought it through Kragens Auto Parts (I don't know if you have Kragens in NY, but they're all over the country, maybe under different names). I purchased the lift with options for $3,400. That includes tax, shipping, and installation. They will call me, the first part of the week, for a delivery date. Really looking forward to it. Then I can get my daily driver out of the rain. Plus! I will finally be able to work on my cobra, instead of someone else.

Lew

[KobraKarl]

Bill

how do you keep the drips out of the lower car, also ,did shelby make a 66 conv? no offence ,i didnt think they went conv. till 67

Karl

[Bill Wells]

Kobra Karl...

* for the 4 poster lifts there are drip pans available that lay between the two ramps, in either plastic or stainless.

* for the 2 poster you take a large sheet of viscuine plastic with 2 bungee cords at each end that attach to the upper car underbody area fore and aft . the plastic then hangs closely to the underneath side of the car, i call it my plastic diaper.

* fortunately none of my cars leak outside of a drip or two now and then , but you never know when something will spring a leak somewhere.

* shelby made 4 GT 350 convertibles in 66 (about a dozen continuation cars years later from left over parts retrofitted). 3 of those 4 originals are left for sure, maybe all 4 (different reports about that...and earlier reports that 6 were originally made were flalse, with saac now saying only 4) . my car is a clone of a 66, all shelby parts plus some upgrades (5 spd, more engine mods etc) but is NOT a shelby serial..figure i save $150k or more and can drive the car ..LOL...kinda like my Superformance replica, eh ? (one of the original 4 sold for 185k about 2 yrs ago and another is going thru an auction in ft lauderdale in feb). there was only one prototype 67 convertible made , no production cars in 67...convertibles in volume did not start til 68.

bill.

[KobraKarl]

Bill

im just finishing up a 4 car garage right now, should be done in three weeks if i can trust my contractor (me) ive been puzzling a lift myself, since you have both types i like ,would you mind telling some pros & cons with each?

67 & 68 bodies are so close i didnt realize those were all 68's

[Bill Wells]

Kobra Karl...I lived in Bellevue for 5 yrs courtesy of my employer...best tour of duty I ever had, the Pac NW is God's gift to earth...

the following was previously posted by me on Club Cobra regarding pros and cons of a 2 post vs 4 post lift :



I have a two post assymetrical column hoist
and a 4 post drive on hoist. some quick comparisions after about 8 yrs using
ea:

TWO POST: generally requires much more ceiling height, 6-8" of floor
thickness, is bolted to the floor, comes in symmetrical or assymetrical
column choices, to my knowledge requires 220v (30 amp for mine), is more
limiting generally in frame clearance for pick up points ( low slung cars,
side pipe cars, small framed cars etc might need to be driven onto pieces of
wood for the 'two swing arms' to fit under the pick up points) . a great
lift if you are going to constantly detail the underside of your car, front
fender wells behind the wheels and frequently r/r your wheels and tires or
do a significant amount of suspension work. columns generally require, on
most of the hoists, ceiling hts of 10-14 feet depending on lift capacity and
brand. you have much more freedom for access of all undersides of the car as
it is not blocked by rails that your car sits on with a 4 poster. symetrical
columns place the car door at about 50/5o front to rear so caution needs to
be used when opening the doors so they dont hit the columns. assymetrical
places the car at 1/3-2/3 prox so the doors will miss the columns if car is
placed properly and depending on the car. for my 57 show car Bird this hoist
works great for attention to undercarriage detail etc for shows as
suspension/wheels are free hanging. for my SPF cobra replica and 65 mustang (66 GT 350 clone) with
side pipes it aint so hot as placement of the arms is difficult and can
squeeze the suspension pieces. also, if you are going to store a car
underneath it, the free hanging tires reduces the height of the car going
underneath as the top might hit the rear wheels driving on vs a 4 poster
where you have more clearance.

FOUR POST: much easier to use, just drive on. should require only standard
4" of concrete. can be bolted to the floor but does not need to be. wheels
can be ordered that attach on temp basis allowing hoist to be moved with or
without a car on it. can be powered with 110 or 220 power. column heights
are less than 7' , usually 6' . low slung cars can get on , if needed there
are longer drive on removable ramps available allowing cars of only 3"
clearance, or with pronounced front air dams to still clear. 'jacking trays'
can be ordered allowing you to jack up the car while on the hoist using a
bottle jack and then jack stands for brake/susp/tire change work etc. at
full lift ht you have more 'headroom' underneath for storing another car
there ,see reference above to wheels hanging down on a 2 post. this is my
hoist of choice .

CAUTIONS : remember to allow plenty of clearance overhead so car does not go
boom into obstructions : things generally over a car stall such as garage
door track (move it to the side), ceiling lights, low ceiling with door
lower when opened (get a 'high lift kit' and snug it up to the ceiling).
however, you can still fit many two cars in a lowered ceiling. my 2 poster
is under a 11-1/2' ht and my 4 poster under a 9-1/2' ht and i can still park
many combos of two cars over each other. in fact, i fit 5 cars into a 3 car
garage by stacking 2 over 2. remember when measuring for clearances to
measure the highest points, top bow or ht is higher than windhshield header.
a stock antennae adds a couple of more inches. i put power antennaes on 2
of my cars to get more clearance. sometimes a car can be backed onto the
ramp getting more garage door clearance, ie, longer hood fits better under
the door when opened than short front end and windshield. also, most mfrs
tell you to measure the ht of each vehicle and add 4" (normal 4 post cross
member dimension) to determine clearances. many of them forget to tell you
to add another 2" for clearance AND the ability to raise the car up off the
stop enough that the locking pins will clear the safety stops. I fit a new
Taurus and /or new model Mustang under either my 65 Stang or Cobra replica
under the 9-1/2' ceiling ht, while the lift can not go to full ht due to the
ceiling interference, i can still duck down enough to walk around under the
car, ala a little hunchbacked. 6 footers would have to hunch more, but you
do not need 10' or more ht to fit in a hoist. my guess is 10-1/2' ceiling ht
with no overhead obstructions is great for most car applications. 11' to
11-1/2' and you could probably lift a panel truck to full 6' lift capacity.

good luck with your choice. once you get one you will wish you had done it
sooner. no more aching backs working on tires or waxing, just raise/lower
the car to your preferred ht and work straight armed in front of
you....working /detailing underneath ? just get a stool or chair on wheels
and lower the car above you to an easy to reach ht while scooting around on
the chair underneath....Bill Wells

[Dwight]

l'm looking at lifts also. KMP