The ultimate cobra building garage

[14adrnln]

I am just in the process of rebuilding my garage/man cave and I just need to know if it's necessary to allow for extra roof height to accommodate a hoist? The shed will end up being a space of 10m x 12m with whatever height I need. When I do come to assembling my new Cobra is it wise to have a trolley on wheels (approx 750mm height) for the chassis to sit on while assembling or will a hoist be just as practical. What type and brand of hoist is best to look at bearing in mind that it will only be used for the build process and general maintenance after that. I am looking at going the whole hog with the new shed including a new tool trolley, the full race deck type checkered flooring, large bench areas and plenty of storage cabinets, lots of lighting and hopefully making it dust proof as well as we live in the country on a farm and I swear that every speck of dust that's floating in the air finds it's way into all my car sheds.
Cheers
Scott

[PeterAllen]

Originally Posted by 14adrnln

... the full race deck type checkered flooring,...

You'll never find a bloody thing that lands on the black squares!

[ICCARS]

I have a two post Tecalamit hoist (local guys in Adelaide supplying the best quality around IMHO) but not cheap, however the open base hoist columns such as mine stands 4mtrs high. For your reference..

[spookypt]

2 years ago I built a 15 X 12 barn style shed with all the fruit. On review....its too small!

[Modena]

look at these links, and remember;

yes you need a hoist, or preferably two (4 poster and 2 poster)

whatever you think is big enough, double it and then add a bit

Spookypt's Shed Build

A bloke needs a shed

Stiffy's Shed Update

Another bloke needs another shed

Finally new home (shed) for the Cobra

Another Cobra dream - and blokes shed

Another bloke needs a shed.

[Tenrocca]

Ive just installed a 4 poster. My garage ceilings are approx 2.9m, and with this I get 1.6m clearance underneath with the windscreen about 20mm off the roof. Im cutting a pocket into the ceiling to give me the extra 200mm so I can go to the max lift on my hoist and I can walk under without bending (1.8m). So your looking at about 3.2 ceiling height to be safe.

Big is better when it comes to sheds. I did mine in a double garage...just.

[Antny]

There is nothing better than having a lift, especially as we get older. Working under the car like a human (standing upright) should not be underestimated....the quality of your work will be exponentially better.......and you'll suddenly have many friends that you never thought you had! Go for the added height, you won't regret it.

[Jaydee]

I just bought a Nussbaum clear floor 2 poster from Molnar. But it does need 4 metres height. Very clever design. It uses 2 rams and no balance pulleys or cables.
JD

[MikeFromPerth]

this one was discussed recently on the forum I think:

AAQ | Shop | Viewing AutoLift AL-10000T car stacker / parking lift for domestic or commercial use

everyone i've ever read on this forum talking about a hoist says they love it (or wish they had one)

[Aussie Mike]

I don't do crawling around under cars any more. 2 post hoist was the best investment I'd made in ages.

Mine is a 4 ton clear floor 2 poster with asymmetrical arms. Bought it from Radum.

If you do go for a 2 post I can recommend a clear floor style. If you are wheeling a trolley or anything under your car you will have a nice clear run. Remember for a lot of the time you will be pushing your car onto the hoist as you build or work on it. Not having to get it roll over the cross cable hump will make life easier too.

You do need a bit more ceiling height with the clear floor style. I think my shed is 5.5M to the peak but the hoist is about 4M tall from memory.



Welcome aboard. Post lots of pics. We love shed builds too.

Cheers

[Jerry Clayton]

The quality/thickness/reinforcement of the concrete is vitally important on the 2 post lifts.In my old shop I had 3 Rotary 2 post plus one alighnment type lift/setup

[Aussie Mike]

Yep, Jerry is right. You need a decent slab for a 2 post.

Mine is 32MPA with F72 mesh. it's 6" thick but closer to 7" under the hoist as i asked them to make it thicker in the center bay.


The hoist pits a fair bot of load on 2 small pads plus it relies on the holding of the big dynabolts attachint it to the slab. You don't want it cracking, the dynabolts pulling and the whole thing toppling over if you have an uneven or unbalance load on there.

If you only have a regular garage slab maybe go for a 4 poster unless you can drill it and see how thick it is.

Cheers

[14adrnln]

This is fantastic. Thanks guys. Lots of research to do now! So is a separate trolley still required or is the trolley capable of everything I'll need?
Cheers
Scott

[Ezakimak]

I would dearly love a hoist in the future.
My shed at the moment is 2400 below the rafters. 2500 between the rafters. So if I set it in the centre I could get the roof section to rise up between the two rafters. No going to leave much room though.

Will probably end up with a scissors lift table in the floor

[ICCARS]

Originally Posted by 14adrnln

This is fantastic. Thanks guys. Lots of research to do now! So is a separate trolley still required or is the trolley capable of everything I'll need?
Cheers
Scott

I built my first GT40 off a trolley that was 800mm off the ground (no hoist at the time) and finished it with the engine in it and everything done, then removed it from the trolley.. I was a bit younger and could easily manoeuvre myself around underneath the car - still think it's a good idea to have one with swivel castors on all four legs just in case you need to roll it around in the shed once you fill it..LOL
Using it to build my next GT40 and I will make another one for my Cobra build as they are so useful in my opinion.

[ICCARS]

Originally Posted by Aussie Mike

I don't do crawling around under cars any more. 2 post hoist was the best investment I'd made in ages.

Mine is a 4 ton clear floor 2 poster with asymmetrical arms. Bought it from Radum.

Welcome aboard. Post lots of pics. We love shed builds too.

Cheers

Hey Mike, wheres the canter-lever mount plates for your asymmetrical arm hoist set up? Mine requires them for the 4T load rating due to the arms being unequal length.

P.S. I would strongly suggest using Chem-set hold down bolts for any hoist as opposed to Dyna-bolts.

[boxhead]

Ideally I would say a clear floor 2 post hoist, but most assembly will be on a wheel around trolley.

[14adrnln]

Has anyone seen or tried the Hero single post 2.5T portable lift? I know it only lifts to 1.75m but looks like it could be a good option to move out of the way once the cobra build is finished and the space is turned into my car collection museum.

[14adrnln]

Check out Hero Hoist website to find what I'm talking about. I also just spotted one on ebay.

[ICCARS]

Hey Scott, I have seen those but I thought they were a bit bulky but definitely handy - the frames I use to carry the cars are easy to build out of 75x25x2.5 RHS tubing, and Dia. 4" castor wheels (swivel and brake all round).

Cheers