Amazing how some folks can make such incredibly silly mistakes. I use my trolley jack to get things going each side when using my home brew lift bars and I then lift each side in increments of three steps on the jack stands. I prefer to implement the final stages of the lift using a good bottle jack. If the trolley jack cannot roll it will simply pull itself from underneath the car as it raises. Nothing wrong with using the trolley jack but I feel more confident using the bottle jack with the trolley for back up.

To date I have used 3 tonne axle stands but recently managed to get a set of 6 tonne units so hopefully will have a bit more working room when I do my annual maintenance shortly..

 

Yes, jacking up/down in increments is important and safe.

 

These were literally the first investment i made in my car after buying it. Well worth the money. In fact, everything Porken product that i've purchased has been money well spent.

 

My garage is nice and flat, well within human tolerances at least lol. I plan to grab some of the Esco stands as well. Should be buying the bars today or tomorrow. Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

I'm cheap and made my own. I would say they are almost a must have..

 

That was, of course, a serious accident waiting to happen irrespective of the use of lift bars. Geometry might have been a subject he thought he'd never need after high school. But, he was mistaken.

These posts are a good reminder to all of us that is important to always 'check our complacency' at the shop door.

I forgot to do this two weeks back when RedFlash was here. I wanted to raise his GT a few inches on the stands. So, I put the huge floor jack under the middle of one of the lift bars and started pumping. After raising it just a bit I realized that just the front of the GT was lifting while the back was squatting. WTF?

I carefully set the GT back down then double-checked the height of the stands. I couldn't find anything wrong. I tried again and lifted from the center of the bar just a bit. Sure enough just the front was lifting.

I sat there a minute in total disbelief and puzzlement. Then it struck me: the entirety of the front suspension was on the floor in the other bay and the engine was on the stand behind me. How could this have escaped me??

Obviously... move the jack towards the rear about a foot and lift. No problem.

This and my above anecdote are a reminder of two things:

When you are lifting more-or-less two tons off the ground you need to have a healthy respect for mass, a healthy fear of getting crushed, a basic understanding of geometry, and 'stop' at the slightest sign of any issue.

All these things are necessary regardless of the type of mechanism used to lift and support the car.

Last, my above 'idiot' story is a reminder that the 928 has all the big heavy bits outboard of the lift points. This is of paramount importance when working on a two-post lift. The geometries involved are more complex and can result in a big, big crunch even with all the big bits still installed. (A long time ago, from a distance, I once saw a 928 almost tip off rearwards from a two post...)

 

Just bought a set. Thanks all for the suggestion.

...and a pic of my car incorrectly lifted last fall at a tire shop. I didn't know this was wrong at the time.

 

#1 - What did you use for searching?

Try "928 Liftbars":

https://rennlist.com/forums/search.p...rchid=37312559

#2 - There are differences between the cars, with the US 86 and 86.5 being the cutoff. Original bars were markedly different and only worked on the specific car. Ken redesigned them (in part to make them easier to fabricate) and the 'old car' bars will work on the newer cars.

This was near the bottom of the first page of search results posted above:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...new-style.html

#3 - As noted above, you are lifting something over 3000 lbs. Make sure you use caution and care when lifting. A smooth floor so that the jack can roll correctly is essential. Level is helpful but not absolutely necessary. The floor at my winter storage location is not perfectly level (concrete is pitched for drainage). There's maybe 1/4" or a bit more of 'wiggle' when it's up. I put a piece of plywood under one jack stand to stop it from rocking like a bad table at a diner. But it's safe & stable even when it rocks that little bit. I don't know if I can get it rocking enough to fall over. I have no interest in trying.
Personally, I put it up in the air in three steps. One side halfway up. Other side all the way up. First side the rest of the way up. Having the car tilted as much as it does if I go all the way up on one side with the other side still on the ground scares me. I may be overcautious, but I've seen cars fall off of jacks & stands.
I use Harbor Freight 6T stands. My jack will lift high enough to be almost all the way to the top of the adjustment range on those stands. Plenty of room underneath. I've done the pan gasket, clutch, shocks and axle half shaft with the car up on them (not all at the same time).
One of the nifty things about the bars is that they give an extra inch or so above the top of the stand. It may not be much, but it sure seems that way.

 

I own liftbars since 2005 and they move with me all around the world. The best and safest way to raise your 928. Money very well spend (like all other products from Ken).

 

When did he make that change? Anyone know?

 

Between my 4-post lift, my Jackpoint stands, and my Esco stands, I have a pair of lift bars that I bought a few years ago when getting my 928 that have never been unwrapped and just sitting in the corner since then. If someone local is interested in buying them, I'd entertain that.

I notice Ken has made a new design for the ESCO axle stands. Problem is I don't have any jack stands that have that axle stand type top and with 8 jackstands already (4 Jackpoints & 4 Escos), don't need to buy any more stands. If there were a version of the Liftbars that had welded flat plates on the under side at the ends where the stands go that would work with flat top jack stands, that would actually have some benefit, at least to me - maybe others too. Like the new gold finish too.

 

Scott - from your avatar, it looks like you have a Euro. I don't know what year it is. In 86.5 US spec, the jack points changed, and then stayed the same through the end of the run (and were the same points used on the 986/987/996/997). There are two types - the early bars, for 928's only, from 77 to 86, then the modern bars, for 86.5 forward. What I do not know is whether the Euro jack points changed from the old style before the S4 came out. I suspect all Euro cars through 1986 have the same jack points (there is no such thing as an 86.5 Euro car). You need to verify with Ken - call him or send him an email.

 

His new bars are good for all years. I love them.

 

Yes it is and it's an 82S so it should be ok. Ken does know. Thanks.

 

Is it weird to think that's a cool pic...