Damn he sure does ... Bill, Buddy .... whassup ..... we love you man

 

REAL NICE Garth!


The hoist looks fab with new paint. Makes all the difference.

The unwashed among us may have been tempted to just jam it in ASAP, but now it looks new.

If I was back in NS I would be hauling over one of my tool boxes…. welcome or not.



BTW, I what is this vile little thing doing in your garage now?

 

The thing just looks damn nice!

 

... that little critter is there to lift the Big Reds (stowed on the bench behind it) into place for another project ...

 

Merci for the compliments.

The ceiling is ( currently) 9 ft. This will permit a clear 5 ft. under the car - think I'll put rollers on an 'easy chair' with a drink container.
Actually, the lift is strategically centered wrt the trusses above: two of these will be turned into reinforced rafters with 2x4, plywood plates, and screws. This will allow the remaining truss parts to fall victim to the sawzall .... and give 7 ft clearance under the car - just enough for anyone up to 5'18".
The garage door opener, like most, pivots at the door; therefore, it will have a cable hoist attached to its mounting bracket so that it can be swiveled up into the ceiling when the full lift is required .... so with a couple of simple mods, another 2 ft of lift is gained.

Actually, the first lift was the S4 - the dry run of the motorized column passed, so the roller chain was fitted for a tandem trial .... and then the S4 literally jumped into place screaming "try me, try meeee .." And the rest is history ..

 

Very cool, you done yourself proud!

 

I would tell you it looks good and that your hard work really shows through but I am a jealous bastard.

 

BTW...whats "300 Canucks" account to these days in US Dinero ??? Sounds like after months of working out the details...and "detailing" the works....you ended up with the deal of a lifetime here...Great job, and money well spent.

 

The generally pathetic $ Cdn has steamrolled above $0.90US recently .... shocking many .... so $270 in 'real money' .
That's not the whole story, for all the electrical cost ~$200 ( phase convertor, connectors,30A breaker, a deal on 50 ft #10 Tech Cable, etc), scrounged check plate, a case of beer for the sandblasting, $25 for paint, etc .... but it kept me off the streets.

 

Garth is now my personal hero - with his inspiration I am now shopping for a lift (again).

I may have to take a bike ride to Nova Scotia this summer (bonus points if anyone catches that quote)

 

Say Garth - what are those other two cars in the garage? I see the one BMW, but what are the spec's? Just curious... Also, I must admit, I am SOOOO jealous... Nice find bro!

 

Very nice.....I had Hoffman lifts at the shop for years.They are very sturdy and well built.One question.They come in single phase 220 volt.Why did you just buy a new electric motor?

 

That's interresting! I spoke to Hofmann techs, and they sent on a wiring diag. for a built- on phase convertor to allow 220v single P - which is the way they sold many units: however, they do not sell the convertor separately (NLA)! - and said that single phase motors were not available from them.
It was far cheaper to phase convert than buy a $500-800 reversing motor at local cost, fab a bracket, etc; Also, the oem motors are nice slow, compact, high torque 6-pole 1140 rpm jobs vs 1760 rpm 1P motors available here.

Any maitainence tips? What do you recommend for the spindle lube? Anything too light will fling off, so I was thinking of a light synthetic grease - or a moly CV high pressure grease ( = mess ).


Clint, that's an E34 535i 5-sp ( my 4-seater 'stealth Porsche' ) - and the other is the '80 928 in my sig. line.

 

Looks great and you will love it. A lift is one of those things that you will wonder how you ever got along without. For me the most difficult part was getting the pieces from the truck into the garage. Those things are really heavy.