Dr. Strange

Hi everyone. i am in the fortunate position of building a garage from the ground up. The one key thing that I want it to have is a lift so I can perform basic DIY on my 997...but I also am tempted to buy an old beat up 911 or even something like a Karmann Ghia or Bug and fiddle around with those too. Does anyone have a recommendation for a lift that will work for all these scenarios and will be out of the way...in the floor...when not in use? I have watched videos and read about Jack Olsen's 12 gauge garage. That's sort of what I had in mind...

Dr. Strange

It appears that a common solution to this is a Bendpak MD-6HP. Its quite a bit longer than the hydraulic table used by 12-gauge garage...but it looks like a good solution if it will fit (81 X 40 X 5). So...I may just put a trough in the concrete and lay this thing in there.

There is a post on rennlist on the ability to get the tranny out when using this lift on a 993. The guy made a couple minor mods to make it easier. I don't ever see me nee]ding that on my 997...I wouldn't trust myself with that level of work. But if I was working on an old bug or something, then I would want to be able to get the transmission out for sure.

Ok...bedtime...

NBTBRV8

I would go for a 2 post hoist as you can do so much more with a car on one of these than a hydraulic table. A 2 poster will allow you free access to all the underside of the car and you can raise it much higher which is better for working on things like the brakes.

They are pretty cheap nowadays too.

Canyonrs4

I have been considering a lift as well, I have a friend that has the MaxJax, portable 2 post lift. The great part is you can unbolt it and move it out of the way. It lifts high enough to do most things you need to do on the Porsche. http://www.maxjaxusa.com/index.html

I realize you are building a new garage so this may not be the right solution but it is great solution in an existing garage.

wc11

If you Google car lift, there are literally dozens of different types.

I myself am in the process of setting up the garage for a lift.
I'm going with a 4 post drive on.

The biggest reason is that a post in the middle of the garage floor limits storage capabilities.
Also, there are drip & tool trays to protect things store underneath.
with a 4 poster, I can still roll still under from the side (like my snowmobile trailer) when the car is stored.

There are attachments for a 4 poster which allows for alternate lifting with wheels off the ground to work on the brakes.

BIG smoke

Where are the garage photo's and address. I need garage ****. San fran, too far. Pickering, very close.

Dr. Strange

I guess it's a matter of personal choice, but since I am building the garage from scratch, I really like the idea of building something in that I don't have to move around when I need it. I am thinking the table/scissor route because I can just have the garage slab poured with a trough and lay the thing in there. I'll never have to move it.

Two and four posters do indeed look very versatile...but I am not too keen on having posts in my garage all the time...

JackOlsen

I think Bend Pak has a new model coming out toward the end of this year that is like mine, but is split into two sections, so only the rockers are obstructed. It can be mounted flush in the ground like mine, too.

Depending on the size of your shop, a 2-post is either the perfect solution or it's something you're going to be tripping over. I'm limited to a 20'x20' space, so my lifting location also has to be my parking spot.

Big Smoke, I don't know if this qualifies as garage ****, but here's a video of my lift in operation, and also a couple of pictures of my shop.

The cheesy video

.







And wait, you said **** -- so this is from the current issue of Hot Rod, with an actual girl in the place:

Mick The Kraken

And here I was about to post a link to the video I saw on Petrolicious about your garage. A really damn neat space there, Jack. And what a killer car. Ridiculously nice work, all around.

PrimeMvr

Jack, do you have anything between the tiles and the belly pan or does it just lift right against the pan? I have a scissors and always put blocks under the jack pad points because I'm chicken to try lifting right against the pan. Talking my 930 and SC here. Thanks, Steve

My garage is far from cool, but it has a lot of space and work areas.

Mlbraptor

Nice garage..

Domer911

Damn...JackOlsen wins on so many levels. I have a brand new Bend Pak HD9ST sitting around waiting for my now-3-months-overdue project to get finished, so I can't tell you a thing about it.

Dr. Strange

Thanks for the info on the new lift Jack...and for the post. I was studying your garage last night and plan on borrowing several elements. I would be interested in knowing where the controller for your lift is located...I love how clean it all looks. Just fantastic. I will have a similar size space in the new garage I am building...a three car garage with two spots already spoken for.

JackOlsen

Thanks, guys. If you haven't seen the Petrolicious video about my 911 and the garage, there's a link in my signature. If nothing else, you'll discover that my spoken voice sounds nothing like my written posts.

That's a nice setup, Steve. I do have blocks for the lift for my other cars. And I used to use a piece of padding between the car and the lift. But then I was re-doing the underbelly cover for my car -- it's just a sheet of aluminum that runs from the nose to the rear swaybar and smooths out the airflow under the chassis. I hit on the realization that the sheet would be flatter (more parallel to the road surface) if I found something to pad the section behind where things dip down for the front crossmember and before things come down again for my aftermarket swaybar. The padding I'd been using on the lift was the right size and thickness -- and it was light -- so I moved it in between the belly pan and the sheet of aluminum. So now there's padding cushioning the lift whenever I use it, and I never have to remember to put it there.

With the hydraulic lift table, the motor, pump and everything else is tucked down in the lift itself. So I have a two-button switch for it. I routed a hole under the concrete that comes up under that center island, and the control line goes out through that (along with the power line for the lift). The switch is mounted to the pillar. I originally had a foot switch, but decided I wanted to force the operator to stand clear in order to raise or lower the thing. I also wanted it where kids couldn't easily reach it.



Here's a picture where you can see the way the motor and pump are housed. The yellow cord goes to a set of sensors that run around the perimeter of the top and stop the thing if it's lowering down on a toe or other object. The picture also shows just how much access this thing allows. There really isn't anything on the 911 that I can't service with it.



And while that's all nice and clean and hypothetical, here's a shot with some actual work getting done.



The thing I like about mine is that when it's not in use, there is absolutely nothing to trip over. It's just more floor.



But whatever kind you get, a lift is an incredibly handy thing to have. You'll love having one.

f4 plt

For what it is worth, I thought about a 2 or four post lift, and still do from time to time as it would be great to store one car above another. However, for space savings I went with the Snap-On scissor lift similar to Jack's and have been very happy. Mine sits on the floor and thus I had to make some ramps to provide clearance for lowered vehicles. So far, and it has been over five years I have been happy with the arrangement. My wife likes it also as when we have a large social gathering the car is put outside and the lift becomes a table for hot food. Happy wife means more toys