Bud2

My vette is going to be up in the air so I want to get things right. Building a new garage and will have a 4-post lift, now some people tell me that I should have 6 inches of concrete under the pads of my lift while the rest of the floor can be 4 inches. I don't know but I was kindda thinkin' that if the floor was gonna break, it would breake when I lift the side of the vette up with the floor jack, it would break under those tiny little wheels of the floor jack. So, do I need the extra two inches of concrete?

Next question. If you wanted to work on the wheels of the car while on the 4-post lift, can you lift the car by using a hydraulic bottle jack under the frame and on the platform, then use a standard car stand for safety? This instead of the expensive contraption they sell to lift a car?

Thanks in advance.

Bud.

78Vette-SA

Mine is 4" thick and never had a problem with either the 2 post or 4 post. You can lift the car with a bottle jack if you park it in the right spot (centered) on the rails. I prefer to put 2 or 4 jackstands under the car and lower the ramps leaving the car (front, back, or both) in the air. I feel a little safer and it is easier to work on for me.

GCD1962

Mine is on a wood floor in a 150+ year old barn. No sag, no bounce. For jacking up on the lift you should buy a a jacking tray that fits inbetween the ramps and you can slide it back or forth the entire length.

randyward

As long as the ground is stable, you could put it on gravel with no problem. My 4 poster is one of the best things I've ever bought. Besides storage, you can put the car at the height you want to work on it, as well as what you mention, using jacks to lift the wheels. I just dropped the body back onto the frame using the lift and it worked perfectly! A slow, stable drop. Have fun.

64roadster

4" of concrete should be enough. My 4-post lift sits on a standard garage floor and there are no cracks anywhere. You'll want to make sure you have proper height clearance, I think Backyard Buddy Lifts recommend 11' in order to be able to stack cars. Since you are building your garage you should think ahead and have your garage door travel as close to the ceiling as possible, and make sure your garage door opener does not get in the way.

I would not have a garage without a lift ever again.

shemp

Most of the 4 post lift manufacturers sell a jack that
rolls on the runways to lift the car while on the lift.
Gregsmithequipment.com

Shemp

capevettes

The 5 or 6 inch concrete floor is for the 2 post. The 4 post does not require more than 4. Mine is a 4 inch slab and no problems with my 4 post lift. Mine also has a sliding jack tray which helps with wheel work.

KC John

If you don't have tall ceilings, you can still work on your car by using a rolling office chair. Although you won't be able to stack 2 cars unless they are both Vettes and you have at least a 8.5' ceiling.



I have a regular garage floor and no problems with stacking 2 cars. The base of these lifts are about a square foot, so they disperse the weight very well.

plaidside

I agree with everyone that 4" of concrete is plenty.
Here is a couple of pics of my jack that my kids got me from Christmas. I is adjustabel for any width lift and it sits on the top of the ramps.
You can lift both wheels at the same time, a real time saver.

JohnZ

An ordinary 4" slab is fine - even with a car on it, the "feet" at each column exert less than 9# per square inch on their contact surface on the floor.

As long as you're building, here are a couple of things to consider:

1. 8'-high doors (vs. standard 7' doors) - this will allow you to move the lift outdoors on its casters; mine are 8' just for that reason.

2. Set up the door in the lift bay as a "high-lift", with the channels snugged up almost against the ceiling; my ceiling is 12', the channels are 8" from the ceiling, and I can have the garage door fully open with the car at full stand-up working height on the lift.

hzz

Where did they get that jack? It looks like a good one.

a560156

Yet another lift thread? Please read the FAQ section sticky at the top of this section. It's all there fellas...

plaidside

It is very well built and it sure makes working on the car so much easier. I can't remember the name but I think this is the one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Four-...1%7C240%3A1318

BADBIRDCAGE

Right next to the sections on how wide of a wheel and tire can I fit on my car with stock trailing arms, what color should I paint my car and how much is it worth.

Once in a while it's actually good to have a new thread on a worth while subject.

Rich

a560156

Rich, I have no issue with worthwhile subjects, except that the FAQ sticky was built and created for a reason, to address topics that consistently appear, such as the subject of this thread. There is also a searchable archive.

BADBIRDCAGE

10-4 We are actually in agreement. And I realize that not every new member is aware of the stickys or FAQ section. I sure wasn't when I joined.

Just that over the past few months there seem to be MANY MANY MANY repetitive threads and no one calls them out.

In this particular retread thread I learned something I hadn't previously known about the lift mechanism to use with the four post lifts from Plaidside. Thanks for that.

Rich

HIRISC

Let's be honest - how many truly new/different topics can this forum generate?

which tire/cam/exhaust is best/need help deciding colors/Z51 or not/best mod for $100/how much is my car worth/car for sale/car wanted/roof flew off today/brake dust solutions/best way to jack up my car/which oil/gears griding, what should I do/NAV sucks/chrome or gray wheels/how do I lower my car/prices are way up/down/should I buy a ZR1/clear bra OK?/etc..........

So what if there is a new thread about something that someone over 10 years has previously discussed? Yes, search works for some, but it's a forum - the basis of which is to be involved.

Trophy Blue

Don't forget to mention the "restamp" section.

Vogie

I never read the articles. I just look at the pictures.

Chuck Gongloff

When we built the new house in Florida, I "cathedral-ed" the ceiling in one bay. I have your typical 4" slab.

BUT...one thing to consider is a Lift-Master opener. Also, you have to position the garage door runners parallel to the ceiling. The Lift Master opener eliminated the opener "hanging" in the middle. During the building of the house, I was there when the door installer was putting up the doors. I told him to be sure to place the runners in one bay parallel to the ceiling and to use the Lift Master opener.

Well, I left for a few days, and when I came back, the DS had put the runners even with the other garage door, and had built a "Rube Goldberg" scaffolding device to hang the STANDARD garage door opener. Idiot.

They had to come back and do it again, and do it right this time.

BTW, I've had a lift in my current garage for over 10 years, sitting ON the concrete, NOT bolted down. NO problems.

Chuck