i would like to get a lift for my shop....but many reasons a standard lift doesn't work..including a low ceiling....
but......
if i was to fab a simple scissor lift, with a hydrolic mechanism ...( kinda like the one on pelican).....
but will the jack points under the car be positioned far enough back to have proper weight distribution....i am thinking of being able to lift the car 4 feet
any contributing ideas?

Harbor Freight makes one that occasionally goes on sale. To do it yourself, you a shop with steel stock, fasteners, and all the fabrication equipment. Add to that design time and chasing down all the parts and pieces necessary to complete it. It's a lot of effort, IMO.

Andys

I was thinking of making a lift that folds up underneath the car, pulled by a winch at the front...sort of like this...

Click to view attachment


sorry about the bad graphic...that is a top view...and i wouldnt -actually- do that, there would have to be some struts and other reinforcements added in obviously....

Fairly cheap aswell! I think they are around $800

snapon 4ft lift scissor lift is about 4g...
harbor freigh 1000

good ones in between like bendpack, etc are about 2 thou

this looks kinda skookum...

If that is the typical length, assuming the tiles on floor are 1 sq. ft. each, why would you use it? Everything under the 914 would be blocked from access to work on except in the wheel areas if I am seeing the lift correctly.
That garage is cool looking whoever owns it. Is that Mike Mueller's garage?
MikeCool

Harbor freight $899

That, or else the back of the car is hanging so far out from the lift that you end up impersonating Qarl's Elise

Wasn't there some recent news about people getting injuring from scissor style lifts and improper positioning of the vehicle? I seem to recall a picture of an SUV that had rolled of the side because it hadn't been centered properly...

I disagree, both 914 and 911's are nice to work on with scissor lifts because the lift mechanism is under the body and that leaves the engine compartment area all open for access. I like the scissor lifts cause it allows work on the suspension and everything also.

-Britain

oh, and that garage is a guy on Pelican BBS who lives in Sacramento or something, he has a red track car 911.

-Britain

yup! they rock...

guy on PP i bought my 911 front end from had one....

he gave me a killer deal... but i had to pull it off the 911 myself... oh darn... he has this bitchin snapon scissor lift....

best 20 minutes of wrenching ever !

pops and i are gonna buy one...

.....is the one pictured up top a "snap-on' scissor?

i guesse it is recessed in the floor for a reason

I have this cool lift that I got from Lockheed, well, I got it from some scrappers that were paid to take it from lockheed... Anyway... Apparently, it's supposed to take an item (satellites?) that's standing upright, and it lays it down horizontally. It's seriously beefy, and it's supposed to move up to 7,000 lbs, with really heavy casters and all. I've been toying with making it into a scissor lift, when I un-bury it from the back of the garage one of these days.

Anyway, just sayin'.

Pete,
I own a Bend Pak (scissor lift) that I bought for my 911 and the front engined cars that we have in the family. I have had my 914 on it for maint. but have not tried an engine pull. The car is very stable and really makes life alot easier. Do a search on ASE (automotive service equipment) These guys run some good deals on price and shipping. Just remember, our 914s are much lighter than most vehicles out there, but you are still going to be working under about a ton of car. These lifts have a maximum capacity of 6000Lbs.
Good hunting,
Phatnine11

HAHAHA

no... that garage, you can see the floor... Mike mueller has so many projects in his garage, you cant see the floor!!!! SOOO many cool tools.... ohh.. like his lathe, cnc, presses, saws, bla bla bla...

Anyone use a sissors lift for engine R&R?

Always wondered if the area under the engine is clear with the lift down? Seems like the legs extend outside of the lift pads when down?


Click to view attachment

I would be scared to work under the car like that unless those feet had 8 foot anchors.

I live in California and got scared out of my wits when we had a small earthquake and I was under the car.

Your area may not be subject to the natural qualms as mine is but, I personally wouldn't do it........

But

keepers could be welded on.....
plus if that is how i go....in an eathquake, under a 914, on a scissor lift.....
that would not be the worst thing to happen...."IF" it happened....

i think a possible nightmare.....
far fetched...but none the less a nightmare
a eathquake.....
while under....
a 911....
on a scissor lift....

Interesting you bring this up. I was just yesterday taking pics and measurments of the Strap On lift I use at werk, to build one for home. If you have thebasic ability it is a piece of cake to build one of these. I have several pics and all measurements if interested. mostly 2x4 box and some 1/2' plate for brackets.

better shot of the pistons and stop setup. NOT at full extension, roof of the car hits the ceiling before it tops out ( 8' ceiling ) I am planning on a step by step article when I build this but it won't be until spring at the earliest

This is where the expense will be. Push button for up and push in handle to lower.

wow thanks scotty!
i will be pm-ing you for more ideas....
or just post em here....

The end above the pistons is mounted with pins to rotate. This would be on the 2 inside arms

The opposite ends of the outer arms (follow that? ) have a piece of solid stock welded onto a pin which rides in a greased up piece of channel. See what kind of technology $4000.00 gets ya?

my dad and i are looking at bendpaks....

2 piston models came more reccomended then the single piston varieties....

to get a low 911 or a 914 on one of tehse you gotta use a pair of 2 x 12's as ramps to clear teh 4-5" base of these lifts

thats why i figure the one on page one was recessed into the floor....
just for security purposes i would use the fixed side of the scissor for the rear of the car... and perhaps six inch feet protruding back of the base....for an added messure of security....
perhaps wheels off a pallet jack on the rolling side, rather than straight steel rollers
i agree two pistons are much better than one
unfortunatley steel prices are right through the roof....
what do you think the thickness of the steel should be??

As for the wheels, I have a lot of neg. things to say for Strap On but they don't compromise on the build quality or materials so IO see no reason to use anything other than stel rollers, unless something better can bne found for less $$ This lift operates VERY smoothly with the steelies and currently has a '66 Barracudda on it, so a 914/911 weight certainly isn't an issue. As for the wall thickness I believe most 2x4 structural box is 1/4" and that would certainly be enough. This lift is pretty damn heavy as is, so you deffinitly don't want to make it any heavier. I would even say you could go down to 2x3" box and still would have 1/4" wall thickness. 4x4 box would also be fine but IMO 3x3 may be getting to small and channel might be iffy might be O.K. I'm gonna stick with the 2x4 as it is proven

It also wouldn't be hard to build a fixed ramp on to the end of the top plate, or even to alter the lift to be an open underside with tracks for the tires to sit on would make floor pan werk a lot easier

Scotty,

Is it bolted to the floor in anyway?
It just looks like it could tip over on it's side if you push hard enough on it.

I've always thought those were much more pratical than a big 2/4 post lift. You're always having to walk around the posts and you can't open the doors, etc, etc, etc.

Ya know I bet you could make one using a manuel jack also.

just mho - i wouldnt build one without some REAL engineering and thought....

these have ratcheting safety stops etc....

Nope not bolted to the floor but there really isn't any need in that. This thing is VERY stable and is made to be portable by utilizing a wheeled handle on the "fixed" end. One end has 2 steel wheels and the "fixed" end is a piece of angle that the outside arms are welded to and the pistons are bolted to.

That "solid stock" is a block of UHMW. It pivots about the shaft as it travels along the greased up channel tracks.

(In other words, the pin is simply in a hole through the UHMW block, not welded to it)

It's all similar in concept as to how man lift scissor lifts are configured.

Most scissor lifts that I have dealt with, are designed to have a fairly uniformly distributed load on them (I'm unsure of these automotive lifts), but the manufacturers of industrial lift tables warn of unequal or cantilever loads wanting to over stress the pivot joints (or possibly even the UHMW slider blocks).

scotty can you post measurements of the upper lift, the length of the 2x4s
and size and length of the pistons....

Pete I will add a pic of the drawings I put in my "plans" notebook. ( full of future projects )

Arms are 2x4 box and are 6' long each

Pistons are 3" diameter and the shafts are 1" diameter. I couldn't get it to full extension due to a low ceiling but was pretty close with a measurement of 35 1/2 " mounting pin to mounting pin

Space between the 2 inner arms is 15 1/2"

space between each inner and it's corresponding outer arm is 1" (made up of 3 "washers' )

other things that might help

Pins used on the pistons are 1" diameter and each piston has a diferent part no. which are : M609820 & M609723 No manufacturer or other markings