Hello,

I'd like to share my experiences on installing a car lift. Before we moved to our present location my old house had a small 2 car garage — not 2-1/2 but 2 car, and a full size American car barely fit. I was used to, but I didn't liked it, but used to crawling around on the floor to work the underside of a car.

The first picture below is an all too familiar sight for the do-it-yourselfer. When I sheared in two the output from my Chevy Impala transmission, I had to lift up the car on jackstands and the two of us wrestled the transmission out on our backs. After I rebuilt it, both of us wrestled it right back in. I vowed that the next place I lived would get a bloody car lift. Some how, some way.

We were fortunate to find our next house with a large out-building. I wanted a portable half height car lift as the ceiling was relatively low. I was assured, incorrectly it turned out, by a contractor that the cement floor was at least 4" thick as that was the requirement for the Max Jax I had picked out.

I chose the Max Jax because it was portable and unbolts from the floor. The hydraulic lines are quick-disconnects and everything is on wheels and stores neatly in a corner when unneeded.

As long as your concrete is in good condition and at least 4 inches thick you can drill and set the anchors and that's all you need to do. Well, according to Max Jax. It was even featured in Jay Leno's Garage.

It seemed bloody brilliant to me; however, our floor was not 4 inches thick but barely 2.5" in some areas. I'm not happy at this point.

Digging up concrete was now in order and I decided to make the car lift mounts bullet proof as the heaviest car we own is a very obese 4,960 pound 1973 Caprice Convertible Classic with loads of options. It broke my 2-ton floor jack just trying to lift the Caprice front tyres off the ground when jacking up under the engine cross member. I know the CG (centre of gravity) is far forward on this car.

With that in the mind, I set off and bought a 20 feet long 4 inch I-beam and some 1/2 inch thick steel plate. I measured where I wanted everything and then set off to work on making a steel platform that, when set in concrete, would hold everything. And that could handle the full rated 6,000 pounds worth of vehicle lift. I don't worry at all about pulling anchors out of the ground.

We did everything ourselves except for hiring the cement truck to come and fill the hole when we were done.

Good grief was I sore and tired after this. Enjoy the pics.

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