Vintage cars on 2 post lifts

[Stuart Giles]

I think a 4 post lift would be best for front engine RWD cars such as yours. The two post types work well for cars that have a  transverse engine front wheel drive setup. On a 4 post lift getting a transaxle out of a front wheel drive car is a bit more awkward with the channels being in the way. I would have thought you could buy a 4 post secondhand for a lot less money than even a heavily discounted new one. Assuming the hydraulics aren't leaking, replace the cables to be on the safe side and you'll be good to go

I have a four post lift in one of my garages. It's a 4 tonne model that I  bought secondhand from a garage that closed down. It was several years old and cost a small fraction of the new cost and a lot less than a new Chinese lift. I narrowed mine by about 3" so that it would accommodate a short chassis A7 -losing the ability to take a big twin rear wheel van certainly won't be a problem for me. The new cables cost about £150. Narrowing a four post lift just involves moving the runners inward on the cross beams and bolting them into place. With two jacking beams installed, it's possible to get all 4 wheels in the air, and the runners make a handy place to put your tools if you are working on one or other corner of your car.

[jansens]

Thanks for all the comments. Sorry for the slow reply but we have about a million things to sort out and not much time to do it! We've also gone into partial lock down here for a week (not so bad in my city but worse for the Ak guys) but that's actually a bonus as I have to WFH this week so I can be home to arrange movers visits, rental people and so on. I am also right in the middle of trying to get my A7 road legal which is a bit tricky right in the middle of a move.

I posted the question on the Riley forum as well as asking others. The people who do work on older and especially vintage cars seem to prefer the 4 posts. Apparently one thing to watch for when lifting a vintage car with a flexible chassis on a 2 post is that the bodies can can distort to the point where doors stop working and so on. I also like the idea that they are a little more stable than a 2 post given we live in an earthquake zone! Also as pointed out you can get jacking beams to fit them so you can still lift the wheels if needed.

Still deciding though. I hadn't thought about the scissor lift type R mentions so will look into those too.

Simon

P.S. the photos of peoples set ups are very cool to see!

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Simon, this is the exact one I have...

   

   

   

[Spex]

Ruairidh. A few questions as I need a smaller one.
Do you have it bolted to floor?
Are these still available?
Are they of Oriental manufacture?
Thank you,
Peter

[Tony Griffiths]

This appears to be the very different version they are selling now: made in the USA. Different widths of cross-beam are available to https://www.holden.co.uk/p/car_lift_e_z_...sional_use    The second video, below the first, gives additional details.
There are other options...such as this
It's a competitive market and the stuff floods in from China. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=...s&_sacat=0

[Marcus Ling]

Does anyone have any experience using these type of lifts?

   

Thanks
Marcus

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I have one Marcus. It is good for exhausts, prop shafts and steering column but can twist the body slightly.

I find the scissor lift more useful.

[Marcus Ling]

Thanks Ruairidh,

Yes I wondered how stable it would be, once a car was on it. I guess that once you figure out the CoG of the car it would be fine.

My opinion is that it has advantages of portability and can be broken down for storage and probably lower cost to purchase, but of course to use it would be easier with 2 people, otherwise you need to go from side to side to take it up bit by bit. The other advantage is that it leaves the car completely clear underneath as you say, for exhausts etc.

I had never seen one before.

Cheers

Marcus

[Ruairidh Dunford]

They are designed to be used as a single item, not as a pair - it simply lifts one side of the car up by the wheel or jacking point.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

See here Marcus: https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/sid...ted-cl06a/