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What type of garage lift do you use

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26
13
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
South Florida
i am new here and new to tracking my car. I have a 2018 GT350 and just started on my garage addition. Was wondering about the differences in 2 post 4 post and scissors lifts. My GT350 will be a partial daily driver as well as a track car. Because of this I want to be able to swap out tires and brake pads easy. Any suggestions as well as pros and cons will help me decide how to set up my garage. Thanks
 
i am new here and new to tracking my car. I have a 2018 GT350 and just started on my garage addition. Was wondering about the differences in 2 post 4 post and scissors lifts. My GT350 will be a partial daily driver as well as a track car. Because of this I want to be able to swap out tires and brake pads easy. Any suggestions as well as pros and cons will help me decide how to set up my garage. Thanks

I run quick jack which is portable and great for me since I don’t have a dedicated space in my garage for a permanent lift. It works well for just what you speak of. I installed jacking rails on my GT350 and it makes it a breeze when used with my quick jack. Out at the track the jacking rails come in handy for tire swaps.


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If you have the room, you want a two post lift. Minimum ceiling for a full height lift for a Mustang is around 12’ with a symetrical floor plate lift.

If you have the room, go with an asymetrical lift with an overhead cable plate. But, this will require 14’ or more ceiling height.
 
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I forgot to mention, don’t go with a cheap, non-certified, Chinese lift. Spend the extra money for a bendpak, rotary, or other professional certified lift. The bendpaks and rotary lifts will have Chinese components, but the lifts went through US certification testing for the lift rating.
 
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I used a 4 post lift initially, and then added a moving jack to it. Used it to rebuild the Boss Suspension, install headers on the Boss, drop the Tranny, and then built the Race car. Dropping the K-member on both the S550 and S197 can be done, as can removing the rear cradle on the S550, but access is limited, and you can't drop the engine. I've removed the engine from above on both cars -- very tricky with long tube headers and I wouldn't do it again!

As a result I recently installed an Asymmetric 2 post lift. Access is much better and dropping the rear cradle or K-member is much easier and an engine drop is feasible.

Pro's of the Drive on 4 post are:
1) Mobility -- they are free standing, so initial positioning isn't critical, and some have a caster kit
2) Car positioning is less critical -- both side to side and fore and aft
3) The ramps are handy for temporary tool storage and placing lights
4) Requires less overhead clearance

Pro's of the 2 post are:
1) Access to the underside of the whole car
2) Ability to drop the Engine/Tranny Ass'y
3) Easier to drop K-Member and Rear Subframe

For regular maintenance either is great, but I wish I'd had the 2 post for my car build. If you go with a 4 post, get the rolling jack.

fullsizeoutput_179a.jpeg
 
26
13
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
South Florida
Thanks everyone for the good info and insights. I never thought about ceiling height so that is good to know. I may have rethink my layout. Don’t think I will be doing any major builds at this time but down the road some planning will save me some $$ and headaches
 

TymeSlayer

Tramps like us, Baby we were born to run...
3,787
2,740
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Brighton, Colorado
How do you get the car in your 14" ceiling?
I have a two post Rotary brand lift.
Great clearance all around the car.
Needs 14” ceiling.

On a serious note, how low are the crab arms on these two post lifts. I can barely get my Boss on the one at the DIY shop.
 
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I have low profile arms on my BendPak, but still need to drive the car onto four foot long sections of 2 x 4 seen in the photo above.
 
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8,187
asymmetrical twin post is the most versatile
twin post is pretty good for most jobs and more stable
the twin ramp is least versatile, but easiest to use and most stable
so name your poison..
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,530
5,247
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
How do you get the car in your 14" ceiling?

Drive very fast, then duck.

On a serious note, how low are the crab arms on these two post lifts. I can barely get my Boss on the one at the DIY shop.

Its tight with the Rotary Asymmetrical lift. If I have the shorter 305 645 18s on the Boss I have to coax the front pads under the pinch welds. If I have the NT-01s, they slide right under the car. When all else fails, throw a small piece of plywood or 2x lumber on the floor were the tires will rest, then drive up on the wood.

Tyme. Regardlezz whet you and my eve doctor sai, I can read jusy fine wit out me glassess.
 
No one has mentioned the more permanent installation of a mid-rise scissors lift in their garage. I am considering a BendPak mid-rise scissors lift, flush mounted in a new construction home garage. It would serve the tasks of jacks and stands plus no more crawling around on the floor to safely lift the car. They aren't cheap but the big benefit is the garage floor is completely open when the lift is not in use, ceiling height and floor concrete requirements are not as excessive. Anyone using this option, thx
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
Trouble with scissor lift is you don't get the car high enough to stand upright. You end up needing something like a bucket seat on casters to roll around under the car on, and putting torque on stuff when you're sitting on wheels is not workable. I have a QuickJack and it's OK for wheel/brake type stuff but severely difficult to work under as there is hardly any room under the car. I think the scissor lifts are only marginally better than the QJ. I considered all the available options for my residential garage with all the limitations they have, I am lucky as I have a very high ceiling like 11 feet or so it can support a full height lift I think.

The company that markets Daytona branded lifts is in my little town so I have had lots of chats with their sales guy who also scoped out my garage. I am considering their one post unit, it has 6 foot lift, I might have to stoop a bit under the car as I am about 5'11" or so. It is somewhat portable at least from the viewpoint of moving it around in the garage. Have to see one in action before I move forward on it, but so far it seems possibly the most viable option for my situation.

 
For those of you who don't have great ceiling clearance, but still want the underside access of a 2-post, Bendpak (who also owns QuickJack) recently acquired MaxJax and re-designed it. While not as easy as moving QuickJacks, you can also quick-disconnect and store this system when out of use if needed.

They also have a calculator so you can see if it will fit in your space and how high you can raise the vehicle.
 

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