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Car Lift for garage..... Can it be done?

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Old 07-11-2003, 08:38 AM
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bixby
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Question Car Lift for garage..... Can it be done?

I have a delima..... Since the purchase of my 350Z I've had to demote my 87 300ZX to the driveway. It's been garaged since new. I have a 3 car garage but had to make way for the 350. My 91 300ZX is cherry & has also alway's been garaged so I couldn't bring myself to kick it out. The 3rd spot is reserved for my expedition (and no I can't put it in the driveway to make an all Z garage. That thing is a ***** to wash). I was thinking it may be possible to install a car lift that would not only be great for working on my cars but would allow me to raise one & drive the other under so that I could have all my babies in the garage. I was thinking the 87 & 350 stacked. Has anyone done this? If so I'd love some pictures. I hate having to leave my 1st Z in the driveway.
Old 07-11-2003, 09:27 AM
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I see bad pictures in my head.

*squish!
Old 07-11-2003, 09:35 AM
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bixby
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Funny Mike! Thanks for shaing THAT!
Old 07-11-2003, 09:38 AM
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OK...for my serious reply..........

I always see ads in the back of car magazines like "Car and Driver" that advertise these car lifts. Might wanna check em out.



- Mike
Old 07-11-2003, 09:48 AM
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sdpearso
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A guy I work with parks his Ferrari on a lift above his Camaro. No pics though.

I've actually thought about this too but whenever I have a few thousand extra $ they get spent on my car.
Old 07-11-2003, 09:53 AM
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bixby
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Thanks Mike.
-sdpearso, I'd consider this as being spent on my car. It won't make it go faster, but it will make it go higher!
Old 07-11-2003, 10:11 AM
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Jason Bourne
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Very simple solution:
Sell the POS expedition!

...sorry that was out of line. I'm not a fan of SUVs but it's not my plact to comment.

I have a friend who has converted his 4 car garage into a 7 car garage with three lifts. It's very neat. The man has very nice cars and does not drive them very frequently so it works very well for him. FYI- His cars ar a 360 Modena, F355, 996TT, C5 Corvette, SL500, BMW X5 and S500.

Anyway, you need a lot of ceiling height and the lifts are pretty expensive but if you get a quality lift, you should have no reliability concern. Keep in mind that getting the car from the top level requires about 5 minutes of moving stuff around and tends to lead to leaving that car up there for extended periods due to general laziness. You need to move the lower car out into the driveway, operate the lift (takes about 30-60 seconds to come down), drive the car out, bring the other car back in, raise the lift (or you can swap the last two if you want the other car at the "lower level").

Anyway, it's a nifty thing to have, if you happen to have a 15ft ceiling height garage.

Jason
Old 07-11-2003, 11:07 AM
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bixby
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I love that expedition! Thing is a house on wheels, dvd, ac & heat seats plus lots of other great lux's. Although I've never been a ford fan. We test drove just about every SUV out there & the 03 EB was the best riding & the most bang for your buck. We bought it when our daughter got engaged last year (planning for the grandkids in about 4 years). Anyway, back to the topic. I don't think I have 15' ceilings but I'm only looking to stack 2 Z's that are approx 4 1/2' high each. Do you think I need an additional 6' of ceiling to accomodate a lift?
Old 07-11-2003, 11:09 AM
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http://www.eagleequip.com/products/l...ice/ss7000.htm
Old 07-11-2003, 11:13 AM
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Jason Bourne
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Originally posted by bixby
Do you think I need an additional 6' of ceiling to accomodate a lift?
No, I don't really have much of an idea. You would need to talk to one of the lift manufacturers. But it certainly will require an additional 1-2 ft for each car to accomodate the equipment and clearance. It tends to get complicated if you have the garage door that goes up against the ceiling (horizontally). You also need probably about 2-3 ft of additional width (but the door does not have to be any wider).

Jason
Old 07-11-2003, 11:22 AM
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bixby
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Thanks for the link teh215! I just ordered their catalog.
Old 07-11-2003, 11:25 AM
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Thanks jason
Old 07-11-2003, 11:31 AM
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asw24sx
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you could always take the cheap way out and get a car cover!! hehe.
Old 07-11-2003, 12:16 PM
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Got a cover for all 3 but the cars stay much cleaner covered in the garage than in the driveway. When you've got this many cars to take care of the longer they stay clean the better.
Old 07-11-2003, 12:32 PM
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I also keep my Expy as car#2. When you need space, nothing like it. And it is very comfortable to drive for such a big chunk of car.

Re: the lift, is all on the garage (height, mostly) as it has been said. I would estimate about 5 feet of clearence for each Z style car (low sport cars). The Expy is is about 6 feet tall or more, so to put a car above it you need 10 to 12 feet clearance...

Or, you could go the other way! Dig a "basement" under the garage with a ramp down, slide a car under, move over a couple of metal rails, place the next one above...
Old 07-11-2003, 12:46 PM
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Great idea slaponte! Drive your backhoe over & lets comince to digging

Yep, the expo is great. Our licence plate is "1BG MUDA". My wife loves to take it shopping. (down side to having such a large vehicle )
Old 07-11-2003, 01:21 PM
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Zracer03
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For all the money it is going to cost you, why not just build another garage? Too simple?
Old 07-11-2003, 01:55 PM
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Based on the link teh215 sent me it doesn't appear to be that expensive. Just need to confirm that I've got enough clearance, which I think I do. I'd love to have more garage though. Unfortunately I don't think I have the space for an add on unless I eleminate 1/2 my driveway.
Old 07-11-2003, 02:06 PM
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Default Re: Car Lift for garage..... Can it be done?

Originally posted by bixby
I have a delima..... Since the purchase of my 350Z I've had to demote my 87 300ZX to the driveway. It's been garaged since new. I have a 3 car garage but had to make way for the 350. My 91 300ZX is cherry & has also alway's been garaged so I couldn't bring myself to kick it out. The 3rd spot is reserved for my expedition (and no I can't put it in the driveway to make an all Z garage. That thing is a ***** to wash). I was thinking it may be possible to install a car lift that would not only be great for working on my cars but would allow me to raise one & drive the other under so that I could have all my babies in the garage. I was thinking the 87 & 350 stacked. Has anyone done this? If so I'd love some pictures. I hate having to leave my 1st Z in the driveway.
I wouldn't want to keep anything on a lift during a classic California earthquake ... just something to think about.

Old 07-11-2003, 02:25 PM
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bixby
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Default Re: Re: Car Lift for garage..... Can it be done?

Originally posted by MonkeyBoy
I wouldn't want to keep anything on a lift during a classic California earthquake ... just something to think about.

Valid point! We'll just have to keep them all in your area so that it's not an issue. Damn it Monkeyboy! Now I'm freaking over this idea....damn, damn.........damn

Mike was right at the beginning of this thread:

"Squish"

Moderator change post please:

VOLUNTEER'S WANTED: NoCal Weekly Car Wash Event. Each volunteer will be required to apply 1 coat of Zaino each. Beer will be supplied (but not the Zaino).

Last edited by bixby; 07-11-2003 at 02:28 PM.
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