New Build Planning - Lift

[zanman]

Hello All,

Just put order in last week for my MK4 Roadster complete kit. July 10 is the estimated delivery date and I'm not gonna lie its pretty much all I think about haha. I will be building this car with my 9 year old son. I have spent the last several months reading on this site, preparing the order and pretty much dreaming about the order which finally happened. Thanks for the help so far.

Anyway - during the last few months I have also been preparing my detached garage, in many cases, for this build. I have cleared out the door rails and door openers so I have a clear and free 10' ceiling the whole way now. I was planning to put in a 4 post lift on casters initially. While I still plan for that - I am pushing that off until after this build. It seems like a nice mid rise scissor would work way better for the build accessibility and also be useful in future to keep in one bay while I install the 4 post in the other bay down the road.

The question is - is a scissor the right way to go from a lift perspective for this build assuming its in the budget? With a rebuilt knee from a bike wreck 2 years ago - having the frame up waist high would really help me I think. I can get up and down no prob....but you know what I'm sayin. ......it's a PITA. Haha. I have been looking at the bendpak MDS-6LP. Does anyone have experience building this car on that lift? Are the lift platforms and blocks suitable for the dimensions of the MK4 frame (or maybe the better question is what are the dimensions of the lift points on the MK4)? Any gotcha's I need to be aware of using a scissor lift with the MK4 frame? My biggest fear is I put this lift in and then in and realize once the kit gets here that I can't use it cause it don't fit.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

[Papa]

Mike,

I have a Bendpak XPR-10AS-LP Dual-Width, 10,000 Lb. Low Profile Clearfloor 2 Post Car Lift (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B53C5C6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Here are a few observations after a year+ of ownership and use.

1. Even with the low profile arms, I have to raise the front of the car a few inches to get the arms under the car. I use a set of low profile ramps to achieve this easily.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=137714&d=1605397271

2. I had to use the narrow width option to accommodate the 24" wide chassis of the roadster. This makes it difficult to get "normal" cars on the lift as the arms don't want to line up with the lift points on some cars.

3. It takes practice to get the car positioned exactly where it needs to be to get all the arms in the proper position.

I've never used a 4-post lift, but at this point, I would really consider one for the ease of getting the cars on and off. The concerns with a 4-post are the shear size and not being able to use that floor space for other stuff when the lift isn't in use. Also, my two-post lift had to be rotated to make it easier to drive a car into position since the lift couldn't be positioned for a straight shot due to my door configuration.

Whichever way you decide to go, a lift is a luxury that makes working on the car a lot more enjoyable!

Dave

[Quincy]

Have you looked at the quickjacks? 1 big advantage is it can run on 110.

[zanman]

Wow Dave that 2 post is awesome. Thanks for the pointers on that. I considered a two post but my hold up is not knowing how thick my pad is. It’s only 4 years old and I know it’s at least 4” but I doubt more than that. I haven’t drilled it though. You recommend a full 2 or 4 post instead of scissor for the build of the car?

Quincy do you have a quickjack? That an interesting mobile option. Way cheaper than the mid rise scissor I was looking at. It only rises to 2’ though it appears? But at a third of the price I guess that’s the decision to make. Does the mk4 lift points fit on the standard model? My fear actually is that the rails of the scissors (regular one or a quickjack) will be too long for the small wheel base of the mk4.

[cob427sc]

If you have a 4" thick concrete floor slab thats been installed for 2 years, the slab is more than strong enough to hold the floor lift and vehicle. The area of the base of the lift is considerable in size. The earth below the slab and the slab itself should easily support 3000 pounds per square foot. You won't push the lift through the floor unless your slab was improperly installed. I have installed 15,000 lifts on 4" slabs and never encountered a problem as the post bases are typically more than 2 square feet in size. Conservatively, if each post is 2sf x 2 posts x 3000 psf =12,000 of capacity which is way more than your car will ever way.

[Papa]

I pretty much built my car without the help of a lift, so it is certainly not a necessity for building. Another builder near me has the portable Danmar Quick Jack lift. It gets the car at a comfortable height and can be moved out of the way when not in use if you need to do so. There you have it, three options with different pros/cons. What works best depends on what your needs are. BTW, the lift I have only requires a 4" slab for the full 10,000 lbs. capacity, so if you're a bit shy, no big deal for half that weight.

[philg]

I have used both. Built a couple of Roadsters with the Bendpak 2 post and now have the scissor lift. IMO the scissor lift takes up way less room and gives much more access around the car. I did not see much use for having to get under the car when building. All though I am not using it for a Roadster I find the scissor lift much easier to work with and a lot more access around the car. I believe the scissor lift is better suited for the Roadster as well. The APlusSL6600 is half the price of the Bendpak scissor lift and I do not think you will find any difference.

[nucjd19]

I am currently building a pool house with a second garage attached. I have a lift bay with almost 20 ft ceiling. Per some of the recommendations on this site I have a Challenger CL10V3 lift scheduled to be installed April the 16th. They are more expensive than some of the competitors but they are built here in the USA in Kentucky and I have someone I can call if I have an issue...
https://www.challengerlifts.com/products/cl10v3-series/

[Fman]

I am currently building a pool house with a second garage attached. I have a lift bay with almost 20 ft ceiling. Per some of the recommendations on this site I have a Challenger CL10V3 lift scheduled to be installed April the 16th. They are more expensive than some of the competitors but they are built here in the USA in Kentucky and I have someone I can call if I have an issue...
https://www.challengerlifts.com/products/cl10v3-series/

Nice looking lift and it is ALI certified which is a requirement IMO for the safety factor built in. I would never get under a lift that is not ALI certified. April 16th your life is going to get so much better, building a car on a lift is a game changer. Not to mention down the road when you have the car built and need to wrench on it. I have had my Tundra up on my 10k lift which is about 5600 lbs but I wont go any heavier than that. I have 8" slab but I always worry about spalling the concrete.

[Jim Wehr]

I used this. https://www.kwik-lift.com/ It still suits me fine.

[nucjd19]

Nice looking lift and it is ALI certified which is a requirement IMO for the safety factor built in. I would never get under a lift that is not ALI certified. April 16th your life is going to get so much better, building a car on a lift is a game changer. Not to mention down the road when you have the car built and need to wrench on it. I have had my Tundra up on my 10k lift which is about 5600 lbs but I wont go any heavier than that. I have 8" slab but I always worry about spalling the concrete.

I Am really looking forward to it. I have wanted a lift for years long before my cobra build. I have a 1978 fj40 rock crawler I am always underneath and multiple pieces of farm equipment that would be nice to work on with a lift. The only irritation is my F350 dually is 13000 lbs and I won't be able to work on it as this lift is a 10000 capacity.

Also I agree with the ALI certification. I have a paranoid streak and want every safety measure in play. When they poured my slab I had the pad where the lift was going poured over 12" in thickness to accommodate a lift and take any issues out of the equation. Can't wait to have my man cave/ garage.

[zanman]

Thanks guys. Good info. Can anyone tell me the clearance distance between front and rear tire on the MK4? Obviously dependent on tire size but general length would be good to know.

[Papa]

Thanks guys. Good info. Can anyone tell me the clearance distance between front and rear tire on the MK4? Obviously dependent on tire size but general length would be good to know.

Approximately 64 inches.

[David Williamson]

I have a 4 post lift, had it for many years and I use it for storage 4 cars in a 3 car garage. I found for building a car having it on jack stands works well and you really get at most things from above before installing the aluminum. The lift would be in the way for the suspension work, you would have the frame on jack stands anyway. I use a rolling seat with a tool tray under it for doing the suspension and brakes. The lift is handy for service work on the completed car and I do use it all the time.
David W

[P100DHG]

Going to agree with David Williamson here. Not necessary at all. Built my Coupe without one. Coupe is turning out to be fantastic so no regrets on not having a lift. You’ll be fine. In fact, having my car on wheel dollies and rolling it around to have lots of space, easy clean up etc was much better than a lift. The wheel dollies come in handy when you want to put your engine in and can easily wiggle the car around for best alignment.

[edwardb]

I have a Bendpak 2-post very similar model as Papa's and agree with his observations. I've used it for 2-1/2 builds. I had a MaxJax before and was very happy with it. So recommend that too if your ceiling height can't take a full height. Lots of discussion back and forth. 2-post versus 4-post. Scissor jacks, etc. For my purposes I like the 2-post because it's primarily for building. So not on and off all that much. And not trying to use if for storage. So checks the boxes for me. One thing I'll point out though: A lift isn't only useful for working under the car. I literally use mine constantly. I have a sensitive back and getting any work up to a comfortable height where I'm not bending over makes a huge difference.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ab234/edwardb123/IMG_2121.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/edwardb123/a/bb9829e6-c7f8-430e-ac38-96acbdd162f0/p/34ea1968-5c21-45e7-8cf0-c926ab00f8df)

[Alan_C]

I built my MK4 with the frame on jack stands, never again. I have gotten older and hopefully wiser since then. Crawling under a project on jack stands and trying to install electrical, brake and fuel lines is not fun. I am restomoding a 70 Mustang now and I am using a MaxJax MX6. The MX6 model added safety latches which were a requirement for me. The product has been revised since buying mine in 2017. With my 9 foot ceiling height in the garage, I felt the MaxJax was the best solution for me. Where you have limited ceiling height, the MaxJax is a good solution. I would do it again, but there are some shortcomings. I bought some adjustable pads from Bendpak allowing me to level the car on the lift. If you have perfectly flat concrete, may not need the adjustable pads. My concrete was sloped slightly, making the adjustable pads necessary. Add a little adjustable height stool, like from HF for $20, and you are good. Spending a bit over $2K may seem like too much for the lift, but once you have it, you will be happy you bought one.

[mcondos]

I have a BendPak 4-post lift. Never used it for the build, the posts and ramps always seemed to be in the way, can't do any suspension work. Built mine on jackstands, much easier that way for me. Lift is great for additional parking space tho, and cleaning under/oil changes.

[CraigS]

For an FFR build a scissor lift is ideal. You do very little right under the center of the car where the lift is so it is in your way even less than a 2 post. You would figure out how to place the lift pads once and it will just stay there for months. Once done, you will probably want to put some 2x12s on the floor (semi-permanently) to drive up on to clear the lift and make it easier to reach under to position the arms when you want to lift it..

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Built, maintained on jack-stands & wheel dolly's. No issues. If I ever needed a lift would get a two post package.

[Coop]

I am currently building a pool house with a second garage attached. I have a lift bay with almost 20 ft ceiling. Per some of the recommendations on this site I have a Challenger CL10V3 lift scheduled to be installed April the 16th. They are more expensive than some of the competitors but they are built here in the USA in Kentucky and I have someone I can call if I have an issue...
https://www.challengerlifts.com/products/cl10v3-series/

Hey nucjd19, I was reading the thread on lifts and found you recently installed a Challenger CL10V3 lift. My wife and I plan to install one in a few week. Just wondering how you like it. We were going to purchase a Bendpak until we found they are made in communist China. I decided to go with Challenger to keep the engineering, forming, welding, powder coating and assemble in the US. Yes, they do us some internal components sourced from “off shore”. But this was the best we could find short of a Mohawk which costs twice as much as Challenger and four times as much as a Bendpak. I’m interested in your experience with your new lift.

[Papa]

Buyer beware! Not trying to say any one brand is better than the next here, but wanted to be sure you all be careful when shopping for a lift of any brand. Please be sure the lift caries an ALI certification. Many low-cost manufacturers, including Challenger and Bendpak do not carry the ALI certification on ALL models. Also, both Bendpak and Challenger manufacture some models off shore and some in the USA. Know what you're buying before pulling the trigger!

[nucjd19]

Buyer beware! Not trying to say any one brand is better than the next here, but wanted to be sure you all be careful when shopping for a lift of any brand. Please be sure the lift caries an ALI certification. Many low-cost manufacturers, including Challenger and Bendpak do not carry the ALI certification on ALL models. Also, both Bendpak and Challenger manufacture some models off shore and some in the USA. Know what you're buying before pulling the trigger!

ALI certification was very important to me when I ordered my lift from Challenger. I figured they all were certified since the lift I am ordering is. That is a good point to always inquire. As one of my buddy's says how is an old accountant " In God we trust...... All else audit".

[nucjd19]

Hey nucjd19, I was reading the thread on lifts and found you recently installed a Challenger CL10V3 lift. My wife and I plan to install one in a few week. Just wondering how you like it. We were going to purchase a Bendpak until we found they are made in communist China. I decided to go with Challenger to keep the engineering, forming, welding, powder coating and assemble in the US. Yes, they do us some internal components sourced from “off shore”. But this was the best we could find short of a Mohawk which costs twice as much as Challenger and four times as much as a Bendpak. I’m interested in your experience with your new lift.


Hey Coop. It is getting installed April 16th so I will let you know my thoughts. SO far they have been awesome to deal with and set up an install time.

[zanman]

A lot has happened since I started this thread and my build is underway on my new lift. Just thought I would post a pic since I started the question. Lift is Working out great! I can get over 6 ft of lift.

[zanman]

154174154175