I am looking for a car lift ,mainly for engine swaps. I think I want a two post type but I have seen a portable type on Ebay. I was wondering if anybody has one of these or has used one and do they work or are they too much trouble? if anybody has one for sale near me (NC) let me know thanks wheelie
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After my dropping my first cradle using the floorjack method I decided to purchase this BendPak scissor lift. You won't regret getting a lift. It makes everything so much more enjoyable.
On the ground, small ramps are needed to clear undercarriage.
I was wondering how that folding jack type worked. Can you roll the cradle underneath without hitting the feet? how stable is it when raised? That looks real handy and with a 3.4 dohc swap I know I will have it in and out a few times!! Not to mention my other projects. thanks ken wheeler
Although I haven't dropped the cradle since purchasing the lift I can tell you without doubt it will work beautifully. It lifts vertically without forward or rearward movement of the chassis. At maximum lift the car is very stable. When working underneath I have a little wheeled mechanics stool that I sit on that makes it very comfortable.
Now, having said all that, if I had a 3 car garage with one RV sized stall I would have purchased a 2 post lift so I would have full access underneath the vehicle. The 2 post lift is more versatile than a scissor lift if you have the appropriate space for it. The scissor lift is a good compromise though.
For those interested, the Bend-Pak scissor lift I have is from Northern Tool. When I bought mine the deal was free shipping and six months no interest.
A few years back I bought a lift from autolifters for my dad's garage. It was the autopro 5000. It is a screw type lift that runs on 120V. I needed to run 8 gauge wire from the main fuse panel to the lift but it worked great. It lifts up to 6' and it cost around $2000
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Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 16133 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
While a nice $2500 two post hydraulic lift will work nicely when dropping the Fiero cradle, there is a more cost effective solution. In the Harbor Freight catalog, there is a sissors lift that you can purchase for about $900 delivered. THis sissors lift can be used to raise the Fiero 48" which is plenty high to slide the cradle from underneath. I have one of these lifts in my garage and use it with an inexpensive RV lift that I purchased at Costco. I raise the RV lift all the way up , lower the car down so that the cradle rests on the RV lift and then after everything has been disconnected I lower the RV lift and raise the sissors lift. I then pull the cradel fro underneath the Fiero away on the RV lift which has wheel on it. Works every time and the car is held stable.
For $50 for a chainfall and $25 for a chain with hooks you can lift the back of the car off the cradle. This assumes you have garage ceiling joists stout enough to take the load of the chainfall:
