I order an atlas 6000 capacity lift today. My 328 replica was dropped off a year ago at a shop the have a 3800sc installed and it still isnt completely installed. All I have to do now is get the guy to get the car and the parts out of his shop loaded on a trailer and dropped off at my place. Ill finally have my car home and i can finish the install of the engine along with the new suspension, brakes, interior, and etcetera that ive been waiting to do.
Congratulations. I am planning to install a lift this summer in my garage. Post an update here when you get yours. A few pics and your thoughts on it would be interesting.
With the old scissors lift, we probably did 10 engine replacements/swaps. They work great for many jobs like brakes and front end work and you can work on a stool for many of them. Its night and day difference over the old jack and jack stands method. For engine swaps we found that work needed to be done on a creeper some of the time and that was tiring for an older guy like myself. When we upgraded to a two post Rotary Lift it made the jobs far easier. The point is that if you are spending close to $2000 for a scissors lift, you might want to look into a good 2 post but a minimum 6" concrete floor is needed.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
A word of caution when lifting a mid/rear engine car on a scissor lift: There is a stationary leg (bar) and a movable leg (rollers) on a scissor lift. You need to make sure you place the stationary leg to the rear of the car where the weight of the engine is. This seems fairly obvious but I didn't do that with mine and my car tipped over backwards with the lift at full height. The roller leg on the lift moves towards the middle as the lift raises and this shifts the center of gravity. The car needs to be offset on the lift so the cradle can come out, pair this with the mistake of having the moving leg in the rear, equals a Fiero with its nose in the ceiling and its tail on the ground.
A word of caution when lifting a mid/rear engine car on a scissor lift: There is a stationary leg (bar) and a movable leg (rollers) on a scissor lift. You need to make sure you place the stationary leg to the rear of the car where the weight of the engine is. This seems fairly obvious but I didn't do that with mine and my car tipped over backwards with the lift at full height. The roller leg on the lift moves towards the middle as the lift raises and this shifts the center of gravity. The car needs to be offset on the lift so the cradle can come out, pair this with the mistake of having the moving leg in the rear, equals a Fiero with its nose in the ceiling and its tail on the ground.
We had a Bendpak scissor lift and it worked from either side to full height. There were no issues with over 10 swaps/engine replacements but I see your point. The bendpak used wide lift arms (for a large lift area) and large pads, so maybe that made the difference and we did many engine swaps/replacements with it. Be sure to stabilize the hydraulic pump/motor assembly. It tipped over once and the hydraulic hose fitting broke off. Its an odd metric size and was a PITA to find a replacement for. Good luck with the lift. Your back will appreciate it. .
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Ryan, You may already know this but the best way to post pics is with Pennock's Image Poster. There is a link at the bottom of every page. It is complicated but the images stay with the post a d dont disappear later like images posted by other methods.