Hot Rods 4 Post Lift Trick

I already posted this on another forum, but I thought I would share this with you guys.
I agonized over whether to buy a 4 post or 2 post lift because of the advantages and disadvantages of each type. I ended up buying a 4 post.
Well the first thing I needed to do was get the wheels off while on the lift. I came up with this:


The lift came with a cross beam for jacking, but that was unhandy as hell. I hole sawed (2) 1.5" holes in the beam and welded in short pieces of 1.5" x .095 wall tubing over the holes. I used 1.25" all thread with heavy nuts and welded short pieces of 2" x 2" angle iron on top. The all thread is long enough that when the angle is against the axle it is hanging below the ramps by about three inches.
You drive the car on the ramps and raise it up to place the beam and stands under the axles. Lower the lift and the stands catch the car allowing the ramps to drop out from under the car. Run the nuts down and raise the lift back up. Voila! The wheels are off the ramp.
I liked this trick so well I made another beam from 6" channel to place under the rear axle so I could get all the wheels off at the same time. Then to further expand the idea, I made 2 more beams at different centers to catch the frame for suspension work.
Just thought this might be worth sharing for any of you guys that have 4 post lifts. It makes the 4 poster a lot more useful. (Please ignore the plumb bobs. I was doing an alignment.)

 

Looks good, you don't see many full fendered 26-27 T's with aftermarket ch***is. Bob

 

Clever thinking. I'll file that away for future reference.

 

Great idea. I've just been using those tall adjustable stands to lift the tires off of the hoist but that's a great alternative.
I agonized over that decision too but the only time I wish I had a two post is when I want to lift a body off of the frame, but how often do you do that?

 

I've used them all. My favorite by far is a two post, asymmetric lift. Full access underneath, yet the car is positioned so you can get in either side of the car. The negative, expensive. I've never seen them in the hobbyist version.

 

I bought the extra height version so I could raise it to the top and be able to walk under it when there is no car on it. I think you could remove a body by lifting from the top with straps. I'm going to give that a try when I take the body off for painting.

 

I do use my 4 post to lift the body.

 

That's highly cl***ified information your sharing there son. I would expand on how I use that principle idea on a-frame/ball joint front ends but I've already said to much. As for lift's. If I was to get one I'd do a four post also.

 

That's a slick idea. There are some older front end alignment gauges that use a plumb bob setup on them

 

LOL! I didn't give away too much. The total process uses 6 plumb bobs. A laser level has recently been added to the ****nal also.
By the way. Alignment is a lot easier job on the lift than on the floor.

 

Right? It's black magic to some. On the other end of things. Have you seen how many pinion angle questions have surfaced starting with "another".

 

Yeah, it is amazing how difficult some people can make a relatively simple concept. I think the terms trans down, pinion up confuse people on the angles

 

Thanks for sharing. I've got a 4 poster and will for sure remember this in the future.
Couldn't you just drill two more holes in the first two beams to accommodate the use of the ch***is screws?
Those things are heavy and take more room to store.
Just wondering.

 

You could but I wanted to be able to get ahold of both.
They are heavy, but I can drive over the beams and leave them on the lift. I just remove the all thread stands. Just slide the beam I need into place.

 

That is a great idea. I'm going to try that too.

 

Scaffold legs have a reall good thread and nut set up for this great idea

 

Good idea, but what I'm trying to figger out is what is the advantage of a 4 post over a 2 post lift?

 

Exhaust work, setting up stance and or geometry is a few things a four post is good for over a two post. If everything is hang'n, then what?

 

They use hydraulic ones on rollers on front end alignment racks....

 

I bought a 4 post mainly so I can store a vehicle on top of the other, without the wheels hanging for long periods of time. I use an air over hydraulic bottle jack and jack stands to get the cars up off their wheels. Your system looks a little less time consuming though. I also like the scaffold type jack idea. Joe

 

Care to share your method?

 

I think "pull" may help you see it differently.

 

I have pulled several bodies with my 4 post lift, but I have the extra tall Bendpak model.
Some lifts likely won't go high enough.

 

I also bought a tall lift so I could keep it in the upper position when it is not in use, a person who is 6’3 has no problem walking under it and does not even feel like he has to duck., it takes up less floor space with it raised. I have used my lift to pick up my Comet body and place it on a rotisserie. I simply have the lift in the upper position, place the car under the lift, lower the lift down until it almost reaches the roof of the car then use straps to connect the car to the lift. When I raise the lift the car goes up and I can install or remove it from the rotisserie, no helper needed.

 

Good idea I am already thinking of ways that would make it work better for me.

Anyway good idea.

 

Thanks. I am always looking for a better mousetrap. Post your ideas.

 

Need some light under the car? My lift has channels inside each ramp for rolling jacks that I was too cheap to buy........I got a couple of those LED rope lights from Costco and hooked them together.
Laid in the channel on each side and zip tied across the ends gives some light under the car.....

 

I have a 9000# Rotary 2 post lift and a 12,000# Rotary 4 post lift with the rolling jack(s) attachment. I wouldn't trade the drive on 4 post for ten 2 post ones. We made some 10' extension ramps that can be dropped into the factory ramps so no car is too low to drive up on it. Weight on car is a must for exhaust building or suspension set up and with rolling jacks either or both ends can be lifted for anything that requires the wheels to be in the air. If runners are set so inside edge of tire is even with runner nothing is in the way for underneath work and visa versa for brake/bearing etc work. Can put a car up when the floor is nasty and I'm wearing dress whites without getting a smudge. Crawling around to line up pads is fine for twenty year olds but ****s for one in his 80's. Dusty's rod shop in Bailey Texas has a recess in the floor so runners are flush with floor when lift is down and a car can be driven straight on with no ramps and 1/64" ground clearance but then He's smarter than me. If possible I want the 4 post lift to be buried with me just in case there is a great rod shop in the sky.

 

I would perhaps use a shaft with an Acme thread so that I could change elevation without dropping the lift.

 

I don't really know what you're saying, but there are a lot of different ways to do something, and I was curious what his way is.