Chevrolet Corvette Car Lifts - Getting It Up, Part 2
In Part 1, we covered basic elevation and support devices that are viable alternatives to vehicle lifts for a plethora of chores. However, there are times when you absolutely need a lift to get the job done, and some lifts will also provide you with additional vehicle storage space in your garage, and that is what we're going to cover here.
There are several things you'll need to consider before you go lift shopping:
* purpose* price* elevation* capacity* locking* drive-on/frame-contact* mounting* voltage* 2-post/4-post* warranty* accessories* domestic/imported
PurPose
What is your intended purpose for buying a lift? In large part, the kind of lift you actually get will be determined by the answer to this question. Do you intend to do restoration, repair, and/or maintenance to your Corvette? Will you be using it to work on other vehicles as well? Do you want to elevate the car so you can park another vehicle underneath it? Do you just want another neat toy for your garage with the inherent bragging rights that come with it? Perhaps all these things? Only you can answer these questions, so that is where you should start.
Price
Having champagne taste on a beer budget is the next thing you'll have to sort out. How much can and are you willing to spend on a lift? Bear in mind you will get what you pay for with this purchase, so it really doesn't pay to be penny wise and dollar foolish. Also remember this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, so you'd be wise to allocate enough money to buy a lift that will keep you happy and do everything you expect of it for many years to come.
Elevation
The height of your garage and your intended use for the lift both come into play when making this decision. For example, if you have 10 feet between the floor and the rafters of your garage, you'll have about 6 feet of clearance to work and walk under the lift when the Corvette is on it, which is fine for most people, unless you are extremely tall. Conversely, if you only have 8 feet of rafter clearance, then you'll only have about 4 feet of space between the ground and the bottom of the car when it's on the lift, so this is definitely something you need to think about before making a purchase decision. And this will also be an issue with regards to the height of your garage door, should you decide to get a caster kit to make the lift moveable; if your garage door height is less than the posts of the lift on casters, you won't be able to roll it out into the driveway to work in nice weather.
You may also decide that you don't need to have full-height elevation, and if that is the case, you should consider a mid-rise lift that will give you a few feet of ground clearance, and these can save you quite a bit of money. If a mid-rise lift sounds like it's worth investigating further, bear in mind that you can get models like the Kwiklift that don't require any electricity and can be disassembled, moved, and stored easily, too.
Capacity
Since all Corvettes are well under 4,000 pounds, a 2-ton capacity lift should be sufficient, right? Well, yes and no -this goes back to your first answer to the purpose question. If you're going to use the lift to do work on your truck, SUV, or other vehicle(s), then you'll want a lift with adequate capacity to handle these as well. I'm a big proponent of "more is better" when it comes to tools and equipment, and for this reason, I highly recommend going with a lift that exceeds your lifting requirements. Even if you don't think you'll need a 3- or 4-ton capacity lift now, things may change down the road a bit, and you may need the extra capacity then. Generally speaking, there isn't a tremendous price difference for the higher-capacity models among most manufacturers, so spending a few extra bucks for a stronger lift is something to give some serious thought to.
An economical and non-electric lift is the kwiklift. you drive your corvette onto it, and then use a trolley jack to lift the rear until the support legs drop down. it's easilyportable and stores flat. these are great for use where headroom is limited, as with the rafters of this garage.>>>
Locking
The safety locking mechanism is of paramount importance and is a feature you should pay extra attention to when deciding on a lift. Not only do you want a positive locking mechanism that engages automatically and requires a deliberate manual release to disengage it, you also want a mechanism that becomes active as soon as the lift starts to elevate. This is a particularly important point, since several lifts have locking mechanisms that don't engage until the lift is 18 inches or even 24 inches off the ground-having the lift fail and come crashing down on your legs from 18 inches is enough to permanently cripple you, so don't underestimate the importance of the locking system. You also want the locking system to be fail-safe, which means that even if the lift motor and/or hydraulics completely fail, the locks will hold the lift and your vehicle safely and stably in the elevated position indefinitely. Do not skimp here.
Two-posters like this one from Mohawk permit the suspension to be unsprung, and they are ideal for working on shocks, wheels, tires, brakes, and so on.>>>
Mounting
Some lifts require permanent mounting to the cement floor of your garage. Permanent mounting may be a necessity for some lift types (e.g., two-post models) or may afford additional stability. Lifts that don't require permanent mounting can be moved with the aid of caster kits, making them easy to relocate if required or desired.
Voltage
With the exception of the Kwiklift and other manually elevated or drive-on type devices, lifts are actuated by electric motors that either power hydraulic pumps or cable-and-pulley mechanisms. These electric motors are usually available in either 110- or 220-volt varieties, and the type of electrical service you have in your garage determines which variety you'll need.
2-Post Versus 4-Post
Another choice to be made is whether to go with a 2-post or a 4-post lift. Invariably, the 2-post lifts require permanent anchoring to a concrete floor and they have swing-out arms that make contact with the chassis of the vehicle just in back of the front tires and just ahead of the rears on each side. The 4-post lifts support the vehicle at all four corners and normally do not require permanent anchoring to the garage floor; these lifts usually can be moved about with the use of optional caster kits.
Drive-On/Frame-Contact
These names are fairly self-explanatory. Drive-on lifts have runways that you actually drive the vehicle onto, hence the name. Conversely, frame-contact lifts have four contact arms that make contact with the frame of the vehicle. The two varieties differ in their appeal, usefulness, and lifting approach. The drive-on lifts keep the suspension loaded since the weight of the vehicle is still resting on the tires, just as it does when on the ground; the frame-contact lifts allow the suspension to unload, since the wheels and tires are not supporting the vehicle. For any work that requires removal of the wheels and tires (e.g., replacing brakes, shocks, and so on), the frame-contact lifts are beneficial. They're also good for longterm vehicle storage since they prevent flat spots from developing on tires (which are not in contact with anything except the air). For tasks where it is desirable to have the suspension loaded, the drive-on units are the way to go. That's not to say that you can't do brake, shock, or wheel/ tire work on a drive-on lift. By using ancillary devices such as bottle jacks, you can still elevate the vehicle on a drive-on lift to unload the suspension.
Domestic Versus Imported
Without getting up on my soapbox, I make no bones about preferring American-made products over foreignmade imports, and I go out of my way to give the home-team players my business whenever possible. "Made in the U.S.A." should be important to anyone who's going to get underneath a lift with a 3,000-plus pound car on top of it! That being said, I would be remiss if I did not mention that a vast number of the lifts available are actually made in China, Korea, or other offshore sites and sold by various companies here stateside. Many of these companies will import bare-steel lifts from China, then either paint or powdercoat them, apply their own decals and/or nameplates, and sell them to the unwary consumer who thinks he's buying a quality American-made product when, in fact, this is not the case. Two cases in point are Direct-Lift (made in China) and Eagle (made in China). In a side-by-side comparison, these two lifts are absolutely identical. Both of these lifts use an inside plastic slider design, which means the only thing holding the deck to the legs of the unit is plastic. It's important to note this type of design has had collapses reported; hence you are forewarned here. Look for lifts that use all-steel components and, especially, steel slider designs.
Don't be shy about asking questions when shopping for a lift -if the company's sales literature or Web site does not answer your specific question, ask the company directly, either in person or via e-mail, and get a point-blank answer to your inquiry. If they beat around the bush, beware! Any reputable company purveying a quality product will be entirely upfront and will gladly answer your questions; in fact, they will be eager to show you what makes their products superior to the competition.
Warranty
Any quality-made product should be well-backed by its manufacturer, and this is very true of lifts. A good warranty will give you peace of mind on two counts: 1) if the manufacturer is willing to back it, that speaks well of their confidence in a well-made product; 2) if anything goes wrong with it -a part fails, a hose leaks, and so on -the warranty should cover the repair or replacement at no cost to you. Great products should have equally great warranties, and you shouldn't have to wait for a replacement part to be shipped from China or other far-off locales.
Accessories
Depending on the manufacturer, type, and model of the lift, various accessories can make your life easier and expand the usefulness of the lift. Some accessories you may wish to consider are drip pans, shallow-incline approach ramps, runway connector bridges, transmission-support stands, jackstands, wheel chocks, elevating oil-drain funnels, bottle jacks, and other such items.
Since there are so many different vendors of lifts and so many different models in a wide range of capacities and prices available, it really isn't possible or practical to list everything here. Please note that not all the sources listed are manufacturers, some are distributors; the American lift manufacturers are so noted. I wholeheartedly encourage you to contact these companies, check out their product offerings, and ask questions (starting with where the lift is manufactured) until you are thoroughly satisfied. As I mentioned earlier, this probably is going to be (or at least it should be) a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, so make sure that you're getting everything you expect with regard to quality, dependability, performance, value, and, most importantly, safety, when making your decision.
Lift Sources
* Affordable Automotive Equipment:
www.afordableautomotiveequip.net
* Automotive Service Equipment: www. asedeals.com
* Backyard Buddy:
www.backyardbuddy.com (made in U.S.A.)
* Carlifts.biz:
www.carlifts.biz
* Direct-Lift:
www.directlift.com
* Garage Equipment Supply:
www.gesusa.com
* KwikLift:
www.kwiklift.com (made in U.S.A.)
* Lifts Unlimited:
www.liftsunlimited.com
* Mohawk Lifts:
www.mohawklifts.com(made in U.S.A.)
* Revolution Lifts:
www.revolutionlift.com
* Rotary Lift:
www.rotarylift.com
* SuperLifts.com:
www.superlifts.com (made in U.S.A.)
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Chevrolet Corvette Car Lifts - Getting It Up, Part 2 - Corvette Fever Magazine
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