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Who has access to a lift?

Started by raueda1, 11 December 2022, 10:59 AM

Do you have, or have free access to, a lift?

Yes.  Otherwise it would be almost impossible to keep these cars going.
4 (25%)
Sometimes, but not on a regular basis.
0 (0%)
No.  I use stands or other devices to get underneath.
12 (75%)
No.  If I need to get underneath the car goes to a shop.
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 16

Voting closed: 21 December 2022, 10:59 AM

raueda1

The question is simple enough.  Seems to me that it would be pretty hard to keep these old beasts alive without at least occasional lift access.  OTOH, people seem to work miracles without a lift.  Just curious how others get this stuff done.  Cheers and Happy Holidays!
-Dave
Now:  1976 6.9 Euro, 2015 GL550
Before that:  1966 230S, 1964 220SE coupe, 1977 Carrera 3.0

daantjie

Always been a "must be nice" for me.  You can do a lot with jacks and jack stands if you observe proper safety protocols and have redundancy built in.

One benefit of a hydro car is of course no spring compressor to bugger around with so once you have it safely jacked and supported the jobs on struts and such are a breeze.
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

Feather535

I've wished for a lift for years, but never had one, even when I was into vintage racing.  Must be nice, though.
--------
1977 280SE
1983 300D (sold)
1988 BMW 535is
1999 E320T (sold)
2009 E350T (wife's)

Randys01

NO... but I wish. Son has a big shed in the hills where I store the car...he is into cars and an offer to put in a hoist has hit a bit if a wall....in this instance the concrete flooring would require some mods but they are not dear.  Come to think of it.........I must revisit this topic?!

Randys01

Funnily enuff the car is going to the big Gold pot in the sky tomorrow to have the steering box exchanged..this is a job for the pro and requires a hoist and a full blown workshop.
The car has had a wander in it ever since I bought it 16 years ago. Every workshop has had a crack at it.  Its been overhauled by one of the great MB gurus of our time but alkas.no cigar.!!
So about 7years ago I bought a rhd 6.9 steering box out of a UK car which had rusted itself into oblivion.it had only done 30 K miles.
That was $X3 to buy and have it shipped to Aus. Then I got it overhauled.  That was $y3 dollars....and now to fit it up and get it wheel aligned.   err coff coff$$$  Everything else in the f/end has been done over a period of time so this had better be good!!
Theory. the car has only done 120K miles equiv but it was used every day to drive up a long and windy road.
 So i reckon the steering box has done about 300K worth of turning!!    ie it has worn out prematureley.
I''ve had plenty of other Mercs with up to 380 KM and the steering was superb.
That said I dont reckon the S was ever quite the the gun thing in the steering dept but we are about to find out.
This is as new a front end /all in as you are going to find 50 years on so here's hopin' !!

rumb

Quote from: Randys01 on 12 December 2022, 02:43 AM...in this instance the concrete flooring would require some mods

My friend has one. When first installed he lifted a car and one post pulled up the concrete. He had to pour a couple big pads in!!!
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

nathan

#6
10 years ago, my mates and I would lie under these cars and pull them apart.  There is only so much of that fun you can have before your back is busted in two, a trans has fallen on you, or you get a face full of brake fluid!  When we built the new house, the wife said I can do what I want with the garage, so a scissor lift was poured into the dedicated workshop. A 4m high roof, so I can walk under any car as a taller guy, and it just makes life very easy.  The scissors also get rid of rigid posts in your space.  And with my old cars, they dont have twin exhausts so its not really relevant to have the side ski's.  For 4wds, they need adaptors, but its a really nice bit of kit.  I can't believe I dont' have a pic of the 6.9 on it!  The pic is of the hoist cassette before the concrete was poured, and then the first pic of a test when I put mums old 124 on it, before the floor was painted and the wall art up! You are technically only supposed to drive onto it forward because of the way it pivots.
1979 116 6.9 #6436
2018 213 e63
2011 212 e63
2011 463 g55
2007 211 e500 wagen
1995 124 e320 cabriolet
1983 460 300gd
1981 123 280te

rumb

Your garage is way toooooo clean. 😁
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

nathan

you should of seen it last week, I had the 123 wagen rest parts everywhere.  I could barely walk on the floor!  The floor was epoxy coated so oil is really easy to clean up which is handy when you have leaky old cars!
1979 116 6.9 #6436
2018 213 e63
2011 212 e63
2011 463 g55
2007 211 e500 wagen
1995 124 e320 cabriolet
1983 460 300gd
1981 123 280te

ptashek

I have a full-size inspection pit in my garage.

Wanted a lift but local planning authorities didn't allow me to raise the roof high enough to allow for safe installation while also having a loft.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

nathan

Interesting the UK issues PT, here in Australia a pit is harder to get as you have to show adequate ventilation to clear fumes.  I was going to have a pit originally but the hoist was easier to get sorted (ultimately I think a better decision for me).
1979 116 6.9 #6436
2018 213 e63
2011 212 e63
2011 463 g55
2007 211 e500 wagen
1995 124 e320 cabriolet
1983 460 300gd
1981 123 280te

daantjie

Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

nathan

A friend has bought one of these scissor lifts in a portable (and cheaper) form.  you can just wheel it around, drive your car on it, and then use it as shown.  its kind of nice not to have posts in the way but they all have their benefits.
1979 116 6.9 #6436
2018 213 e63
2011 212 e63
2011 463 g55
2007 211 e500 wagen
1995 124 e320 cabriolet
1983 460 300gd
1981 123 280te

ptashek

Quote from: nathan on 14 December 2022, 06:46 PMInteresting the UK issues PT

Ireland is not part of the UK, just saying ;)

Planning laws here are weird at the best of times. Planning decisions based on those laws even more so.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

3l33ter

I joined a small group that rents a warehouse together, and we have a lift (2-post). The only reason I joined was that I needed a space to store a car indoors, and also be allowed to work on it. The lift was just a bonus.

Since I have access to it I do try to use it whenever I can, but I wouldn't say that a lift is necessary to keep a W116 on the road. I've done more on jacks than on the lift.

Getting a lift isn't about the difficulty of a job. It's about how often you work on cars. For me it's 3-4 days a week!
'75 280S
'77 6.9
'82 300TD