Car lifts for an MGV8 Gavin Bailey says "if you want good access to the underside of your car, there are really only two serious alternatives: some form of pit sunk into the garage floor with boards covering it when it's not in use or a car lift. The latter come in two basic forms - the four post variety which you drive on and which lifts the whole car off the ground, wheels in channels and which is a necessity for MoT testing stations; and the two post variety or variations on the Car lift from Automotech Services After John Hale bought his RV8 he realised that it's quite difficult to work on the car without some sort of lift and went on a search which took some time! He says "I think the choice of which car lift you get is very personal as so many factors come in to play including garage roof height, garage door mechanisms, garage size, jacking points and the portability of the lift. Having considered the available car lift options, I decided to get an AS-4T36 Mobile 4 post parking lift with a load rating of 3.6T supplied by Automotech Services who are based in Rugeley in Staffordshire. On their website they describe it as the ideal lift for vehicle storage when space is tight. The lift can be moved within minutes with the aid of the mobile wheel kit provided. It's the perfect lift for classic car restoration enthusiasts as the lift can also be used as a conventional 4 post lift". More & Car lift at various heights theme which have swinging arms with rubber pads which when placed under the jacking points, allow you to raise the car off the ground. The latter option crucially, allows the wheels to hang free giving good access to the brakes and suspension". Gavin looked online for secondhand ramps and quickly found that there were many advertised for sale, commonly coming from garages that were closing down. Car lift from Strongman Tools Jim Greenhill had been toying with a lift for a couple of years and finally bought one at show and got their special offer there. The maximum lift height is 1 metre which Jim feels suits his garage. It is a scissor lift supplied by Strongman Tools near Coventry as their Chepstow unit. Their new website at www.sm-t.co.uk no longer shows this model but an updated version, the Clifton, is available at £2,245 including VAT. The company has given advice whenever required. The lift has a sole plate transferring the load to the floor, scissor arms and a top plate. The car is raised by a hydraulic mechanism (two hydraulic cylinders) then goes into a park mode which is a secure mechanical lock. To lower the car you have to raise the lift slightly, then press the "down" button on a control box which engages air operated solenoids which disengage the mechanical lock and allow the car to lower. More Here four members have contributed details of the car lift they have obtained and use. Car lift from Hamer Nic Houslip has a four post car lift made by Hamer which is easily assembled - it's possible to assemble it with one person, but with two is better. The jacking platforms make it possible to lift the car off the suspension enabling wheels-off work. It is easily raised by the four jacks at the corners and, although it takes about 10 minutes to get to full height, it has the advantage that no power is needed. Nic says he leaves his lift up permanently. You can see details of Hamer car lifts on their website at http://www.hamercarlift.com/ Nic says "it is larger than Jim Greenhill's scissor lift but has the advantage that he can store one car above another - but only just as his garage height is 2.4m. The Hamer lift came with a car seat on castors that is extremely useful when working under the car". More & More Updated: 151221 Posted: 151218 Car lift from Autec Gavin Bailey came across an AL-2006 'portable' hydraulic ramp made by Autec of Holland on the Holden Classic & Vintage stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It essentially comprises a steel frame with a large hydraulic ram that lifts the platform to which four swinging arms carrying rubber jacking pads are attached. The ram is connected to a separate single-phase 240v hydraulic control unit which has two switches - one to power up the unit, and a separate toggle to lift or lower the ram. To use the lift, you simply drive the car over the lift, swing the arms out, and position the rubber jacking pads under the jacking points. It's then a simple matter of checking that all jacking pads are aligned under the relevant jacking points before operating the lift and raising the vehicle. The ramp will lift a vehicle of up to 2 metric tonnes up to a maximum of just over a metre in just over 50 seconds. More V8 Register - MG Car Club --- the leading group for MGV9 enthusiasts