MaxJax 2-Post Lift Install and S197 Lifting

[Fishstyx]

After my second oil change, baking in the sun, wedged under the car even though I've jacked it up as high as the jackstands will allow, I decided there has to be a better way. I track my mustang on a regular basis so I'm constantly changing fluids, brakes, removing wheels for cleaning, etc. A few weeks ago I started looking for a lift I could install in my garage.

I decided I wanted a 2-post lift because I'm constantly removing the wheels. The problem was most of these things are a) enormous (needing 9'-10' of ceiling clearance, and b) expensive (north of $3000). After a bit of research I came across a "portable" 2-post lift called a MaxJax. It will lift the car 45" (capacity 6000lbs) and the posts can easily be removed from the floor anchors to store out of the way

So, I ordered the thing which was $1900 with free shipping (nice since it's an 830lb package) from CA to PA. After getting it home I decided that since the lift posts weren't permanent I would install the lift in a diagonal config in the 2-car garage to maximize space and help clear the garage door rails. These things are secured to the floor with huge "Power Drop" anchors that require the concrete be at least 4.5 thick. There are five 5/8" bolts per tower and the anchor holes must be precisely drilled.

I rented an electric hammer drill and the 5/8" & 7/8" bits. Unfortunately, the instructions for drilling the holes are shit and would probably result in misaligned holes. I decided to make a jig from 5/8" plywood to accurately drill the holes:

Mounting one of the towers, then using that as a reference to measure the exact distance, angle and then snap a chalk line for the second worked well. With the 5/8" pilot holes drilled the 7/8" anchor holes are a no-brainer. Once those holes are done, just hammer in the anchors and set them. Here's both posts installed:

Here are the posts against the wall for storage:

They hardly take up any room with the car in:

I had some issues with the drill before I could finish all the final 7/8" hole but I should get that fixed tomorrow when the tool rental place opens. Then I'll be ready to lift.

With respect to lifting S197s I did a bunch of research online and found it somewhat difficult to get a straight forward answer. Fortunately it looks like the right answer is the easiest one from a 2-post lifting perspective. The pinch welds, just under the kickplate on the side of the car where the spare tire jack is intended to go is the place. I was initially concerned about this because it seems like such a narrow piece of metal to carry the weight of the entire car. The lift pads have rubber covers on them which I expect will be cut by the pinch weld, well see. I wonder if I should remove the rubber and just lift with the bare metal on the arms?

One piece of advice was to never jack or lift the car where the K-member bolts to the unibody as it can deform the skin of the unibody (literally pushing the K-member up into the body). Somone on a Shelby forum posted pics of damage there.

 

[JimC]

I've been thinking of getting a set of these. Looking forward to seeing your completed install and how high you can lift the car, it looks like you have as much overhead clearance as I have.

I was trying to change the mufflers on my car this morning - car up on jack stands, could get the muffler bolts off, but couldn't get enough leverage laying on my back to get it off the over axle pipe - so it got me thinking about a set of these again.

As far as the pinch welds, you could get some of these jacking plates that go on the pinch weld:
http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-jacking-plates.html

http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-hardcore-jacking-plates-for-ford-mustang.html

 

[skwerl]

I'd make something out of a small piece of scrap steel or an old socket before paying upwards of $100 for a couple chunks of metal with a slot cut in them. I'm blown away by the extravagant prices Steeda gets for the most basic items. Go look at their high dollar vent tube oil separator and then go look at the air compressor water separator from Home Depot. They are the exact same item except the Home Depot item is $13.

 

[SilentScope]

im gonna bug the father to get one of these in his garage so i can use it! exactly the thing we've been looking for!

 

[D98GT]

That's a nice price as well. Interested to see the car up on the lift.

 

[JerryC]

How thick was your slab?

How long to drill the holes?

 

[Fishstyx]

How thick was your slab?

How long to drill the holes?

My slab is just shy of 5" thick. Each hole took about a minute to drill with the rented Bosch hammer drill (Model 11232EVS). I simply crouched to put some of my weight on the drill with the hammer doing most of the work. Frankly, the holes were fairly easy to drill. The trick is keeping the drill in the right place. The MaxJax install video shows one simply drilling the 5/8" pilot holes through the base plate. I tried that with the first hole, but the drill immediately migrated to the edge of the hole in the baseplate, not the center. So, I made the plywood jig by simply placing the tower on the wood, tracing the holes and then drilling center holes 5/8" (easy through wood). I found that even the wood jig wanted to move a little as I drilled the first hole so I simply dropped one of the 5/8" anchor bolts through that hole to hold the jig in place for the rest. That worked perfectly.

There's a lot of discussion in other forums about securing the anchors. Some people advise pouring epoxy into the holes before setting the anchors under the theory that the epoxy blob at the base of the slab will provide additional strength to keep the anchors from pulling out. I think I have plenty of concrete so I'm going to stick with the instructions. If the anchor fails to set, I drilled all the way through the slab so I can pound that anchor through the slab into the dirt and try again. If you have to pour new concrete, the job can be a real SOB and much more expensive.

You can see in my garage I have a drain in the middle. The floor is sloped slightly toward the drain. I decided to straddle the drain so the towers will be at the same level. That way with just a few shims I can make the towers both level and parallel (critical!).

That's a nice price as well. Interested to see the car up on the lift.

I'll post as soon as I get it done.

I've been thinking of getting a set of these. Looking forward to seeing your completed install and how high you can lift the car, it looks like you have as much overhead clearance as I have.

I was trying to change the mufflers on my car this morning - car up on jack stands, could get the muffler bolts off, but couldn't get enough leverage laying on my back to get it off the over axle pipe - so it got me thinking about a set of these again.

As far as the pinch welds, you could get some of these jacking plates that go on the pinch weld:
http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-jacking-plates.html

http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-hardcore-jacking-plates-for-ford-mustang.html

The goal is to get the car lifted to 45", enough to sit on a roller chair under it. The lift has two heights (holes for the safety bars) at 24" and 45".

I have the ceiling height (9'), but the issue is clearing the garage door tracks. First I'll try backing the car in to see if that will do it, if not, I'm going to have to bend the garage door tracks so instead of 90' bend it will be more like 75' toward the ceiling. That will also require me to raise the garage door opener, but that shouldn't be too hard. We'll see. Next issue is to fix a fluid leak at the base fitting of the right post.

Thanks for the links, but like skwerl I'll fabricate something.

 

[908ssp]

I am real interested in getting one of those as well. What makes the two sides go up at the same rate so they stay flat? Permanent two post lifts use cables that either run on the floor or over head that connect the cylinders together making sure that the lift stays flat.

 

[Fishstyx]

I am real interested in getting one of those as well. What makes the two sides go up at the same rate so they stay flat? Permanent two post lifts use cables that either run on the floor or over head that connect the cylinders together making sure that the lift stays flat.

The system uses a separate hydraulic pump. To use the lift you have to secure the towers and hook up the hydraulic hoses to the base of each post. Inside each post is a high-volume hydraulic ram that pushes the lift slide up. The pump pushes fluid through a volumetric splitter that sends equal quantities of fluid to each side and that what makes sure the lift raises evenly.

One thing I don't like about this product is that it doesn't include a racheting mechanical drop safety. On most two post lift you will hear a clacking noise as they go up. That noise is a steel safety tripping over locking teeth on the way up. That way, if there is a problem with the hydraulic system on the way up, the slide will only drop an inch or two. With this system, until you slide that locking bar through the post, the only thing between the car and the floor is pressurized fluid. The fluid lines attach to the posts via quick release fittings which could pop off if not secure so one must take extra care to make sure they are secure.

With that in mind, he's to not dropping my car.

 

[908ssp]

Thanks for the explanation. I still would watch very carefully when its going up that it stays flat. Those arms look so short will you be able to open the door enough to get out or do you have to climb through the window? We had offset posts where the arms on the back were longer than those in the front at a race shop I worked at and it was still hard to get out without the door hitting the posts. I suppose you could push the car the last few feet into position.

 

[Fishstyx]

Thanks for the explanation. I still would watch very carefully when its going up that it stays flat. Those arms look so short will you be able to open the door enough to get out or do you have to climb through the window? We had offset posts where the arms on the back were longer than those in the front at a race shop I worked at and it was still hard to get out without the door hitting the posts. I suppose you could push the car the last few feet into position.

The arms telescope so they can extend to almost twice as long. That said. I like keeping them short. Doing so places less pulling tension on the anchors. I can get out no problem with the car in position.

Keeping the car level when lifting is obviously a major concern. Air in the system or a dodgy quick release could both cause the rams to be uneven. that said, after extensive searching online I couldn't find a single story of someone actually dropping a car or other disaster. The closest was a guy with a Porsche who had a faulty quick release that trapped fluid in the line when he started to drop the car (only one side going down). Fortunately he was watching and stopped. He had to raise the lift an inch to clear the condition and drop normally.

Looks like I won't be able to finish until this weekend. The tool rental operation said it would take a week to get the 7/8" bit I need . The 7/8" bit they rented me wasn't quite 7/8" so the holes are too small by a smidge.

 

[coffeydp]

http://redmoonbay.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=2118

These might work...

 

[Pumpkinfish]

Seems like we have identical garages, lol! I have been contemplating this at some point in the future and I am curious how the garage door opener clearance works out.

 

[Fishstyx]

http://redmoonbay.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=2118

These might work...

Well the price is right

 

[Fishstyx]

Ok, it's in. I picked up the new drill this morning at it took about an hour to complete the holes. I set the power-drop anchors and put cement epoxy in the holes as an extra measure. I need two shims on the forward plate of each post to get them parallel. Also, I went ahead and bought the frame rail adaptors in the above post, they work great and make the lift more secure on the frame. By backing the car in the garage I can lift it the full 45" without interfering with the garage door rails. Work perfect.

Car backed into position.

Ready to lift

Here's the frame rail adaptor

All the way up. Notice clearance from the garage door rails

Ready to work.

 

[Midnight00SE]

WOW! Looks great. I'd love to check this out in person some day.

 

[skwerl]

Make sure you keep an extra barstool or two in the garage. It looks like it gets the car just high enough for you to hunch over and get under it, but working above your head while hunched over is almost impossible. You'll either need a stool or else you will need to crawl around on your knees in order to get your back straight so you can do anything on the car.

 

[Stang613]

Very impressive!

 

[jayman33]

If you only knew how jealous I am of you right now.

 

[Fishstyx]

Make sure you keep an extra barstool or two in the garage. It looks like it gets the car just high enough for you to hunch over and get under it, but working above your head while hunched over is almost impossible. You'll either need a stool or else you will need to crawl around on your knees in order to get your back straight so you can do anything on the car.

I've got a couple of those roller stools. I changed the oil with no problem. The kit actually came with a "free" roller stool and a 6 gal rolling oil drain.