This is in response to a request posted by "AMG 17GT" (https://mbworld.org/forums/coupe-roa...#post8831498):

Not having enough ceiling height for a full lift or room for a post-style lift, I decided to install a mid-height scissor lift. After much investigation, I chose the Atlas Kwik Bay 7000 lift because:
- it had good reviews (and later learned that the support people in Texas are awesome and the Canadian dealer is horrible!)
- it has 13 locking positions (this turns out to be quite important)
- it has a 7K lb capacity (adequate for my and my son's vehicles)
- it operates at 120 VAC
- when inset into the floor, still provides about 1M (39") of under-vehicle clearance
- has no middle elements to restrict center access
- has a 2 year warranty
- is moveable if it's not inset into the floor
- it can handle a variety of car sizes (I made my own cross-bar supports for wide vehicles)

Negatives:
- required a separate 30A 120 VAC service
- requires compressed air (85-120 psi) [I already had a compressor]

The lift parked under a 2016 C63 S (the wheel caps are off because it's prep'd for the track):


The first task was to cut the garage concrete floor. I rented a floor-cutting concrete saw and electric jack hammer to do this. Though you could cut the concrete then frame the lift-placement area to get the edges around the lift, I chose to cut to the lift edges and remove the dirt under the floor to get a 5" edge around the sunken lift-platform by "shoving" concrete into the dug-out area under the floor ... retaining forms were added that set the top level of the concrete for the bottom of the lift. I ordered a high-MPA (30 IIRC) concrete. We have a local "Yard At a Time" supplier that specializes in supplying up to 3-yard loads and we were able to chute the mix directly into the cutout area.

Concrete cut and dug-out:

... undercut, since we're pouring lower than the original floor (fortunately, the base is easy-to-dig sand):


Ready to pour concrete:


Concrete poured:

... and 1/2 floor re-finished (later applied an epoxy top-coat)


The next challenge was to move the >1K lb hoist over the cut-out area and lower it into place. The hoist has a pair of wheels that can be installed, after which the control-panel/pump/trolley assembly can be used to move the hoist. The strategy as to place the hoist beside the cut-out area, raise it onto some wood slats so it could slide, then use a trusty ol' screw jack (from a 1976 Toyota!) to slowly shove the hoist until it was behind, then over the cut-out.

... then jack up the rear of the hoist and remove the rear slide (it was set down onto a block under the center of the rear cross-member):


The real challenge was lowering the >1K lb hoist into place. I used 2 assistants "Jack" and "Jack" -- by alternately manipulating the height of the 2 jacks, I was able to lower each end of the hoist into place.

... the vertical scraps of wood are to prevent it from chipping the concrete:

... the side-handles on the ramp-end pieces were cut off to allow them to fit. Later I drilled a hole in each ramp-end piece and created a simple "hook with a handle" out of bent rod so I could lower the ramp-ends while the hoist was still fully lowered.


For a nicer finish (and much less crap falling into the "hoist pit"), I added custom-fit wood shims around the hoist (hey, I'm retired and this was during pandemic lock-down ... my wife was glad to not have me under-foot).


I used 3/8" plywood to cover the center area so, to ensure it could support vehicles driving over it, I placed various wood-block supports underneath it, in open areas around the hoist cross members.


I cut the handles on the control-panel/pump/trolley assembly to separate the control panel and mounted it onto the workbench located in front of the hoist stall. I also mounted inside pipes in the lower pump/trolley section so the handle could be reconnected if ever required.


C63 S on lift:


Next I made some jack-pads for the C43 and C63 S (which I had at that time). I used the rubber from an old concrete stamp-map I had left over from our patio/walkway project, many years back. The pads are a close fit so can be pushed up into the jack-pad receiver holes and will hang there while the hoist is raised. I also made some plywood "shim" pads of varying thicknesses which can be stacked to suit different vehicle clearances (to avoid losing lift height). Later I made a pad for the GTR ... unfortunately, there was not way to make it "stick" in place so raising the hoist under the GTR involves some "crawl, place lift block, raise hoist a bit, check lift-block placement" iterations (life is sooooo tough!).






A scissors-style lift does cover some under-vehicle areas, so I made a set of 4 "blocks" that I could lower the car tires onto to enable the lift to be lowered to allow access to the ramp-covered areas.


Since I can now sit up, underneath the cars, I modified my ol' "lay down" creeper:

... so it's now an adjustable sit-down creeper (later I rounded the top inside side edges [ouch]):


I also created a safety switch that turns off the garage-door opener when the top of the vehicle is raised such that the garage door would hit it if the door was opened. That took a bit of experimenting and "adjusting."

This is the normal "garage door can open" scenario:


And this is the "garage-door opener is deactivated" scenario:




Circuit diagram:


The wonderful whisker-switch I found on Amazon:


Some details, in case anyone else wants to create such a contraption:








The most recent issue was that the GTR, due to its dimensions and having a full set of TiKT brake-cooling ducts installed, has to be located within +/- 0.5" over the hoist (both front-to-back and side-to-side). Too far backward and the rear brake-cooling ducts will get crunched and too far forward and the ramp-end piece will rest against the front tires. To solve this, I added a set of 3 roof-mounted lasers that can be turned on when I enter the garage. I originally had these powered by the garage-door opener light socket but, when I replaced the 30+ year old opener with a newer one -- which operates at higher frequencies -- the opener remotes would not work with the lasers on due to RF interference.

The type of laser (search Amazon, 30 mw IIRC):


Laser pattern on floor (the light-grey square bars to the right are my DIY cross-bar supports that I lay across the ramps for my son's Jeep truck ... they have a wheel at each end so they can be easily rolled into place):

... and ON the (rain-dropped) GTR:

... and IN the GTR (Houston, the "eagle" has landed ... in position):

... how lucky was that "X marks the spot" positioning?! #;-))

Later, when the concrete had cured, I used anchor bolts to secure the bases of lift ... this was to prevent the lift from shifting, rather than any other requirement. I also installed a 120 VAC duplex outlet under each ramp-end piece in the lift "pit" ... this was done as an "extension cord" that is plugged into a GFI-protected outlet on the workbench. That way I have ready access to power at either side/end of the hoist, when under the car.

 

Wow. Well done!

I’ve got some thinking to do.

 

This is a superb write up!

 

Fantastic work. I’m tired out just reading about it! lol

 

Impressive.

 

Excellent info thanks for sharing

 

STRONG WORK!

WELL DONE!!!

 

I’ve been considering something similar for my own tight garage setup, and the Atlas Kwik Bay 7000 sounds like a solid choice. I love how the 13 locking positions give you so many options for clearance. When I looked into scissor lifts, I found the scissor lift from Astrolift to be another great option, especially for garages with limited ceiling height. It’s compact, easy to install, and gives you plenty of room to work under the vehicle. I’ve used a similar lift in my garage, and it’s been a real game changer—no more squeezing under the car!

 

It's been 4 years and the lift has been great. The only issue is that one of the lower hose fittings on a lift ram came loose and leaked a bit of hydraulic fluid. Tightening it fixed the issue ... and I now keep some white paper towels laid in "the pit" so I'll easily notice any fluid leaks. To me, the multitude of locking positions was one of the best features and, after using for so long, would now be a "must have."

Once you have a convenient hoist, you'll find that you use it for things you may not thought of:

- applying PPF and/or a (refresh) ceramic coating (or wax, or whatever you use) to the lower panels on a vehicle

- washing all the black track-rubber marks of the lower part of the car after a track day (hey, every year after 70 it seems to get more 'n more difficult to "get down, crawl around 'n get up") #;-))

- working with "something" that's heavy and would benefit from being lifted so it can be worked on more easily -- e.g., large rototiller, friend's motorcycle and tent trailer, hand-made sloped extension curbs for 8' skylights, etc.

I'd guess I "do a lift" at least once a week, on the average. Nowhere near commercial-level use so I'm expecting it'll outlast me.

 

Very clever, and well thought out. Of course, I am jealous. While you had the garage floor dug out, it would have been a perfect time to put in a hidden emergency shelter.

 

On our property, the ground underneath the topsoil is about 4 ft of reddish sand, but then has some number of feet of "natural concrete." In geologic times, this was ocean delta and the deposited gravel plus calcium deposits result in stuff that takes a jackhammer and/or backhoe to excavate. Been there, done that ... not fun. Only went down 8 ft but never got below the "natural concrete." OTOH, it _would_ be a nice surrounding for an emergency/bomb/etc. shelter ... dig-able, sides wouldn't cave in so good for back side of poured concrete walls, not very permeable so unlikely to have much of a water-pressure issue. Unfortunately, even one of the small backhoes is too tall for the interior of the garage. This is all good as I don't need any more large projects to add to my list as I already have too many. #;-))

 

Nice install -- especially like your creative use of trolley jacks to drop the unit into the floor cavity.

On an unrelated point, I notice your garage ceiling is wood planks. Doesn't your local building code require fire retardent drywall?

 

Had to get "creative" since it weighs about 1K lbs (IIRC) and it didn't seem like an engine hoist would work/fit (and I'd have to rent/buy one) ... and I already had the jacks. I've never liked puzzles for puzzles sake, but I do enjoy solving real-life puzzles. It's a way of thinking that I work on, a lot, with our granddaughters when we're doing their "garage projects."

The house was built in the 1960s and the garage started out as a car-port structure followed by some adjacent add-on/out-buildings followed by add-on walls. The ceiling is (very nice and, today, expensive) old-world cedar tongue 'n groove planking. Yes, it would burn furiously, given the amount of oil in that old red cedar. I suspect that such code wasn't in effect when the garage was first enclosed.

Some of the previous construction was "done by idiots" -- $50 saved on flashing resulted in wood-rotted walls and placing untreated 2x4 wall base-plates on a no-curb concrete slab in rainy climate. As a result, I've replaced 4 significant wall sections (with proper curb, flashing, etc.) and done some adjacent add-ons. The wood ceiling was never mentioned during permits/inspections so I'm guessing it's allowed to persist, as long as I don't do any changes that directly impinges upon the ceiling structure.

Seems like a good excuse to avoid having an electric vehicle to park in the garage. ICE is cooler, anyway! #;-)) Maybe my safety subconscious was properly engaged when I was hanging the 5 fire extinguishers throughout the garage?

 

Hopefully you don't have aluminum wiring too.
We built our house about 10 years ago. Building inspectors can be a PITA, but I've seen enough crazy DIY to appreciate their purpose.

 

Nope, good ol' fashioned copper wiring ... and the electrician was a "master" at stuffing those smaller switch/plug boxes! I did a homeowner's permit and wired an add-on we did. I had to re-do some of the boxes as pigtailing is now required (and wasn't then) and I had to go to the larger boxes to fit the same wires ... and still had "challenges."

Yeah, codes/inspectors can be a PITA, but you have to realize -- even though a particular requirement may not make sense in your specific situation -- that people likely suffered injury and/or died before that regulation was specified. I can handle that. When the electrical inspector reviewed my add-on wiring, he first commented "well I can tell this wasn't done by a pro (and I'm thinking 'oh no!'), it's far too neat a layout (whew!)." I used to design/build a lot of electronic "stuff" (in the 70s and 80s), so I acquired a "neatness counts" approach.

 

Ha! I had a similar experience with my electrical inspector. He showed up for the rough-in inspection, and I pulled out my binder with all the wiring diagrams for the entire house to show him the plans. I got about 6 pages into it, and he looks at me and says, "you're an engineer, aren't you?"

 

" Who, meeee????" " what gave it away?"
And it's not just the fact that you had the drawings but it was the pride and enthusiasm while reviewing them.


I am positively green with envy over this installation. I wish I had that ceiling height in my garage.
I just ordered a set of quickjacks this afternoon.

 

Yeah, I also have diagrams for the wiring but didn't think the inspector cared. I tend to do plans and in-progress photos as they can be handy years later when you're wondering "OK, where was that thing placed/routed?" or "Is there anything behind that wallboard that says I shouldn't drill here? or ... However, when the inspector looked at my multi-way switches he said they weren't done according to "the book." _Then_ I pulled out my plans and showed him that they were correct and that my strategy saved about 150' of wire length. He asked how I figured that out and I told him I a computer science (AKA geek) type and multi-way switches are simple logic circuits and that there are multiple ways of wiring them. He took a picture of my plan.

 

Seeing the thread revived, I looked at the pics again. What a cool job on the lift! The garage door setup looks a little too DIY. Why not convert to a high-lift garage door? Less than $1k for rails with new springs; then add a direct drive opener. This should give enough space even with an open door.

 

Too much work/cost for a very minimal benefit. On some cars (e.g., the GTR) I lose very little height if lifting with the garage door open. If I am lifting with the garage door open, it's likely because I want more access room at the rear of the vehicle and that likely means I'm working on the outside rear of the vehicle and so don't want it up too high, anyway.

More importantly, the "Boss Lady" doesn't yell too loudly when she comes home and finds the garage door doesn't open ... though I do get an immediate phone call. #;-))

When our (very) old garage-door opener failed, earlier this year, I did consider changing to a roll-up door. However, I had multiple projects going so when I found an inexpensive exact replacement and "still in the box" new opener on Craigslist, I opted for that quick 'n easy swap.

 

If a perfect setup like that lift, gets posted on this forum, making everyone drool with envy, all forum members should be allowed to come over and use it. If you get a large surge in demand, it might have to get scheduled and reserved. If the demand goes even higher, maybe a small fee would be in order?

 

Do you mean the jack shaft opener? I did this because I have a very low garage ceiling so now my rails are only around 12" from the ceiling (the minimum required for it to work).

 

Yeah, but then I'd have to spend a fortune on liability insurance because it wouldn't be covered by my homeowner's policy. Would often be interesting, however.

Interesting approach, but I don't think I'd have enough room between the garage door and the wall. What I meant was this type of roll-up door (as you'll likely see at most auto service centers):

 

Awesome job!
Need this in the home garage for my 190e project. Thanks for sharing!

 

Impressive work. I am just curious. Did you consider in the beginning the Maxjax option? If so what were the reasons against? I have Maxjax for 13 years and I am very happy with it. Thank you.