Choosing The Best Lift For Your Classic Car

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Owning a classic can be one of the most enjoyable investments you can make these days, especially if you also like to work on them. But have you considered a professional lift to aid repairs plus also solve that age old problem of storage?

A car lift can be used to achieve different tasks – basic to advanced maintenance, or used to increase your storage/parking space and are not the luxury many perceive them to be. In fact, they are an investment and can pay for themselves, both in saving labour repair costs on your car and also provide clever extra storage and do away with the need for that extra, expensive garage!

To find out more, we spoke to Strongman Tools, a car lift specialist. Strongman’s roots is in the classic car sector, so it understands classic car needs, and appreciates the various space and budget restrictions their owners face.

Most lifts are raised using hydraulic power – a tried and tested system. An electric motor cycles an oil pump – pressurising the hydraulic system, activating the rams and in turn, raising the lift. All lifts have full CE, a mechanical locking system, and are designed to operate from a standard UK 240v single phase mains supply plug socket.

Aside from those impressive Thunderbirds-esque underground parking systems, for most homes there are four main designs: scissor, two post, four post and platform lifts.

The nitty gritty

The mid-rise scissor lift, with Strongman that’s the “Tamar” (£1300), with a raise height of 1.25m is ideal for fettling, steering and brake work. Operation is simple: park a car over the platform, position the adjustable arms so the rubber pads are under any safe jacking point and press the up button! The lift can be used at a number of different heights to suit the job in-hand.

When not in use, the lift can be simply rolled out of the way using the in-built mobility gear.

The biggest disadvantage of the standard mid-rise scissor lift design is a lack of central access but the mid-rise ‘twin platform’ design provides clear access down the middle of the car.

Again, operated by parking over the platforms, placing the rubber blocks under any jacking point and lifting, the twin platform design is well covered by Strongman with two models, starting at £1700 with the more robust “Chepstow” and £2200 for the Clifton at just under £2300, all including VAT. These lifts are mobile and lift three tons to a height of 1m, making them particularly suitable for many domestic garages, specialists and businesses such as brake and tyre centres, paint shops and detailing centres.

If you require full height and better overall access, a two post maintenance lift might be a good choice, with a manual option starting at just £1450. The design does require more thought and attention when working, as getting the car balanced correctly on their arms is essential for safe use.

These lifts do also require a minimum of an eight inch solid concrete floor. However, once setup correctly, these lifts do offer excellent access, although are not recommended for the long term storage of classic cars.

So far, all the lifts have been raising the vehicle using the jacking points. If you are more comfortable lifting the car by its wheels, a four post design from Strongman’s range will suit you better, with its unique range of sizes and designs to fit into the smallest of spaces. Starting at £2450, the “Bonar” is designed more for light fettling and offering extra parking. In terms of advanced maintenance, Strongman offers three different sized four posters, the baby “Glenfinnan”, “Dunkled” and the largest – the “Findhorn”.

The four post design has been the bedrock of car maintenance for years offering excellent access, reliability and total safety, with the benefit of also doubling potential parking space. Extras such as oil drip trays, and jacking beams for lifting the car up to assist in major servicing jobs can be purchased.

For more low-profile vehicles, Strongman makes a lower profile four poster, which with a 150mm platform makes it suitable for many sports cars in particular.

If you are not too fussed with maintenance, but chiefly need more space for your cars, Strongman has designed a range specifically with parking and storage in mind. The “Donnington” incorporates the main requirements for parking: simple operation, and easy to drive on and off the low-profile, solid deck. For multiple lifts, the “Donnington” utilises a ‘sharedpost’ design; an additional platform being added with an extra leg.

All lifts come complete with guarantee, and delivery as well as installation by their own engineers is offered. Servicing and spares back-up are available, too.

We’ve covered the main designs and hopefully the main points, but if you have any more questions, whether you are looking for a small lift for your home garage, or whether you have a car storage unit that is overflowing, the boys at Strongman are more than happy to chat about individual requirements: 01926 298800 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).