Help, I'm Looking for a 5th spot.

[Henson]

I need garage design help. I currently have two mustangs. A Tow Pig and the wife’s 4 door commuter car. We are looking at getting a new Stang. Although I need a place to put it. I have two garages. One attached one detached. The detached is where I work on car stuff, it’s my little Shop. For a long time I have wanted a 2-post lift. But I’m not sure if it will fit in my Shop. I thought that if I get a 2-post in my shop I could also use it for storage for one of the Stangs. This being a part time solution for now.

So the question is can I store two mustangs measuring approximately 4’-6” ~ 4’-8” tall on top of each other in my shop. The constraints are as follows…

My Shop is a two car with (2) 10’ wide doors. The ceiling is 10’ at the front of the space. The floor is sloping to the door openings. Total free space is about 25’ wide by 30’ deep.

My wife’s garage is connected to the house. It has one 16’ door with an 11’-6” ceiling at the front of the space. The floor is sloping also to the door. It also has an extra 10’ or more space to the side to store the mower and her gardening junk. I could easily put three cars if I dolly one to the side. I prefer to right now use her garage for her “4 door commuter” and my Truck (Tow Pig). This leaves three mustangs to keep in my Shop.

Let me know what you all think. All input and pictures will be helpful.
Maybe there’s a better solution?

Thanks.
Henson

 

[Cardboard Man]

It doesn't sound like you have enough height in your shop to use a lift effectively. Although you might be able to lift one car high enough to drive another one under it, it seems like a waste of a lift not to be able to use it at it's fully extended height. Is it possible that you can buy/build a small storage shed for your mower and your wife's gardening stuff? It would be cheaper than a lift if you have the space for it in the yard. Then you could put the "least driven" car in there against the wall, the 2 others in your shop, and still have room in the house garage for your daily drivers. Just trying to offer other options.

 

[autoist]

Go buy one of those little wooden barns that they deliver to your back yard - put all the non-car related stuff in it...then you've got an extra space in "her garage".

 

[Henson]

What are the height requirements for a 2-post?

At the very least I'd like to get a 2-post anyway for working on the track car and maintaining the rest of the fleet. Will a 10’-0” ceiling still be ok for a 2 post if I use it for working on the cars and the truck?

If it won't work for storage do you think I can use a BendPack PL-6SPX for the '65?
Approximately how much does a PL-6SPX go for?
Approximately how much does a 2-post go for?


I really would like your opinion. Let me know.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Figure that the lift platform is going to be 6 inches thick or more, plus you have to lift it about six inches above the stop where it will rest and then let it down, plus it will depend on just where those stops are located on the lift. I think your ceiling just isn't going to be high enough. You may be able to get away with it by taking the wheels off the car on top of the lift so it sits lower, but even then you're going to be dealing with fractions of inches to get two cars stacked on top of each other with a ten foot ceiling.

Now, you could use a hoist to store all the gardening and yard stuff, it would probably not be as high as the car so you'll have more clearance. That, or build a loft of some kind or put up a small garden shed in the yard.

 

[Henson]

Ok I won't store anything in my Shop because its ceiling is too short at 10"-0".

But if I use a BendPack PL-6SPX in the wife's garage her ceiling is 11'-6".
Is that high enough to store?

In this scenario I would store the Truck, The '65 and the 4 door commuter in Her garage with help from the PL-6SPX. And in my shop I would have the new stang and my track car up on a 2-post lift.

That's if I still can put a 2-post in a garage with a 10'-0" ceiling?

 

[dfox1234]

This is a no brainer, Buy a Shed and get all the non car **** out of the garage. Its the first thing a motor head does when situating a garage.
HTH, Dean

 

[Stuart in MN]

Ok But if I use a BendPack PL-6SPX in the wife's garage her ceiling is 11'-6". Is that high enough to store?

Now that's a definite possibility.

 

[Henson]

Yea yea yea a storage shed would give me room to Dolly another car in the extra space in the attached garage but what one?

My Truck- No
Daily driver- No
My track car- No
My new Mustang- No
It would have to be the wife’s ’65 and I wouldn’t even get through articulating the idea before she would shut the door on it. So the Storage shed idea is good but won’t help me out with the problem.

If a BendPack PL-6SPX will work in a 11’-6” garage I think that is the solution.
Any Thoughts? Will it fit?

I’ll proceed with the storage shed idea when I buy a Model A!

 

[sammerdog]

Set the area up correctly where the wife's 65 is going to get dollied and she'll buy into it. Fresh white drywall in that corner, black & white checkered floor (heck, grab a piece of checkered linoleum), and some track lites / spotlites. If you make a "show case" area for her 'stang, she'll like it.

 

[Henson]

Oh... very good. You seem to have some experince I lack.

 

[autoist]

11'6" is enough if the car is an MG! Do some measurements using her '65 on top.

 

[JMURiz]

I would think 11'6" would be plenty high for any kind of lift...cars aren't all that tall.

I'd go with a 'normal' 4-post lift with some bridge-jacks, but that PL-6SPX is a very cool lift for storage only.

Write BendPak and ask for their clearances worksheet to ensure the minimum ceiling height you need just to be sure.

sammerdog's suggestion is the best one, would make the space really aesthetically nice and WAY less expensive.

 

[Joe Reed]

Can you just park the truck outside?

 

[Ironcrow]

Many two posts lifts spec at 11'-6" to 12' for the lift itself. If you want lights on the ceiling, room to roll up garage door, and to avoid poking the car's antenna through the ceiling - a 13' ceiling is a good place to start.

 

[Cardboard Man]

I still stick to my original suggestion in my 1st post but just had another idea. Is there room to add an 8 or 9' door to the house garage so you can access that dead space? It's a little bit of work but would give you another usable bay. Put the wife's 'Stang there and your problem is solved.

 

[rsanter]

buy an enclosed trailer
park it next to the garage
park one of the cars in it
problem solved

bob