[Dr. Lo]

These lift ramps have worked well for me. I looked at the Quick Jacks but I want to do some clean-up work along the underside of the rocker panels and replace fuel lines, etc. and the Quick Jacks would interfere with that.

View attachment 1758137

Those lift ramps look really neat. What’s the brand and model?

 

[gdaquilina]

The Brand is Black Widow- no model # that I know of. I got them at Discountramps.com They are described as hydraulic underbody access car lift with ramp- 3000 lb. per pair.

 

[Vivace]

I bought a portable lift and love it.
Bit to assemble and may not fit all garages but worth it if it does.
cheers

I've never seen that - cantilevers from one side, interesting. Do you ever roll it against a wall to store? Does it take up a lot of real estate?

The only down side I can see is having enough vertical space for it, and pulling a transmission or something out where the crossbar is in the way.

Thanks for posting -

 

[Vivace]

These lift ramps have worked well for me.

How far off the floor is that tire? You could use those to transfer to big jack stands.

 

[gdaquilina]

How far off the floor is that tire? You could use those to transfer to big jack stands.

The bottom of the tire is a tad over 15" from the floor.

 

[pinshaw]

I've never seen that - cantilevers from one side, interesting. Do you ever roll it against a wall to store? Does it take up a lot of real estate?

The only down side I can see is having enough vertical space for it, and pulling a transmission or something out where the crossbar is in the way.

Thanks for posting -

The center bar interference is more than offset by being portable which is its greatest asset for me.
Been a great tool, but not the cheapest solution

 

[Rigsbee1]

I have followed this thread and there are really good options out there for those of us with low ceilings. In my case 8ft, but have all the garage door lift equipment and rails, making it about 7'4". I think my options for my 1974 Spider are :

1. Jack Stands (good quality and a 20" height) and a Professional Jack
a. This is what I have been using for years - but I am hoping for a better solution.
2. QuickJack
a. I did the measurements and I believe for the 1974 Alfa Spider, I can only fit the QuickJack BL-3500SLX.
Is there anyone here using a BL-5000 model on a Series 1 and 2 Spider?
3. Black Widow Pro Hydraulic Ramps
a. Portable. Raises the wheels about 15 inches, so approximately 21 inches on the frame.
4. One Post Portable Jack - Ideal
a. Requires a 9 ft ceiling or I have seen guys place these between the rafters or cut the sheetrock.
b. Most expensive
5. MaxJax - two post solution 8 ft ceiling, requires a minimum of 4 inches of concrete.
a. Three versions
1) Original Pre - 2018 were designed by Dannmar , made in China. No ALI certification.
2) Re-designed Dannmar M6 (Some, not all with an ALI certification for safety)
(a) Dannmar went Bankrupt and was purchased by BendPak in April 2020.
(b) Spare parts are limited to what was purchased at the factory. Support is very limited.
3) Bendpak Version - total redesign, with safety in mind and what is being sold today.

I am sure there are others, but limited this summary to low ceiling options. For me, in order of preference and not my spouses preference :

1. MaxJax Bendpak
2. Quick Jack BL-3500 (unless someone here can verify using the 5000
3. Black Widow
4. Professional Jack Stands and Jack

Thanks to all that contributed to this thread. It helps new Alfa owners a great deal.

Have I missed anything in the summary?

 

[Hydro]

I've always been a fan of the ezcarlift especially if you have low ceilings. It's a little pricey but very portable and I've always felt safe working under my Alfas.

 

[msmith10]

The Brand is Black Widow- no model # that I know of. I got them at Discountramps.com They are described as hydraulic underbody access car lift with ramp- 3000 lb. per pair.

Jerry,
Do those lift ramps have some type of mechanical locking mechanism? I don't trust hydraulics without some mechanical back-up lock.

 

[pinshaw]

Costco running a sale car lifts, go up to 27” w lift extenders and $1599. For low ht garages they work well.

 

[gdaquilina]

Do those lift ramps have some type of mechanical locking mechanism? I don't trust hydraulics without some mechanical back-up lock.

Yes- The hydraulic rams are locked in place by a black metal piece that flips down over the ram when the lift is fully up.

 

[ShamrockRally]

Got my quickjack 5000TL last year.
Have used it several times on my 73 spider. Also used on my 2012 MINI Cooper and my 1999 Boxster. Surprisingly, the spider is the tightest fit. I have to make sure the trays start out pushed all the way back. As the car lifts, the trays would start to touch the front tires. But, it is super simple to drop the car down, scoot the lifts back, and up it goes.
I feel comfortable under the car with these lifts. Seems pretty darn stable. I did the motor mount on the Boxster using jack stands. Ended up with 14" under car. We all know the contortions to reach that socket above your head when your arm is down at your side. Next job I used the quickjack and had an easy 24" underneath the car. To speed things up I need to mark locations for the lift blocks. That eats up several minutes going for the perfect spot.

 

[slowcreek]

MSC-6KLP 6,000 LB Single Column Lift | Wholesale Lifts

liftswholesale.com

 

[dmericas]

I’d second the suggestion of raising the ceiling height by modifying the rafters. When we built our garage the builder suggested that solution to give me ~2ft of extra height for a 4 post lift that allows me to stack my Alfas. Once you do your first oil change standing up you’ll never look back.

 

[Monstrodamus]

I have the smaller quickjack and it fits easily under my current Alfetta and the Spiders I used to have. You can only access from the front or back but it's very secure and the detents are better than jackstands. This is an example of the clearance underneath.

 

[alfaloco]

"Once you do your first oil change standing up you’ll never look back."

Dean's got that right! And the older you get, the more you'll love the lift. I got that right. 😁

 

[Chasmo99]

Don’t waste your money on a Quick Jack. No room under a small vehicle like an Alfa. Heavy, they leak, about the same amount of time to set up as using a floorjack and stands. I bought mine at Costco. Used it for a week and saw all it’s flaws. Fortunately Costco takes back anything. So try it that way if you really must.

 

[TFB3]

I've been working with high lift floor jack and jack stands for 50 years without an issue. I have started putting an extra 6x6 blocks under as plan B for safety. Btw, getting engines out of 356's and Beetles require floor jack and stands. Even shown in repair books.
Tbone

 

[nealric]

"Once you do your first oil change standing up you’ll never look back."

Dean's got that right! And the older you get, the more you'll love the lift. I got that right. 😁

I’d have a very hard time going back to jack stands after working under a lift. There’s nothing that’s impossible on jack stands, but the lift makes it so much more pleasant. It also makes a lot of jobs much quicker- especially those that require getting all 4 wheels off the ground.

 

[paul b]

Does not seem to be any mention so far of the scissor lift option. The scissor lift is a drive on drive off solution and you simply park the car on it when not in use. It does not extend sideways much at all from the car width so takes up minimal room in a standard garage bay.There are no side posts. At full height you can comfortably walk under the car, and it is just perfect for exhaust, suspension and driveline work. Car sits on 4 rubber blocks which you place on the (two) lifting surfaces at the appropriate points, eg the jack points on the alfa. Only minor obstruction when working underneath is the lifting surfaces being under the sills. In practice this is a non issue. Unit needs to be bolted to floor. Normal house power drives the hydraulics and they are super safe with lock in ratchet operation and even a massive torque tube preventing one side sagging if there was some kind of hydraulic failure. Does require an air supply at modest pressure to lift the safety locks when lowering. At a pinch this can be worked around manually, but not recommended.
Check one out at your local tyre place.
Price is fairly high but you are buying safety quality and fantastic convenience. Around $US 5000 I am guessing.
Could take and upload photos if requested.