Garage lift ideas?

[Thumper]

I am now into my new place. it has *brag mode on* a 36x38 garage. What I want to do is rig some sort of hoist/ lift so I can raise the body off my frame inside the garage to do the body swap. The catch is that I cant use anything in the ceiling for support. So I need a framework inside. The ceiling is 10', and my truck is almost 8'. Anyone rig anything up like this?
Thanks
Mike

 

[ryoken]

you could weld up a rolling or stationary A frame..

we have a big one in the shop for pulling boat motors and a portable one for assembling inside bigger boats.

the shop one is 1 piece. the portable is 2 A's and a pipe to link the 2 together.. each A has a collar at the the top to slide the pipe thru, making width adjustment possible.. easy fab too...

 

[diesel4me]

Since my shop is a quonset hut,I cant put any weight on the building itself,so I made an A-frame too,out of a swingset they were removing from a local playground that was built by city DPW workers out of schedule 40 pipe.It was 30 ft wide when I got it,but I cut it down to 12ft so it would fit in the shop easier,and I made it so you can take it apart for transporting it to other locations via pickup truck.If I hadnt gotten that,I was going to build a "truss"that mounted to the concrete foundation walls on each side,and across the shop,out of channel iron,and use a chain falls on a trolley.The swingset worked out really well.I'm going to upgrade the lawnmower wheels I put on it to some big swivel casters I got from a warehouse cart,and use rear hubs and space saver spares from a FWD car on the other end.Its nice to be able to back your truck right under it and load heavy motors and other stuff in with no lifting!. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[ryoken]

cool.... A frames are indespensable to a marine mechanic. our portable stands about 6' high and width adjustabable so we can put it in salons on big boats (living room). we pull engines out of the bildge, dolly em, bring it to the door and crane em out..

our welding bud owed us a favor and is finishing up our shop wheeled one now. 15' high, 12' wide, I-beam up top.. should work well in our shop for smaller boats...

<thread hijack off> /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[HarryH3]

Dood! Close the fridge door! The beer is getting warm! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Sweet shop. I'd love to have that much space to work on my junk in... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
[ QUOTE ]
cool.... A frames are indespensable to a marine mechanic. our portable stands about 6' high and width adjustabable so we can put it in salons on big boats (living room). we pull engines out of the bildge, dolly em, bring it to the door and crane em out..

our welding bud owed us a favor and is finishing up our shop wheeled one now. 15' high, 12' wide, I-beam up top.. should work well in our shop for smaller boats...

<thread hijack off> /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Rolled]

I am so jealous of that shop, ryoken /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif That's what I am building in my next house. Twice as wide though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[ryoken]

hehe, thanks... thats work, but i have free run of the shop. what you don't see is the engine/tool room in the back left and the parts and breakroom upstairs.. the breakroom fridge is always well stocked /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif one advantage to my job, we get tons of beer tips /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif