It is a tight fit in my garage, but I knew that going in.   Being able to use the full width and height of the hoist would make it even better.   Even with my limitations it is still worth it.

Due to my ceiling height, the E-type and 450SLC always sit on the top.   I can modify the ceiling past the last beam to get about another 5-8cm of clearance which I will do at some point.  That will allow the SEC to go up top as well.  Generally the 560SEC and DS park below.  The DS must be put on its lowest suspension setting to park underneath.   I try not to park the 250SE underneath as I don’t want a chance of an oil drip on the soft top.

What I like about the hoist:

• It is easy to use and doesn’t require air lines to release the locks.
• It seems sturdy and well made.
• I was able to put it together myself, although it was not an easy task.
• I was able to slightly modify it for my setup.

What I am not as keen on:

• The ramps are really heavy.   To the point I have split two set of pants moving them!
• I find the rods for the locking mechanism a bit flimsy and in the way.
• The aluminium inserts were very expensive, so I had a lot of drips until I made my own wood inserts.

The main downside of the hoist is that it can be a bit of a production to get down the top cars.  By the time three other cars are moved and the hoist lowered, a car extracted then the first three cars put back in the garage, it takes 30-40 minutes.     The double hoist means both lower cars must be moved.    I didn’t have the width for two hoists, and it would have cost 50% more.   Plus, the extra posts would have been in the way.

At some point I may look at some lighter ramps to use as an alternative.

The post Side by Side Parker one year ownership report appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The plan was to make something basic without having to resort to custom welding or fabrication.    I found a base from a dead office chair and some plywood from a shelving project at home.   My idea was to bolt the chair to the plywood and then the plywood to the office chair base.   Due to the sheer weight of the E39 seat, I used two pieces of plywood.

The centre of gravity of the chair is quite far back.  Using the plywood allows the base to be attached in a way that doesn’t have the seated person falling out of the chair.   The base and casters were probably not designed for this sort of weight, so I am not sure if this will result in future wheel failure.   Even if it does, it wouldn’t be too hard to remove this base and bolt and alternative one to the plywood.

Obviously I painted the plywood back to ensure that it didn’t look too bad.   A much nicer way would have been to weld up a proper frame.  Unfortunately, I don’t know how to weld and I was not going to pay for custom welding.

The resulting garage chair works pretty well – although it is slightly too high.    The E39 seats have really nice leather and this car had a very original interior.

The post BMW E39 Garage Chair appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The major problem I have is oil drippage from the cars above.   Cars that are over 40 years old are going to have some level of oil leaks even when well maintained.   The hoist came with drip trays, but there are not enough to cover engine, transmission, diff etc.   I have also seen oil dripping between the two.   Belying the popular reputation, the 450SLC is far worse than the E-type jag when it comes to minor oil leaks.    I had been placing towels on the roofs of the lower cars, but this isn’t a great solution.

Hero Hoists do offer an add on package of metal pieces to fill the gaps in the hoists, as well as more drip trays.   I wasn’t as keen on more drip trays for the reason above, and the metal pieces are quite expensive.   They would also not work in my case as my ramps are not in the usual position.

My solution was to buy some plywood and cut it to size.  I could then place the drip trays above the plywood, and even put some cardboard down on it if necessary.   The plywood would not be thick enough to handle any real weight, but it would be sufficient to hold some drip trays.   To ensure it didn’t look really ugly, I painted it flat black.

I was able to get enough coverage with three large pieces of ply wood.   I probably should have cut it about 2mm smaller in the end.  It bends a little when installed.  I had cut it exactly to size as I wanted a tight fit.     It looks quite unobtrusive.   I already plan to add some LED strip lighting below the ramps, as these pieces will make it even darker under there.    The 450SLC is off having a new steering coupling installed, so when I pick it up later this week I will see how well this system solves my oil drippage problem.   I will also install the panels on the other side, once I have fitted a new battery to the Jag.

The post Four post hoist oil drippage appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

I think there are a few reasons for this.   Firstly, the battery is quite small, and like many things on the E-Type is under specified for the car.   The series 1 radiator fan is the classic example of this.   The small battery was probably primarily for cost, and secondarily for space.   Secondly, the Lucas starter is now over 60 years old and is not as efficient as it once was.     It is trying to turn over a long stroke 4.2 liter inline six, and the battery is too wimpy for the job,

I have three battery chargers.   The primary one is a CTEK MXS 5.0.   This is quite a nice charger, it has a 5A capacity, readouts to show what charge mode it is on, an AGM function and a recondition function.

I’ve tried the recondition function a couple of times with only moderate success.   Out of 3 attempts, only one of them has made a measurable difference on the battery.   In that case, I had left the door ajar on the 300SE.   After a jump start the NRMA cautioned me the battery needed replacement.   I confirmed this with my battery tester, but after running the recondition mode there was a big improvement.     The other two times the result was either same, or in one of them a bit worse.

There was really nothing to loose in trying the recondition mode on the E-Type battery as I planned to replace it.   I have a Solar BA5 battery tester which outputs the CCA rating of the battery when you plug it in.   The battery in the E-Type is rated at 620CCA.   Before the recondition, the output was 325CCA.   No wonder it was struggling to start the car!

After the test, I plugged in the CTEK MXS 5.0 battery recondition mode and left it for 24 hours.    The battery was indicating 13.7 volts, so it had charged.   The recondition mode had not done much, with the final output a dismal 344CCA.

My conclusion is that if the battery is otherwise good, but has suffered a major discharge, this recondition mode can make a big difference.   If the battery is otherwise on its way out, it really has no impact.     Before I replace this battery I want to research AGM batteries to see if that will work better in this car.   2-3 years does not seem enough in my book.    I also want to add a better disconnect switch and connection for the CTEK charger.   This would be similar to the 250SE.

Update 2/5/20:  I tried this mode on the battery on my Citroen DS.   It started out with a reading of 184/600.   After the recondition, I had a reading of 200/600.  An improvement, but not enough.   This confirms my experience.  The recondition mode does not help when the battery is too far gone.  It does make a difference after a deep discharge.

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The challenge I had with the locking mechanism was that a 1M rod needed to be installed from the rear of the hoist.   I did not have this much clearance.   To solve the issue, I cut the T-piece off the rod with an angle grinder and drilled out the bit of rod left in the hole.    I then purchased an M12x1.75 threaded rod from Bunnings warehouse and was able to get that rod into the hoist from the underside.   I then used nuts and washers to affix the T-piece back on the threaded rod.

This worked fairly well and the locks are now functioning as they should.   This hoist has two sets of locks and they look quite robust.

I also wanted to make a minor adjustment to the placement of the hoist.   This is no problem as it comes with a castor kit.  It was a pretty simple matter to install it and move the hoist about 200mm.   I was able to do this on my own.

The hoist is a tight fit for me, but worth it to get two more cars into my warehouse.   As outlined in the last part, I need to investigate adjusting the drop ceiling to gain an extra 100-120mm.   This will provide more flexibility for the upper cars.    Unfortunately this is probably not going to be enough height to use the 9th lock position.   Using the 9th would have allowed the Traction to be stored underneath.   The final configuration will probably be E-Type and SLC on top and DS/560SEC down below.

In the future, I may investigate an LED kit for the underside of the ramps.   I may also look at getting some wooden inserts to fully protect from drips.   Hero Hoists offer an aluminum insert kit, but its quite pricy.  It also covers the middle of the hoist between the ramps.   This wouldn’t apply in my case as I have shifted the second set of ramps to the right.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 4 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

While the unlock rod is not working I can manually unlock the hoist if I need to.   I was able to position the hoist at the height setting I’ll likely be using it and park the 250SE underneath.

The hoist is a three phase 415v model.  It was no extra charge and since I have three phase power I might as well use it.   The motor should be more efficient and last longer.

Today I did final checks and looked to balance the hoist.   It was odd because one corner was about 10cm off the rest which seemed strange.  On closer inspection I found that the cable had come off its runner.   This probably happened when I first applied power to the motor.

As can be seen in the picture, there are rods to stop this from happening.  Fixing the problem is pretty easy – put the hoist on its locks to take tension off the cable, disconnect it from the post and remove that rod.   It is now easy to re-route the cable and re-install the rod.

Once I had positioned the hoist I was able to measure how much space I would have at various positions.   At the most likely one I will have 1344mm above and 1559 below.  This should allow me to have the E-Type and 450SLC on top and most cars (Traction excepted) below.   I do have the possibility of raising the false ceiling about 120mm to give a bit more room up top which I will investigate in due course.   The 250SE is there now, but as it is the widest car I own, it will not usually park under the hoist.

Concluded in part 4.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 3 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

My expectation was that I would be able to push a regular size car around myself.  I expected that it would require effort, but I did expect to be able to do it.    The only car I have moved on the jacks that was easy to move had no engine.   Moving a race car with no interior, but with a motor was nigh on impossible on my own.

It would also be easier to use them if they would open about 5 CM more.   As can be seen in the picture, one of the plastic guides has split, but that is my fault for moving part of the hoist on the jack.

Surprisingly, if the need is to spin a car around, it can be easier to use only two of the jacks instead of all four.

I do not know if the inability to move a car is due to this particular vehicle positioning jack, or is common to all.   I suspect this is a cheap unit and others are better.

The post Product Review Update: SCA Hydraulic Vehicle Positioning Jack appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The motor is quite heavy, but straightforward to get mounted.   A hydraulic fitting needs to be screwed into the motor so it can drive the hoists hydraulic cylinder.   The hydraulic fluid chamber also must be filled.   The motor can be mounted either at the front or back of the post.   Even though it may be slightly more awkward to operate, mounting it at the back will save space.

Next was to install the mechanism to release the locks.   This involves a serious of rods that are controlled by a handle near the power unit.   This was proceeding quite well when I noticed a problem.   To fit the rods to connect the rear lock release, a rod must be inserted that is about a meter long.   I don’t have a meter of clearance at the back of the hoist.   Due to the posts in the workshop, I don’t have that much space to move it forward to add in this rod.

I may need to find a way of cutting this rod so it can be inserted from underneath.  If I cut it, I will need to find a way of re-joining it, so perhaps having threads added?   The picture below shows the rod on the right with the T-piece at the end.   This T-piece means I cannot install it from the bottom.    This is the only thing I have left to do before the core installation is done.

I may not be able to solve this by Christmas.   At least having the power connected should allow me to raise it to the highest level so I can park cars underneath until I can find an alternate to this rod.

Continued in Part 3.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 2 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The idea was to be able to take a 4th car for storage and still have room for my cars plus a workspace.   Hero Hoists offer two models of the side by side parker.   the regular one and the high lift model.    The high lift model is probably the better value, but its a bit deeper too and I couldn’t fit the extra depth nor need the higher lifting capacity.    Personally, I would have found it better if the smaller model was narrower by 200-500mm.

I found Hero Hoists to be pretty easy to deal with during the buying process.   I was able to come out and look at a similar model on the weekend and they were able to answer all my questions.   The price is reasonable for what you get.    One slight downside was that the shipping took a lot longer than anticipated.   Obviously this is not completely in their control but worth noting.

Hero Hoists are not a manufacturer.   They have an OEM relationship with Advantage Lifts (in the USA) who have the hoists manufactured.    Therefore there is a lot of information about the Advantage lifts that can be found on the internet.   I was quite impressed with the inclusions including caster kit, jack trays, drip trays etc.   The hoists also appeared to be well constructed and sturdy.     These lifts do not require compressed air to free the locks, which I see as a big advantage.

Based on the videos that explain how to assemble the lift, I figured that my Brother and I could do it.   Professional installation is quite expensive and you still need an electrician to connect it.    The delayed shipping meant the hoist only arrived the day before he was moving to Perth so I only had him for a few hours.

The hoist arrived on a tilt tray and realistically you would need access to a portable forklift or an engine stand to remove it.   I was very lucky in that the time the hoist arrived my neighbour at the workshop (who has a forklift) was around.  He was able to help unload the hoist from the truck.

The hoist is seriously heavy – the delivery package weighs more than 1.5 tonnes.   Unfortunately, the forklift is too tall to fit into my workshop.   We were able to use it to get the hoist close to the door.    If you didn’t have the forklift you would need to use an engine stand and remove one piece at a time.

The hoist is extremely well packed.   The pieces are bolted together and there is plenty of cardboard and bubble wrap.   From here, a portable hoist would be highly reconnected.   This lift is heavy duty and very heavy.

The two heaviest pieces are the cross beams.   To get them into the warehouse,  we lifted up one end at a time and inserted some wood blocks under each end.   This gave enough clearance to lift the cross beams up with the forklift and lower them down onto my car dollies.   The car dollies made it easy to wheel them inside.

Next are the ramps.   The power ramp has a hydraulic cylinder inside and is extremely heavy.   We needed to borrow some neighbours to lift it off.   Even with four men it is quite heavy.   We were then able to lower it onto a car that raises hydraulically about a meter.   We used the cart to bring in all four ramps, with the power ramp last so it was still on the cart.

The posts are comparatively light.   They can be moved by one person at a pinch but with two its very easy.    Using the cross beam on the dollies, were were able to position them roughly where they should be.   We were then able to push the cross beams onto their side and insert the posts from the bottom.   As our cart moves up a meter, we used the lowest lock to position the cross beam.  Once the cross beam has both posts inserted, it is a relatively simple operation to stand it up.

To position the power ramp, we used the cart to raise it higher than the cross beams.   We could then position it and gently lower it down onto the cross beams.

At that point my brother needed to leave but the heavy work was mostly done.   I was able to manoeuvre the ramps onto the cart and use the cart to position them where they needed to go.   A floor jack was helpful to bring the last ramp up from floor level to make the lift onto the cart easier.

Minor adjustments are possible once the ramps are in place.   Next step is the control cables.  I found the videos to be far more useful than the manual which is for the generic four poster.   One item that is not covered in the videos is the extending of the hydraulic cylinder.  This is mentioned in the manual.   If this is not extended then there is not enough length to connect the control cables to the top of the posts.

Each post has a top cap that allows the cables to be installed.   The cable routing is quite easy once you have watched that section of the video a couple of times.

 Next step is installing the locking actuators and the motor assembly.    I have an electrician coming later in the week to hook up the power.

Continued in part 2.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 1 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

If you’re not familiar with how this tool works, basically it involves lifting the car a couple of CM off the ground by the tyres.  The jack moves two arms together against the tyre that pushes the car upwards, then you can push the car around on casters.

The photo above shows the 450SLC lifted up on the four jacks.  Overall the jacks work as designed, you can slide them up to the tyre, and lift the car and move it around.  Having said that, the effort required to push the car around was much greater than I was expecting.  It took considerable effort to push the 1700kg SLC around a flat painted concrete floor.   It does give you quite precise movement, so you can slide the car exactly where you want, although obviously if you slide it too closely against a wall it is stuck on the jacks until you move it out.   It is possible that the movement will ease up a bit as I use the jack more, but since they moved easily on the floor with no weight, I suspect not.   The removal process was also slower than expected, there is no quick release like with a floor jack, and I had to release the valve then use a rubber mallet to get the jacks to open up.

Overall I would rate this product 3.5/5.   It does the job, but could be easier to use, the wheels could give you a bit easier pushing ability.

The post Product Review: SCA Hydraulic Vehicle Positioning Jack appeared first on Classic Jalopy.