Hanging a car from the roof.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

If I need my garage for something else temporarily, the car lives outside under a semi-tailored cover sewn up from scrap upholstery vinyl.

Simon

[Chris KC]

Hedd, I applaud your creativity, but imagine if this goes bad....

I solved a temporary space problem by using a classic car storage company based locally (near Milton Keynes), the rates were not excessive and the car came back unblemished.

[Colin Morgan]

And another more conventional, and safer, solution is to install a car lift - can work for storage and maintenance - including friends' cars!

Colin

[Mike Costigan]

Irish Ferries, 1968; I closed my eyes ...

   

   

[Chris KC]

Irish Ferries, 1968; I closed my eyes ...

Mike, dear God...I can't even look at the picture!!

[Hedd Jones]

Its going up in the air. Trust me gents. This is a long term soloution. Tents are out of the question. As is renting more space.

Car lift no good. Have to put stuff at least 10foot high under it. Besides car lifts cost money and take up space.

It doesnt drip oil. There is oil in it mind. And I have just filled the bores with paraffin. However given what else is in the shed dripping oil is no problem.

I intend to carry out the lift using materials allready in stock. 4x2 and 8x2 timbers will make a very strong spreader beam.

The lack of wings means the complex lifting tackle to keep the straps away from them are not needed. The simpler.the better.

The most difficult bit will be hanging the chain block off the roof. Current thinking is to go for a ride on a pallet on the loadall forks.

[Nick Lettington]

30' to the rafters? Sounds like plenty of Hedd room. I have an MOT brake test certificate somewhere whith weights at both axles. Its for a Ruby derived 4 seat tourer, so you may not think useful, but it would help determine an approximate CoG.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Thinking slightly sideways again:

If long enough, 8 x 2 fore and aft, under the car, inside the wheels.

Front axle will sit on, and a block at the rear will allow the axle to take the weight, not the shocks.

Wheels attached at two points each so axles become the spreaders.

You have the height, so can extend fore and aft to allow the suspension ropes to meet at a point overhead, without extra spreaders.

I like things that at first seem daft.  Its no great weight, is it?  I would put a secondary set of ropes to the rafters, just in case.......mice, or something.

I kept a boat overhead so I could work on "Alice" in the garage whilst also keeping the boat dry.

That did go slightly wrong, though, and the boat ended up with a hole in it the shape of Alice's radiator cap!

Simon

[Robert Leigh]

Has anyone hung a car from a chain block?

I need some more room in the shed to carry out the 10year test on my steamer. So plan to gain some room by hanging one of my cars from the roof of the shed on a chain block. 

Has anyne done anything similar and can give me some ideas? Where abouts is the centre of gravity do you think?

Current thinking is to make a built up (T section) timber spreader beam (to get straps outboard of the body) with a ring in the centre and a ring on each end. Then have 4 seperate straps. 2 each side from the beam to each wheel (car to be lifted has no wings). Ill use ratchet straps so I can adjust lengths to pick the car up square. It needs to go at least 15 foot in the air.

Any thoughts gentlemen? 

For the record I am a structural engineer so I am more than capable of calculating F.O.S for each component of my lifting tackle, I am also more than happy to pick it up on non certified and home made gear.

You can easily get a good idea of where the centre of gravity is by jacking up the car on a trolley jack using a large section wooden beam (2 bits of 4x2 bolted together?) across the chassis, trying different positions just off the floor until you can rock it with one finger. Just a suggestion.
Robert Leigh

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Another boat loading photo.

My parents beginning their honeymoon to Norway in 1968 - Newcastle docks...