Lifting an XKE with a two post lift

A wise man once told me the older you get the less sh&$€%# you need I’ve adopted his philosophy If I have a tool that will do it , then it does
Figured you had a bike
Cheers Jim

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Can you not use the spot at the jack lifting points? (assuming you are not removing the IRS)

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On the short wheelbase cars, that jacking spot is pretty much at the front-to-rear balance point (so you can jack both wheels off the ground), so not a good place to put either arm of a two post lift.

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For Series I and II on a 2+2 with 4 jacking points, I’d say yes. The FHC and OTS only have 1 jacking point per side so you’d need alternatives as have been discussed in earlier posts.

I assume all Series III cars have 4 jacking points since they are all essentially variations on the 2+2 body shell.

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There’s a new OTS on BAT. You can see where the floor pan is pushed in - maybe from a poor lifting choice. And the way it’s on the lift in the photos doesn’t look right either. It looks like they lifted it at the rear from just out board of the radius arm attachment not on the radius arm attachment.

That’s what I do. More to protect me than the IRS mounts. One under a shaped piece of 4X4 that contacts the tie plate and another under the picture frame. I was told its common sense to have additional supports under the car while it’s on the lift. Lifts, and the concrete they are anchored into, can fail.

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Exactly how I do it, lift on the hockey pucks and put a safety stand on the diff plate. Nothing needed up front safety stand wise unless the cage mounts are suspect.

Four post lifts are for storage and alignments in my book :wink:

Four post, two post, what about a one post lift (AKA a trolley jack)? That’s all I use. Even managed to drop the rear cage on two occasions and drop the sump to change the oil pump and replace several big end split pins.

With the IRS issue, the safest is the 4 post.
For wheels/suspensions work a guided movable trolley jack on the 4 post is a bonus

For years I thought it would be neat to have a one post hydraulic lift like gas stations used to have back when they weren’t all self service beer, cigarette and lottery ticket stores that sell gasoline as a sideline. It would probably be stupidly expensive to have one installed though. Not to mention not as useful as a two post lift.

My first job wrenching was at a shop that had three in ground hydraulic lifts. They were getting pretty long in the tooth, and weeped out the top of the piston seal.

One fine morning, customers S3 XJ was going up on the lift / the tech glanced away as he was pulling the actuator, and he didn’t notice that the car paused about 1/2 way up.

It sat there building pressure and then finally energized the piston and it shot to the top instantly. :flushed: The front of the car lifted off the lift about a foot and thankfully returned exactly as placed on the lift pads.

Code brown, code brown!!!.. :grin:

I’m not sure you could legally install one these days due to possible ground contamination.

They are marvelous inventions, but you lose access to the dead center of the car.

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My old shop had a single post lift: made doing transmission removals MOST difficult!

“It sat there building pressure and then finally energized the piston and it shot to the top instantly.”

You awakened an old memory, and why the lift got retired, about 5 years before I closed the shop: I was not going to excavate it to repair it!

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Inground hydraulic hoists are still very common but I have not seen a one post in a long time. We used two different in grounds in our shop. There is a two post front and rear with a independent hydraulic actuator for each axle. This lift is very adaptable for almost any job. There’s also a side-by-side two post in ground with arms to pick up the frame or pinch welds.

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How cool is that - learn something new everyday!

I’d forgotten about the double pumpers. Those are neat.

Jeff
You read my mind I was going to mention all the same points from my two bay gas station days
Cheers. Jim

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My old shop had a single post lift: made doing transmission

I remember the owner complained about centre access at the old 2 bay gas station ,muffler work etc they where happy to get a 2 post after it leaked oil in the ground
Cheers jim

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Okay, today was my first foray into lifting my series one car with my two post lift. Here are two pictures. I’m concerned about the way the lift arm and hockey puck interface with the torsion set up. There appears to be a piece of angle iron that seems to somewhat interfere with a good solid interface. I suppose I could move the hockey puck and lift arm rearward, but I thought it was supposed to go right on the forward most portion of the torsion bar. Thanks Steve


don’t lift by the torsion bars
They are not designed for that kind of loading. But your pictures are showing trailing arms not torsion bars.

Your pictures are fine. Yes the little bracket does get in the way. I use a smaller piece of wood half inch thick to make sure the hoists are just picking up the bolt on those trailing arms.

What did you use in the front?

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Tom, thanks for your prompt and helpful response while I revealed my ignorance. The car was rock stable on the lift; tested several times and did well. I used a piece of 2 x 4 and then the two post lift’s “foot” "in front of each floor. want picturers? Thanks again Steve

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