Thanks guys…Drew I still need to hit you up for some steel. I want to mimic this guy’s setup.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181935
I have those Gen 4 rods and pistons with your name on them son
That is a super smart method of installing. 100% level and way stronger bolt anchoring.
Yeah, I didn’t buy this lift for the portability, I bought it for the low ceiling capability. I don’t really plan on moving the columns around for any reason but this method will be way better than some expanding anchors and a tube of epoxy. Plus, if you screw up drilling holes for the anchors, or anchors pull out while torquing the bolts, you’re screwed.
Just text me the dimensions and thickness when ready.
basically like my thumb, or one of those 3-long peanuts.
@King When I saw it was quoted I knew I was in trouble! 
Organized…
:tup:
Oh I see, you found someone else to get your steel from!
I am bartering for more engine parts I will try to break!
basically I am looking for stainless 3/8" plate, and stainless rod. I could probably get away with mild steel and painting it, but I only want to do this once, and in 15 years don’t want to think to mysel “gee i wonder how those mild steel rods are holding up to that moisture”
Things are moving along on Project Dig to China
First off, I needed to finalize placement of the columns, which was easy enough using existing vehicles. I just kept tweaking the location of the columns and rolling in each of the vehicles to make sure the lift points would line up and the car would reasonably fit. However, I wanted to plan for a future vehicle that I might buy in the next few years that had some awkwardly placed lift points, so I slapped together a quick wooden frame as a template to mock up the lift points.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Once the columns were in their final location, I measured where they stood in relation to each other and in relation to other points in the garage that would not move. Initially I was basing my measurements off one of the central joint lines in the slab, but something didn’t look right there - turns out the joint line did not run even close to perpendicular to the wall, so I re-measured and placed using the front edge of the slab (by the garage door) as my starting point, and everything fell into place. I cut up a sheet of plywood to use as a template and laid some heavy parts on it to stop it from moving, and spray painted my edge to show where the cut had to go.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
After a long weekend in Boston for a wedding, I came back and rented a nice Makita 14" gas saw with diamond blade and went to town. The water kept the dust to a minimum and the diamond blade cut through like butter. I ended up making multiple longitudinal and transverse cuts in the slab to be removed, so that I could remove it piece by piece. It went easily and there was no need for a jackhammer.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
I finished the initial cut and got this,
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
After staring at it I realized that I would be tying my new slab into a very short section of slab that was near the control joint. I had avoided cutting along that joint because of a drainage pipe running along underneath it, but after measuring the depth of the pipe from inside the drain, I found that the pipe had been buried deep enough and would not be disturbed if I pulled off that last section of concrete. So, that section was removed too, which worked out for the better in that there were a few cracks in that section by the wall that got removed at the same time.
After some more cutting, I now have two very large and stable slabs in like new condition that will be used to tie in the new one.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Removing the broken up slab
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
After that I started excavating the stone to get to my desired depth - still have a ways to go as of last night. You can see the drainage pipe that I was worried about slicing.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
My custom stainless steel baseplates and rods are getting finished up right now. Once I’ve removed enough stone I can set up the baseplates using a jig and start planning for the pour!
Ballllllin
Does Max Jax actually call out more than the ~4" standard concrete depth? I thought I remember reading on their site that standard pours are sufficient?
(Not that I wouldn’t do the same thing you are, but just curious)
Do you plan on pinning the new slab to the old slab? Is it needed?
I bet he will be digging slightly under the existing slab. So when its poured its under the old slab partly. No need to pin into it.
yusssssssssssss
They recommend 3.5"-4" I believe, which is a blanket statement for most residential slabs. I’m glad I didn’t use concrete anchors because mine was as thin as 3" in some spots.
I plan on pinning to the existing slab(s) using rebar in both directions. There is really no fore/aft moment if you load a car right (it’s all inwards) but it’s very cheap insurance in stabilizing your setup.
This. Every time i dig out some stone the little cocksuckers keep caving in from under the existing slab. So, when I pour, I’ll have that space filled as well, making it keyed into the old slab. That, combined with my rebar, will prevent this sucker from moving
I got the stainless plates and rods in from a friend, so it was time to join them up. I have learned that nothing ever fits as well as it does on the actual workpiece, so I bolted the rods to the stainless plate and column baseplate assembly to make sure they fell into place. Thanks for the quality metal, @Shifty!
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
The extra set of holes were a result of trusting a manufacturer drawing that was not actually correct, lesson learned.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Time to burn some metal
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
The final result, upside down:
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Next steps:
-dig out more stone to a common depth (I think I’ll go to 14" compacted depth from top of slab)
-level existing stone, add if necessary, tamp
-set up jig to mount and level plates
-set up rebar
-pour
I hope you never plan to move, 1, that thing will be rooted deep in to the earths core and 2, i will have to drive farther to change wheels and oils
Looks good
The nice thing is that if I ever move (I don’t plan on it until I retire and my unborn kids are grown up and gone) I can take it with me. At that point I’ll just build my dream shop and put a full size 2 poster in. I wish I could see the look on the archaeologists’ faces when they’re sifting through the rubble of these houses one day and find this contraption in the garage.
Bring the beer, I can sit while you change my oil too