Ramp pit plans
I'd love to have a four-post lift in my garage, but alas, I'm a renter (so I can't have one installed without fuss) and relatively unwealthy. Thus, I had to search for a practical solution that would allow me to get to the underside of my 1800 without breaking the bank. I finally found inspiration in a 31-year-old issue of Practical Mechanics magazine, and thus, the Ramp Pit was born.
The idea is simple: You drive up a ramp, then take out the front supports and allow the ramp to become a giant "teeter totter," thus giving you convenient access to both the front and the back of the car (although not necessarily at the same time) with a lot less effort and a lot more clearance than one would get from conventional jackstands or automotive ramps.
I've embellished my own with a front-mounted electric winch to help me get the car up single-handedly, but I'll leave the fine details up to you (although I'm sure I'll post pics of mine in action soon enough).
Remember, build and use this at your own risk, and be sure to add permanent wheel stops to these plans (they're not shown, because I'm not convinced I've found the best solution yet)! I make no claims as to its safety, but I use mine every day (heck, lately, the car's remained on the ramps).
But if you DO build it (it cost me about $130 in lumber and wood screws — oh yeah, use glue and wood screws at every connection! Nails will kill you, folks!), and if you improve upon the base design, please let us know through the feedback form below. I'm sure we can all think of ways to make it better/safer/cooler than ever. (Think of this as a starting point rather than a finished piece).
Happy motoring!
–VeryVito
To ensure that all the instructions are kept together and can be viewed at any size, I've chosen to use the SWF format to package these plans. You may "zoom in" on the plans by right-clicking and selecting "zoom in" to see details.
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May 20th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Ramps cool… but the car. F’n classic!
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May 20th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
would you draw your plans in SketchUp
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May 20th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
Your plans are sufficient, Robert wants you to build it next…….
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May 22nd, 2006 at 10:59 am
I would think at least a minor improvement would be to either increase the height of the lip along the ramp (1/2″ seems too little) or install slots so that you might strap the wheels down once they are in position. That way you don’t need to worry about the car being knocked off the ramp if you are getting really physical with a stuck bolt and a breaker bar or something.
Aside from that, I like the idea.
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May 22nd, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Why 16″? With two sheets, you end up with quite a bit of ply left over. Why not 18″ or 20″, to give more height? I’m planning on making a pair, and if there’s a reason not to make them taller, I’d like to know what it is. (I’m planning to use 2×4’s for frameworks, and ply for the top, rather than 2×10’s. UF 109 glue or construction adhesive.)
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May 22nd, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Ian — 16 inches gives you a pretty steep ramp that allows plenty of clearance while the car is “tilted,” but it’s still a manageable grade to drive up without having to extend the entire length to make up for the angle. It also places the car at a great height for doing interior work without having to reach too high or too low while standing outside of it (I can lean in and hammer at rusty floorboards, for instance, but can also pull down the headliner without straining.)
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May 22nd, 2006 at 6:31 pm
MMMM. I have an E Type, so any incline above 8 degrees or so will cause the exhaust to scrape. My driveway slopes down to the carport at about 5 degrees. I plan to use a couple of extensions, placed on the driveway, to drive onto the actual ramp, which will be placed on the carport floor. Or, if I can figure out how to make the ramp mobile, I’ll place one end of the ramp on the driveway, drive the car on, and then move the ramp into the carport. I didn’t say ‘thanks’ for the plans. This is going to solve my access problems, one way or the other.
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May 22nd, 2006 at 6:47 pm
Glad to help. One other note about the height: It may seem obvious, but make sure the ramp leaves enough clearance for the car to fit under the garage roof, too (especially if you plan to tilt it up while inside!)
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June 11th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I don’t know why they’d be a deathtrap. You are supporting a platform holding your car at 3 places, and the platform is strengthened by triangular gussets at their points, probably one of the strongest examples of support. Leaving the ramps angled is nice, but nicer would be having it level.
The only beef I might have would be the method of lowering my precious 1800 to a level platform height.
My suggestion would be this:
1) Determine the level height of the ramps. Set 4 heavy duty jackstands to this height. I might also use a smaller piece of scrap 3/4″ ply to top the heads of the jackstands, just as an additional support block to spread the load.
2) Place all the jackstands under the decks just to make sure they are nicely situated. Remove the rear jacks but leave the front jacks in place.
2) On an a suitable heavy duty jack that can be raised and lowered, center it between the ramps and place a 4×4 to support both ends of the raised ramps. Jack to ramp height. (Some sort of rig to keep the 4×4 from slipping would be necessary. More blocks, probably)
3) The scary part: Drive the car up the ramps. Yes, stop blocks are enormously essential. You can get wedge shaped plastic blocks you can screw to the deck.
4) Lower the ramps to the tops of the jackstands.
5) Insert the jackstands in the rear. If necessary, jack up the rear a bit so they fit. I would also be tempted to *leave* the big jack engaged near the area where I am working with the car, with light pressure.
The failure of these ramps is not vertical, but lateral. Making the ramps taller would increase the danger that they would collapse sideways if given sufficient force. Wider is better, so increasing the width of the deck would be a good idea.
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June 11th, 2006 at 11:10 pm
Thanks for the suggestions, Sheldon. This sounds pretty close to what I’ve done the past couple times I’ve used the ramp, too. You’re indeed right — driving up the ramp is the scary part! I’ve found an electric winch mounted in front of the ramp has saved me the trouble, though — rather than drive up, I pull the car up to the desired height.
By the way, I’ve “accidentally” discovered yet another feature of these ramps — when not in use, they make great shelves when placed on their sides. (Pictures coming.)
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June 18th, 2006 at 4:17 pm
This has got to be safer than those cheesy Cananidan SUV metal ramps I picked up at autozone. The things are too steep to rise and and too low to be useful. I’ve already driven over the top on them twice now.
On thing I’ve noticed when using wood is that people tend to use it way past it’s prime. In Arizona porches dry out and get brittle with age. In the costal areas they get wood rot. Yet people go right on using them until they break out. I’d paint, laminate or use marine grade pressure treated. Keep them indoors.
Hey, when you perfect the deisgn, let me know if you put together a kit. I’d buy it.
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April 25th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
To Steve (Comment #11) I to agree that these are way better than the Cheap sheetmetal ramps. Aas for the wood drying out and getting brittle, a simple coat of paint on the finished ramps would be all that’s required. Do not use Pressure treated material unless your going to be in contact with DIRT. It’s full of anti-insect poisonous chemicals and beause it’s wetter than normal plywood (by design) is less strong. Marine grade plywood and regular plywood are the same with the exception of the number of vineers AND the fact that marine grade plywood laminates can have NO voids, especially on the inner layers. All plywoods made in the US are glued together with exterior waterproof glues, just like marine grade at a fraction of the price.
All-in-all this is a fantastic design which I will be building as soon as I get my hands on my next project car.
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May 25th, 2007 at 10:37 am
I thought Marine Grade plywood sheets were the only remaining lumber product that was allowed to be treated with arsenic or similar materials, according to EPA. Urban Myth?
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June 21st, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Knowing my luck, I would be the one and only person that will be killed by this,LOL…think it would work to just weld together a metal version of this thing?lol…might be more sound than wood…
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January 11th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Vito, I don’t think anything light enough to drive on this ramp will have over a 6 ft. wheel to wheel. If you bolted a 3 ft. piece of 3/8 chain to the inside of each ramp front and rear (4 total) with a 3 inch ring (?) on the other end, you could use a boom clamp (? like truckers use on their loads); it is a simple locking device and should keep the car from shifting; just get it snug but not tight enough to break any thing, you would still need stop blocks to keep from driving off the ramps. Also, you can go to VintagePlans.com for free downloads for a lot of neat automotive ideas to make like this ramp.
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February 28th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Jack wrote:
Also, you can go to VintagePlans.com for free downloads for a lot of neat automotive ideas to make like this ramp.
I just checked out “vintageplans”.. it’s all vintage homes, now.. no automotive related anything.. too bad.
Chas.
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December 17th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Harbor Freight Tools has a big selection of wheel choks or wedges.
I know of a 1971 1800-E rotting away in the sun and rain in a Caribbean island. Very sad.
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February 10th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
THat’s just stupid. The more of these that are builkt (from plywood!) the less 1800 owners there will be.
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February 13th, 2009 at 10:43 am
…but more 1800’s will be available from widows.
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February 13th, 2009 at 10:59 am
This is a rather old post, but after a couple years, I can definitely say this has held up well over time — even better than I’d imagined. Like any tool, it requires maintenance and regular inspection, but it’s been rock solid under the load of the 1800. I wouldn’t recommend building one if you don’t trust your construction skills — or using it for anything heavier than a 60s-era european sports car — but I can definitely attest to its strength and stability as presented.
I’m retiring it now (Moving, and decided not to bring it with me, as the 1800’s body work is practically complete now), but wouldn’t hesitate to use wood (that same material used in railroad trestles, roller coasters, bridges, homes, etc) for another one later.
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