JackNco
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 12:48 AM |
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Pit in the grage floor?
Heya all
Before i start on a kit ive gotta get my garage up to scratch. its been unused for a numhber of years n so need a bit of work.... but earlier when
chatting to a guy up theroad he sugested puttinga pit in the floor, so i can work under the car.
Has anyone else done this? is it worth it? or shoud i not bother.
I was thinking after the car is finished as well. changing bits and feteling?
John
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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millenniumtree
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 01:39 AM |
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I was thinking of doing the same. I have a concrete floored garage and I was thinking of cutting a trench with a concrete saw, digging it out, put
metal sides in and filling in the gap with some concrete. This should make it waterproof and spacious enough to nearly stand up in. Then I can put a
little step ladder in so I can get in and out.
Instant personal oil change shop!
I've seen at least one other person dig a shallow trench in a dirt floored barn. Not as spiffy but not as expensive either.
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JackNco
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 02:29 AM |
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i wasnt even gonna go that far. just dig it out stick a pond liner in and line it with hardboard... long as its not 2 stupid an idea
John
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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ch1ll1
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 07:09 AM |
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AT home it might be a good idea !
but it needs to be water proof
my fater inlaw has one and he just has a pump in it now (fills up)
we have one at work never use it , think we used it about 3 times in five years.
alot of hassle taking all the boards off
i did think about it when i built my new garage , but didnt bother
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 07:29 AM |
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Most professional garages don't have them any more due to safety issues - fumes settling in the pit, difficulty of getting out in an emergency,
and so on.
That's why most places have car lifts...
David
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oliwb
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 07:32 AM |
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Not sure its worth the hassle since 2 anf 4 post lifts regularly come up on Ebay for circa £200-300.....you'd spend more than that on concrete
and ladders and a pit will never be as versatile.....Oli.
If your not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room!
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graememk
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 07:34 AM |
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how offen do you even need to work under a 7 ?
i dont think there is anything under mine
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MikeR
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 07:36 AM |
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plus don't forget, lots of gasses sink, they'll then collect in the pit. you walk in, breath them, fall over, don't get out.
be careful.
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speed8
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 07:50 AM |
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My new place has got one in the garage, along with a beam for an overhead hoist. I quite like the idea but I'll be keeping my eye open for a
lift too.
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mike smith1
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 08:06 AM |
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We have one in our garage, fantastic for stripping the donor. Used it during build a couple of times to. Definatly worth it i think.
Speed8 what kind of lift 2 post or 4 post?
Mike
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nick205
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 08:32 AM |
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a car lift is all well and good and for £2-300 a bargain too, but how many domestic garages have you been in that are tall enough to raise a car 6ft
in the air ??? 
I wouldn't bother with a pit myself. It would take a poo load of digging and lining for something that you'll hardly ever use, except as
a store room for old junk maybe. A decent high lift trolley jack and 4 axle stands should be all you need.
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speed8
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 09:25 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mike smith1
We have one in our garage, fantastic for stripping the donor. Used it during build a couple of times to. Definatly worth it i think.
Speed8 what kind of lift 2 post or 4 post?
Mike
I haven't quite decided yet. I need to wait till I move in to the place and see how much space I have. The pit is deep and that with axle stands
might do everything I need.
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StevieB
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 09:33 AM |
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I wouldn't bother - better off just getting some high rise axle stands and a jack. By the time you've finished the build, I bet you
hardly ever go to the underside of the car (maybe once or twice a year at the most?)
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Peteff
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 09:42 AM |
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You can only get at the middle of a car from most of the pits I've seen in domestic setups. You need something like the MOT stations use to be
really useful with the rails either side and a pneumatic jack on the rails across the pit. Also I've never needed anything better than trolley
jack or axle stands for any work on the locost. I also know a mechanic who was badly burned and disfigured in a pit by petrol vapor ignited by a
spark.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 09:48 AM |
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The best pit-equivalent I've ever encountered was at a friend's house. He lived on a fairly steep hill, so there was quite a drop at the
back end of the garage's concrete pad. He put a second-hand garage door at the rear, together with 2 double-brick walls extending backwards (he
was a builder, BTW!).
All he had to do was open the back door and roll the car out onto the walls. He then had clear access to the underneath of his car by standing in the
garden! I never fancied rolling the car out, though...
David
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StevieB
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 09:59 AM |
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So all you need to do is find a steep hill and build a house on it. Or, dig a massive crater at the back of your garage!
I'll get started on mine tonight - the wife will be delighted!
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greggors84
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 10:07 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
The best pit-equivalent I've ever encountered was at a friend's house. He lived on a fairly steep hill, so there was quite a drop at the
back end of the garage's concrete pad. He put a second-hand garage door at the rear, together with 2 double-brick walls extending backwards (he
was a builder, BTW!).
All he had to do was open the back door and roll the car out onto the walls. He then had clear access to the underneath of his car by standing in the
garden! I never fancied rolling the car out, though...
David
SplitRivet from this forum has done this very thing, im sure it was him anyway. Was a simple way of getting underneath the car.
I have been looking out for 2 post lifts for a while, not been looking very hard but the ones i have seen have gone for about £700+ Converting one of
the barns at my parents house into a garage so have quite a lot of height to play with.
Chris
The Magnificent 7!
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Phil.J
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 10:28 AM |
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There is always the option of buying or making one of those frames advertised in Practical Classics. Bolts to the front and rear of the car, or on the
hubs and you can just roll it on it's side.
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StevieB
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 10:34 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Phil.J
There is always the option of buying or making one of those frames advertised in Practical Classics. Bolts to the front and rear of the car, or on the
hubs and you can just roll it on it's side.
The watch all of you fuel and oil spill all over the place!
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emsfactory
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 10:40 AM |
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A friend of mine dug a pit and put two long boards over it. then his old man rolled his bond bug over, nose first.
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JamJah
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 10:55 AM |
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The structural integrity of a concrete floor is likely to be the fact that it doesn’t have a hole in the middle. You’d probably need to reinforce the
rest. Oh and when you sell the house I believe you have to prove it meets building regs.
The other thing is you’d be possibly affecting the water table. Think of standing on a huge balloon filled with water: it squiges to the sides and
then up.
Maybe wrong…
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Danozeman
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 02:39 PM |
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WE have a mobile lift at work. its a handy piece of kit. JUst slide it under and away you go. Ours is 3 phase but you can get others that run off a
truck battery..
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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JamJah
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| posted on 19/9/06 at 02:51 PM |
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Or single to three phase converter, although probably worth more than the lift!
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