One Bucket List Item Accomplished - a Bendpak Lift in My Garage!

Yep, my very own Bendpak lift!

And here is the final result!

Yeah, yeah, I need to clean up but for now...

So this is a BendPak HD-9 model, designed for vehicles up to 9000 lbs (or 4082kg).  Interestingly, the Japanese importer worked with Bendpak to make the usual precision improvements, including replacement of failure-prone rubber O-rings with those of a superior design.

Install took only one day - the crew arrived at a bit before 1000 and got to work immediately.

I found out later why a crane was needed

I appreciated how they took time to measure several times to ensure proper placement of the GT-R. This is going to be a tight fit!

I like how they wanted to get as close to the outer wall as possible.

A few moments later they had moved their tools inside and laid out a thin blue sheet to prevent scratches.

Massive! No way I could have done this with a friend. And later, I appreciated their experience (they say they do about 200 of these in Japan per year, mostly businesses though).

So here is what I was talking about - this technician is replacing the brass hydraulic fittings with ones improved with better O-rings, as otherwise the OEM ones tend to leak relatively easily.

Brass out, plastic in - but it's what is on the inside that counts!

As you can see, they stored their tools behind the garage, making for a quicker and more efficient install.

Getting the crane ready to haul those really heavy platforms that support the car.

And once in, they still kept measuring.

Finally, they tested this going up and down. But then asked if they could test with the GT-R on it, before bolting it down.

That main reason was to lift up to the max allowed height with the GT-R on, and make sure the Bendpak was sufficiently centered so that the car is centered into the cut-out in the roof.

Finally, it was time to bolt down into the concrete using these guys

These replace the OEMs, and yes they are made in Japan.

Two guys to drill. One guy drilling, the other one with the industrial vacuum to catch all the concrete dust.

And finally... amazing how large the GT-R looks. Also amazing how scratched up the car is on the bottom - before I made sure that the more visible areas were pristine, but now I am seeing all sorts of scratches on the lip and side skirts.  Sounds like more projects for me!!

Thankfully the IS-F fits.  If it hadn't, I was prepared to grind away some of the concrete floor to create extra breathing space between the car roof and the bottom of the Bendpak tray.

So... what next!  I don't think I will ever be done with the GT-R...