A collector in West Des Moines called us last year with three project cars in various stages of restoration and no way to get any of them off the ground for metal work, and by the end of that call we’d talked him into an atlas 2 post car lift instead of the scissor lift he originally had in mind. A year later, with his first cable inspection now behind him, his experience is a useful timeline for anyone considering a two-post lift for restoration and long-term vehicle storage rather than daily shop use.
See Atlas two-post models built for garage and collector use, and talk through your restoration workflow with our team before ordering.
Why He Almost Bought a Scissor Lift Instead
When he first called, he was set on a scissor lift because it looked simpler and took up less visual space in his garage. But once we talked through what he actually does — full frame-off restoration with rust repair, floor pan replacement, and suspension rebuilds — a scissor lift’s limited underside access became a real problem. Scissor lifts are excellent for oil changes and brake work, but they put structure right where a restorer needs open space to work on rockers, floors, and subframes.
We pointed out that a scissor configuration was actually costing him more for less capability in his specific case, since the price difference between a mid-range scissor and a comparable atlas 2 post car lift wasn’t justified by what he needed to do with the vehicle once it was in the air. A two-post lift leaves the entire underside completely open, which matters enormously when you’re cutting out rusted floor sections or dropping a full suspension assembly. For collectors doing real metalwork rather than routine maintenance, we almost always steer the conversation toward two-post.
Sizing the Garage Bay for Long-Term Use
His garage was an oversized three-stall, and he planned to dedicate one full bay to the lift permanently. That gave us plenty of width and depth to work with, but we still measured everything before ordering — bay width, ceiling height, and clear space around the columns for arm swing and door access. Collectors often have more room to work with than a working shop, but that doesn’t mean skipping the measurement step.
We also discussed how the vehicle would sit day to day, since it wasn’t going to be lifted and lowered constantly like in a commercial shop — it was going up for extended stretches during restoration phases. That changes almost nothing about the install itself, but it does change how important environmental protection becomes. Garage humidity and temperature swings over a long Iowa winter can accelerate corrosion on components that would otherwise get cycled and inspected daily in a busy shop.
The Install and What We Checked On Day One
Our crew set the atlas 2 post car lift on a level, well-cured section of his garage floor with anchors rated for the concrete thickness he had. We ran a full cycle test immediately after install, checking that both columns rose evenly and that the safety locks engaged cleanly at each height increment — those locks click in roughly every couple of inches as the lift rises, letting you park it at whatever height suits the job instead of only going all the way up or all the way down.
We spent extra time walking him through the arm restraint mechanism and proper lift point placement for his specific project cars, since older restoration vehicles often have unibody or frame designs that don’t match modern factory lift point charts. Getting this wrong is one of the more common mistakes we see with vintage vehicle owners, and it’s worth the extra ten minutes to get right before the vehicle ever leaves the ground.
Cable Inspection Intervals for Low-Duty-Cycle Use
Because his atlas 2 post car lift wasn’t going to see daily use like a commercial shop’s equipment, we set expectations up front about what maintenance actually looks like for a low-cycle collector setup. Cables still age with time even without heavy use — moisture, temperature swings, and simple age-related fatigue affect them whether the lift runs once a day or once a month.
We recommended a visual cable inspection every three months for his usage pattern, checking for fraying, kinking, or any strands separating from the main cable body, plus a full professional inspection annually. That’s a longer interval than we’d recommend for a shop running multiple daily cycles, but it’s not something to skip just because the lift sits idle for stretches. A cable that looks fine sitting still can still be compromised, and a two-post lift’s cables are load-bearing safety components, not just convenience hardware.
His First Year: What Actually Needed Attention
At the one-year mark, we came back out for his first full service inspection. The cables showed normal light wear with no fraying, which was expected given his usage pattern, but we did find some column lubrication had dried out more than we’d expect for the duty cycle, likely due to garage temperature swings over an Iowa winter. We serviced the columns, re-lubricated the carriage rollers, and confirmed the anchor bolts were still torqued to spec.
We also replaced a worn safety lock pin as a precaution, even though it was still functioning correctly, simply because we’d rather swap a $20 part on our schedule than have it fail on his. That’s the kind of proactive call that’s easy to make on a first-year service visit and much harder to make once something has actually gone wrong.
What We’d Tell Other Collectors Considering This Setup
For a collector doing genuine restoration and metal work rather than routine maintenance, a two-post lift almost always wins over a scissor design, and an atlas 2 post car lift specifically gives you the capacity and arm reach flexibility to handle a wide range of project vehicles as your collection changes over the years. The upfront cost difference compared to a scissor lift is smaller than most people expect once you compare real specs side by side.
If you’re planning a similar setup — even if your first vehicle up is a straightforward driver rather than a full restoration project — we’d rather talk through your garage, your project list, and your long-term plans before you buy than sell you equipment that doesn’t match how you’ll actually use it. Read more in our articles on home garage lift installation and lift cable maintenance and replacement.
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