How to Make a Model Car Lift Out of Legos
One of the down sides to a car, even a LEGO one, is that most of the important stuff that a mechanic will need to operate on is beneath the car. You can pick up a LEGO car, but real cars require car lifts, which are devices that physically lift the car while giving them access to the underside. Making a car with LEGO pieces can be pretty simple, as long as you can make a lifting mechanism.
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Instructions
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Lay out a base plate. If you're planning to build just one car lift, you can use a small plate. If you intend to build other things on this model, use a larger plate.
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Measure the size of the car you're building the lift for on the base. You need to get an approximate size in studs so that you can pick bricks to build a lift that will accommodate the vehicle.
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Locate two flat plates that will act as the support beams for the car while on the lift. They should be two studs wide, and at least two studs longer than your car. Next, find a plate that's as wide as the car is, and two studs thick. Attach these pieces together in a U-shape, with the shorter plate beneath the two longer plates.
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Reinforce the U piece by locating another plate as wide as the car, and one that is four studs shorter than that. Sandwich the shorter piece between the bottom part of the U and the longer piece.
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Making a smaller version of this lift with Technic pieces will get your LEGO car off the ground. Find and build a lifting mechanism. Some LEGO sets come with a lifting mechanism, but you can also make one out of LEGO or Technic pieces. A simple scissor lift, for example, is perfect. Take four Technic beams (pieces without studs, but with holes in the sides), and join them together with smooth pins to form two X-shapes. Attach the bottom points of one "X" to the top points of the other and you'll have a basic scissor lift, which allows you to expand and contract the "X's" to lift something.
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Attach that lifting mechanism to the bottom of the U-shaped fork. If you have built a scissor lift, attach it only by one of the top X parts, letting the other one slide.
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Connect the lift mechanism to the base and test it a few times. Again, if you have a scissor lift, don't attach both parts, but let one of them slide. You may need to add a smooth plate to make sliding easier.
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Test the lift a few times. Then try to drive the car onto the lift. If the lift is too high, add some ramps by adding ramp blocks.
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References
- Photo Credit A portable motorised Scissor Lift used by Painters image by david hutchinson from Fotolia.com
