Show ME: Storage above dead car in garage - wood 4x4s or pallet racks or ??

I  need to build storage above a dead project car in the garage 

the car is 5 1/2 ft wide , 13 1/2 long and 5 1/2 ft tall ,  it will be on wheel dollies so it can be pushed in from the side. 

So the question is do I build it out of 4x4s using joist brackets to hang the crossbars ?

Or  do I  find some pallet racks and cut and weld to size ?

Another option might be to buy a used 4 post lift and put plywood across the top to hold the storage boxes , 

What have  you done ?  I would like to be able to get to both sides to get to the storage boxes ,  and make it as narrow as possible at 6ft wide.

Here is one I would love to have but do not have the room !

Thanks for your ideas ,

4x4 posts with 2x6 joists is probably best depending on what you plan to put up there.  You'll have to figure out what the stuff going up weighs then add about 100% for the heavy E36 M3 future you decides to put up there.  Just remember when bracing your legs that triangles are stronger than squares.  

Sell me your dead project car and use your garage for all the other stuff?

That pallet rack pic above is quite choice! 

Imagine if it had a set of steps in the middle. 

All that and an early Bronco too. 

Here is the other pic , I think from https://www.garagejournal.com/

In reply to californiamilleghia :

So, it looks like with the help of a portable lift, he makes this 4 car storage! 

If you look around the used pallet racking will be cheaper than the lumber and much stronger.

X3 on the pallet racking.  The marina we belong to was an early adopter of “valet” boating where they lift you out with a giant fork truck and put the boat in the rack.  The first generation racks were heavy pallet racks with some extra diagonal braces and plates welded on and a pole barn over the top.  They got over 25 years out of them and were capable of storing 4 levels of 20-25 foot boats. 

We built this very cheap. 4x4 posts, 2x4 joists and thin(I forget which size) plywood. Fine for light loads spread out evenly. And if it helps, the W210 is dead.

x4 on pallet racking.  Used stuff is cheap once you figure out who is selling it.  Usually there's a specialist(s) in urban areas that buys the stuff up when warehouses and businesses shut down and you can get a small setup for cheap.  They go up fast and they're insanely strong.  4-5000 lb/shelf is not a problem for most of them.

There is major amounts of suckage toward you guys with these ginormous garages!

californiamilleghia said:

Here is the other pic , I think from https://www.garagejournal.com/

Those are pretty standard warehousing shelves. The ski shop I work at have a few dozen of those in the back. And from someone who has assembled/disassembled them: They are HEAVY AS berkeley. But....you can probably find them for cheap from stores/warehouses that are moving or whatever. They're so heavy most places just get rid of them when they close/move. 

WHAT?  That is dangerous and you will kill your children when it collapses!!!   Hire a Professional, and spend at least $10,000, or you are a dangerous idiot.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/diy-double-decker-car-storage-what-could-go-wrong/164680/page1/

Pallet racking BEAMS can be found used cheap, as they are required to be replaced on a schedule, and once they are removed, the spring clips are not 'good' anymore when they are torn down the uninstallers typically just bend them back.  I bought maybe a hundred of them for $3 each. 

The COLUMNS however, are NOT cheap.  The advantage of them is you can adjust the height, and they go together very quickly. 

Wood is cheap and takes more time to build, and doesn't work outside.   

If the car is dead, it might be better to put it on top, unless the stuff to store on top is more deader.\

I built a storage rack over my MG Midget in my old shop, just four 4x4 and some 2x4 across a span of 4.5ft and some random osb on top.  Put radiators, gas tanks, and not so real heavy stuff.

11GTCS said:

X3 on the pallet racking.  The marina we belong to was an early adopter of “valet” boating where they lift you out with a giant fork truck and put the boat in the rack.  The first generation racks were heavy pallet racks with some extra diagonal braces and plates welded on and a pole barn over the top.  They got over 25 years out of them and were capable of storing 4 levels of 20-25 foot boats. 

Used pallet racking is much cheaper and stronger than wood. Every major town has several places selling it. If you're not in a major town go on the internet.  
Don't be turned off by Jargon or brands. Call them on your phone and explain what you are trying to do. 90% have the few odd pieces they almost give away because of lack of commonality.  ( that just means they didn't sell many and they don't fit the common stuff)

You don't care.  It doesn't matter.  It's not like there is a Ferrari of Racking, or you don't want to get stuck with an Edsel.  Racking just sits there holding your stuff  keep it from rusting or dumping acid on it and it's just fine  

californiamilleghia said:

Here is the other pic , I think from https://www.garagejournal.com/

Wait.  I didn't notice the 4-post lift in front of the racking until now.  So is this guy putting a car on the 4-post, raising it up to the level of the racking, and then driving it onto the racking for storage????  That's either insane or brilliant.  I'm not sure which.  I guess as long as you're not using wood for the shelving space between the beams (and you have the space) that's seems f'in ... brilliant ?

Hi , thanks for your ideas so far ,  the ideal size is a 6ft x 14ft  footprint 

at the Company  that deals in used pallet racking the uprights ends are about $50 each and are 3ft-4ft wide ,  I wish they made 6 ft wide ones , 

The beams are $15-$20 each  but seem to max out at 12 ft long  , 

So best case which they do not make would be 6 ft wide uprights and 14ft beams , then I could make a couple layers to store stuff and roll the car under it , 

The Photos above uses the upright  ends for the sides  X 3 , plus some extra brackets  to connect them since they are not made to connect sideways ,  

So the question is has anyone seen 6ft wide uprights ?

and can I weld 2 beams together to get the 14 ft span ? I can add a steel post in the center of the beam after I push the car under , 

I  want the car to stay on the ground , its 2000 pounds and that feels safer , 

Thanks again  for your thoughts

In reply to NorseDave :

I'm going with brilliant. It's an elevator and the shelf is the 2nd stop. 

In reply to californiamilleghia :

The small beam length is one thing that makes the racks strong.  Spanning 14ft requires significantly more strength than even 12ft.   Can you design it to span 6ft instead?

If you show a pic of the space, might give better advice.  You might even be able to attach a ledger board to the walls and use less posts and free up a bit more space.

Looking at that picture, it appears to be 4x8 racking. Is there a reason you couldn't go 8' wide?

In reply to Don49 (Forum Supporter) :

I really do not have the room for 8 ft wide  ,  I want to be able to get to both sides of the "floor" above the car to stack some boxes  of household stuff and get to if I need to , 

The first "floor"  will have stuff I can lift up myself , so 40 pound or so ,  if I do a second level it will just be for a few fenders or light bulky stuff.

The beams are made for 1000s of pounds of  heavy industrial stuff , so the stuff I will be putting on it is not close to overloading it , 

Plus there are no kids , dogs , cats or farm animals that will be sleeping under it if it all falls down in an earthquake !

Again thanks for your thoughts :)

In that case, just get 4x8 and cut and weld the 8' down to 6'.

californiamilleghia said:

Hi , thanks for your ideas so far ,  the ideal size is a 6ft x 14ft  footprint 

...., 

So best case which they do not make would be 6 ft wide uprights and 14ft beams , then I could make a couple layers to store stuff and roll the car under it , 

The Photos above uses the upright  ends for the sides  X 3 , plus some extra brackets  to connect them since they are not made to connect sideways ,  

So the question is has anyone seen 6ft wide uprights ?

...

 

Can you gang two 3ft sections together to get a 6 foot depth? Or am I confusing the dimensions you want?

I looked at pallet racking in both Detroit where I currently live and Portland OR (i plan to move to Wenatchee WA in a couple years), and both had surplus/used pallet racking for what I considered pretty damn cheap

There are 6' wide uprights, or you can buy Metalux bolt together ones and fabricate your own bracing to make whatever width uprights you want.  I actually have some 36" wide bolt together uprights right now that I am going to cut down to 14" wide.

A lot of the places that sell pallet racking also sell mezzanines. Check out what they have because it is pretty much what you want. 

oldopelguy (Forum Supporter) said:

There are 6' wide uprights, or you can buy Metalux bolt together ones and fabricate your own bracing to make whatever width uprights you want.  I actually have some 36" wide bolt together uprights right now that I am going to cut down to 14" wide.

A lot of the places that sell pallet racking also sell mezzanines. Check out what they have because it is pretty much what you want. 

Ummmm never thought about a Mezzanine.........

And yes I was thinking of bolting  a pair of the 36 inch upright ends to get the 6ft - 72 inch wide end , 

I have been keeping my eye on Craigslist  but so far its only been dealers and not shops going out of business, 

Again thanks for you ideas , it all helps

I just put up to 36" deep and 8' wide sections of racking in my garage for storage. They are pretty sturdy at two across, but a bit flimsy alone with the bottom deck at about 6' up. I will post some pics later from my phone.

I got mine for a local metal recycler. He said they tend to get them at scrap price and try and sell the nicer looking ones. Win-win IMO.