DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Peter, as you know I have the bigger brother of this lift. Mechanically it is well made and sturdy. Not so sure about the electronics. The control board fried itself after about a year. Another sent FOC and easy to replace.

There were a couple of weepy joints (factory preassembled, not installed) which meant I lost quite a bit of fluid and I found the car on the wonk so I try to remember not to leave a car up high anymore. I fixed the weeping joint, then made the schoolboy error of topping the tank up with the ramp not fully down. Dropped it down and flooded my new floor with oil. Grrr.

After precisely one more year, it looked like the control board had failed again. Another replacement sent but this did not fix the issue.

I eventually traced the fault to a failed sensor which was occasionally going short circuit and pulling the 24V line down on the board. I replaced the cheap Chinese sensor with a decent Sick (yes really) one.

I then noticed that the reflective sensor isn’t positioned quite right so shimmed the underside so it points properly at the reflector.

All is well and I have a spare board too…

Thx Jonny - I know who to call then

I’m fairly sure that my sensor is also mis-aligned but as it appears not to be working, I’ll replace before further fiddling.

I seriously contemplated buying the bigger brother of this lift yesterday, which was available from a closing garage but I elected not to because I didn't fancy the 3 phase to 1 phase conversion. Automotech quoted £800 for a new control box. I'm glad I didn't buy used now, if the electronics are shaky.

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RobFrost wrote:I seriously contemplated buying the bigger brother of this lift yesterday, which was available from a closing garage but I elected not to because I didn't fancy the 3 phase to 1 phase conversion. Automotech quoted £800 for a new control box. I'm glad I didn't buy used now, if the electronics are shaky.

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£800 I guess is for the complete control unit? The lid unscrews and the PCB is the size of a postcard. The PCB is only £130 IIRC.

If you’re going from 3-phase to 230v, then they’d sell you a complete set to reduce any comeback if you fried yourself

What is the make/model of lift Peter?
C

It's the mid-rise scissor lift from Automotech, their AS-7532B 3.2T (https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/pr ... ssor-lift/). Jonny has the same, but the full height version, Automotech's AS-7230A (https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/pr ... ssor-lift/)

Thanks Peter- that looks like what I am looking for for new garage.

Having procrastinated enough, it was time to man up and start fitting the vinyl cover to the targa top.

I already know that it’s going to be a long slog, this part. Firstly, having found the centre and marked it with tape, I stuck the cover to the front edge of the centre reinforcement plate.


Once the glue had dried, I repeated this for the rear edge. Once the glue had dried here, I was not happy with the wrinkles on the rear edge, so peeled it off and just glued the very centre part.


Once this was dry, I reglued the rest of the rear edge of the centre reinforcement plate (strewth, that’s a mouthful), while stretching the vinyl.

Much better.



Despite my best intentions, I then had a slight distraction and played with my new lift – time to change the steering rack gaiters that split while adjusting the tracking. Unfortunately the track rod ends were so enjoying being intimate with the front stuts, that despite hitting with my BFH from above (nut left on to protect the threads), then hitting each side of the arm with 2 BFHs, it was time for a Harvey Smith bar. This of course did not end well for the TRE boots, so new ones on order.

Having replaced the first side (OSF), it was onto the second side. All went well, until I realised that I had replaced the damaged one on the NS with the old one from the OS. Not only that, but the original NS gaiter was not that bad, so I could have saved some time and a TRE boot. Anyway, remove wrong gaiter, fit correct new gaiter and do everything up. I did contemplate leaving the TREs undone, ready for the boots, but my recent experience with fleabay deliveries has not been stellar, so at least the car can be moved if/as required while I wait.


I spoke with the lift guys early this morning, regarding the ‘not working’ photocell. Having tested with sheets of paper, my arm and a mirror, I was confident that the P/cell was not happy. Anyway, I had to remove the P/cell to determine which one I had, and in the process, it all started working. So back it went, with suitable adjustment (read bending) of the mounting bracket. It still needs a bit of fine adjustment, as the lift goes up and down without over-riding the P/cell with the exception of the last 3 inches (75mm to my younger readers).

While sliding around underneath (too lazy to wait for the lift to go all of the way up), I did manage to spin around and introduce my forehead to the end of the lift ramp. The blood stopped eventually.


After chores, I snuck back to the garage this afternoon to set to on the vinyl cover.

Good news was that the rear of the roof now appeared wrinkle free – well the centre section anyway, as that is all I had glued so far. So, now to glue the rest of the front edge on. Faced with the apparent need to stretch the vinyl left to right before gluing on the rest of the front edge followed by the back edge, yet needing to have the back edge fitted before I could stretch left to right, I sat down for a think.

This is when I realised that despite checking lots of times, I was a complete muppet (you all knew that anyway, but it is a continuing surprise to me) and had managed to glue the vinyl on the wrong way around. I peeled it off, and glued the front edge of the centre section, so finishing the day further back than when I started.

HI Peter

I've got the 7335 one and had a similar problem to you. On mine the photocells were in the two platforms and pointing at each other (except that they weren't because I'd reversed the layout). That way it stops if one platform lowers quicker than the other. Looking at your picture I can't see holes for them - where are your photocells? Once I'd got mine pointing at each other all was good

Hi Sladey
My photocells almost face each other.

By loosening the screws and bolts and adjusting, I managed to get things to work down to about 300mm. Having turned all of the garage lights out, and adding a shim under one of the bolts so that the light hits the middle of the reflecting strip, it now works down to about 75mm. I think that I need to remove the car and then set the angle of my dangle at the lowest platform height, rather than (as I have been doing) at the highest. I assume that the platforms are not coming down symmetrically enough.

None of this reads well imho about the design. If you lower the platforms with a car on top and they do not come down simultaneously where can that lead to?

Yes- all sounds a bit iffy- maybe not then!!

Been a while, so although the targa roof continues, here’s a few updates.

Lift – I have realised why the lift won’t go all of the way down without over-riding the sensors

The sensor gets obscured by the base frame !
Should I a) ignore it and over-ride the sensor for the last bit, or b) cut some of the frame away ?


TRE – replaced the track rod end boots with 'VW T25 Track Rod End Bar and Ball Joint Dust Cover Boot - Small x 2' from ebay. £4.40 rather than £100plus for new Lemforder TREs. Fitted fine, so now we have steering sorted.


Went to fit my undertray (covers the tank as well as the usual steering & pump – made by an IBer). Turns out that I have fitted the towing eye (on the front torsion bar forward mounting) on the wrong side of the car, so it interferes with the guard. Just need to swap the mountings over, but more unexpected double handling work. More play time with the lift though.


At the rear, my original flapper boxes were for a 3.2 car – longer outlets. Although they were fine with my pre-’74 h/ex, they were too long for use with the SSIs. Simple solution was to buy a pair of flappers to suit the SC and sell the 3.2 variants.

Pair of flapper boxes duly acquired


Cleaned and painted and old ones removed. Well, nearly - I couldn’t get the cables out of them. I faffed around for a while, then got bored, was concerned that I would damage the cables (they were new), so I then just cut the flapper box outlets shorter and refitted them.


Old orange pipes look a tad manky, but they’ll do for now.



Nothing else could get in the way of me making good progress on the targa roof now, could it. Well yes, something could (in addition to Christmas and New Year celebrations).

I accidentally bought another lathe – the Clarke CL500M – exactly the same as my existing lathe (CL430), but with milling head. It came home on the trailer, then flew across the garage (well almost – maybe some sketchy transportation was involved)


All installed and temporarily being kept company by the old one, waiting for a buyer.


I tested it out by buying a Quick Fit tool post for an old Warco lathe. I used the lathe to shorten, drill and tap the 14mm centre post so that it would screw over the existing 10mm one, then used the mill head to add the necessary indents in the base, and is actually works. Well chuffed.


The targa roof has progressed alongside my other distractions, albeit at a slower than ideal pace. All this glue a bit, then have to wait for it to dry, along with needing to pull left/right before doing front / back, while needing to pull front/back before doing left/ right !

Best progress has been made by abandoning all hope and just gluing the sides. I clamped the sides, opened / tensioned the roof and checked how it looked.


I then found my brave pants and went for it.



Once this had dried, I trial fitted the roof and marked where I was happy (masking tape), which indicated where more attention was needed – this did include where I hadn’t glued yet.


Definitely feels like some progress is being made now, so ......

Distractions first.
1 - Why oh why do people send messages in response to your adverts on GumTree and FaceBerk asking ‘is this still avaialble’. When you say yes, you never hear from them again ! I’ve also 2 different people who are ‘coming to buy’, then have transport issues – ‘won’t fit in my car, so will hire a van’ and ‘I’ve been told I can’t carry it in my estate car, so I’ll arrange collection’. First with cash will secure, other is a looser – either that or I’m entertainment for others.

Then Henry’s sump plate / tank guard / undertray or whatever. Swapping the tow loop from the OS to the NS wasn’t anyway near as bad as I expected. Car went woosh, up into the air (have I mentioned that I have a spangly lift now), undo 3 bolts on the OS and 2 on the NS and swap the cover plate c/w tow eye over. No messing with the front torsion bar bearing – it just sat where it was and behaved.


A bit of balancing of the plate on my head while I inserted the bolts, and …. We are protected




Then back onto the targa top.
There was this bit at the front where the material was too high, with some ripples just next to it


And this bit at the rear, where the vinyl was too bent down and was catching the seal and being a nuisance.



Following a bit (well, quite a lot really) of stretching and regluing, we had this



So then onto the side seals, etc. First add the rain gutters


Then the side seals


Add end plates


And vinyl to front bars


Refit to car – and oh 5h1t






Some investigation followed (once I had stopped crying).
Fail 1 - side seals are supposed to go outside of the rear targa seal (disappointing that the fluffy stuff has already worn off my new targa seal)




Fail 2 – front of seals is waaaay too hard and doesn’t fold out of the way enough



With the side seal sitting too far in, the roof is pushed forward and the front edge sits too high. So address rear corners first.
By loosening the side seals and moving them as far out and back as I could, things were better, but not better enough




The pressure on the front of the side seal was also causing the rubber part to come away from the metal plate.



I tried ‘relieving’ some of the rubber at the rear corner of the seal, as per Pelican posts. Again better, but not by much. I then ripped the rubber off the side seal


And set to, ‘adjusting’ the seal


At the front, to allow it to bend more easily, I ended up with




At the rear, to allow the seal to fit further back and hopefully outside of the rear targa seal, I made it look more like the old one that came off




That’s where we are, excepting that the rubber is currently glued and clamped back onto the metal backing plate. Tomorrow may show me to be a super-hero, or a twit in need of a new side seal.