Jacking up the car over 24"
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 11,258
Likes: 146
From: Pace, FL
Jacking up the car over 24" So I don't know where to post this. And I've done it before. But it didn't feel safe. Not when it was jacked up - I used RV jacks on my concrete garage floor. It seemed solid on the LCA mounts in the rear and the rear LCA mounts in the k-member up front. But then again, I don't know if those are the best (I figure they work because the car's weight sits on them to some degree).
But the issue is getting it up and down from that high is a nightmare. Especially down. Going up, you can sort of raise the front in 3-4" increments or so and move the jacks up as you go. Then move to the back and raise the rear up from under the rearend the same amount and move the jacks with it. And you don't have to worry about it sliding off the jackstands as the car pivots because it's going up rather uniformly. It just takes a long time.
But is there any easier way to lift a car enough to get to the trans without a lift? I've thought about using two jacks one under the k-member and one under the rearend. And sort of jacking the car up in unison. I don't know if that's safe at all. Doesn't seem like it would be.
Also, as I said, I don't love the jack points I rest the car on. It works. But eh. The issue is the big RV jack stands take up a ton of space at the base so it's pretty impossible to move them around a lot and still get the jack under there. I need the rearend to hang free for some other things I'm doing, so I guess the LCA mount on the body in front of the axle will work. In the front, should I use the subframe area behind the front wheels? Would that work better? I use that area with the jack to lift the side of the car to get to the wheels.
Ugh. I'd be able to do so much more to my car if I could get under it easier.
Any ideas?
But the issue is getting it up and down from that high is a nightmare. Especially down. Going up, you can sort of raise the front in 3-4" increments or so and move the jacks up as you go. Then move to the back and raise the rear up from under the rearend the same amount and move the jacks with it. And you don't have to worry about it sliding off the jackstands as the car pivots because it's going up rather uniformly. It just takes a long time.
But is there any easier way to lift a car enough to get to the trans without a lift? I've thought about using two jacks one under the k-member and one under the rearend. And sort of jacking the car up in unison. I don't know if that's safe at all. Doesn't seem like it would be.
Also, as I said, I don't love the jack points I rest the car on. It works. But eh. The issue is the big RV jack stands take up a ton of space at the base so it's pretty impossible to move them around a lot and still get the jack under there. I need the rearend to hang free for some other things I'm doing, so I guess the LCA mount on the body in front of the axle will work. In the front, should I use the subframe area behind the front wheels? Would that work better? I use that area with the jack to lift the side of the car to get to the wheels.
Ugh. I'd be able to do so much more to my car if I could get under it easier.
Any ideas?
My floor jack lifts up my car almost 24", pretty close to that.
I jack up one side of my car half as high as the jack will go......then I slide home-made wood stands under each tire. So that side is now about 1 foot off the ground. Tires are maybe 6 inches off the ground. Then pull the jack out and go to the other side.
I can then lift this side up to full height, then slide the wood stands under each tire. That side is now about 2 feet high, or whatever it is.
Then I go back to the other side and finish it off to full height. Then slide my other wood stands under those two tires.
Takes me maybe 5 minutes and I'm done. By myself....effortlessly.
So...I bought a bunch of 2" x 6" peices that were 6 feet long and cut them up and stacked them together and screwed them together. So 4 high stands and I have 2 of the half-height ones.
I also made two other stands from wood to pull around with me in the area that I am working.....they just slide all around wherever I am working. If for some reason the car rolls off there's no way I can get crushed because that wood piece will be next to me and the car will just get caught on it. I'll be able to get out.
But there's really no damn way the car can roll off these wood stands....I screwed pieces of wood in front of and behind where the tire sits in place.....impossible for that to happen really.
You can also make a ramp by segmenting the pieces and I can literally drive right up onto the high stands.....just by removing the tire stoppers on the rear of each stand as I drive up onto the stands...then slide the stoppers into place once the tires are in place. But I have not built the drive up ramps yet......jacking it up is too easy the way I described above.
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I jack up one side of my car half as high as the jack will go......then I slide home-made wood stands under each tire. So that side is now about 1 foot off the ground. Tires are maybe 6 inches off the ground. Then pull the jack out and go to the other side.
I can then lift this side up to full height, then slide the wood stands under each tire. That side is now about 2 feet high, or whatever it is.
Then I go back to the other side and finish it off to full height. Then slide my other wood stands under those two tires.
Takes me maybe 5 minutes and I'm done. By myself....effortlessly.
So...I bought a bunch of 2" x 6" peices that were 6 feet long and cut them up and stacked them together and screwed them together. So 4 high stands and I have 2 of the half-height ones.
I also made two other stands from wood to pull around with me in the area that I am working.....they just slide all around wherever I am working. If for some reason the car rolls off there's no way I can get crushed because that wood piece will be next to me and the car will just get caught on it. I'll be able to get out.
But there's really no damn way the car can roll off these wood stands....I screwed pieces of wood in front of and behind where the tire sits in place.....impossible for that to happen really.
You can also make a ramp by segmenting the pieces and I can literally drive right up onto the high stands.....just by removing the tire stoppers on the rear of each stand as I drive up onto the stands...then slide the stoppers into place once the tires are in place. But I have not built the drive up ramps yet......jacking it up is too easy the way I described above.
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I think I'm gonna add some 1/2" x 1/2" stainless steel rods to connect the front and rear wood stands....and then across both front stands and across both rear stands. Then there's no way the stands can move anywhere on a slippery floor.
They would be removable and can be used or not be used.
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They would be removable and can be used or not be used.
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 11,258
Likes: 146
From: Pace, FL
That's not a bad idea on doing the wood stands.
And you're right. It won't go anywhere. And it'd be a lot cheaper than buying ramps. Building a ramp isn't a bad idea either. But for what I do, it sounds like the 6 ramps would be the best idea.
Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.
Do you have a picture of what they look like? I can sort of envision what it would take but would like to see how you did them.
Thanks!
And you're right. It won't go anywhere. And it'd be a lot cheaper than buying ramps. Building a ramp isn't a bad idea either. But for what I do, it sounds like the 6 ramps would be the best idea.
Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.
Do you have a picture of what they look like? I can sort of envision what it would take but would like to see how you did them.
Thanks!
That's not a bad idea on doing the wood stands.
And you're right. It won't go anywhere. And it'd be a lot cheaper than buying ramps. Building a ramp isn't a bad idea either. But for what I do, it sounds like the 6 ramps would be the best idea.
Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.
Do you have a picture of what they look like? I can sort of envision what it would take but would like to see how you did them.
Thanks!
And you're right. It won't go anywhere. And it'd be a lot cheaper than buying ramps. Building a ramp isn't a bad idea either. But for what I do, it sounds like the 6 ramps would be the best idea.
Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.
Do you have a picture of what they look like? I can sort of envision what it would take but would like to see how you did them.
Thanks!
If not...draw what I did and post it.
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 11,258
Likes: 146
From: Pace, FL
I have about 4 things I need to fix under there. And I've just been putting it off.
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For the rear stoppers, instead of permanently anchoring them with 8 inch bolts...you could drill 4 inches down into the ramp and then through the stoppers and just drop 8 inch long steel dowels into the holes to keep the stoppers in place.
That's if you want to build ramps.
For the rear stoppers, instead of permanently anchoring them with 8 inch bolts...you could drill 4 inches down into the ramp and then through the stoppers and just drop 8 inch long steel dowels into the holes to keep the stoppers in place.
That's if you want to build ramps.
Last edited by LS6427; Mar 8, 2017 at 01:14 PM.
And if I was to do it again....I would use 2 x 8......wider for more side stability. I'm just picky because I had a scare once when I was under my car and the jack moved and the whole car shifted.
2 x 6 is plenty wide....so saves weight.
OR....use 2 x 6 and then make the bottom board a 2 x 8 piece so its more stable side-to-side.
2 x 8 stands with a bottom board that is 12 inches wide and also extended front and rear ends.....is best.
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2 x 6 is plenty wide....so saves weight.
OR....use 2 x 6 and then make the bottom board a 2 x 8 piece so its more stable side-to-side.
2 x 8 stands with a bottom board that is 12 inches wide and also extended front and rear ends.....is best.
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 11,258
Likes: 146
From: Pace, FL
So you just stacked the wood?
The other way is basically doing square 2x4s with alternating and overlapping wood.
I'll experiment with it and see. But I think either would work fine.
Thanks guys!
The other way is basically doing square 2x4s with alternating and overlapping wood.
I'll experiment with it and see. But I think either would work fine.
Thanks guys!
Extremely strong.....an 18 wheeler sitting on them wouldn't even start to phase it.....can probably hold 50,000 pounds. Its just a block of 2 x 6's.
They use these to hold up 100 foot, 90 ton yachts here in the boat yards......same thing I did....stacked 2 x 6's together.
Probably overkill. But its strong.
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Last edited by LS6427; Mar 8, 2017 at 06:07 PM.
This would be nice.....lift it up 29 inches....slide the wood stands under each tire. Pull the lift out of the way.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BendPak-...QAAOSw9NdXtgrx
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BendPak-...QAAOSw9NdXtgrx
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Just be careful lifting on the front crossmember. I got mine up a little too high with a pretty steep angel the the jack slipped forward. It would have gone through the oilpan but it caught on the lip of the crossmember.
TECH Addict
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,513
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From: PDX-OR-USA
Glue the joints with gorilla glue or elmers waterproof carpenters glue or liquid nails as you go. It stops them for making scary creaking noises late at night.. 
And literally the joint is stronger than the wood.
And literally the joint is stronger than the wood. 
They should make ramps that get it up onto the first level.....then jack up each tire to the next level. Cut the time in half to do that.
And after they were fully raised....I would still put a jack stand or a block of wood in each one.....in case one or more let go.
And it really needs wheel stoppers so it doesn't roll off the stands....
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 11,258
Likes: 146
From: Pace, FL
I've thought about doing a 4-post lift, but I want something cheaper in the mean time. The 4-post would be good to store the car up and use space under it for other stuff in the garage - like the kids bikes and scooters and stuff. So that will come eventually.
The wood block idea is a solid idea for now. I just need to get my trans out to swap the converter, make some adjustments to my true duals, reset my pinion angle, and get to my oil pan easily to fix a leak (had to drop it on my last cam swap - but apparently didn't do a great job of getting it back together). That's a weekend job for all that with the car up high enough.
I think I'll try the 2x6s stacked vs the alternating box form. The box form would plenty strong as well but will take more time to cut and assemble with the benefit of it being lighter. The flip side is, the stacked 2x6 has to be insanely strong.
The wood block idea is a solid idea for now. I just need to get my trans out to swap the converter, make some adjustments to my true duals, reset my pinion angle, and get to my oil pan easily to fix a leak (had to drop it on my last cam swap - but apparently didn't do a great job of getting it back together). That's a weekend job for all that with the car up high enough.
I think I'll try the 2x6s stacked vs the alternating box form. The box form would plenty strong as well but will take more time to cut and assemble with the benefit of it being lighter. The flip side is, the stacked 2x6 has to be insanely strong.
I made a similar wood stand. It gives me much greater comfort underneath vs jackstands. It is relatively light weight and you can easily change the height for your needs. Cheap too.