tommypenguin

After reading a horror story of a harbor freight 2 ton jack stand failing, I have developed a paranoia about what I'm using to protect my life when working underneath the car. Given I perform all service on the 3 cars my wife and I own and normally get under a car at least once every couple of months, I want to go safer with my setup and stands.

I have been using Craftsman 3 ton jack stands for a couple years that get up to 19" high. I chalk wheels, if only lifting up one end, and have rhino ramps I slide under the wheels and keep my floor jack in place for back up. Anything else I may want to be doing that could provide a safer setup when getting underneath the car?

A lift is not an option, at some point probably over winter I will drop the rear end of my car to R&R the TT bearing, while it's apart I will be replacing/upgrading other wear and tear parts. This will likely be a project I do over the course of 4-8 weekends if I had to guess. I need a set of jack stands that provide enough ground clearance I will be able to drop and roll the trans/diff/tt out and also that are high quality I can sleep easy at night that will hold the car up over that time.

Will 24" be enough ground clearance or do I need 30" that most 12 ton jack stands offer to drop the tranny/diff/tt assuming I use a low profile transmission jack that is 6" at it's lowest point?

I have been looking at Hein-Werner, ESCO, and Omega, or possibly Harbor Freight 12 ton stands, I want overkill for peace of mind.What high lift jack stands have others used on the forum are people using? Thanks for your help.

ezrider4u2

It sounds to me like you are doing just about everything you may be able to do for now with what you have. I have similar safety concerns and limitations with what I can do in the garage for now. I bought a set of 67" 2 piece Race Ramps a couple of years. If I need to raise the rear as well, I have a set of 8 pieces of 2x10 pressure treated wood. I'll use 2 of them and as I am getting the front on the ramps, I drive the rear tires on the wood for additional clearance in the rear. Then I take my 3 ton jack and lift the rear and put the jack stands under the car.
Here is my car up on them:


If I need to go higher than the ramps will allow, I will also use the wood as a base, place the jack on the wood and raise the additional inches I need.
Jack stands I use and I would recommend as well come from Greg Smith Equipment. I used them when I was in the Army to do services on vehicles and are rated at 12 tons each. They may be overkill but I never worried about getting under any truck or for that matter my car and they won't break the bank : http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/12...tands-Set-of-2

I would tell you that the 2x10s do come in handy. If I want the extra height but don't want to take the jack stands too high, I will use them as a base for the jack stands as well. Get them a bit higher while not extending the jack stands any more than I have to. Based on how long your car will be on up in the air I would suggest looking into that-again wont break the bank and will help with additional clearance.

Hope this helps even if just providing additional ideas.

CalixEros

I certainly understand the concern. If you're underneath one of these and the stands fail, you're facing almost certain death. Whenever I'm unable to use a lift, I always have a backup jack stand for every one carrying a load and, when possible, throw the tire under the car when I take them off to give me a chance of coming out of it unscathed.

mdaniel

There probably isn't a single item at Harbor Freight that is built in the USA.
That said, I use one of their jacks fairly often.

tommypenguin

Thanks guys for the tips. I will add throwing the wheels under the frame rails when they are coming off to another step of safety and using my soon to be old craftsman jacks as back up. I'll pick up some pressure tested 2 x 10 or 2 x 12 boards.

I'm leaning toward buying USA made jacks. The Greg Smith jacks look hardcore, I wish they were local because shipping is twice as much as the cost of the stands. I might be willing to go for 6 ton jack stands if 24" is enough. I would prefer not to have to set the jack stands on wood for a prolonged period of time even if the wood would be able to support much beyond that weight. The Omega magic lift looks nice given they are spring loaded and the brand is respected but I don't believe they are made in the USA. I figure even HF 12 ton jack stands in front and rear would never have an issue supporting the corvette and up to my RX330.

How much ground clearance between the jack's lowest point and highest point of the trans/diff/tt am I going to need to pull it out? Any chance someone has that assembly on a stand and can measure how thick it is from top to bottom at its thickest point? Any other suggestions on safety when using jack stands I can apply, would be appreciated. Thanks.

Chris Stewart

I use 3 & 4 ton jack stands with about 20" reach, and a piece of wood as a pad under the frame. It's plenty of room to get everything out.

TastyBacon

I used the HF 6-ton jackstands at the rear lift points to do my trans & torque tube over the winter. I had 25" under the rear crossmember and that was a good height to work at. I also had the front jacked up, but not as high as the rear--maybe 17" there. Hopefully that helps with the height question, sorry I don't have a better brand of stands to recommend.

LoneStarFRC

Top quality.

Specs: "
• No. 1778B low stand support height range is 19" to 29-1/2". - See more at: http://www.otctools.com/products/12-....jUZWli8L.dpuf


Sold through NAPA

tommypenguin

Thanks a lot for posting the information and the pic. What are you supporting the front end with, can't see well from the pics? I will keep in mind cutting some pieces of pressure tested 2 x 4 to fit under the frame in the rear to support with the jack stands?

Did you have a support when separating the TT from the engine under the oil pan? Was there a lot of movement in the engine? Did you purchase a transmission adapter for the floor jack in the rear to support the floor jack? Thanks.

Sigforty

I use a set of 6 Ton Torin stands I got from Amazon. They start out about the height of a maxed 1 ton craftsman stand and go up to almost 24" high. They also have a large base to they keep the car stable.

lionelhutz

To answer your question - 20" or more will allow you to get the transmission and torque tube out.

I personally would never put stacked wood or unfastened wood between jacks stands and the car. A piece of wood against the smooth frame - no way because it can slide. I want the car to be captured by the V saddle on the top of the jack stand.

A single piece could be OK under between the cross member and the jack if the jack can bite into it. When I take the diff pad off my jack the jack surface is flat and the jack just fits under the car so I use it directly.

I put 2 strips of Aluminum along the frame just inside of the rockers. I can jack on it and put the stands under it. I will also put the stands directly under the cross members, placing a heavy part of the cross member into the V of the stand saddle.

Those Greg Smith stands - what makes them better than any other China stand besides the higher price?

The OTC ones do look nice. No cast piece to crack or split.

tommypenguin

I saw these originally when I began my search and am learning toward them now because of the double lock with the pin. That pin adds some insurance if you accidentally were wrenching and hit the handle on the stand, causing it to collapse. Based on the measurements you guys have provided the 6 ton, coming in at 24" max height would get the job done. The 12 ton of the torin's increase max height to 28", I know those are overkill but not egregiously overpriced for those to keep me from saying no.

Good point regarding the wood between the car and frame on a flat surface, wasn't considering slippage.

Got any pics of how you jack up your car from the side using the aluminum? IIRC correctly underneath the car there is the two spots for the pucks and then a lip of the frame exposed past the painted rocker panel. There is also a cross member going from the frame lip toward the center of the car in the middle.

Are you saying you place the aluminum piece, which fits snug in your jack saddle, and jack along the frame lip inside the rocker panel? Then place the jack stands in the puck locations?

The OTC stands look rigid in their design, they are also equally rigid in the price.

Regardless, when I do this job, I will be stacking some cribs under the front wheels and chocking them. The rear I still need a little clarity on how to make it as secure as possible given the rear cradle will be out which eliminates the normal jack stand location.

Thanks again for the advice guys. Pretty ridiculous, I've never put near the amount of thought into securing a car while its on jack stands that the gravity of a failure warrants till this weekend.

Sigforty

The lock pins are very nice, part of why I got those stands. I will say this though, make sure you get the lock pin in before you put the car on the stand. The weight of the car on the stand will make it impossible to get them in.

lionelhutz

I attached a piece of aluminum along the whole length of the frame. I believe I used pieces 5/8" thick by 1" wide about 40" long. I just drilled and tapped 5 screws into the frame on each side. I can jack on it or use it for the stands. I don't need to use any pucks.

There are (were?) a few companies selling rocker saver rails for the C5. They do the same or similar things, but weren't free like the pieces I used.

Sigforty

I do not think that is the case. I could probably get them in with a hammer, but it is a lot easier to do it before you put the load on them. The pins are triangle shaped and a tight fit.

ezrider4u2

Sorry for the delay, from what I understand most of their produts are made in the USA. The stands I have dont have markings and I received these 2nd hand so I never saw their packaging.

Chris Stewart

I used jackstands on the front cradle there. For motor work I'll use all 4 stands on the side rails. Yes the motor tips as the tube comes out, and I support it with another floor jack and more wood. Got that trans jack at Autozone, it has an adapter plate that supports good while bringing the cradle down. I've collected various wood blocks and they help alot! For a job like this I usually need 3 floor jacks, 6 jackstands, and plenty of wood. As far as slipping of the stands because a piece of wood is there, no way unless I hit it with a truck.

lionelhutz

Click on the more pictures link. You can't miss the huge "Made in China" label on the box.

tommypenguin

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm going to go with the Torin 12 ton double locking jack stands, provide 28" of height, and have the back up safety feature of the pin.

Torin 12 Ton Double Locking Jack Stands -

As for the transmission jacks, I have found a guy on craigslist selling his 800lb HF jack for 80$ delivered. I figured using this in culmination with a HF 450lb scissor jack to support the front of the TT, should provide ample support to move around the drive line by myself. I will support the engine using my floor jack and jack stands under a 2 x 6 across the front cross member or oil pan.

The transmission jack models are listed in the following links for reference. If anyone has feedback using the HF transmission jacks or a comparably priced transmission jack on a C5 I would appreciate hearing it. Chris Stewart, can you post a link to the transmission jack from Autozone you used?

800lb jack - http://www.harborfreight.com/800-lb-...ack-60234.html

450lb jack - http://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-...ack-39178.html

I'll post a separate thread to ask what wear and tear items should I replace while everything is out beyond the bad bearings/bushings

Socko

As i just removed the rear subframe to clutch last weekend. I couldnt get a straight answer about this from anyone, but I have a very formed opinion now.

I bought double locking 6 ton stands at northerntool for $40 a pair x 2 pair.

I put them up 4 clicks and its 19.5" from the point where the puck goes into the rocker to the ground. Any higher looked sketchy to me that is how i settled on 4 clicks.

I bought the cheapo scissor trans jack from harbor freight and it worked excellently. $90

Just needed buddies to help clear brake lines and drop the subframe.

12 ton stands are honestly way to big. I think you could do it at 15" from ground to chassis. I judge this by the fact that the trans jack has about 4-5 more inches it can go lower. So I got the diff/trans assembley out with it being 4-5 inches from as low as i could get it. I think the subframe with the shocks attached is taller then the trans/diff though. Easy enough to remedy if thats your issue by popping off the shocks obviously.

My 19" jack is sketchy lifting to 15" imo as its moving a lot forward each pump which i don't like. I feel like its trying to pull the car off the front stands when im lifting the back and vice versa. I used 4 2x6's screwed together to make it taller so the movement per stroke wasn't so large. I am not one to be afraid to work under stands but getting cars that high can be scary.

Find 6 tons that fit your criteria and roll them. they are generally like 15-23" stands, its plenty high.