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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 01:33 PM
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Default Jack Stand Safety

Hello,
This weekend I will be starting phase 1 of my restoration.
Phase1 consist of pretty much cleaning out the car, interior, exterior, engine bay, and undercarriage.
This will be done to see what needs to be done and have a good visual on the car once everything is cleaned out.

I do not have a garage, so I will be doing this on the driveway.
**My driveway is slanted, i would say maybe at a 20 - 30* degree slant.

My question
** How safe would it be to use jack stands to reach the under carriage so i can clean and get under there?

**Second question, what jack stands do you guys recommend? I saw some at sears that range from 3ton to 6ton.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 01:57 PM
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Well i have 2 sets of 6 ton stands,and 2 floor jacks. It was easier to get the car up with 2 jacks. My Vette is sitting on 4 jack stands, but in the safety of my garage!! I am not sure I would leave my car up in the air on stands for somebody to push over? Or maybe a small child may crawl under it and get hurt.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 02:17 PM
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I don't think I would want to use jack stands on a driveway that is slanted that much. I'd recommend a good set of ramps instead. You can't do wheel-off work with ramps but if you are just going to be under the car cleaning they should work pretty well.



Rick B.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by 72LS1Vette
I don't think I would want to use jack stands on a driveway that is slanted that much. I'd recommend a good set of ramps instead. You can't do wheel-off work with ramps but if you are just going to be under the car cleaning they should work pretty well.



Rick B.
I have jack stands dig into the blacktop when it gets hot. I use 4 Rhino ramps if the car is going to be in the air any amount of time. Safety first a man was just killed here in Rhode Island last week when he was working under his car and it fell on him.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 03:38 PM
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Well thats just my first phase, just to clean.

After im done with that I'll be moving to Phase2 which is to disasemble the rear end and work my way up to the front suspension
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 04:00 PM
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I agree that ramps are safer for a slanted driveway.
Inside, if I have the car on stands, I put the tires/wheels (if they're off) or piles of 6x6 blocks under the frame lifting points. If I knock the car off the stands my wife says she's not strong enough to lift it, or fast enough to get the floor jack working, so I'm on my own.
Regards,
Alan
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by jaycall88
Well thats just my first phase, just to clean.

After im done with that I'll be moving to Phase2 which is to disasemble the rear end and work my way up to the front suspension
What I do on occasion is jack the car up and put the ramps under the frame. It spreads the load out and is quite stable. I don't think you will ever be safe working under the car on a slanted driveway using jackstands. A lot of work on these old cars involves heavy banging and pulling and a jackstand can tip over unexpectedly. Shortly after we bought the 72 my son jacked up one side and put it on a jackstand. He was jacking up the other side (I wasn't watching so I don't know exactly what happened) and the car slipped off the jackstand, shifted a little, and the jackstand punched a nice hole through the floor. This was on a level surface too. Lucky no one was injured.



Rick B.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by jaycall88
Hello,
This weekend I will be starting phase 1 of my restoration.
Phase1 consist of pretty much cleaning out the car, interior, exterior, engine bay, and undercarriage.
This will be done to see what needs to be done and have a good visual on the car once everything is cleaned out.

I do not have a garage, so I will be doing this on the driveway.
**My driveway is slanted, i would say maybe at a 20 - 30* degree slant.

My question
** How safe would it be to use jack stands to reach the under carriage so i can clean and get under there?

**Second question, what jack stands do you guys recommend? I saw some at sears that range from 3ton to 6ton.
Honestly I find it hard to believe your driveway is as steep as 30 degrees, thats essentially the same as the high banks of the Daytona motor speedway. If it really is that steep - dont even dream about putting your car up on stands or ramps or anything else. Find a flat area to work on your car, that way you will live to enjoy it

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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 09:23 PM
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Shortly after we bought the 72 my son jacked up one side and put it on a jackstand. He was jacking up the other side (I wasn't watching so I don't know exactly what happened) and the car slipped off the jackstand,
Not sure what happened to your son, but what may be obvious to others and I had to learn the hard way is that those wheels on your floorjack must be able to turn to keep the jack underneath your car as you jack it up. Simple geometry says that if you have one side on stands and you jack up the other side with a stationary jack, the car will be pushed over as you jack up your car.

The stupid thing I did one time was I put a piece of plywood under the floor jack (maybe I needed an extra inch of height?) but the wheels on the jack dug into the plywood which prevented them from rolling and prevented the jack from moving.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 10:29 PM
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hmm after really looking at that picture with the different degrees.... doesnt seem like 30* degrees is right...it looks to be more of an 11*degree slant.. but i will take a picture
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 11:19 PM
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11 deg is too much. Hell 1 deg is too much. Car fell on my cousin. He survived but was pinned under there for a long long time. When I crawl under mine , I make sure I have a flat surface , use all my jackstands , AND leave my jack under there too. If I'm alone I make sure I've got a phone within reach.
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Old Jan 13, 2009 | 11:51 PM
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cool thanks for the 411 guys. I think im going to make sure everything is safe first.. cuz that is my main concern right now before i actually start phase 1
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