well i got the spring itch again and i have been doing some work on the car over the past few weeks and today i decided to put it back up on the ramps and stands. that is where things got a little scarry. put the ramps next to the front wheels and the stands next to the back wheels before starting so that it only took a second to get them under the car. well with step one all done its time to move on to step two. time to start by lifting the passanger side first and getting the passanger side ramp and stand under the car. usually i do the ramps one side at a time first and then i do the stands by lifting the back of the car from under the rear spring BUT with the new under car exhaust i cant do that any more. Well i get the passanger side almost all the way up and then next thing i know the jack comes flying out from under the car and the car is back on the ground. well i stopped for a few minutes because at this point my stomach feels empty and blood is pumping like it would if i just got chased by a huge bear. thank goodness there was no damage to the car since the jack got pushed out pretty fast and was far enough from the car so it didnt hit it. well after waiting a few minutes and checking the position TEN times before ajcking up the car i finally got it up and the ramp and stand under the passanger side. ok now that i had one side done it was time to do the other side. once again the ramp and stand is in place and ready to be put under the car. well i start jacking the driver side up and i go pretty slow this time and sure enough once again the jack slipped and this time the not as fast so the car fall on the jack but it gets stuck on the bird cage lower section and holds the car up. i didnt waste any time and i lowered the car down fast. this time i didnt move the jack and left it where it was and looked under the car to see why it slipped again and i FINALLY realised that i was jacking the car up with part of it on the crossmember which is why it was getting pushed out. anyways i moved the jack a little forward this time and jack the car back up and get the ramp and stand under the car with no more close calls. once the car was up on the stands i checked it again and luckily enough i didnt do any damage. i have put this car on stands and ramps countless times over the past 16 years and this is the first time that i have ever had a car fall off of the jack. i am just glad that the jack shot out from under the car and not under it where it would have done some major damage.

 

Is there some reason you don't drive on to the ramps?

 

LD,
Gave me the ****** just reading about it.
We move these 3000+ lb. cars around so much we can stop being as careful as we should be. When I have the car on jack stands I take the tires off and put them under the car. Leaves me 10" to crawl out.
Glad you're O.K.
Regards,
Alan

 

People get so lackadaisical about the everyday events ,that the realization of the danger eludes them for a brief moment, until shocked back to the consequences of the action.

You have to be careful...
Glad that everything worked out

Rod

 

i would love to be able to just drive the car up on ramps but with the front inner finder well measuring only 26 1/4" (not sure what the stock measurement is) it sits really low and i cant even get close to the ramps before the front hits them. i had a guy come out a month ago to pick the car up on a flat bed to get the new exhaust put on at a shop and he couldnt get the car on the truck without the front dragging the ground and that is with the front tires on 4" thick blocks once its time for me to go under the car i will do what Alan said and take off the tires and put them under the car.

 

I put a couple a 2x6 in front of each ramp which give me enough clearance to get my 79 in the air without any scraping.

 

I use these ramps from Ecklers

Corvette - Ultra-Ramps Plus®
* Accommodates Corvette's Low Front End
* Accepts Wide Corvette Tires (Up to 9-1/4")
* 7-1/2" Lift Height


Ultra-Ramps Plus® Complete Lifting System features one-piece steel construction ramps along with traction gripper polymer extensions. The ramps have a front wheel stop to prevent over-travel and side rails to keep tires centered and heavy-duty v-brace for support. Accommodates 9,000 lbs G.V.W. per pair. Ultra Ramps® exceed ANSI/ASME safety standards.

NOTE: Ultra-Ramps® will not work with 1997-04 Corvettes or tire sizes larger than 255/45ZR17.

Item# 35012
Ships direct from manufacturer. Allow additional time for delivery.

$79.99 pr.

 

It seems you are either jacking a corner at a time... or a complete side at a time with just one jack. Don't do that! The stress on your car and jack is massive not to mention the safety issues.

Seems like you need some better/safer equipment. I like the big 5 ton stands since they are hard to tip and very stable. Get yourself a good second jack and a helper to jack both front corners(or rear) at the same time. Or do each corner a little at a time going back and forth between the corners and slowly raising the jackstands. Don't try to jack a corner to full heigth in one go like you were.

 

stack up some 2x12's laying flat....my front is low and i cant even get a jack under it... i have to use a race jack and that barely fits....

 

Hey, onaquest,, how'd that job thing work out? heard something but don't remember the specifics..

I had a 78 T/A fall over once, to the left. Once they start, there's no stooping them, no warning, they just go. One thing to remember about jack stands, it doesn't take much of a push, and they will dump your car flat, hope your not under it when it happens. I like the tire idea. I now put a roller jack with some weight taken up In contact with the frame. Tire is a better idea though. C.

 

That's why I use 2 sets of ramps. Had stands do out on a 66 GTO I was working on once, never trusted them since. Doing brakes I have three wheels on ramps and 4th side is on a heavy stand, more stable in my opinion. Glad to hear there was no damage or anyone hurt.

 

Scary stuff there!!
Ive alway had visions of the jackstands slipping out and taking off, but never heard any reports of that until now.

I use 3 pairs of 6 ton jackstands when I put mine up in the air and 2 large rolling floor jacks to slowly do the lifting..

My order;
First set:
1 pair in the frame area just in front of the door front. Before it starts to move in.

Second set:
1 pair right at the frame rear corner infront of the rear wheels.

Third set:
1 pair then is slide into the area near where the exhaust lowers out of the engine bay.

I like redundancy!!

 

My C4 would be lower than your lowered C3. I built my own ramps from a pattern used in the C4 section. They are nearly 6 feet long and the C4 goes up them nicely.

 

I love my Kwiklift.

 

i only lifted the car up high enough to get the stands under it which is also the same height to get the ramps under the front so i figured that i would do it in one step by lifting the whole side of the car BUT i didnt look under at the placement of the jack and it was sitting partially on the crossmember which is what pushed the jack from under the car when it was at such an extreme angle. anyways here is a picture of the stand and jack that i was using. the stands are 6 ton stands and the jack is the 2 ton aluminum one made by craftsman. oh and i think i will be doing like rcread and get a kwiklift next year when i get my taxes.