Jack Safety
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
Jack Safety
This from the local newspaper this morning. Another faulty jack or jacking method; another death. A Father with two children. Be careful when working on your cars!
http://www.canoe.ca/OttawaNews/15n1.html
http://www.canoe.ca/OttawaNews/15n1.html
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 21,457
Likes: 463
From: Massillon,Ohio USA
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12
Re: Jack Safety (paul79)
This cannot be stressed enough-same way when working with gasoline or a torch around the cars. Always have a water hose pressured up or a fire-extinguisher!!! :yesnod:
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Re: Jack Safety (paul79)
Florida is a huge sand bar, and as such has drainage/settling ponds in every development, someplace for the hurry-caine waters to go....
well this fellow who is reported to be a local car guy, hotrodder, works on his car, it gets away from him...rolls down his driveway, dragging him some 200' or so into the neighborhood pond...drowned...car still visible...
allways use wheel chocks, and stands....and I an guilty of not using stands upon occation, but never without chocks....sometimes just a floorjack for a quickey...but allways look and LISTEN....and check stability b-4 doing the dangerous.....
life may suck, from time to time, but shorter life sucks more.....
well this fellow who is reported to be a local car guy, hotrodder, works on his car, it gets away from him...rolls down his driveway, dragging him some 200' or so into the neighborhood pond...drowned...car still visible...
allways use wheel chocks, and stands....and I an guilty of not using stands upon occation, but never without chocks....sometimes just a floorjack for a quickey...but allways look and LISTEN....and check stability b-4 doing the dangerous.....
life may suck, from time to time, but shorter life sucks more.....
Pro
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 591
Likes: 0
From: Morinville Alberta
Re: Jack Safety (paul79)
another good point is inspection of the jacks and stands
They could be cracked form the last time you used it and then all of a sudden they will give out.
I just bought a new 3.5 ton professional floor jack with a lock able coller now with 8 jack stands I can get it high enough to get the tranny out and still be safe.
Boy do I need a hoist.
They could be cracked form the last time you used it and then all of a sudden they will give out.
I just bought a new 3.5 ton professional floor jack with a lock able coller now with 8 jack stands I can get it high enough to get the tranny out and still be safe.
Boy do I need a hoist.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 543
Likes: 0
From: nyc ny
Re: Jack Safety (Aaron76)
Actually I believe you can get somthing from northern tool or harborfreight for 400.00$ it will lift the front of the car or rear 36ins off the ground with saftey lock. Back on the subject saftey is always primary at the shop. And should be more so in the drive way never :nono: just jack a car and not use a stand This practice although commonplace is not and should not be the way. Nobody ever thinks that the 3400 pd car they are working on could suddenly and without warning could be resting on top of them crushing them quickly to the last daytona in the sky. It almost happenned to a bud of mine :eek: becareful my fellow vette owners. never get too comfortable because you do things over and over its a walk in the park, thats when the mistakes come with the short cuts And if that doesnt jar you think of those that you would leave behind that would be deprived at the loss anybody out there have kids? GET IT
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
Re: Jack Safety (One GM A Tech)
About five years ago I had my Corvette jacked up in the driveway to replace a power steering control valve. Left front. It was July and very hot. Had a jack stand under the front frame and a cinder block as well. Went to the basement to get a few tools and on my return the jack stand had toppled in the soft asphalt and the cinder block was crushed. I was shaken. That was a six-beer evening. Nuff said.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,183
Likes: 2
From: Des Moines Iowa
Re: Jack Safety (paul79)
It's been said before, but worth repeating, never use, nor trust cinder blocks, they don't / won't work and can NOT be trusted. Use big block of wood or railroad tie, but not a cinder block. I always leave the jack under the car, in addition to the jack stands, plus, whenever possible, I use the wheel ramps, even more stable than the jack stands.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,080
Likes: 0
From: Exiled Tampa Bay Misfit
Re: Jack Safety (john's '81 mouse)
Persoanlly I'm scred to death of jack stands. I've had one collapse (fortunatley I was not under the car) and I've been very weary since then. Persoanly I like the idea of a KwickLift type device (http://www.kwiklift.com). Juts need to save up the pennies for one... :)
[Modified by Monkeywrench, 1:41 PM 3/4/2002]
[Modified by Monkeywrench, 1:41 PM 3/4/2002]
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 3
From: Wildwood IL
Re: Jack Safety (paul79)
I've seen enough industrial accedents to take every precaution available when working on the Vette. In addition to jackstands, I bought a 6' length of 8"x8" timber for around $20. I cut it into 15" lengths, stand them on end, and they fit nicely under the rotors. I cut them to 15" to hold the suspension up to almost ride hight. Longer would take the weight off the stands. (in my application) Please Paul... never use cinder blocks. I think you know that now!!
I've seen them crush under MUCH LESS weight than a car. :eek: :eek:
I've seen them crush under MUCH LESS weight than a car. :eek: :eek: