Just finished the yearly under car service and made a tool to help raise the back end easily. I obtained a piece of H channel steel that was 4" x 4" x 4" and placed it with the H sideways with the web of the H between the pipes that lead to the mufflers. This places one of the 4x4 flat sides between the pipes and the differential case and the other flat side under the pipes. I then slid a couple of layers of cloth between the plate and the differential for protection. Since getting the car back down, I have glued a piece of rubber on the top face. My floor jack fit under the bottom of the sideways H with just a very short lift at the right rear jack point on the side of the car. This makes it easy to raise the back of the car with the front wheels on the ground. BE SURE TO BLOCK THE FRONT WHEELS!!! I then placed the jackstands at the jacking points indicated, but you may use any other, because they are all easily accessible with the jack in the center rear. After lowering onto the jackstands, I put the floor jack under the front cross member from behind the right front wheel and with a board protecting the frame raised the front of the car to a comfortable working height and placed the front jack stands under the frame in convenient places. This tool and method worked very well for me, but your mileage may vary.


[Modified by GS583, 6:21 PM 4/25/2003]

 

Sounds good :thumbs:

Any pics to help

 

Would like to comply, but wife has digital camera on a short vacation.

 

http://www.corvettegadgetman.com/products3.html

:yesnod:

 

That is a nicer version of what I did, and will probably fit more cars due to the narrower top section. I only can verify that mine will work with a stock 96.

 

Holy cow.. They are making some bucks on that.. Thats about 75 cents worth of structural steel, and some paint. I should start making and selling them for $20 bucks.. I'd still be making over 1000% profit on each one!!! :D

 

Better get a patent!! :yesnod:

 

But how do you use something like that with a 3" exhaust??????


My thin Jack-o-Vette doesn't fit between the pipes:confused:

 

Hey Mark, when was the last time you bought some steel? I think gold is still higher, but not by much.

 

I just asked the gadget man what the thickness of the verticle member is as my exhaust is only about 3/8" apart. I'll let you know what he says.

 

Just got a reply from the Gadget man(that was quick). He says the verticle member is only 1/4" thick. So, it will work with my stock 3" pipes :hurray:

I think I'll give it a try

:flag :flag :flag

 

Isn't your thin Jack a vette now living in my garage?

 

I took a different approach as I didn't want the suspension to droop while I raised the rear. Here are a couple of pics of the unit I had fabbed. It fits in the hole on the jack normally occupied by the saddle/cup. The lift points are at the strut rods below the wheel hubs. The height adjustable blocks have rubber on the contact surface. Price was right too, as I traded a Holley 750 I had gathering dust.

 

:cool: But waiting for pic's.
thanks
tony
:flag

 

Dang!! That's a great idea - why didn't I think of it. I'm gonna walk down to our shop and grab some H-beam out of the scrap recycling dumpster.

 

Paul,

I really like the looks of the unit you had fabbed. The pics help a lot also. Any possibility of you providing measurements and possibly sketch it out. You might even want to post in the tech section. Thanks.

tuband

 

Tuband:

I'll try and take measurements this weekend and post next week. This set-up also works with the front end and lifts the at the lower A arms below the hubs.
It works fine on my stock ride-height '96 but on my old '86 coupe that I lowered, I had to drive the car onto some boards to raise it enough to get the jack underneath.

 

I just ordered from gadgetman for two reasons. I have no way of recreating the part myself and I'm willing to reward someone for being smarter than I am. When I tried to put the C4 on jackstands, I did have trouble with the axle sliding and/or there being a lateral force on the stands. This should do the trick like the plate I built for my 78 XJ12. Lifting one end at a time makes life so much easier. By the way, got a very nice note from gagetman. :)

 

Ordered one last night myself. Gadgetman got back to me very quickly. Even though I'm guessing there was no intent, this thread has apparently generated a "spike" in sales for gadgetman.

 

When I started this thread, I had never seen the Gadgetman's lifter device, but obviously he had about the same thoughts as I did after looking under the car. Certainly didn't mean to take any sales from any forum vendor, and hope his sales continue to go well.