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I messed with home-made ramps for a while but they were heavy and not that easy to work around
I've found the fastest, easiest way to get under the car is:
-jack up the front with low-profile jack & wood block (my car is very low so I have to drive up a 2" wedge to make room for the jack)
-support front with 2 jackstands
-move low-profile jack around to the rear & repeat the procedure.
I can get the car a good 16" in the air in 5 min or less, standing on 4 solid jacks.
MUCH easier to work around the jackstands than to work around the huge ramps. And no need to store & mess with enormous heavy ramps.
YMMV!!
Just where are you "jacking "up the front"?
Where, and on what do you position the jack in the front of the car?
I just saw something while checking ground clearance for my jack.
Under the car, just below the bumper I have these brackets (one on each side.
They are metal, and I am wondering could they be used as a jacking point?
If so, I wouldn't need ramps at all.
My jack only needs 3 and1/4" to go under the car, and I have about 7" from ground to bottom of this bracket.
I just saw something while checking ground clearance for my jack.
Under the car, just below the bumper I have these brackets (one on each side.
They are metal, and I am wondering could they be used as a jacking point?
If so, I wouldn't need ramps at all.
My jack only needs 3 and1/4" to go under the car, and I have about 7" from ground to bottom of this bracket.
For me I have a low profile jack I lift car 12" then place front wheels
On my ramp then get my 6 ton floor jack raise car another 12" and put
2 6x12x24" blocks of wood under now front end is 27" clearance from bottom of car then jack up rear to 32" then set car on lifting puck with
Jack stands car is solid.
Everyone seems to have their version of a ramp system. I'll share what I've come up with.
1) I wanted a small light ramp so I could drive on them EZ and move
them around with out over loading the garage.
2)I needed to be able to store them in a compact way
3)These are just enough lift to do an oil change. If I need to go higher
I move up to a floor jack and jack stands.
4) I hated it when I'd try to drive up on them and they SLIDE on you.
What a waste of time. So here is how I solved that problem. Have
you ever wonder what to do with those old timing belts or serpentine
belts? A bit of Gorilla Glue and some staples and they stay on
good. Also I used a 3/8" base plywood to help get the tire up on the
the ramp.
Here's an older pic using them as a base for jack stands with the car
Just found this thread and thought I'd add my version to the bunch - -
I went with something 1/2 the cost and that will probably not wear out in several lifetimes.
Took 8, 16' 10" 2x4's and cut them so I had 2 each of 21", 30", 39", 48", 57", 66", 75 & 96".
Then stacked them starting from the middle to top and bottom using galvanized deck screws of varying lengths to make sure each was secured to the other.
They figure out to be 9-1/2" wide by 8' long and 12" high. Top platform is 21" with a steel back plate fastened with 3" x 1/4" lag screws.
You can easily use 2x12's if you want them wider, and add extra layers if you want them taller.
Just fasten a solid rope on the lowest layer so all you do is grab the rope and lift up one end to stand them up, then rock them side to side to where ever you want them stored.
I don't ever have to worry about these giving out while someone is under a vehicle. Then just grab the rope handle on the end and stand them up out of the way.
Total cost today should be under $200 max.
If you know someone at your local lumber company you don't even have to cut them since they will do it for you. Just buy the lumber and screws and go to work....
I know that these are not the same as home built, but I found a pair of ramps at harbor freight made in the U.S., made of molded plastic good for 4000# that don't scrape or mar the bottom of the car with 9" clearance for 40.00 work very well.
I would be extremely careful with anything from Harbor Freight. They sell certified garbage and I would be skeptical about any claimed weight limits on ramps they sell. Its not worth your life or your vette to save a few bucks buy Chinese crap from the Walmart of the automotive world.
I made these and they work great with my C5 the picture just happen to have my C4 on them. They get 11 inches off the ground.
Side section can be removed if doing a lot of crawling back and forth. Also Front and back sections combined are the same length a the center section alone to they stack up nice and neat to store
Ramp can be removed and door shut for those cold or rainy days
Some good ideas here! Has anyone made a semi permanent one that u can drive on for oil and other stuff under the car and that u can put a jack on too if u want to do brakes?!
calguy,
I made some ramps similar to Alajoe's years ago. Made out of 2x12" Douglas fir with what I would call a boxed I-beam sort of construction. It got the car up around 13", but.... They were very heavy, took up a lot of storage space, and it frankly was a bit scary driving up them. I ultimately got rid of them and went with a nice jack and jack stands, and a pair of RhinoGear ramps. Your experience may differ - good luck whatever you decide.
VERY rough sketch of ramp that I'll likely build for my winter project. I am not fond of jack stands when pulling on wrenches...
(It will allow access of a floor jack under each wheel)
These don't get as high as what others have mentioned but they get the front up high enough to ease in oil changes or at least to be able to get a floor jack under it and jack it up onto stands. They are levelers for RVs.
By the time it's all said and done, no matter what the cost, it was worth it to me anyway, to buy the fly weight 67 inch 2 piece Race Ramps. There are much worse things to blow money on these cars, that are useless. Good tools for a good car are a better investment. Plus you can use them for other cars.
I know that these are not the same as home built, but I found a pair of ramps at harbor freight made in the U.S., made of molded plastic good for 4000# that don't scrape or mar the bottom of the car with 9" clearance for 40.00 work very well.
I got a set of those but wouldnt work with short front tires and loverring. Built some lead-up extentions cut at 45 deg angle and stacked in front. 2 2x2 and then 2 1x6 side by side, nailed together. you can pull them out after its on, aprx 40# per side
My '93 C4 and my '03 Sport S10 which has all the ground effects both go up these without a bit of a problem (they are 8' long).
Originally Posted by StatmanRN
I got a set of those but wouldnt work with short front tires and loverring. Built some lead-up extentions cut at 45 deg angle and stacked in front. 2 2x2 and then 2 1x6 side by side, nailed together. you can pull them out after its on, aprx 40# per side
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Now that's my kind of ramp, Good job !!!!!
