Homemade ramp? Yay or Nay? Let see some...
 

Ive come to the conclusion that a set of homemade ramps may be just what I need in the shop.

I know they're never going to be the safest thing out there, but I'm limited in ceiling height (7'3") so a regular lift isnt an option.

Im thinking 2x10's with pieces of 8x8 (flat) as a spacer on 16" centers.
Race ramps or gorilla ramps for "loading". Somewhere about 14' long. and 10" or so high, no higher than 12". Enough to get under comfortably with a grease gun etc.

something like this, but with a bottom plate:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...38c7d08e71.jpg

Thoughts?

:canadaflag:

I like it.

I like it

Nothing wrong with wood ramps like that. I've had couple sets to use to work on cars(shorter just under wheels) that I've both used by ramp and jacking car up and sliding under. Make sure of 2 things... Where are you going to store them and who's helping move them cause they'll be heavy.

Mike, make sure you put stops so you to cannot drive off the end of the ramp.

Look good to me, bottom plate would be a must I think.

They are a tad narrow, such that you should use a spotter when driving up on to them. You would be surprised how easy it is to stray off line and drop a wheel off....

The ramp up looks a tad short/steep, and I confess to being uneasy at the joint between the two. I see the hinge tying the two together, but I still wonder. Also, the piece at the hinge end of the ramp is 'undersize' as compared to the rest of the spacers. Note, I am not a structural engineer!

I confess to considering the same general concept, but haven't gone so far as to put pen to paper. I definitely would have a longer 'ramp'.

These look too low. You will be surprised at how little space you have under there and how much nicer it is with the most you can get.

Also, the flat side is doing the load bearing unless you happen to park a tire over the 4x4 (or 6x6, but they look 4x4) block. that means they are only as strong as the two flat boards together.



Long ago, my dad built some ramps that we used for years. He used 2x10s and they looked like this. The two side 2x10s carried the load, not the top boards.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3bf129fc1c.png




With 2x10 sides, they were about 12 inches high and I don't remember the width, but they were at least 12 inches wide. I remember that my G60-15s had room on each side and I think the L60-15s did, too.

With my '67 and my '63 Corvette several years later, I had to lay 2x10s on the ground to get the wheels on so the front panel would clear the ramp.

With a C3 you would need more angle but you can design that to fit.

Now these were only for getting one end up, but you could continue the length and get the entire car up there.

Use screws to hold the boards together, as nails will eventually work out. Or better, run long carriage bolts across to hold the ramps together.

The drawback was that they were heavy. But they held everything we ever put on them.

To do what you want, I'd build them in sections so that they don't get so heavy you can't move them. Put an overlapping plate or a pin setup so that you can lock the sections together, so that they don't move when driving up or working under them. It could be that if you size them right, you could pull those in the middle with no tires on them out so that the car is essentially up on four big blocks.

I agree that is is a PITA to put the the car up on jackstands every time. My '80 can't even use regular ramps.

How about a set of 56" Race Ramps:
http://amzn.to/2x67CXK
With the two piece version, you can take the slope part off, and get in easy with the creeper. I like to go in from the side, so I wouldn't want ramps on either side of me. It would get claustrophobic.

I use a "Steel Floor Jack Cross Beam" from Harbor Freight to jack up the rear. I need to roll over 2x8s on the rear to get the clearance I need, but it works great for a single point lift.
https://www.harborfreight.com/steel-...eam-60762.html
I bought an extra jack to leave it permanently set up. I can also use it to lift an entire side of the car at once.

Here are Binnie's ramps.
http://corvettec3.ca/ramps.htm

ramps are way too short[double or triple the length would cut the steep angle],,the flats should be at least 12''-but 16'' would be better,,and they need to be at least 1'6''- 2' high

IMHO, this is the best, especially if you can't go up due to a low ceiling.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...f29b869a8c.jpg


You can work on top and bottom at the same time, which is very handy when pulling an engine.

I would go 12" on center so they last longer. They will be very heavy so you may need help moving and storing them unless you make the 36" wide and more semi-permanent so you can easily get on them and park on them without a spoter. If you cant go wider you may want a continuous lip down the outside edges so you can feel if you are drifting to the side

Procrastination, I seriously love that pit and have thought about doing that many times. the red and blue stripes on either side are a nice alignment feature.

Dodos, I join those encouraging you to do the math on weight. I made some of those crib stands discussed elsewhere in the Forum and was shocked by their weight; luckily I made them in two parts so moving them is easier.

Consider putting casters somewhere to ease movement; for example, you could attach them to the outside edge of each section and rotate them 90 degrees to engage them. Some people call me lazy, others say I am thoughtful.

I'm going to mock up one of these to see how it looks in a "full length" version. They're very similar to my ABS(?) Gorilla ramps.

2x10 vertical + 2x something on their flat, with appropriate blocking underneath. Going to see how they look once built, may make each of them in two pieces to aid in movement and storage.

I realize yours were for getting one end up, not the entire vehicle, like I'm going to attempt. Just need to figure out at what angle to make the ramp portion so once the rear tire starts to go up the ramp doesn't impact the rocker under the door.

I wonder if a 2x10 vertically is stronger or weaker than say two (or three) layers of 3/4" plywood glued and screwed together (1.5" or 2.25" thick) and what the weight difference would be? (without any bridge bracing).

Grateful you posted that link, thanks.

How are they holding up?

Few questions:


How long is the "ramp" portion? Appear to be about 4' long?

Are the "platform" pieces (under the car, not the ramp portion) built the same as the ramp? 2x12 outer piece, 2x10 "inner" piece and 2x12 top?

So the "deck" height is 11" (9.5"+1.5") off the floor with a .5" "lip"?

If you were building these again, what would you do different?

:canadaflag:

They are holding up very well. I don't keep them outside.
Yes 2x12 sides 2x12 platform but the lip is 1"
I don't think I would change anything on the wood side. I would put in LED lights because the lights I have in now get hot. I also added caster at one end so I can roll them around the garage. If you look under the ramps I used 3/8 threaded rod to hold everything together.
Ramp is 3 feet

Agreed! Like this:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...6ecadb1ae9.jpg