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Jacking up a C6

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Old 05-08-2011, 10:11 PM
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Beemer
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Default Jacking up a C6

Will jacking up one corner of the C6 at a time, using jacking pucks, high enough to remove a wheel potentially cause any damage?
Old 05-08-2011, 10:51 PM
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Mez
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Originally Posted by Beemer
Will jacking up one corner of the C6 at a time, using jacking pucks, high enough to remove a wheel potentially cause any damage?
Not if you know what you are doing.
Old 05-08-2011, 11:09 PM
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torquetube
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Originally Posted by Beemer
Will jacking up one corner of the C6 at a time, using jacking pucks, high enough to remove a wheel potentially cause any damage?
Only if it slips off the jack. You're not going to warp the chassis if that's what you're wondering.
Old 05-08-2011, 11:39 PM
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C7/Z06 Man
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This home made jack stows in the rear pocket of your car, does not need a puck and will not slip off your frame. Look for my thread if I remember the title correctly: DIY: Stow-Away Emergency Jack for the how to directions. I have used it to change my oil now and it's solid as a rock on a cement driveway.

Old 05-09-2011, 01:07 AM
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glass slipper
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Originally Posted by Grand Sport Man
This home made jack stows in the rear pocket of your car, does not need a puck and will not slip off your frame. Look for my thread if I remember the title correctly: DIY: Stow-Away Emergency Jack for the how to directions. I have used it to change my oil now and it's solid as a rock on a cement driveway.
Do you know how many cars I've seen fall off of scissor jacks like that??? After bumper jacks, they are the most unstable jack known to man. Please tell me you put jack stands under your Corvette before crawling under it. Hopefully your DIY jack wasn't the only thing holding your car up.
Old 05-09-2011, 02:27 AM
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C7/Z06 Man
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Originally Posted by glass slipper
Do you know how many cars I've seen fall off of scissor jacks like that??? After bumper jacks, they are the most unstable jack known to man. Please tell me you put jack stands under your Corvette before crawling under it. Hopefully your DIY jack wasn't the only thing holding your car up.
I know all about safety. I have jacking pucks, I have a 3 1/2 ton floor jack, I have two sets of different length jack stands, I have drive on ramps, I have a special 4" wide by 25 1/2" long lifting bar to raise the whole rear end at one time to change the rear tires and I have used this stuff for years and if I am going to be under any car I use this stuff, however for an oil change all I need to do is turn the wheel to the right and reach in to get to the filter and plug and all I need is a little extra height to do that and remember the bottom of the jack is on a firm surface. It's my head if the car was to suddenly come down not yours and I take full responsibility for all my actions. I have not made it this far in life without a little common sense, so what I did before reaching in was to take hold of the side of the vehicle and "try" to move it side to side and I'm not a light person or weak. The vehicle did not even begin to move and I would not try that "stunt" on a jacking puck. So I reached in and did my thing, than lowered the jack so all the oil would drain out into the pan I slid under there.

I "really do" thank you for caring enough to call me an A$$ hole and I mean that.

PS: You are right, so next time I will get off my lazy a$$ and slide a jack stand under there.

Last edited by C7/Z06 Man; 05-09-2011 at 03:39 AM.
Old 05-09-2011, 07:32 AM
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SimpleC6
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Of course this is perfectly fine. It's a vehicle, not a piece of china. I have done it numerous times and so have many others. Some people crack the doors and the trunk and hood just to be extra careful, but I don't.

Also, always, under all circumstances, no exceptions, use jack stands when you are under the car in any fashion. Always.
Old 05-09-2011, 09:54 AM
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Wayne O
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I change wheels frequently lifting one corner of the car and I've never had a problem. I use a small floor jack with a 'custom' puck. Make sure the car's on level ground, the jack is secure, use chock blocks, etc. Even though I'm only raising the wheel/tire an inch or two I use a cut section of a 4 x 4 as a safety backup (just in case).

Originally Posted by glass slipper
Do you know how many cars I've seen fall off of scissor jacks like that??? After bumper jacks, they are the most unstable jack known to man. Please tell me you put jack stands under your Corvette before crawling under it. Hopefully your DIY jack wasn't the only thing holding your car up.
Old 05-09-2011, 10:01 AM
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Ragtop 99
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I use a plain ole Caps hockey puck.

Its not like they need them this time of year.
Old 05-09-2011, 10:22 AM
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FloydSummerOf68
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Originally Posted by Beemer
Will jacking up one corner of the C6 at a time, using jacking pucks, high enough to remove a wheel potentially cause any damage?
Lol...why would jacking a car up cause any damage if you have a clue what you're doing?

You also don't need jacking pucks.

The threads that pop up on here sometimes truly baffle me.
Old 05-09-2011, 12:20 PM
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As you guys can see from my last post I agree completely with using a jack stand.

But let me present this for your consideration:

1) At least three tires (maybe 3 & 1/2) are still on the ground and the two rear tires are locked so to speak and every thing is on a flat firm surface.
2) The front left point of the four has a steel jack that is locked solid into the frame AND WILL NOT SLIP, PERIOD. The bottom surface of the jack would have to skid across the cement driveway with the rest of the car/tires to come down.
3) I gave the car or myself a good shaking and zero movement. So I reached in and did my thing. This is the part about common sense in my last post.

BOTTOM LINE= Next time I will get off my "lazy a$$" and go get the jack stand.

Last edited by C7/Z06 Man; 05-09-2011 at 12:36 PM.
Old 05-09-2011, 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Beemer
Will jacking up one corner of the C6 at a time, using jacking pucks, high enough to remove a wheel potentially cause any damage?
No. It's done all the time at autox and track events. When I check my brake pads I jack one corner and pull the wheel off.
Old 05-09-2011, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by FloydSummerOf68
You also don't need jacking pucks.
For some jacks I agree. However I've seen some floor jacks with wide diameter lifting rings and using a puck or a block of wood ensures the jack is centered w/o risking that part of the ring will be pushing on the underside of the fender.
Old 05-09-2011, 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Ragtop 99
For some jacks I agree. However I've seen some floor jacks with wide diameter lifting rings and using a puck or a block of wood ensures the jack is centered w/o risking that part of the ring will be pushing on the underside of the fender.
Mine has a large lifting ring about 5.5" in diameter.

No issues.
Old 05-09-2011, 03:09 PM
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Anyone else seen the area around the shipping slots deform? Mine have after being used more times than I can count. I just use the flat round pad of my Harbor Freight jack to lift there.
Old 05-15-2011, 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Grand Sport Man
This home made jack stows in the rear pocket of your car, does not need a puck and will not slip off your frame. Look for my thread if I remember the title correctly: DIY: Stow-Away Emergency Jack for the how to directions. I have used it to change my oil now and it's solid as a rock on a cement driveway.

Do not get under the car without a jack stand and using only a jack like that. I've seen them collapse without any warning.
Old 05-15-2011, 03:23 PM
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It doesn't matter what jack you use, you don't get under the car without a jackstand.

The type of jack is irrelevant.

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Old 05-15-2011, 05:28 PM
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Bill Dearborn
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Originally Posted by Beemer
Will jacking up one corner of the C6 at a time, using jacking pucks, high enough to remove a wheel potentially cause any damage?
I do it all the time and have been since 1997. I use the front shipping slot and jack the car high enough that both wheels are off the ground and change the tires. On steel frame cars this tends to dent the frame inward a little if you have a small diameter lifting pad. If you have a pad made out of a hockey puck which has a larger diameter it may not dent. When I used a piece of 2x4 cut to fit in the C5 rear rocker cutout the frame didn't dent. When I went to a regular metal puck is when I got the denting.

Bill
Old 05-15-2011, 10:53 PM
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glass slipper
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Originally Posted by Grand Sport Man
I "really do" thank you for caring enough to call me an A$$ hole and I mean that.

PS: You are right, so next time I will get off my lazy a$$ and slide a jack stand under there.
I'm glad this was brought back to the top as I got busy after my last post. First, let me say I never called you an azzhole or a lazy azz. That was a "crazy" smiley at the end of my post and I've done plenty of crazy things in my life so it wasn't meant in a derogatory sense. But in the interest of letting you know just how much I care, I will apologize for any perceived or real insult you felt by my post. You may think you're responsible for yourself but if you become paralyzed afterward, who's going to take care of you? Unless you plan on paying all medical bills out of your pocket, you're not being responsible for yourself even if you have insurance because your medical costs affect everybody else's premiums. And finally, if you die, think about all of your loved ones grieving over your loss...especially your parents or children if you have any.

I've seen too many cars fall off of jacks and even garage "post" type lifts in person or in videos. I personally crawled out from underneath a car, stood up in front of it, and watched the front end slam to the ground 5 seconds later when the cheap 3-ton capacity jackstands collapsed into steel pancakes...yes, I turned white as a ghost. I don't trust any jack or jackstands for that matter with my life so I get pretty **** about safety under a car. I have two sets of top quality jackstands and sometimes I use both sets with one as a backup. I also leave the floor jack just barely loaded against the frame. In addition, I have a few wheel/tires of different rim/section widths and I'll grab one and slide it under the car in a strategic place to catch the car if everything else fails. I can buy new wheels/tires or even a car...I can't buy a new head.

I'm the poster boy for accidents so please don't take this as me preaching to you about safety. I amputated my right hand Mar 2000 with a circular saw but the doctors were able to reattach it. The worst was watching my family get emotionally torn to pieces watching my ordeal as I made three more trips to the emergency room fighting off infections of every type (bacterial and fungal). My fight for my hand was taking a toll on my body and it quickly turned into a fight for my life...I stopped weighing myself after I dropped below 140 LBs (I was 5'10") and looked like a terminal cancer patient with a few days to live. When you tell your mother you don't want to live without your hand and she responds through tears that she doesn't want to live without her son, you look at things much differently afterwards. I truly hope you have people in your life who would feel the same as my mom...that is the perspective I was coming from in my first post and I apologize again if it came across badly.

Last edited by glass slipper; 05-15-2011 at 10:59 PM.
Old 05-15-2011, 11:17 PM
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C7/Z06 Man
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Thanks for posting. I don't know what to say! except to bless you and your wonderful family. I don't know what I would do without a hand but I have to agree with your mother on choosing life over a hand. Take care.

I just remembered that I met a guy a couple of years ago that lost his right hand in a motorcycle accident and he seemed to have adjusted and still had a good outlook on life. (Mid 30s)

Last edited by C7/Z06 Man; 05-15-2011 at 11:28 PM.


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