bugman

Have searched and read some posts on choosing a jack for the C6, but no one has clearly stated which jack will work from the FRONT of the car without any hassles. I'm just looking for a jack that will make this very easy and safe, when done from the FRONT, by lifting the center of the front cross member. Here is how I like to raise the car:



Thus far, I've done this by driving the car up on some 2X10's, then raising the car. See this method HERE - click on "Jack". This works well, but it is cumbersome.

• 1. It can easily take 25 minutes to position the wood properly, get the car raised, try to chock the wheels, then get the jack stands in place.
• 2. I'm not feeling totally safe about this because you really can't chock the wheels after you've driven up on some 2X10's.

So I'm looking for the answer in a better jack.
I've taken some measurements, and found that

• I need a 32" reach from the nose of the C6 to get to the front cross member
• There is a clearance of only 5-1/8" from the ground to the front air dam, when the air dam is fully folded up. So to lift without driving the car on blocks first, it would be best to have a jack whose side rails and frame height are not higher than 5-1/8". The height of the saddle is not so important, since the real limiting factor is sliding the jack under the nose in the first place.
• The Elite Engineering jack pucks that most guys use have a diameter of 2.5", so the jack should have a saddle of at least that diameter, in case you ever want to lift from the puck locations.

Here is my list narrowed down. Neither looks perfect, and both are expensive:


The DK13HLQ from AC hydraulics, shown on the left -
$417 - HOLY CRAP !
Shipping FREE
Frame Height 6.3"
Frame Length 32" (reach)
Saddle diamter unknown
Max Lift Height: 29.2"



The Griot's Garage jack -
$ 339
Shipping $10
Frame Height 5.6""
Frame Length 32 - 33" (reach)
Saddle diameter unknown
Max Lift Height: 18.5"

I'd sure like to be able to lift the car without using the wood blocks if possible. I don't think either of these jacks will actually fit under the C6 without driving onto wood blocks. Has anyone out there found the perfect jack for lifting the front of the C6? Please enlighten me - and thanks for reading this long post.

burtonbl103

I have the aluminum sears 2 pump race jack and no problem here!
It is lo profile and no need to drive up on wood!

AMF

Got an aluminum jack (not heavy) at Harbor Freight for $80. Very low profile and easy to carry if you want to carry it. It's rated at 3000 pounds but remember that your are not lifting the entire car.

P.S. It's also kind of good looking (if you are into good looking jacks). Blue metalflake with some chrome hardware.



Minimum saddle height: 3.54"
Maximum saddle height: 17:69 (These are the numbers on the jack itself)

Harbor Freight.com (search for "Jacks")

16Again

The DK13HLQ will slide completely under the front or rear crossmember for the perfect jacking experience. Well worth the money A/C also makes FLAT TOP jack stands that are as high a quality as the jacks.
http://www.ultimategarage.com/

bugman

Hmmm thought I'd get a bit more response.
But thanks Burton, AMF, 16again - for taking the time.
AMF - does that harbor freight jack really slide under the front of the Vette? I'm worried more about the frame height of the jack - it's always much higher than the minimum saddle height.

I may wait out another day or two to see some more responses -- sure appreciate it !

AMF

Highest part of frame is 5" on the handle end. It tapers down to less than the minimum saddle height on the saddle end.

I bought it hoping it would fit the Corvette as it's as short as anything I have seen. Can't positively say if it does fit as have an '06 on order.

ttomczak

Based on your numbers (5" frame) is .6" lower than the DK.

16Again

I have that Harbor Freight jack for my track days as it's very light. It does not fit under the front of my car. It work's fine on the rear but, no go for the front.

bugman

I guess I'll go with the DLK13HLQ, because 16Again says he's tried it and it does fit under the front. The $$$ hurts a bit, but I never mind the $$$ if I think I'm getting a quality product, and if I'm paying for convenience. Getting too old and fat to be sliding under on my belly to position my cheap jack. And the "wood block" method is effective, but you can't really chock the wheels when you're up on 2X12's.

houston_aggie

Craftsman 4000 lb. Capacity Aluminum Jack
Sears item #00950239000 Mfr. model #G620S



http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

It is on sale now... still may be a little pricey , but I do like this jack a lot. Weighs 44lbs! Gotta love aluminum.

bugman

Hey Houston - have you actually lifted your C6 from the front with that one? the big question is whether it will fit, without putting the car up on wood first. -- looks like a great jack, and less $$$ than the AC hydraulics one. But like most jack ads - they don't tell me what I really need to know -- what is the reach, and how high is the FRAME of the jack.

does it actually work for the front of the C6? would help us C6 guys to know . Thanks for the post !

shopdog

Yeah, it is low, but it is also short. What that means is by the time you run it far enough under the car to pick up the crossmember, the handle end of the jack is far enough under the car you can't pump it.

I have one of the HF jacks, and it is a nice jack. I use it with the Elite Engineering pucks to pick up the car from the side. Once I do that, I can roll my big 4 ton long frame jack under the front and pick the car up higher, those times I need the car to be higher.

AMGPilot

I use this one for my C5 and it works great.

Floor Jack Link

bugman

well, had to follow up:
got the DK13HLQ -- it DOES fit nicely under the nose, fits under the air dam of the C6 with no problems. No problem reaching the front cross member. VERY sturdy and stable. Has a safety mechanism - releases the car slowly, so it's impossible to drop it.


See the pics below -- it's a perfect fit without having to drive the car up on blocks of wood, without any other preparation -- just slide under the car and give about 4 pumps and the car is up .




So it looks like an excellent choice. Only problem is that mine came with a cracked plastic handle, and two O-rings on the wheels that were broken right out of the box. So I'll see how the customer service is at http://aesdeals.com where I bought it. Supposed to have a 30 day return polich, so I hope it won't being a problem getting these little things replaced.


Thanks for all the help from everybody, and for the recommendation from 16Again

ttomczak

Saw a jack at Advanced Auto today, it is a low profile, 3.5 saddle hight, total 18" up, 4000 lbs, for 40.00...

Looked OK, has a handle to carry it, will just fit under the side rails of my C6 and has a rubber "puck", I don't think I could put a jacking puck there and still get it under the side, did not try the front...

Here is the link for an FYI...

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...artnumber=F777

16Again

Bugman, on the right side of your jack is the importers phone number. It's Stertil-Koni located in Stevensville, MD I'm sure the vendor will send you what you need but, just in case look on the side for the white tag. My box was destroyed when it was delivered here 2 years ago. I swear they intentionally beat the heck out of these boxes in shipping. Must be some sort of game. I'm glad that it will work as I had described.
Bob

rockywoody

Good choice. I was reluctant to spend the $$$ but worth it to have a quality piece opf equipment, especially considering what you're using it for. Mine also came with a wheel ring that was broken, so have to investigate replacing it. But bottom line is that it works well (and safely).

bugman

Yep - I'll give Stertil Koni a ring tomorrow.
The jack works GREAT - it's hard for me to believe those o-rings actually do anything useful -- when you've got about 1800 pounds distributed mostly on the two front plastic wheels, how much good can a 1/8" thick O-ring do anyway? And the plastic handle is cracked -- still sturdy, but I just figure when you take it out of the box it shouldn't look this way.

Just for the record:
Stertil Koni USA, Inc.
200 Log Canoe Circle
Stevensville, MD 21666
410-643-9001
800-336-6637

I'm really glad I got this though -- I've never had a jack like this before -- if you've only used $40 and $70 jacks in the past, this really will blow you away -- it's really impressive, to have it work so smoothly, to be so sturdy, and then to have the safety feature that prevents the car from crashing down. with my old NAPA jack, I always felt like it was unstable, like the car was going to fall off to one side. This seems well worth the $$$, esp when it's holding a $60K car.

And WOW -- to just slide it under, and have the car up in about 4 pumps ! In the past it's taken me up to 40 minutes to get the car up -- driving up on 2X10s, crawling under the car to place my cheapy jack, repositioning,--- with this jack, 2 minutes tops. And I like NOT having the car on 2X10's, so that I CAN chock the wheels safely now.

bugman

Update:
I emailed the guys at aesdeals.com, where I bought this AC hydraulics DK14HLQ -- in two days they had the replacement parts on my door !

got the two O-rings that were broken, and a brand new handle.

EXCELLENT customer service -- couldn't be better ! And WOW I love this Jack ! I took some measurements and a couple more pics for anyone who is interested:

Reach from base of jack handle to center of saddle: 32" by my measurement. Just EXACTLY what is needed to jack the Vette


maximum height of frame: 6-5/16". Too high to get under the air dam -- but it doesn't matter because the long reach means you never have to go under the air dam anyway:


That is the exact position of the jack as I lift the car from the front cross member Couldn't possibly be better -- plenty of room under the nose so it will never scrape.

This is the exact location for me to reach that front crossmember: I put a piece of black tape there, showing that you have plenty of room to still move the handle after the jack is in place.



man, this is the PERFECT jack for the C6 -- I don't care about the $$$--- going to save me a lot of hassle in the future. I give it the

16Again

I try telling everyone that this is the last jack they will need to buy. I lift my lowered C5 just as you show in your pictures. It's alot of money but as I preach, it's money well spent. Glad you spent the coin and are pleased with your purchase.