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Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands?

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Old 06-24-2004, 05:39 PM
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vetteguy75
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Default Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands?

Never really thought about it but how do you jack up the car to place them on stands? From the side...one side at a time? for from the front or rear?

Old 06-24-2004, 05:42 PM
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80TexasC3
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (vetteguy75)

I put the floor jack in the middle of the side frame, then put two jacks at the frame corners. Then jack other side the same way... end result is all four corners on stands.

Old 06-24-2004, 06:15 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (vetteguy75)



... and maybe a good follow-on to this question would be how long is everyone comfortable leaving it on the stands? I get some visible sag at the door frames after a day or so. Not sure if there is any long-term issues here.

Old 06-24-2004, 06:27 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (80TexasC3)

I put the floor jack in the middle of the side frame, then put two jacks at the frame corners. Then jack other side the same way... end result is all four corners on stands.

Old 06-24-2004, 06:38 PM
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Ak. Mal
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (vetteguy75)

Silly answer - with jacks
Old 06-24-2004, 07:48 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (80TexasC3)

I put the floor jack in the middle of the side frame, then put two jacks at the frame corners. Then jack other side the same way... end result is all four corners on stands.


I've had mine that way for over a year now. No problems, but I want to drive it!
Old 06-24-2004, 08:43 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (Z-man)

Just to elaborate - I started out jacking at the "service manual designated jacking points" and I would jack up front right, then rear right..... but I noticed that when I jacked up the front right, the rear wheel would also come up off the ground. So very soon I started positioning the jack just a touch farther back and got both front and back wheels off the ground high enuf to slip stands under.... so I am a "me too" too.
Old 06-24-2004, 08:47 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (vetteguy75)

You just jack up the car and put them in the frame rails at the jacking points. Never, never on asphalt! If you have an asphalt driveway use 3/4" plywood underneath. You can be hurt quite badly in the summer heat when the stands sink into the soft pavement and the car shifts or falls. Safety first.
Old 06-24-2004, 08:53 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (Skipple)

Skipple, I think you have a problem.
Old 06-24-2004, 11:34 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (paul67)

You just jack up the car and put them in the frame rails at the jacking points. Never, never on asphalt! If you have an asphalt driveway use 3/4" plywood underneath. You can be hurt quite badly in the summer heat when the stands sink into the soft pavement and the car shifts or falls. Safety first.


The only thing I do differently than you guys is jack the front at the prescribed jack point, set the stand and then do the other side or back. depending on if i am side jacking or front jacking the car. Fortunately, i can manage to wriggle under the car with out jacking. If I can do that, i wont even bother jacking the car up unless I am changing a major part that has to come out and has clearance issuses that necessitate jacking. The less the car is in the air, the less chance it has of smacking down on me.
Old 06-25-2004, 12:57 AM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (paul67)

If you have an asphalt driveway use 3/4" plywood underneath.
That's a good suggestion, but just in case somebody is too stupid to figure this out for themselves (LIKE ME!!!) NEVER put the plywood under the jack itself!! I tried that once - trying to get more height out of my jack, but when you lower the car the wheels of a floorjack need to roll, and the plywood will prevent the wheels from rolling. I lamost tipped the car off the jackstands while lowering one side!
Old 06-25-2004, 01:57 AM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (vetteguy75)

I was told jacking in the middle should not be done unless you roll the widows down a crack, jar the doors open and unlatch the T-Tops if you have them. The fiberglass will flex and doing so provides a little give to the body.
Old 06-25-2004, 08:32 AM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (Skipple)



... and maybe a good follow-on to this question would be how long is everyone comfortable leaving it on the stands? I get some visible sag at the door frames after a day or so. Not sure if there is any long-term issues here.


I had my car on jack stands for over a year, from April 2003 till like last week, no sag, doors open just fine, t-tops on.

I also jack it up using the front crossmember, I use a 4x4 to keep from denting it, then jack up the back with the wood block under the spring support.

I guess I do everything wrong.
Old 06-25-2004, 01:48 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (Aflac)

Fortunately, i can manage to wriggle under the car with out jacking. If I can do that, i wont even bother jacking the car up unless I am changing a major part that has to come out and has clearance issuses that necessitate jacking. The less the car is in the air, the less chance it has of smacking down on me.
You are either one skinny dude or your Vette is sitting way too high! :shocked:
Old 06-25-2004, 01:58 PM
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76-L82
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Default OT - Where cane you procure;

The stands with a dolly platform / is that just a wheel Dolly??
I need to move the frame around while disassembling the parts on the frame and I do not want the wheels on the frame.
So are the stand separate / can you procure the stands with wheels??
Old 06-25-2004, 01:59 PM
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wugak
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (Kid Vette)

I've had good luck so far rolling her up on ramps to do work on one end only. I couldn't find steel ramps that were wide enough so I bought some platic ones at autozone for $35 a pair I think. They are very wide with no lips on the outsides. They look and seem very sturdy with lots of ribs underneath. They have a non-skid rubber pad on the bottom so they don't squirt out and a big lip on the end so you don't roll off the other end.

Just roll back 2 feet, wedge them in and drive on up, usually feathering the e-brake for control.

Of course I place 2-4 jack stands under the car anyway so if the ramps imploded the stands are there for backup. I left it up there for 3 days a few weeks ago. I had the jack stands sitting about 1/8" below a cross member and when I got back the ramps hadn't sagged one bit. So far so good, knock on wood.....
Old 06-25-2004, 02:07 PM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (Kid Vette)

I found a friend with a 4 post lift.too many bud lights to crawl under one on jack stands.

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Old 06-25-2004, 11:01 PM
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Stoge
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (COMMANDER370)

Back in October of 2000, when I started posting here, I read all this stuff about how someone once said you should roll windows down, open doors, and unlatch tops before you jack, but never jack here or there, or this place either...

SO I decided that I would never use a jack again. Instead of using such a harmful device, I just call 7 or 8 friends to come over and we all lift the car on the count of three and kick a minimum of 40 jackstands (yes, 40) underneath the car. Then to make sure things are really sturdy, I also attach my body lift straps to my 20 ton electric hoist I had to have installed, and snug it up. It takes all day to get everyting layed out, take the doors, hood, tops, and bumpers off, unplug the battery, drain the gas tank, and wipe the gasket surface with clean, fresh oil... but by god it is safe to get underneath my car to change a tire.



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(seriously, though... I do unlatch the tops.)
Old 06-26-2004, 02:06 AM
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80TexasC3
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (COMMANDER370)

Or you can save your pennies (a lot of 'em), beg your wife... then buy a mid-rise lift like...
http://66.113.231.142/Merchant2/merc...roduct_Count=2

Pretty
Old 06-26-2004, 03:38 AM
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Default Re: Silly Question....how do you place a car on stands? (80TexasC3)

If you need to take the wheels off then put the car on the jack stands like most people described above, but make sure they are secure and on level surface. Put all four tires under the car incase of earthquake or something. I use four rams if I need it up for awhile.


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