need help with tools please

[JRMaroon]

Barry,

Something to consider with the jack and stand combination you are looking at is the minimum height of the stands. The heavy duty rating of the stands is nice but your jack will need to be raised near it's limit to reach the minimum height of the stands. To use these stands the car will need to be raised above this lower limit and then lowered onto the stands. I recently purchased a jack and stands and evaluated how the two would work together. My jack raises from 5 1/2" - 22" while my stands work from 13 7/16" - 21".

Good luck,
Jeff

 

[ctjackster]

excellent point, as I have in my past used a combination of floor jack and jack stands that were mismatched - the max lift obtainable from the floor jack did not get the frame to the minimum height off the floor required to slide in the jack stand at its lowest setting - not a good working combination.

the combination Barry posted (the two items I happen to have) will work fine together - minimum jack stand lift is 15 3/8, and the jack lifts to 18 1/2 " - three inches to spare

 

[BarryK]

Jeff
thanks for the advice, I had considered the minimum level of the stands but hadn't thought thru the numbers well enough yet to realize that they would be such a problem . I'll go back and take a look at that and than the minimum height of the 3 1/2 tonn stands to see if they are lower.

Anyone know what the average distance is from floor to frame where it's recommended to place the jackstands? Are the C2's low enough that i'll need to jack up fairly high on any stands before being able to place them underneath or are some low enough that I can slid them under the car first for rough placement before actually setting the car down on them?
Sorry if these are dumb question but i've never used jackstands before and don't want to get any that are going to make life more difficult than necessary. Again, I was considering those particular stands because they were only $10 more than the 3 1/2 ton stands but if the 3 1/2 ton models will work better than i'm sure they would be strong enough.

 

[67HEAVEN]

The scarey part is when you have one side waaaaay up on the stands, and then start jacking the other side up. :gap

 

[67HEAVEN]

Get big and tall stands. You can never get enough room under there.

 

[ctjackster]

Jeff
thanks for the advice, I had considered the minimum level of the stands but hadn't thought thru the numbers well enough yet to realize that they would be such a problem . I'll go back and take a look at that and than the minimum height of the 3 1/2 tonn stands to see if they are lower.

Anyone know what the average distance is from floor to frame where it's recommended to place the jackstands? Are the C2's low enough that i'll need to jack up fairly high on any stands before being able to place them underneath or are some low enough that I can slid them under the car first for rough placement before actually setting the car down on them?
Sorry if these are dumb question but i've never used jackstands before and don't want to get any that are going to make life more difficult than necessary. Again, I was considering those particular stands because they were only $10 more than the 3 1/2 ton stands but if the 3 1/2 ton models will work better than i'm sure they would be strong enough.

Barry, see my post above, the two products you provided links for (nice aluminum Floor jack and heavy duty Jack stands) will work well together, as the math indicates. Note that, in my experience, you need the extra inches because you have to manuever the jack stands into postion and ideally the car is high enough to clear side pipes, etc so you can just slide the stand into position, under the frame rails (as for where to place the jack stands, under the frame rails in the same area as the jack points for the car)

 

[BarryK]

Bob

I was also wondering about that. I really don't have room on the drivers side to get the jack in there and start lowering the handle to operate it. Maybe a dumb question, but instead of jacking one side up than the other to get the car on stands, can I do the front than the rear as oppose to side than side or will the possiblity of the car rolling be a major issue to aviod that method? On my drivers side when i'm in the garage I really only have a few feet - just enough to open the door about half way to get in or out of the car.
When they built my house they weren't overly generous with the garage deminsions.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Bob

I was also wondering about that. I really don't have room on the drivers side to get the jack in there and start lowering the handle to operate it. Maybe a dumb question, but instead of jacking one side up than the other to get the car on stands, can I do the front than the rear as oppose to side than side or will the possiblity of the car rolling be a major issue to aviod that method? On my drivers side when i'm in the garage I really only have a few feet - just enough to open the door about half way to get in or out of the car.
When they built my house they weren't overly generous with the garage deminsions.

The infamous front-crossmember jack hickies are a result of jacking at that point. Also, with the spare tire tub in place, it's not easy to jack from the rear.

In my case, there is no way to jack front or rear with the VBandP suspension mods.

As for room in your garage, you don't need much. You can swing the jack very close to the car. It doesn't need to be 90 degrees to the side.

 

[stepinwolf]

I feel compelled to respond to the issue of "cheap tools". I understand the comment was made in all sincerity and intended to make sure that the maximum safety precautions are taken. BUT......


A consumer has absolutley no idea of the "quality" of a product simply by paying the most or buying a particular brand. The market place has taken over. So, within reason, you pay $X and you get qualityY. Everything is done in pricing bands and that is how THE MAN forecasts, and realizes profit.

I admire those who buy "mechanic" quality tools. I would not hesitate to buy a set of Facom sockets if it would make a difference. It does not make a difference for me, at my level of ability. One could argue that buying such potentially life saving items as jack stands and floor jacks is, and should be, a different buying decision. I don't believe there is evidence to support that. I believe it's an emotional issue. We all take chances with our lives. You take a chance with your life every time you "work" on your car and drive it off the driveway. For the most part, the differences between options carry undefined risk.

Buy what you want and follow common sense.

A few points to consider ->

Take a look at the country of origin of "Craftsman" tools before you buy. (Not sure what country of origin has to do with quality in a truly global economy but some seem to feel it makes a difference)

When you get your healthcare, does your provider force you to make life/death decisions on the basis of cost? Yup, always the lowest cost provider. Do you take generic drugs? You are not an informed consumer on generic drugs yet you won't pay out of pocket for the branded stuff.

Heck, lots of choices out there. Just be reasonable.

Cheap N.E. poor quality.

;squint:


Now, if we could just get the LAWYERS out of the equation, it would be

I really don't have the time, nor the intention of getting into a long, drawn out discussion regarding your response to my previous recommendation regarding the purchase of quality tools. I have been wrenching since the late fifties, and every time I had to use a tool of lesser quality for any intensive work, I either hurt myself ( dull knife syndrome ) or else the tools didn't hold up th the task.

As an example, and this is where it will end for me, lets just look at that frozen screw we are trying to get out. I will let you play around with old " el-cheapo ", ( I'm sure you know the ones that people buy off the table at most swap meets ) and I will use one of my Snap-on, Grey, or Unitools models to do the job.

Results, well chances are you will be in the market for another screwdriver at the next show you will be attending, while I will clean mine off, and put them back in my tool chest. This is the situation, and the only situation I was referring to when I mentioned the cheap tool thingy.

I do understand that someone who doesn't have the smarts could end up paying big dollars for el-cheapo, buy hey, remember the old " BUYER BEWARE THING ", you pays your money, and you takes your chances

That's all folk's

Stepinwolf

 

[IH2LOSE]

Larry

is this what you were referring to?

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00951000000

yes Barry that is the one. I am suprized sears has it.

If its the same one its alot cheaper then I have ever seen and looks like a bargin

 

[BarryK]

The infamous front-crossmember jack hickies are a result of jacking at that point. Also, with the spare tire tub in place, it's not easy to jack from the rear.

In my case, there is no way to jack front or rear with the VBandP suspension mods.

As for room in your garage, you don't need much. You can swing the jack very close to the car. It doesn't need to be 90 degrees to the side.

ok, i got you. I'll avoid the front/back thing and if needed I'll just have to pull my wifes car out and see if I can angle my car in to work on it to give me a little more side room too

 

[Willis76]

I know this seems a little on the expensive side when comparing to jack stands, but when I can, I'm thinking of getting one of these.

http://www.kwicklift.com/

It sure would beat getting out the stands - just throwing it out for consideration.

It's all fun no matter how you go about it.

 

[BarryK]

yes Barry that is the one. I am suprized sears has it.

If its the same one its alot cheaper then I have ever seen and looks like a bargin

to ME it seems a bit on the expensive side for a creeper but if it's good quality, makes it easier to work, and gives more room underneath than I figure I don't mind spending a few extra $$$ now and not have to buy another one down the road. Having to buy another one later on always makes it more expensive in the long run so I always try to figure that if I have to spend the $$$ on something, might as well buy the better quality item and it ends up being the better value anyway.

Thanks for the recommendation on this - I wouldn't have considered it otherwise because it looks so different than what I normally associate with a creeper.

 

[Kid_Again]

I really don't have the time, nor the intention of getting into a long, drawn out discussion regarding your response to my previous recommendation regarding the purchase of quality tools. I have been wrenching since the late fifties, and every time I had to use a tool of lesser quality for any intensive work, I either hurt myself ( dull knife syndrome ) or else the tools didn't hold up th the task.

As an example, and this is where it will end for me, lets just look at that frozen screw we are trying to get out. I will let you play around with old " el-cheapo ", ( I'm sure you know the ones that people buy off the table at most swap meets ) and I will use one of my Snap-on, Grey, or Unitools models to do the job.

Results, well chances are you will be in the market for another screwdriver at the next show you will be attending, while I will clean mine off, and put them back in my tool chest. This is the situation, and the only situation I was referring to when I mentioned the cheap tool thingy.

I do understand that someone who doesn't have the smarts could end up paying big dollars for el-cheapo, buy hey, remember the old " BUYER BEWARE THING ", you pays your money, and you takes your chances

That's all folk's

Stepinwolf

Not a problem. My experiences are different than yours. I also started wrenching the 50's....making a living off my tools. Seems to have paid off pretty well.

 

[BarryK]

I know this seems a little on the expensive side when comparing to jack stands, but when I can, I'm thinking of getting one of these.

http://www.kwicklift.com/

It sure would beat getting out the stands - just throwing it out for consideration.

It's all fun no matter how you go about it.

thanks for the suggestion and I have seen those before. My personal feeling is that if I would go to one of those than I might as well just go all the way and get a 4-post lift. If/When I get another toy than I will HAVE to get a lift anyway to fit everything in the garage

 

[JL66REDCPE]

I know this seems a little on the expensive side when comparing to jack stands, but when I can, I'm thinking of getting one of these.

http://www.kwicklift.com/

It sure would beat getting out the stands - just throwing it out for consideration. It's all fun no matter how you go about it.

I have one of these and I like it -- a lot !!

 

[BarryK]

John
I can easily see some advantages to that unit but at the moment the single biggest DISadvantage is a simple one.......... the cost is $1000.00 besides which I don't like the idea too much of having to line up the car and drive on and off it each time when I have to pull the vette into or out of the garage even when it's in the lowered position.
It's definately a neat lift, and if i had a much larger garage where I could designate one bay as the "service bay" and have it sitting there ready for when the car needs service than drive on it than great, but otherwise I'm just not thrilled about the idea of having to drive up on it just to park in my regular garage spot.

But I might want to come over and use yours!

 

[JL66REDCPE]

The lift lays flat when not in use. You simply park the car on it in the flat position. You do not waste a garage bay for it. I agree $1k is a pretty good amount of money. I chose not to go with the 4 post for personal reasons.

 

[BarryK]

John
I realize it lays flat when not in use but you still need to line up and drive on it to park there and I can see myself getting too careless at somepoint and drive in crooked and be driving off the sides of it etc although the single biggest factor is the $1000 right now though. Linda's now pregnant so I think my Vette budget has quickly shrunk significantly

 

[ctjackster]

Barry - congrats.

say goodbye to your old life. Strongly urge you and Linda to go out to all of your favorite restaurants, catch many movies, drive the vette plenty, sleep in - - all of these events will be but fond memories come spring.

it's all good though - high effort, even higher reward. Can't explain it, you have to have some kids of your own to appreciate the wonder of it all . . .