ramps, jacks and not getting crushed

[baxsom]

so i was wondering. how safe is it to drive the car up on ramps and then jack up the rear.

am i looking to get myself killed here.

 

[froggy47]

It's pretty safe, I do it a lot. I usually lower down onto the rear stands just so there is weight on them & still leave a little weight on the jack, so it's supported by 6 points.

Sometimes you need to drop the jacks out to get clearance for whatever you are doing & it's a bit scary at first, then you get into the repair & kind of forget about it.

Another tip is when you pull the wheels place them under the car rockers, just in case.

 

[minifridge1138]

I'd be very careful.
The parking brake, and leaving it in Gear/Park lock the rear wheels, not the front.

So if the rear is off the ground, then the car can roll.

Good Luck!

 

[baxsom]

perhaps i didnt explain what i was thinking very well.

i plan on driving the car forwards up wheel ramps to get the front end off the ground. the lifting the rear end up by using a jack under the rear spring putting the rear on jackstands.

mainly because i keep reading about people saying that putting the car on 4 jackstands causes their body to flex etc etc.

 

[6880 Mike]

Anchor your ramps to ensure they do not slide forward as you start up.

 

[BLUBYU]

I think you would be better served by buying another set of jackstands and putting it up on all four. Does the C3 have places front and rear that would allow you to do this? I understand the body flex issue can be taken care of by opening all the doors, hood and rear hatch.

Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[froggy47]

perhaps i didnt explain what i was thinking very well.

i plan on driving the car forwards up wheel ramps to get the front end off the ground. the lifting the rear end up by using a jack under the rear spring putting the rear on jackstands.

mainly because i keep reading about people saying that putting the car on 4 jackstands causes their body to flex etc etc.

You (and the car) are safer being on ramps in the front. Ramps have an (anti roll back) lip that will keep the car from rolling back.

DON'T jack on the rear spring. Find a better place to jack on. Not sure where on your car.

 

[baxsom]

that is interestinng about the spring. i read that you shouldnt use the plate under a fiberglass spring as a jack point but i didnt know you couldnt do it with a stock steel one.


i can jack the rear up on the rear frame rails in front of the rear tires.

i just didnt want to use jackstands on the front because they would sit right where i was working getting the headers in and just get in the way.

sounds so far like as long as i make sure the car doesnt roll backwards off the ramps while i jack up the rear i should be ok.

 

[minifridge1138]

...
sounds so far like as long as i make sure the car doesnt roll backwards off the ramps while i jack up the rear i should be ok.

and as long as the ramps don't slide.

 

[froggy47]

Sorry, I was thinking composite springs, I guess with steel you could jack as much as you wanted on them. If I were doing headers I would try to find a lift somewhere, but if you get it high enough ramp/jack should work.

 

[76okievette]

What I do with my C3 is to drive it up on the ramps and then jack the front up some more at the cross member and but the jack stands under the frame rail jack points, then lower the car on to the jack stands so I can then remove the front wheels give's better access than leaving the car on the ramps. At the same time if I need access to the rear I jack the rear up under the differental and place the jack stands at the rear frame rail jack points and lower the car, its then resting on all four jack stands and is about 28 inches off the ground, never had any problems. If you need more clearence then use a wooden two by six between the floor jack and the car this will get the car another couple inches off the ground.

 

[Tuna]

I've seen it done without problem but the ramps were on level ground and not likely to move, the front tires were on the flat part of the ramp, the front tires were chocked in such a way as to keep them from rolling using the front lip of the ramp and a chock behind the tires, the jack was on a relatively smooth surface where it could roll as needed as the rear was raised (if the jack does not have wheels, then the act of jacking the car will cause the front tires to roll in the direction of the jack - if the jack does have wheels, the jack will roll forward as the car goes up assuming the front tires cannot roll).

Put jack stands under the rear once you have it up where you want it.

I did see an example of how not to do it once when the car was on a sloped driveway with the front tires on the ramps. Then the owner decided to jack one rear tire at a time and no chocks anywhere in sight.
As the weight came off the rear, the only rear tire left on the ground slide and the car went down the drive and off the ramps, flipping the jack and the guy jacking it all at the same time. I wasn't the guy doing this either!

 

[red70vette]

What I do is drive up on the ramps then jack up the rear and place them on a second set of ramps. If I need to remove a wheel I jack up the wheel and remove the tire leaving it on a jack stand.

I had to buy a set of low ramps because my vette would not clear the set of ramps that I had. Now I figured out what to do with the second set of ramps.

 

[MR. T.]

Okay here is my question, how would you lift a C3 on all four corners without ramps. I have a floor jack and four 6 ton jacks. Advice please?

 

[82ColEd]

Okay here is my question, how would you lift a C3 on all four corners without ramps. I have a floor jack and four 6 ton jacks. Advice please?

With 4 Jackstands. When i did mine, i started on the front (using the floor jack with wheels) under the side jack point to get the jack stands under the front frame rail points. After the front is all up, i start at the back. One side on the first, say 5 clicks on the jack stand, then the other side. Then back over to the first side to add more space and back to the other. Back and forth, back and forth. Takes a while, but it gets there. :W

It's a bit scary for me, as i did that in a small garage and the car started moving towards the wall, but it was ok. The creeeking though i will never get used to. hnoes

Remember, go slowly, front up first, with the parking brake or in Park for the rears as well as something to keep anything from rolling backwards. I use a chok (sp?).


-Stefan

 

[damoroso]

I typically pop the doors to the first catch, then use a floor jack just behind the front or just in front of the rear tires. I did notice that whenever I do that it doesn't take much for both tires on the side I'm working on to come off the ground. What I've done is bring one side of the car up to where I can get the jack stands under it, put the stands at the corners, j(ust behind the front and before the rear on the frame) then move to the other side, alternating until I get it to where I want it, much like Stefan. It does take a while, but it works and the car is really stable. Plus I can work on suspesion, brakes or whatever. You just can't do that with ramps.

By the way, Stephan, I was just in Frankfurt for the first time a few weeks ago, nice place! I'm looking forward to going back, perhaps in a couple of months.

 

[82ColEd]

snip
By the way, Stephan, I was just in Frankfurt for the first time a few weeks ago, nice place! I'm looking forward to going back, perhaps in a couple of months.

Small Hijacking Start:
Small world, aint it ? Well, next time you plan on coming here, give me a shout and we'll have a beer or two together.

Small Hijacking End.

 

[76okievette]

Okay here is my question, how would you lift a C3 on all four corners without ramps. I have a floor jack and four 6 ton jacks. Advice please?

What I do is jack the front first but my jack fits under the car so I can get it to the crossmember and I can jack the entire front of the car up at one time, I then put the jack stands at the frame rail jack points and lower the car on to the jack stands, of course you have to have the rear wheels chocked to be safe. Then I jack the rear at the differential and both wheels come up at the same time, I then put the jack stands at the rear frame rail jack points. If I then want the car higher I jack each frame rail up one at a time with a 2x4 block of wood as a spacer between the jack and the rail, this allows me to get the car up another couple of inches.
I have done this several times and had no problems.

 

[grumpyvette]

theres bits of useful info here
link to lift and ramp info

 

[Vette79]

I'd be very careful.
The parking brake, and leaving it in Gear/Park lock the rear wheels, not the front.

So if the rear is off the ground, then the car can roll.

Good Luck!

Jack stands on the front and ramps at the rear. Do it all the time without issue so far.