Hi All,

I am planning on doing some work on my MR2 roadster in the near future which would be a million times easier if I had more room under it (fitting chassis/suspension braces)

Now ideally I would do it on a lift but how many people have a car lift in their garage? (if you do have one, don’t tell me, it will make me insanely jealous )

I am extremely safety conscious when working under a car, I have the two stands that the car sits on then I have a third that isn’t supporting the car that I move round with me to catch the car if it fell off the stands supporting it. A little paranoid perhaps but I know someone that lost a foot to a car falling, he was lucky not to be under it, if he was he would not be here today.

So I want to raise all four corners of the car to work on. Now I am pretty much against using four axle stands, unless they are perfectly set up for height and are on a perfectly level floor the car will be teetering and that isn’t something I am all that interested in getting under.

Now would using ramps under the rear wheels and jacking the front onto stands be safe? I wouldn’t be removing the wheels so ramps aren’t a problem for me.

I might be tempted to lash the rear wheels down to the ramps like the AA do when they put a car on the flatbed

Ideas everyone? Is this going to be safe or is it going to get me squashed!

Cheers

Matt

[Edited on 15/6/12 by novacaine]

So are you lifting on a level floor? If so then do one end at a time and I aways like to use an old tyre/wheel as a safety cussion, I just lay it beside where Im working. Just be sure to use good solid axel stands, not the flimsy pressed metal collapsable ones. I accidently lowered my Clio to fast on to one of them the other month and it just folded up.
Also, once its up give it a good shake, and push to ensure its stable.

Bad:


good:


[Edited on 15/6/12 by loggyboy]

Ramps for the braked wheels (handbrake hard on), axle stands on the front chassis, not the other way around or it may roll on to you.

I Made these up.... Sort of reversed car ramps. (got the idea from some I saw on the Internet. However they were for silly money.
They work fairly well..

I had intended to be able to jack them into the Horizontal position. Whilst this worked OK, I wasnt too happy about the stability, and it definately needed axle stands or some better support other than just the jack under the cross beam.
I could have found a stronger pole, but I had that one lying about so gave it a try. Not too successfully.
In principle, the system works. but would need a little refinfing if used in the fully horizontal position.

I mainly just use them as in the first picture, whether with the car front or rear on. Works well, and is stable (as in the 1st Pic).

Hope this will give you some ideas.

EDIT:
Just read other post. I use a short chain and a shackle to hold the car to the top or the ramp (use the towing eye on car), so if the hand brake failed, The car wont go anywhere.


The Viento Fits!



He aint heavy, He's My Viento



[Edited on 15/6/2012 by wilkingj]

Its certainly true the four axle stands onto the chassis isnt an overly clever idea on anything but a flat floor, inless they are actaully under an axle not the chassis! For this reason almost all are only rated to be used in pairs.

I dont have ramps, although the above looks like and is something ive considered buying/making, but if i want to raised the whole car use a pair of the rubber tempory fencing based under one pair of wheels, stands at the other.

Simular to this
http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/temporary-fence-base-477481.jpg



Daniel

I have a Bradbury jack that lifts high enough to put the ramps under the wheels and I sometimes put them under the wrong way round to leave easier access. It causes some funny looks though. If the tubes on the axle stands reach the floor they don't crush, I have a pair of home made ones that I've had for 40 years and they will outlast me.

[Edited on 15/6/12 by Peteff]

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Originally posted by Peteff
I have a Bradbury jack that lifts high enough to put the ramps under the wheels and I sometimes put them under the wrong way round to leave easier access. It causes some funny looks though. If the tubes on the axle stands reach the floor they don't crush, I have a pair of home made ones that I've had for 40 years and they will outlast me.

[Edited on 15/6/12 by Peteff]

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I tend to do the same apart from I put the 2 ramps opposite each other, there is then no way the car can roll down the ramps.
Paul

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Originally posted by Peteff
I have a Bradbury jack that lifts high enough to put the ramps under the wheels and I sometimes put them under the wrong way round to leave easier access. It causes some funny looks though. If the tubes on the axle stands reach the floor they don't crush, I have a pair of home made ones that I've had for 40 years and they will outlast me.

[Edited on 15/6/12 by Peteff]

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Originally posted by paulf
I tend to do the same apart from I put the 2 ramps opposite each other, there is then no way the car can roll down the ramps.
Paul

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I do that too but that causes even more strange looks!

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