JHZR2
Staff member
Hello,
I know we have talked about jacks, jackstands, etc, but I never see a really definitive procedure or recommendation for getting a car raised and flat to do a service like an MT fluid changeout.
I tried making some very gradual rise ramps out of 2x12s but my miter saw couldnt cut a small enough angle (would be nice to cut it at 10-20 degrees).
I found that at 45 degrees, the smallest my saw would go. it was really difficult to get the car up on all four easily.
I feel that hydraulic jacking up by the corner damages the car, or compromises safety - if you do it metal on metal or car on jack pad, you risk bending pinch welds, harming crossmembers, etc. If you use wood as a buffer, it could splir or break and then cause issues too.
Worse, if you lift at the jack points, then where do you plae the jackstands? You cant exchange the lift for the jackstand at the jack point, so you hae to lower onto a jack stand on some other point of the body (assuming not a car with a frame) or the suspension, which Im sure is not good for the bushings and components/alignment.
Then you need to keep the jackstand from marring the underbody/undercoating/rocker coatings so that you dont create rust points... Again, if wood was used maybe OK, but then there is a safety issue.
Lift the car up high enough to put wood blocks under the tires (with edges to prevent roll in either direction of course), and maybe you have an answer, but then this needs to be done incrementally, which means a lot more time and hassle, especially lugging a decent heavy jack...
So what gives? What is best practice, considering safety first?
I know we have talked about jacks, jackstands, etc, but I never see a really definitive procedure or recommendation for getting a car raised and flat to do a service like an MT fluid changeout.
I tried making some very gradual rise ramps out of 2x12s but my miter saw couldnt cut a small enough angle (would be nice to cut it at 10-20 degrees).
I found that at 45 degrees, the smallest my saw would go. it was really difficult to get the car up on all four easily.
I feel that hydraulic jacking up by the corner damages the car, or compromises safety - if you do it metal on metal or car on jack pad, you risk bending pinch welds, harming crossmembers, etc. If you use wood as a buffer, it could splir or break and then cause issues too.
Worse, if you lift at the jack points, then where do you plae the jackstands? You cant exchange the lift for the jackstand at the jack point, so you hae to lower onto a jack stand on some other point of the body (assuming not a car with a frame) or the suspension, which Im sure is not good for the bushings and components/alignment.
Then you need to keep the jackstand from marring the underbody/undercoating/rocker coatings so that you dont create rust points... Again, if wood was used maybe OK, but then there is a safety issue.
Lift the car up high enough to put wood blocks under the tires (with edges to prevent roll in either direction of course), and maybe you have an answer, but then this needs to be done incrementally, which means a lot more time and hassle, especially lugging a decent heavy jack...
So what gives? What is best practice, considering safety first?
