found some old metal ramps in the garage, probably 10 years old.... used to be green but are now mostly rusty colored and oxidized looking, washed them down with a hose to get all the webs off.... picked them up and my hands were orange from the rust water.... wanted to use them to change the oil in my car (civic) but am wondering if they are even safe... no cracks or anything, just one hole in each of the parts where the front wheels sit (drainage?) dont feel like having walmart do it for $18 when i can do it for like $7
Old ramps ?
- Thread starter Pontius Pilate
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No way.
Agreed with Groucho. Not if I'm under the car...
the rust is more or less surface, none has gotten through it, i hit it with some wd40 and it comes off with a wire brush.... gonna post pics in a sec.... the rust you will see comes down to the metal with a little rubbing and wd40
You're kidding right?
haha.... no.... must be why the rhino ramps are the most popular now, no rust - i just cant seem to trust plastic over metal for some reason
http://img61.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ramp1fl.png
look at the corner, it was rusty, i wire brushed it and it went away, maybe im just nuts...
Plastic Rhino ramps are so commonly used that you gotta trust them. I doubt they've ever collapsed on anybody, certainly not with a Civic on them. One bad accident, and we'd all know about it.
Anyway, Rhinos are like $18 at Pep Boys. That's like 1 oil change worth of $$. I wouldn't risk oooold ramps, certainly nothing with rust AND a hole on them.
Anyway, Rhinos are like $18 at Pep Boys. That's like 1 oil change worth of $$. I wouldn't risk oooold ramps, certainly nothing with rust AND a hole on them.
Can you get a better picture? Those don't look that bad.
Get some jack stands to back the ramps up with and you'll be fine. And you'll have another tool for your garage.
Just drive the car up on the ramps, set up the jackstands, and go around front and grab the bumper and push and pull every which way, real hard. Then sit on your hood.
If it passes all these tests double check that everything is square, that any welds are holding up, then go ahead and get dirty.
Metallurgists account for moderate rust when they design a product, and add a little metal for safety. It'd be another thing if you found these ramps in a saltwater marsh but a garage is a relatively safe place.
Get some jack stands to back the ramps up with and you'll be fine. And you'll have another tool for your garage.
Just drive the car up on the ramps, set up the jackstands, and go around front and grab the bumper and push and pull every which way, real hard. Then sit on your hood.
If it passes all these tests double check that everything is square, that any welds are holding up, then go ahead and get dirty.
Metallurgists account for moderate rust when they design a product, and add a little metal for safety. It'd be another thing if you found these ramps in a saltwater marsh but a garage is a relatively safe place.
eljefino -
this pic is of the WORST area of rust
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1310/ramprust4lp.png
then this is what the same area looked like after cleaning with lemon juice/salt/aluminum foil (note the red arrows, the green arrow points to what i believe happened from leaving the lemon juice/salt on it....
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/5855/ramp45ch.png
then this is that same ramp from right above, prior to the lemon juice/salt
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5290/ramp33xs.png
i only have one jackstand so i'll have to use that under the axle by one wheel, i have how civics are so low, i cant even get my head under it....cousin told me to just pull up on the curb, like 4 inches is gonna help me
this pic is of the WORST area of rust
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1310/ramprust4lp.png
then this is what the same area looked like after cleaning with lemon juice/salt/aluminum foil (note the red arrows, the green arrow points to what i believe happened from leaving the lemon juice/salt on it....
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/5855/ramp45ch.png
then this is that same ramp from right above, prior to the lemon juice/salt
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5290/ramp33xs.png
i only have one jackstand so i'll have to use that under the axle by one wheel, i have how civics are so low, i cant even get my head under it....cousin told me to just pull up on the curb, like 4 inches is gonna help me
Safety first, buy new ramps.
I would use them ramps. They look pretty sturdy from the pics, none of the rust is real bad, people that live where roads are salted have more rust on their cars. I would back any ramps with jackstands though. I have a phobia and that is being under a car and it falling on me. I do not use jack, jackstands, or ramps to change the oil on any vehicle I have ever changed the oil in. I just wedge my fat rearend under there as far as I can and reach with my arms. My wife had an Accord, my dad had a Sunfire and now an Aveo and my wife currently has a Sentra and I can change the oil in those and never came close to needing a lift of any sort.
I guess you could support them with some bricks? If they fail, let us know where to send flowers and condolences.
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I'd rather drive my car up on two old rams instead of on those rusty ramps.
Wire brush them and paint them with rustoleum, they will be good as new. Probably designed to support a catalina or crown vic, they will do very well for your civic. Enjoy !!
P.B. (Opinions are like rectums....everybody's got one, and if it isn't yours.....it STINKS !!)
P.B. (Opinions are like rectums....everybody's got one, and if it isn't yours.....it STINKS !!)
I'd also use those. You obviously have the best idea out of all of us how sturdy they are. If it were me, though, I'd drive up and manually push around on the car a bit to make sure everything's sturdy. My old metal ramps had drain holes under the tires, too, so I'm pretty sure that's there on purpose. Don't use those if it's wet out, though. You'll never get up them.
BTW, I do highly recommend Rhino Ramps. They're every bit as sturdy, won't rust, have better traction, a bigger wheel stop and are lighter and easier to move around. I sold off my metal ones last year.
BTW, I do highly recommend Rhino Ramps. They're every bit as sturdy, won't rust, have better traction, a bigger wheel stop and are lighter and easier to move around. I sold off my metal ones last year.
hey thanks guys, i only have one jackstand....i'll have to use it too.... i have a giant phobia as well about cars coming down on me, i have friends that will get under and change their oil with just a hydraulic jack.... i start sweating and thoughts race through my head when i see that. i wouldn't worry if it was a truck or something, but a civic is so low it will just pop your head like a watermelon if it came down.
rhinos sound pretty good, but the cheapest i've found is autozone at $34.99 for the cheaper ones...
rhinos sound pretty good, but the cheapest i've found is autozone at $34.99 for the cheaper ones...
$34.99??? Wow, that's a lot. Wait for a sale. You should be able to find them for under $20. Perhaps if you can wait until the Christmas shopping season, you'll find a better deal.
used them anyhow, guess there was a hidden jack stand in the garage but found that after i was done so i only used one as a backup.... this is what i did -
drained oil which had 4 ounces of neutra 131, left the crappy fram filter on (more on this later) then tightened the pan plug, dumped in half quart of MMO, half quart of neutra 131 and a quart and a half of supertech 10-30.... ran it for about 4 mins, revved it let it idle then revved it, then drained...
the fram filter was installed by walmart, had to get one of those oil filter wrenches that you use on a rachet... crushed the thing pretty bad trying to loosen it up, i know those ******** HAVE to tighten these things with a wrench....
replaced filter with a supertech 3593a (e-core? anyone know?) and filled with 3 quarts supertech 10-30 and a half quart of neutra 131.... gonna drive around 1k and change out again...
one bad thing happened, when i bought the car it needed a new valve cover gasket, but the shop used one of those silver form-a-gasket things and i saw a piece sticking out o the inside through the fill hole, i tried to take it off and remove it but it dropped into the engine somewhere.... now im paranoid and po'd, a valve cover gasket is like $20 tops...form-a-gasket....cripes.
edited multiple timed for spelling...it's the brandy
drained oil which had 4 ounces of neutra 131, left the crappy fram filter on (more on this later) then tightened the pan plug, dumped in half quart of MMO, half quart of neutra 131 and a quart and a half of supertech 10-30.... ran it for about 4 mins, revved it let it idle then revved it, then drained...
the fram filter was installed by walmart, had to get one of those oil filter wrenches that you use on a rachet... crushed the thing pretty bad trying to loosen it up, i know those ******** HAVE to tighten these things with a wrench....
replaced filter with a supertech 3593a (e-core? anyone know?) and filled with 3 quarts supertech 10-30 and a half quart of neutra 131.... gonna drive around 1k and change out again...
one bad thing happened, when i bought the car it needed a new valve cover gasket, but the shop used one of those silver form-a-gasket things and i saw a piece sticking out o the inside through the fill hole, i tried to take it off and remove it but it dropped into the engine somewhere.... now im paranoid and po'd, a valve cover gasket is like $20 tops...form-a-gasket....cripes.
edited multiple timed for spelling...it's the brandy
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