blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Nice job^^^ should provide a firm mount and you won't have pinch welds like mine

G37Xtreme

Those aren't mine ...but they are my inspiration.

I just finished my first prototype pad. The other 3 are mostly done, except for cutting the channel (groove).

Here's a teaser of the 4 pads with hockey puck attached, and half inch bolt protruding from the bottom. One of the 4 has had the groove cut, and I'm on break. I'll wrap this up tonight.

G37Xtreme

Here's the finished product, version 1.0. I'll use these to rotate my tires by next weekend and see how they do.



Any updates would include cutting the puck in half instead of hollowing out the channel, but that would require doing something different from the start. I can also go with a 5/16 bolt instead of half inch. Why 5/16? Because that's the largest nut that I can fit in one of the height adjustment holes. This would let me actually attach the pad to the stand by screwing it in. I've even planned on using a nylon spacer so the 5/16 bolt doesn't have any room to wiggle.

My final other idea is to forget about mounting the pad to the stand, and instead "mount" it to the car via magnets. This version wouldn't have any bolts sticking out of the bottom.

I may write a DIY on this. I took a few pictures along the way, but I left off a few images that I could have taken.

vqsmile

^^ Those are all very nice (a bit tall at the minimum though), but just out of curiosity, where are you actually doing the lifting from, such that these can be placed on the pinch welds? DO you only lift from the front subframe cross-member and/or the rear diff so that the jack isn't in the way of placing those stands?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Hopefully

G37Xtreme

I don't have my order of operations established yet, but I plan to use the rear diff and front jack position.

I wonder if I should raise one end with ramps first before jacking the other end up to keep the load closer to level on the stands.

My preliminary idea is to back onto my rhino ramps and apply the parking brake. Then I'm going to Jack up the front of the car and put the stands down. Then I'll move to the rear and jack it up high enough to place the stands.

Ideas?

If my jack won't go high enough, I have wood and more hockey pucks I can add to the pad. I can also get a low profile 2 ton jack with a 19" lift height, but that's a last resort.

vqsmile

Sounds like a lot of work, did you say this all just for rotating your tires?
I can see if it was for dropping a tranny or something, but being staggered, I rarely ever have a need to put my car up on all four corners simultaneously. It's usually just as easy to lift one whole side at a time, or just the whole front or rear independently, all of which can be done with a floor jack.

Heck, I typically don't even use any stands at all unless I'm going under or leaving it up for an extended period of time.

The back is easy to lift from the diff since the jack slides under directly, but to reach the front cross-member, it's easiest to drive up on a few blocks of wood to allow clearance to slide the jack under. This way, the only time the pinch welds get used is when I do need to place a stand, and then it is only 'ever-so-gently', as I am lowering it carefully down onto them (which is a lot less abusive than lifting from them).

Given that your stands are as tall as they are, you probably will find it uncomfortable to set one whole end up in a single step, since the angle will be more severe. I remember when I last did a clutch job on another car I had to take the car up in a few 'steps' to get it elevated enough for the stands at their full extension. SO, I suspect that what you'll run into then is that the front cross-member is inaccessible with the rear lifted first, because of the weight shift then compressing the front suspension, plus the front is just heavier in general. I think you'd be better off lifting the front first, then dealing with the rear.

Again though, why do you need all four wheels off the ground simultaneously?

.02

G37Xtreme

Rotating tires will be the regular, consistent use for the whole set. Other uses for the whole set would be exhaust work. I plan to replace my cats and exhaust this year, and my ramps don't get the car high enough. I'd like to use a creeper, so the height I get from these will allow that.

In the end, I could "get by" with a single set of stands. If I'm not going under the car, I can use a jack to hold up one end, with stands on the other. This would be ok for tire rotations.

Spending $200 or more, got me a 10% discount. So I could have spent $130 for one set or $234 for two sets. Not to toot my financial horn, but an extra $104 isn't a big deal...and now I don't have to "get by".

There is a shorter version of these stands, but the base is smaller as a result. It's 2" shorter, and max height is 4" shorter...and the base (footprint) is 2" smaller. I spent a few hours mulling it over, and decided I wanted the larger ones. I've got a truck in my future, and would appreciate their larger stands long term.

I plan for this to be my last set of stands for the next 20-30 years.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

You can do an exhaust on ramps, but you aren't going to be able to use a creeper.

I used ramps for my cat-back, but I, personally, prefer to be under a car on ramps than jack stands.

I agree with VQ, this is a lot of work for jack stands, but you seem to be having fun

quakerroatmeal

iTrader: (3)

Not using a jack stand at all is a TERRIBLE idea. Even if you're not getting underneath the car. Why is everyone giving him chit about buying these nice jack stands? I'd return the northern tools one. There's no need for 8 jack stands.

But I agree with the min. height though what's the min height on those jack? You'd need one hell of a jack to get them on those stands. Most of those low profile jacks have a max height of like 18-22" which isn't enough to me. I prefer it to be around 25"-28" to make it a lot easier to move around underneath. Even for something simple as an oil change.

G37Xtreme

The minimum height is 14.5" to the top of the hockey puck, and over 22.5" max height. I have the biggest (longest) jack from Harbor Freight. It's the low profile ultra long reach jack with a lifting range of 2-5/8" to 23-3/4".

Any idea where my pinch weld will be if the rear diff is at 23"?

quakerroatmeal

iTrader: (3)

I have the same jack as you from Harbor freight. I'm not sure where the pinch weld would be with it all the way up. A pretty good amount though.

G37Xtreme

I meant to post these pics last weekend. I had the car up on all 4 stands. This is the lowest height. Rotating the tires was a breeze, but jacking the car up from the front cross member and rear diff was a pain. My garage depth required me to remove everything except the storage shelf against the back wall so I had enough level floor to work with.

This is the lowest profile jack with the deepest saddle I can find, and it barely worked. If I lower the car any, I'll need to drive up on 2x12s to get to those Jack points. It's not the saddle height, it's the height of the base as it gets taller.

Glenn2008

iTrader: (3)

I purchased the 12" Race Ramp wheel cribs. They work well to get the car off the ground. I also have the Harbor Freight 24" lift jack and use it to raise the car. On jack stands and the pinch weld, these work well, especially with the optional rubber cover's. The slot is deep enough not to bend the pinch weld. http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...nds-61197.html These are the optional pads http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece...and-95952.html

These are the wheel cribs: http://fasttoys.net/ca/Race-Ramps-Ca...ribs-RR-WC-12/

pgG37

Was this because you were using the pinch welds for your jack stands?