Hot Rods Jack stands? We don't need no stinking jackstands

Lost a friend in Mid-Town a few years back who was just changing shocks in his driveway. He was prying the shock loose when the car came down and drove the screw driver right through his head.

Let me ad this your jack stands need to be on solid ground and they need to be good sturdy jack stands. I had one of those sheet metal jack stands fold upon me and let a 3/4 ton suburban waller me in the mid '80s.

 

I knew this would show up. I actually know the guy that snapped that pic and he will tell you that he has no idea how it ended upon the web.

 

It’s super easy to throw the wheels you take off under the car. This came good recently when we had a flat on the A29 near Ypres in Belgium. My daily driver slipped off the useless jack provided by Citroen. Because the car came down on the wheel I was able to get it under the car again. If it had come down on the deck I would have been stuck and had to pay for a tow truck.


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when I bought my car at age 16 I bought a socket set, a floor jack and some jack stands soon after. no adult suggested these things, even as a punk kid I was aware that a car will kill you if it falls on you. later I upgraded to better ones and have 8 to choose from. like blackjack said, if the tires come off they go under the car for a little extra safety.

I had a pair of those metal ramps and GAVE then to the seller next to me when they did not sell at a swap meet several years ago.

 

We see this sort of thread once every every year here on the HAMB, but it's good to remind old and new members, that safety is number 1 when working on or under our cars/trucks. I've posted this particular story before. I was in X-Ray school in Tyler, Texas. I also worked the weekends in X-Ray at my clinic hospital to have a little extra money. I got called to the E.R., "and bring the portable X-Ray machine, and "lots" of film". The regular tech I was working with was in surgery, so this fell to me. A rather obese young fella had been brought in from the outlying area. He'd been working under his car with floor jack holding it up, it collapsed, and the car came down across his pelvis. He had many fractures to his pelvis, his rectum had been literally "squished" out of his torn perineum (think of squeezing a grape out of it's skin), his urethra was torn from his bladder, and there was blood everywhere. I have multiple physicians telling me what they want done (Drs. all think THEIR particular needs come first) orthopedist, surgeon, urologist, E.R. Dr., and I'm doing things, all by myself, that normally a Radiologist would be involved with. The guy was in the hospital for a few weeks, then transferred to a nursing facility for a while longer. His pelvis was held together with plates and screws and external fixation hardware (think sort of like scaffolding), he had a colostomy while his rectum healed, a catheter in his bladder/penis while that healed, and he was facing additional surgeries to do a take-down of the colostomy, and to remove the external fixation hardware. The plates and screws would be with him for life most likely. And, it did't cost him a dime, the State of Texas foot the bill (Medicaid)! There is NO way you'll see me under a car unless it's properly supported. I have two "jack stands" with built in hydraulic jacks; raise the jack and inset a pin that locks the stand, ingenious! I've never raised both ends of a car at the same time, so all 4 wheels are off the ground; I just won't take the chance. NHRA and I'm guessing IHRA (since their rules are virtually the same) do not allow a car to be worked on using only a jack, there must be jack stands in use. BUT, it still happens! And, we'll continue to see threads like this one from time-to-time. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

My dad told me that one time he was changing a tire on his car. Car was being held up on a bottle jack, stepped away for a second and then suddenly the concrete gave way under the bottle jack the car came down hard and the jack was bureid in the ground,learned a lesson.

 

I’ve posted these stands that I built out of 3/16” steel plate before.
12” high they have been really nice to have during the building of my 26 RPU.

I also have a set of good quality jack stands for other jobs too.
One can never be too safe.

 

Looks like car could still roll off those^^^....

 

I find it hard to feel sorry for a thief, karma is a bitch.

 

I had a neighbor that was working on his next door neighbors skid loader without blocks or stans.
He didn't stand a chance.

 

I was just thinking about this. I have a pneumatic jack but two cars we have are too low clearance.
I use wooden boxes I made years ago out of 2"x12" wood scraps. Boxes have a center brace inside and with car tires on them I still use at least four jack stands.
But there are Reese ramps on sale $100 now usually $200. 8ft. long, made to load atv onto a truck, rated 1500#. With a brace in center wouldn't they work getting 3500# car onto two boxes? Oil changes mainly.

Sent from my Bell Candlestick

 

Only if you're stupid enough to pull really hard on a long handled breaker bar or something like that while underneath.
I've done lots of work using them and with the curvature they are really good.

 

Someone on this forum has built some 2x4 structures that he uses to hold his car off the ground. They look more than sufficient and the way he built them, a car would not roll off. I upgraded 3 ton jack stands to 6 ton jack stands that I got at Harbor Freight. They are not the split tube type. Another user on this forum corrected me when he said that the PAIR of jack stands has the 6-ton capacity, not EACH jack stand.

 

Caught one of my neighbors working on her car with nothing but the jack holding it up. Went straight to my house and got my jack stands and gave her two of them. She asked where to return them , I said they're yours. Don't ever work on a car supported by nothing but a jack.

 

I have 2 pair (4) of the heavy 3/16" pyramid with cast steel rack type adjusters, and use them with 'confidence'...Still, some apprehension.
I used to use a pair of '46 Ford axle housings, 'fish-mouth' cut at the small ends, 30" tall. Had 6 of 'em, they disappeared with my 671 blown Hemi, and most of my tools.
Note to self: Have shop watched when attending Winternats next time...

 

I'm a survivor. I had a 1934 pick up with a nasty 348 Chevy in it. I lifted it with a floor jack and then placed a jack stand under the frame rail. Then I removed the floor jack.... I slid under and then accidentally hit the jack stand with my elbow. Down it came across my chest. I thought "I can't die like this" then I realized I could squirm out from under it. Lucky all the wheels and tires were on it. My chest hurt for a month. I will always use two forms of support from now on. Plus I try to get my wife or a friend to just hang out in the garage while I'm on my back. Lesson learned. Gary

 

It's not just jack stands. I was doing engine mounts on my son in laws car on stands but I failed to chock the rear wheels or set the parking brake as I usually do. Was busy under the car pulling out the mounts working the jack with my leg not realizing the car very slowly moving. Noticed the jack stands we're we're at an angle dropped the mount and pushed out with all I had. Car just cleared my head. God is good and merciful. Only takes one time to kill you. Since I almost always work alone I now chock any wheels on the ground or lift up level on at least four stands.

 

Had an 89 Grand Marquez fall on me about 25 years ago . Only the grace of God and being a lucky poloc saved my bacon.

 

Also make sure the stands are in the correct and safest part of the car/truck your working on. Several years ago a friend of mine put his 53 Chevy truck on stands, 2 at the front and 2 under the rear axle, sounds good, but he was unbolting the leaf springs, and yes the bed and chassis feel down on the rear end , no one was hurt but he'll never do anything like that again, he scared the shirt out of us. Think people, think. BigO

 

I knew a guy who got killed under a VW bus, a week after we graduated from high school.
I had a Maverick slowly come down as the factory jack slipped in the gravel. I was changing a tire and wasn't under it. But it shore made me think.
About a week ago I saw a guy under and SUV in the side of the street. Again, only a jack to hold it up. It made me sick. If not for the heavy traffic, I would have stopped and chewed his ass.

 

This is what your relying on to save your life when under a car that’s up on a jack and no stands.


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Brings back memories of 1958 when I changed out the rear springs on a '50 Olds with nothing but a bumper jack. I'm still here to remember it fortunately.

 

When I was young and stupid I once pulled a transmission out of a '71 Torino in a wrecking yard. The car was propped up on two stacks of old tires. Glad I'm still here to tell the story.

 

First year I taught, brand new shop and equipment. Locked car, in park, E brake on. Had jacked up the rear and moved it. Jacked it back up to move it back in and the car dropped. Shiny orange paint had hidden a flaw in the casting of the lift arm. Snapped right off.

 

Not to be a dick but that asshole got what he deserved.

 

And... that O ring is probably made in a 3rd world country.
Best of luck trusting any O ring let lone a cheap and nasty one...

 

I work by myself constantly and I always put the wheels and tires under the car at the lowest point so if something fails they will catch the car.

Also, I will often leave the jack in place under something solid with the jack stands as well hoping that if one fails the other will catch it.

Next time I see someone cutting down an old tree I’m going to stop and grab a few cross sections of the trunk and use them as blocks too.

Can’t be to careful with this stuff I can guarantee you that.

 

I was routinely one hundred feet in the air, depending on those!






Bones

 

Blue one, looks safe enough to me.... but the way you designed those stands, a ratchet strap would easily hook into the frame work and encircle the tires, thereby ensuring the car not coming off. Then everybody would be happy! Lol




Bones