Jacking Front Of Car???

[Norm's Coupe]

It's not that tough, and does not take much longer, to do it one side at a time. I usually do mine one corner at a time. Usually only need to lift one end or the other.

Up until the last couple years, I did not have either a floor jack or jack stands....now have both. Used the bumper jack and concrete blocks or old rims with some wood across them. Have used concrete blocks many times, so far no problem, but the potential for trouble is there.

I just place my floor jack under the frame, behind the front wheel, and that gets the car off the ground pretty good. If you know where you want to put your jackstands, then you can locate the jack either in front of or behind that spot....thereby allowing room to place the stand.

Bob's floor jack looks like the small one I was talking about with the small jacking base. I have one of those I carry in the trunk to change a flat if needed. I would not place that one under the radiator on the crossover. That one could go right through that center hole in the crossover. Best to use that type under the frame or it could be used under the rearend to jack up both rear wheels at once.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Ed J. man that picture makes me want to kick myself in the butt for not taking one of them bumper Air/Hydraulic units home with me for free when offered. They are handy..we used them at the dealership also when I was a mechanic in a former life.

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed J. man that picture makes me want to kick myself in the butt for not taking one of them bumper Air/Hydraulic units home with me for free when offered. They are handy..we used them at the dealership also when I was a mechanic in a former life.

I liked his air jack (lift) too. I've seen those selling used at the swaps but never gave them much thought. Would be nice to have one. My problem with it is where to keep it when not in use.

[BobT-47P15]

Yes, Norm, that is one of those small, inexpensive floor jacks with a small

pad on the end. The jacks at the garage or station usually had a round piece maybe 5 or 6 inches in diameter to go under the car.

Speaking of car jacking, just saw in Snopes that the email I got recently about some crook putting a flyer on your rear window, then jumping into

your car and driving off when you go to remove it......is false.

[Young Ed]

Tim

Dad bought that jack new in the 70s when he owned his own shop. His buddies all said why are you wasting your money on that. But after it got there they found how handy it is.

As for storage it sits in the front of the garage and the pad part ends up under whichever car is parked in the garage.

Oh and you can tell its from the 70s because it has the bars that go into the big 70s cars with the slots in the bumpers for jacks. You can see the 2 round pieces that hold the hooks in the picture.

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed,

I couldn't even put it in front of where the car parks in the garage. The rear wall floor is completely filled with workbench, air compressor, storage cabinet, sand blasting cabinet, 350 engine and transmission. Side wall floor space is also filled with various cabinets, floor stands with grinder and buffer and other misc. items. Like I keep telling everybody, I'm just out of space. That's another reason I decided to get rid of the 350 engine and transmission.

[eric wissing]

Norm, I have one of those small floor jacks. I think I paid $1 for it. It also slowly comes down after an hour or two!! It is good to get something in the air but jack stands are a must. Ed's unit is what would be great to have. Can a man have a big enough garage? Eric

[Plymouthy Adams]

Sometimes when the jack bypasses and leaks down the fix is to take the valve out, be careful not to lose the ball..sometimes there are two balls..one on the other..take a nice brass drift or brass bolt etc and insert one ball and tap it with the drift and hammer...this will reshape the seat to seal.

[55 Fargo]

Here are some cribbing stands, that I made, there are also pictures of my 2 ton, stands, I also have a set of 3 ton stands, I like the cribbing stands, very solid and a lot of surface area, should not not tip over.

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm, I have one of those small floor jacks. I think I paid $1 for it. It also slowly comes down after an hour or two!! It is good to get something in the air but jack stands are a must. Ed's unit is what would be great to have. Can a man have a big enough garage? Eric

This is the kind you should have for working in the garage. This one is a Craftsman 2 1/2 ton jack. I have the 3 ton jack. Note how much larger the base is. That also just lifts out so you can replace it with one that has a 3/4" rubber pad on top, which is what I did on mine. This type also has a much longer handle on it. I have another 2 1/2 ton Red Devil floor jack that is similar to this one. I also have a small one like Bob posted that I keep in the trunk for changing tires on the road.

As Tim mentioned the jack should not leak down. If it does it's not sealing right. It's either something like Tim mentioned for repair, or the seals need replacing. Or, it could be that it's just low on hydraulic fluid. You can buy rebuild kits for hydraulic jacks. Even so, you should always use a jack stand if you're going under the car. Don't rely on any type of jack to stay up.

I try to stay away from buying used hydraulic equipment because it's usually being sold because the owner had trouble with it, and didn't know how to fix it. Or, it's so old it needs rebuilding.

[Alexander]

here is how I jack up my car. I have been doing it this way for years.

if you are working under the car put jack stands by the read arrow

[1just4don]

I posted this eleewhere once but dont know how many people saw it.

You can buy hydralic jacks all day long at auctions that dont work.

95% of the time all they need is the air out of the cylinders where they work.

To do that jack it up as far as it will go. "THEN" set it on its top(this lets air bubbles come to top.

leave alone for a day, while still setting upside down open the valve to let it down.

May have to repeat a few times in severe cases.

Ever notice how a hydralic jack never works the same after they ride sideways in a pickup,,,this is why!! Always 'store' or ride sitting straight up!!

Otherwise air gets in and keeps from working right. What I forgot to say is---Make sure there is sufficient oil in the jack to 'start' with!!

Happy jack fixing!! VERY FEW require parts or overhaul,,,most are just air locked!! Hope this helps-somebody-- just don--

[captden29]

cinder blocks seems to have gotten a negative response. i have been using them for years but will have to re-think them. i almost was killed years ago when i was about to crawl under a car supported by only a bumper jack and it fell forward and hit the ground hard. dennis

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have not seen a cinder block in years...they are not to be confused with the cement blocks of today like found at most building supply houses. I have been told that they (cinder) still exist...these are very light weight items compared to the cement and are probably made more for the filming industry who crashes cars into walls and kung-fu high jumpers with flattened foreheads doing stunts.

[BobT-47P15]

In this picture, it seems I had the floor jack, bumper jack and cement block all in use. Now have jack stands. Most of the weight is on the floor jack and cement block. Bumper jack just for good measure. Put a towel on the bumper jack to prevent scratching the chrome of the rear bumper. Since acquiring the floor jack, bumper one does not see much action.

[captden29]

i was unaware that cinder blocks were different from cement blocks. i will google them to find out, but i was using the term cinder to mean cement. the more i thought about it i finally realized that all the years i worked at marinas we used cement blocks to support 25 ton boats with no problems. the only time the blocks cracked was when you tossed them and they bounced off each other and cracked in half. the way bob is using his to hold up his vert is incorrect as the holes should face up for maximum strength. however, in his defense he has the block, the bumper jack and the floor jack at work so his car is safe. i always use some wood blocking on top of the block so the car never rests directly on the block. anyway, if they are good enough for 25 ton boats they should be good for a 2 ton car. dennis

[eric wissing]

I actually think the term is "concrete block". 'Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete, i.e. portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel in the case of blocks. Cinder blocks differ from concrete blocks in their aggregate content. Cinder blocks are made from coal cinders and portland cement.' wicked peedy

Unfortunately I have worked with a lot of concrete in the past. "Cement= Portland Cement is what is used in concrete.

Eric

[Plymouthy Adams]

A cinder block is made from portland cement and coal cinders..very very light wieght and can be easily broken. They still support well by wall construction but have no side strength per say..I have seen these thing shatter in my youth as people tried to support weight on the side instead of the top. I would say they weight in about 1/3 the weight of a cement block..I have not seen a cinder block for sale in years...the back wall of my shop here at the house was at one time part of the original carport/utility room constructed long before I got here..and is made of lightweight cinder blocks.

[Brad Lustig]

Still, most of the cement/concrete blocks (CMU) sold today that people refer to as "cinder" blocks are made with pretty "fluffy" cement. I've have more than my share come apart by just picking them up. There are some blocks that are pretty sturdy, but I would still only trust them in the one direction. The quality blocks typically weigh a good 50-100% more than the cheaper versions. I believe the sturdy ones have about 2000 psi when used correctly. Just guessing here, but I would guess the strength on it's side is about 3/7ths that or less. Doesn't take much of a fissure to crumble the block.

[captden29]

i googled it and tim and eric are correct. both cement, but a different aggregate so the cinder blocks are lighter and not as strong. i remember my grandfather built a bar b que in the early fifties in his yard and it was a different type of block, bluish in color. now i know they were cinder blocks. we can still learn something new everyday and this forum is certainly good for that. so many really smart people and people with great life experiences. dennis

[1just4don]

My cousins dear dad was killed under a car when it fell and crushed him. I dont know particulars but suspect he was just going to do something quick torqued the car a little and the jack went over. A cement block used as a second step safety isnt good ,,,cause the jar of the car dropping will generally shatter them. AND if the support allows them to go forward backward or sideways a long ways the secondary safety block or whatever might do more harm than good. AND get upset and disabled too!!

I see alot of people,,,especially our southern neighbors working under a car all the time with a jack,,,accident waiting to happen. I much prefer poor mans jack stands,,,wood blocks about 2' across meant to be firewood someday,,,but be SURE they are not rotten or hollow!!(and cut straight) AND car left down on them solidly so no bouncing going on. But they are heavy enough NOT to move or kick out, collapse or push thru asphalt or concrete.