Jack points and stands. for us Po' people

[koatic]

So, you need the car high enough to work under it, but you bought an ITS and now you're too Po' for a quick jack thingy or don't have access to a nice lift. (and frankly don't trust any shop in the area)
Well, Harbor freight has you covered with some cheap ramps and jacks stands..
I know there was some discussion about jack points on the car so just listing what I did in 5 minutes to get the car high enough to do the downpipe, front pipe and RRM..

1st. up on ramps. (I use some old boards to clear the bottom of bumper)

2nd. jack rear and put on jack stands near lowest setting.

3rd. I use some cut 2x12's and give that jack the lift it needs. this will bring the rear above the front on the ramps.

4th. I use the same 2x12's and now lift the front.

5th. Take out the ramps, Prop it on the front jack stands and then put the ramps back but backwards.

now you have plenty of clearance

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[SomethingSomething]

The poors appreciate your resourcefulness.

I’ll add here, as in my younger days, I used wood under a jack to get higher, but in my case, it was a 2x4 or 2x6, not wide enough to be under the wheels of the jack. This was super dumb and dangerous, as the jack needs to roll inward as you jack up the car. Because my wood was not wide enough, and the wheels weren’t on a solid surface they could roll on, instead of rolling, the jack started to tip inward. I recognized it and stopped before it became a problem, but I hadn’t thought about it beforehand, and it could have gone very badly for me. Make sure your wood is wide enough to allow the jack to roll naturally as the car jacks up.

 

[SlippyFist]

i broke down and bought the quickjack 5000TLX bundle. i didn't want to do the song and dance with ramps and jacks, but honestly the quickjacks are a huge pain to use. they're a pain to set up for the first time. they are fucking HEAVY so moving them around and getting them in position sucks, and you have to keep getting down to the ground to see if the blocks are lining up with the pinch welds as you go to raise them.

 

[Integra23]

Did you get any rubber inserts for your jack stands?

 

[SomethingSomething]

I always suspected that the quickjack was a heavy hassle that was more trouble than it was worth. I imagine they are nice in some regards but they never looked easy to me.

i broke down and bought the quickjack 5000TLX bundle. i didn't want to do the song and dance with ramps and jacks, but honestly the quickjacks are a huge pain to use. they're a pain to set up for the first time. they are fucking HEAVY so moving them around and getting them in position sucks, and you have to keep getting down to the ground to see if the blocks are lining up with the pinch welds as you go to raise them.

 

[Tw1stedlog1k]

Can confirm that the QuickJacks are a PITA to move around and set up. Upside is that once it's set up, working on the car is a breeze.

 

[koatic]

Did you get any rubber inserts for your jack stands?

Nah, the Y top of the stands has a perfect contour for the pinch welds.

The poors appreciate your resourcefulness.

 

[ckone2030]

So, you need the car high enough to work under it, but you bought an ITS and now you're too Po' for a quick jack thingy or don't have access to a nice lift. (and frankly don't trust any shop in the area)
Well, Harbor freight has you covered with some cheap ramps and jacks stands..
I know there was some discussion about jack points on the car so just listing what I did in 5 minutes to get the car high enough to do the downpipe, front pipe and RRM..

1st. up on ramps. (I use some old boards to clear the bottom of bumper)

2nd. jack rear and put on jack stands near lowest setting.

3rd. I use some cut 2x12's and give that jack the lift it needs. this will bring the rear above the front on the ramps.

4th. I use the same 2x12's and now lift the front.

5th. Take out the ramps, Prop it on the front jack stands and then put the ramps back but backwards.

now you have plenty of clearance

Sorry but what is the logic of putting the ramps backward? Trying to understand the benefit of doing so. Thanks.

 

[koatic]

Sorry but what is the logic of putting the ramps backward? Trying to understand the benefit of doing so. Thanks.

I have had the unfortunate experience of being under a car when a jack base gave way. I walked away with only cracked ribs thanks to secondary measures. At that height, if one jack gives, it will be enough drop to tip the other side over and have complete collapse. With ramps under it, you can have one jack fail and it will not tip over the over side resulting in eminent death. Safety under a car on jacks is not a joke.
Obviously with jacks in place the ramps will only fit backwards.

 

[ckone2030]

I have had the unfortunate experience of being under a car when a jack base gave way. I walked away with only cracked ribs thanks to secondary measures. At that height, if one jack gives, it will be enough drop to tip the other side over and have complete collapse. With ramps under it, you can have one jack fail and it will not tip over the over side resulting in eminent death. Safety under a car on jacks is not a joke.
Obviously with jacks in place the ramps will only fit backwards.

Thank you for the explanation and completely agree with the risks. I currently use Race Ramps to raise the car. Although I have never raise both front and rear, I will plan to do that soon. My plan is to use the ramps for the front, jack the rear and use the jack stands, but still have the jack on the back for secondary measure. Hopefully that is safe enough.

 

[egxflash]

Thank you for the explanation and completely agree with the risks. I currently use Race Ramps to raise the car. Although I have never raise both front and rear, I will plan to do that soon. My plan is to use the ramps for the front, jack the rear and use the jack stands, but still have the jack on the back for secondary measure. Hopefully that is safe enough.

I keep the jack about an inch below the jackpoint myself even though I have jackstands in as a secondary measure.

On a related note, are there any reported failures at all when it comes to ramps? It's very hard, tough plastic but is there the possibility it can deteriorate and just give way?

I'm on the fence about buying amazon-sourced stands, or just spring for brand name like race ramps.

 

[Integra23]

Thank you for the explanation and completely agree with the risks. I currently use Race Ramps to raise the car. Although I have never raise both front and rear, I will plan to do that soon. My plan is to use the ramps for the front, jack the rear and use the jack stands, but still have the jack on the back for secondary measure. Hopefully that is safe enough.

I have race ramps as well but with the car on the ramps the rear squats so low I don't think a jack will fit.

 

[bpebler]

I appreciate this! Now I can use my leftover 2x12’s to get the rears level. I have a treated wood ramp setup so it’s very strong but the jack maxed out to where I couldn’t quite fit my rear wood pedestals I made. They were literally about a quarter inch too short.

 

[ckone2030]

I have race ramps as well but with the car on the ramps the rear squats so low I don't think a jack will fit.

Good point. I will try this weekend and report to this group.

 

[ckone2030]

I keep the jack about an inch below the jackpoint myself even though I have jackstands in as a secondary measure.

On a related note, are there any reported failures at all when it comes to ramps? It's very hard, tough plastic but is there the possibility it can deteriorate and just give way?

I'm on the fence about buying amazon-sourced stands, or just spring for brand name like race ramps.

This is just my experience so please anyone chime in. I looked at ramps from Amazon but none were wide enough and had the low clearance for the ITS. The only one that would work is Race Ramps and also using their extenders since I lowered the ITS. While they are more expensive, I thought the quality is excellent. But they are bulky so need space to store them. I am also very cautious when using them and never got the car to the highest point.

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