Safety question

[fuff66uk]

I'm after some advice as to the best way to support my car safely whilst i restore it please,the problem is it's not on level ground,the front end is about 6 inches lower than the back end due to the slope of my drive,would i be best to put one end on ramps and the other end on axle stands to level it up? .I seem to remember reading that it's not a good idea to use 4 axle stands

Thanks in advance
Al

[Mitsuru]

Here is how I have done it and I'm suggesting for you to do it.

First use the jack to get the which end will be the furthet off the ground
with the jack and axle stands. But stack either wood or bricks under the
strongest part of the chassis but not supporting it yet.

As you use the trolley jack under the other end to bring it up higher than
the other end, stack wood or brick under that end also till the stack id
level with the axle stands.

In other word jack it a little, stack up what will be the supporting pillar, then
jack and stack so if the car drops it will not be by much.

Once you have got the jacked end stacked to where you want it, lower the
jack and do the same with the axle stand end lift it off the stands put in the
last bit under the car and remove the stands and the jack.

With the Car being on a slope it is probably best to use either concrete paving
slabs or large breeze blocks as a base for the support stacks but make sure
they are level first by using wood planks.

The wider the stacks supporting the car the more stable it will be. The base slab
is better if it's wider as it spreads the weight and it blocks or bricks that are
stacked smaller it gives a level pad as though you were working on a flat drive.

The last bit of the stacks under the car better be soft wood like pine as this needs
to be able to compress and flex to not damage the chassis like oak or another
hard wood would. (you would be suprised what idiots actually put perfectly good
hard wood in instead of using pine)

The soft wood will if dry when you do it, will mold it's self not only to the chassis
but to the top of the stack that you have made, thus making it less likely to slip or
allow the car to rock if the stacks aren't exactly perfect.

[Willy Eckerslyke]

Not breeze blocks please. My preference is 18" lengths of railway sleeper if you can get them.
Something else to consider - when you're jacking a car on a slope make absolutely sure it can't roll downhill. It's easy to forget that the handbrake will let go the moment the back wheels come off the ground.

[Luxobarge]

Crikey no, don't whatever you do use breeze blocks or even normal building bricks - the former is far too likely to crumble and the latter are far too small and likely to tip over.

I strongly favour using four ramps, facing opposite ways, if you're leaving the wheels on. If you need to level it up (and I guess you do) then put large blocks of wood under the ramps - not between the ramps and the car chassis.

Whatever you end up doing, when it's in the air, give it a good shove in all directions to see how solid it is. If it falls off, that's bad news but not as bad as it happening when you're under it! Any movement at all is probably bad news and tells you which area needs more attention.

Cheers

[Young Farmer]

Using blocks like that sounds like the instructions for a game my boys had in the seventies called Kerplunk. Depending on what you are going to be working on will have a bearing as to how you support the car . If you want the wheels free to work on brakes and suspension I would drive the car up on ramps, chock the rear wheels and then jack the car clear of the ramps. put the ramps under the sills with a block of timber to stop the car sliding off the ramps. Lower carefully and then jack the rear up until the car is level and support with axle stands. to make it more stable fasten a piece of angle iron across tha car ramps and as Luxo said give it a good shake to check it is safe

[JPB]

Axle stands must be vertical as even the most stable ones have far too small a footprint to consider use where the surface isn't flat so, for that reason, I'm with Rick on this one; use four ramps. Assuming that you must support the car in a place that's not flat (but why risk that?) then ramps' larger footprint and greatest stability are essential, even if you find yourself having to use the ramps under the chassis that's still much safer than using stands off the vertical.

Also agree that breeze block is a dangerous way to support a car. They're fine at what they're designed for; supporting a constant and even load in an immovable structure but the slightest vibration can crack them - same for brick - if they're stacked loosely so don't risk it. Don't use breeze block.

But ideally, don't raise a car off the floor other than on level ground.

[Maaarrghk]

Everyone is dead right about not using blocks.

Not concrete, not brick, not stone. I've seen them literally explode under loading.

Nice big timber blocks, as everyone is saying. Preferably hard wood if you can get them, with maybe a little softwood packing at the top (about an inch) to prevent any distortion of the underside of your car.

Scaffolding companies might be a good source. Although softwood, they often cut their planks to length when doing large buildings and the offcuts of about a foot long are nice to use as they are all the same thickness. You can stack them to suit the lift of your jack quite closely as they are only 40mm thick.

Sleepers are grand, but I have found that my jack will always raise the car to a height of excactly 1.9 sleepers.

[fuff66uk]

Thanks for the replies so far guys,one of the main problems i have is i need to keep the underneath of the car clear as i have a lot of welding to do on the floor and inner,outer and middle sills on both sides

[OneCarefulOwner]

Definitely implies that ramps, possibly ramps on sleepers, is the way to go - you'd still have some clearance which should be okay unless you're very short on space. The alternative would be to build a pit so you could move about under it more easily, or maybe roll it onto its side(s)?

[fuff66uk]

Definitely implies that ramps, possibly ramps on sleepers, is the way to go - you'd still have some clearance which should be okay unless you're very short on space. The alternative would be to build a pit so you could move about under it more easily, or maybe roll it onto its side(s)?

I think ramps are the way i need to go,a pit is out as the restoration is being done on the front drive as i have no garage,i thought about a rotisserie,spit thing but i don't really want to remove the engine and box as they are both ok