<VV> Unsafe at NO speed (elevating your Corvair)

[Frank DuVal]

My dad built me many jack blocks to use instead of jack stands. Think of 
how a floor is constrcted, with floor joists. Use 2x4 or 2x6 or whatever 
you can get free from the trash pile at construction sites for the 
"joists". Three or four "joists" per jacking block. If three, I would 
use another "joist" at the end (perpendicular) to brace them from 
racking. For the top and bottom flooring material, use 1x4,6, whatever. 
Or 3/4" plywood scraps. Make the blocks about 12" to 15" square.

Use these blocks at the rear of a Corvair. Place the jack at the 
rearmost part of the rocker that works for you. Then set these blocks 
just forward of the jack, touching its wheels. You can use 2x4 or 1x4 
blocks to get the rocker to sit on the jacking blocks without crushing 
important things under the car. The floor can actually sit on these 
jacking blocks without harm, as such a large surface area distributes 
the weight.

These blocks are great for soil, asphalt, and other surfaces that are 
unsuitable for jack stands. They are also good for rusty bodies! Shut up 
you west coasters. gggg

 BTW, I like the four legged jack stands better then the tri-pod style.

Front crossmember is perfect for jacking.

On the spot jacking is with the stock sissors jack and an eye for 
safety. Never get under the car without some support. The removed wheel 
is a good start.

Frank DuVal

back to the garage and the 64 sedan



Chris Mann wrote:

>Although someday I would like to get a professional hoist; right now, I thought I would ask all of you how to elevate or jack up your cars with you run-of-the mill floor jacks, and feel safe about it.
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>I seem to scratch my head a bit when I jack up the car at the proper points and then attempt to switch to a tripod jack so that I may move on to the next corner. The clearance between the floor jack at tripod jack is always so tight, especially when working in the rear of the car at aiming for that "right spot".
>The front is easier to deal with because you can jack on the crossmember and land to jacks on either side. Then again, maybe I shouldn't jack there?
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>And to add to all of this, what about the road racers, and more mobile (emergency) jacking situations, how to you handle 'on-the-spot' or 'in-the field' jacking?
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