DIY Homemade Car lift

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72ScampTramp

72ScampTramp

Scamp Tramp
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diy car lift


looking into options on getting my car off the ground to make it easier to work underneith. Came across this thread from another site while searching http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2376029&posted=1. What do yall use?


UpontheBoxCribs002.jpg
 
I really like this idea. Near as I can tell gets the car about 18" off the ground give or take. Looks very solid and safe! Thoughts?
 

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I would have no problem getting underneath my Dart if it was up in the air like that. I am not sure if I would want to be under a Ford with all the pieces falling off all the time! LOL
 
This from Harbor Freight would work. 20 in. height.
2 sets of 6 ton stands.
 

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My dad was killed when a car came off of home made wooden ramps. I tried everything to revive him. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I lived with this most of my life. Don't be stupid. I miss him a lot.
 
Are jack stands or ramps really that expensive? You're probably gonna spend nearly as much on wood as you would on a set of stands. Just saying...
 
Woo woo, I have several sets of stands and good floor jacks, However what they dont do is get the car high enough. I wanna get in and welding in my sub frame connectors and my spring relocation boxes better.
 
Stands designed for a truck will do the trick. They are taller than you regular stacks and will get your car a lot further up in the air. JMO
 
1968dartman said:
Stands designed for a truck will do the trick. They are taller than you regular stacks and will get your car a lot further up in the air. JMO
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The 6 (?) ton stands from HF are a good deal taller than the lighter duty versions. Have used the wooden blocks under wheels before, but not just any stuff from Home Depot. When I lived in NJ Morristown Lumber used to sell lumber that was always one grade better than the box stores. I used pressure treated 4x4's. Had a 1/2 ton truck on them with no issues.....Friend that used to do a lot of fab work on off road trucks built a set of steel saw horses and would use an engine hoist to pick the truck up.....course these were all full framed vehicles....
 
Oldmanmopar said:
My dad was killed when a car came off of home made wooden ramps. I tried everything to revive him. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I lived with this most of my life. Don't be stupid. I miss him a lot.
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What a horrible thing for a son to see......
 
Oldmanmopar said:
My dad was killed when a car came off of home made wooden ramps. I tried everything to revive him. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I lived with this most of my life. Don't be stupid. I miss him a lot.
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wow man..... sorry for your loss
 
The problem with anything that doesn't get the vehicle at least 5 or 6 feet in the air is you can't really effectively work under it. You're going to be on your knees or sliding around on your back anyway. After you spent the time money and effort building an unsafe wooden contraption you could have spent a little more and bought a real lift.
 
Or find/make a friend that has a car hoist, maybe I am lucky but I have 2 friends that have car hoists, I wouldn't go with the wooden ones either, In fact I like/have the jack stands that use a U bolt that lock the height adjustment.
 
Keep in mind this is pretty much a shell. Id like to have the weight on the wheels when i Reweld it all in which is why i was looking for an alternative method!
 
Build metal stands that bolt on where your wheels go. You can build them so they are whatever height you want so you get the best of both worlds.
 
72ScampTramp said:
Keep in mind this is pretty much a shell. Id like to have the weight on the wheels when i Reweld it all in which is why i was looking for an alternative method!
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So even if you were going to go with a lift you would need a 4 post unit??
 
72ScampTramp said:
Keep in mind this is pretty much a shell. Id like to have the weight on the wheels when i Reweld it all in which is why i was looking for an alternative method!
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Put jack stands under the axle and the lower control arms because it will result in the same result as the tires being on the wood.



Here are a couple links for jack stands that will give you the height you want. I have several sets of the 6 Ton stands and use them on my one ton wrecker without any issues.


http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-jack-stand-set-38847.html

Maximum Lift Height (in.) 24 in.


http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-jack-stands-34924.html

Maximum Lift Height (in.) 30-1/8 in.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
My dad was killed when a car came off of home made wooden ramps. I tried everything to revive him. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I lived with this most of my life. Don't be stupid. I miss him a lot.
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Wow! What a tragic event. I am sorry that you had to see that and loose your father in the same incident. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

412 Stroker said:
Or find/make a friend that has a car hoist, maybe I am lucky but I have 2 friends that have car hoists, I wouldn't go with the wooden ones either, In fact I like/have the jack stands that use a U bolt that lock the height adjustment.
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I bought a lift from a Goodyear store going out of business. I see used quality brand name lifts used online all the time. Get a friend or two and go in on one. It is so worth the money spent.
 
the wooden cribbing is about as safe as you can get without a lift. i would rather have my car sitting on its wheels on top of a solid surface than up on jack stands. jack stands i feel are not all that safe. a car will still move around on jack stands. i wouldn't feel comfortable really torquing on something with the car up on stands. here are the wooden stands i made and used to install my exhaust. they are about 16" tall and held together with deck screws. this got the car up high enough that i could work on it and move around pretty good. these are ideal for setting pinion angle also.

i dont have any good pics but this is one of them. i had them under the frame part of the time.

SSPX0233_zpsa7e5802e.jpg
 
I've seen a number of people build wood ramps like these - http://corvettec3.ca/ramps.htm .

I can't find the pictures, but I have seen a number of ramps built like these, but the center section is a removable bridge. So once the car is up on the ramps, the middle sections can be removed to provide better access.
 
I was just looking for some alternatives to getting the car higher off the ground so i could weld easier. THanks for the tips fellas.
 
A buddy of mine closed out his car lot and I bought his set of drive on ramps that looked like these but a tad bit taller for $300. Maybe look around your area and see it there are any of these that have been put out in the back lot.


spuc9f.jpg
 
I would not trust my life to HARBOR FREIGHT jack stands.

Seriously? With their reputation for poor quality, you'd cheap out on jack stands and then go wriggling under a car on them?

Harbor Freight is cheap. Don't you be.
 
jos51700 said:
I would not trust my life to HARBOR FREIGHT jack stands.

Seriously? With their reputation for poor quality, you'd cheap out on jack stands and then go wriggling under a car on them?

Harbor Freight is cheap. Don't you be.
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I don't use their light weight stands but the 6 ton held my one ton stretch wrecker while we change the rear end. It isn't just Harbor Freight because most of the jack stands are China made now.
 
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