Swapping engines

[tcoradeschi]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

But since I don't have a lift yet I'll have to make do with four stout jack stands. With 3"-thick concrete pavers under them, I can get a full 24" of height. Claustrophobia sets in when the car's much lower than that, and besides, the creeper takes up 3". Without a lift, I'll be roughing it — just like the pioneers did with their Porsches!

I’ll suggest that you not use pavers under your jackstands. They are not structural and failure will likely be catastrophic.

Wood (two stacked 2x10s would get you that 3” you are looking for) is a much more robust solution.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by tcoradeschi

I’ll suggest that you not use pavers under your jackstands. They are not structural and failure will likely be catastrophic.

Wood (two stacked 2x10s would get you that 3” you are looking for) is a much more robust solution.

Thanks for chiming in, Tom. New concrete 12" x 12" x 3" pavers set on level concrete are unlikely to fail. I tried to break one in half to fit a space and gave up when the sledge hammer merely chipped it. And 2x10s alone wouldn't work, due to the jack stands' large footprint. Which is not to say a solid platform couldn't be constructed with them.

[Starter986]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

Thanks for chiming in, Tom. New concrete 12" x 12" x 3" pavers set on level concrete are unlikely to fail. I tried to break one in half to fit a space and gave up when the sledge hammer merely chipped it. And 2x10s alone wouldn't work, due to the jack stands' large footprint. Which is not to say a solid platform couldn't be constructed with them.

I sell 24"x24"x2" pavers all day long. Please... share with me where you're getting these 3" thick pavers.

Even then... I wouldn't be crawling under a car with 2" pavers. I wouldn"t be crawling, or relying on a car to be supported, with 3" pavers. What... no wood up there in Oregon?

I'm following your build... and don't want to be reading in some Oregon rag about some gal found crushed under her car.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

Thanks for chiming in, Tom. New concrete 12" x 12" x 3" pavers set on level concrete are unlikely to fail. I tried to break one in half to fit a space and gave up when the sledge hammer merely chipped it. And 2x10s alone wouldn't work, due to the jack stands' large footprint. Which is not to say a solid platform couldn't be constructed with them.

I strongly suggest you don't use concrete. Concrete may be strong, but it's very brittle. While your jack stands may SEEM to have a large footprint, the actual total contact point is very small, much less than a square inch.(Unless your jack stands actually have feet, which would make it safer, but I'd still caution against it.)

Flip one of those jacks over and you'll see that the contact points with the floor are just the edges. Those edges under the weight of the car are like a cold chisel hit by a hammer. Chances are that hey will split the pavers just like a chisel. If you tried that sledge you had mentioned with a cold chisel you'd see what I mean. The sledge hammer alone has a wider contact point than all 4 stands combined, so the impact was spread over a wider area.

Use wood. If a 2X10 is too small, cut four 20" pieces of 2X10, lay two side-by-side, then two more on top oriented 90 degrees the other way, and screw them all together. You'll have a 20X20X3 base for the jack stands that won't split on you.

[LoneWolfGal]

As it turns out, the paver question is moot. A friend offered to lend me four platforms he built out of unfinished 2x8s — two layers at 90 degrees to each other, fastened with screws. He said they're roughly 16" x 16" and 4" inches thick, so I'm gaining another inch.

That said, I'm touched by so many folks' concern for my wellbeing. I do appreciate it.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

As it turns out, the paver question is moot. A friend offered to lend me four platforms he built out of unfinished 2x8s — two layers at 90 degrees to each other, fastened with screws. He said they're roughly 16" x 16" and 4" inches thick, so I'm gaining another inch.

That said, I'm touched by so many folks' concern for my wellbeing. I do appreciate it.

Glad to hear!! Unless they're TRUE 2X8s, the total height of the platform would be about 3" - 3.5" That's because 2-bys are only 1.5 to 1.75 inches.

Still, better than concrete pavers!

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by piper6909

Glad to hear!! Unless they're TRUE 2X8s, the total height of the platform would be about 3" - 3.5" That's because 2-bys are only 1.5 to 1.75 inches.

Still, better than concrete pavers!

I haven't seen them yet, but he said they were unfinished 2x8s, thicker than finished ones.

[LoneWolfGal]

I have four sturdy jack stands like this one. They extend to 19.5". I prefer these to the ratchet type, which I've seen fail. I've never seen this type of jack stand fail.