dynamo

I have a walmart 3-ton floor jack, which does a decent job of lifting the car. However, since I work on the car in my garage, I have to use a 8" x 8" x 4" block of wood that I put on top of the jack plate, which allows me to lift the car about 4" - 5" higher.

Obviously this is not a very safe way to lift the car, and it also takes me several "stages" to get it lifted - I lift up the front, then rear, then use the block of wood to raise the front and then rear again. That is the only way I can raise it high enough to get enough room to work under the car.

So, I was wondering if anyone has a better way (or a better jack) to raise their car at home. All ideas & opinions are welcome, and if you have a ghetto-rigged method like mine (or better) post them up as well.

MilanoRed_EJ8

AT Wal-Mart they sell those ramps you can drive your car up on, and work on them underneath, assuming you dont neet to remove your tires..lol.

I use my regular jack along with this big ton p.o.s. 3 ton jack I got at pep-boys with jackstands. I'm looking to buy a heavy duty jack thats made specifically for lowered cars.

Slow EJ8

I was thinking about getting this 3 ton truck/SUV jack i saw at pep-boys (lol, the ricer superstore as my friend calls it ). Yes its over kill for a Civic but it seems to be the only thing I can find that will jack the car up from the front and rear enough to get jackstands under the side supports. This way I can put the whole car up and rotate the tires quickly as well as work under it while all 4 corners are up.

Theres prob better ways than my plan but I will see how it goes.

dynamo

Yeah I usually need to take off the wheels so the ramps won't work (I do have the ramps btw, they are great to change oil otherwise they are useless).

Can someone post up the link to a floor jack that is specific for lowered cars? Also, are there any jacks that go higher than the regular 3-ton jacks?

VRD^sam

michelin jack..jacks up your car like no other...

dynamo

How high does it go? Do you own one? Does it jack it up high enough so that you don't have to use a "spacer" like I am doing now? Ideally I would love to get it 2' or so off the floor.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

You should be a big baller & get this bad boy from AC Hydraulic (DK13HLQ). 3.1" low profile lifts up to 29.2". Costs aroung $400 (click here).







DK13HLQ (left) DK20Q (right)


Modified by 94eg! at 1:46 PM 11/18/2005

dynamo

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!! That is hardcore.

But $400 is a grip! Any other out there for a little less money?

AnToNy

Mine is the $200 aluminum low profile from Sears. Love it.

dynamo

Well a quick google search yielded this:

http://www.asedeals.com/hydraulicjacks2.html

$271 & free shipping for a DK20, or $298 for a DK20Q with a quick lift.

So, I guess I'll keep looking around for a bit, but this is pretty much what I was looking for.

Any others?

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

AC jacks are amazing quality. They are used all around the world, and are THE best non professional Jack available. I would definently recomend the DK20 or DK20Q to anybody looking for a standard size jack....

I got mine from asedeals.com, so they are good to go...

INTEGRA_boy

use your stock jack that it came with..works jsut fine

dynamo

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by INTEGRA_boy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">use your stock jack that it came with..works jsut fine</TD></TR></TABLE>

Works just fine if you're trying to lift the car from one side, and work under it without jackstands? Great idea noob, I'll be sure to try that!

Tyson

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...47246




dont get the cheaper ones, check the specs.

Slow EJ8

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://www.harborfreight.com/c...47246


dont get the cheaper ones, check the specs.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Does that jack up the front/rear of the car enough to get jackstands under the sides? I guess this would also depend on the size of the jackstands but how high does the car need to go in the front or back to get jackstands under it?

Tyson

very easily. on my 2 ton jack stands (cheap autozone/pep boys stuff), i can nearly max out the height on all 4 corners under the rockers. jack up the front at the crossmember, put the front jackstands in, then lift the rear at the tow hook and place the rear jackstands.

my racecar's ride height was set relatively low. was perfect for it. we changed tires like 4 times a day. my crewman thanked me after i got this.

RedEj8

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dynamo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Great idea noob, I'll be sure to try that! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Wow what a douche bag thing to say... U suck... Did u not see the???

transpar_nt

YES!! I made it into someone's sig

dynamo

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">very easily. on my 2 ton jack stands (cheap autozone/pep boys stuff), i can nearly max out the height on all 4 corners under the rockers. jack up the front at the crossmember, put the front jackstands in, then lift the rear at the tow hook and place the rear jackstands.</TD></TR></TABLE>

By crossmember are you referring to the same location the car is lifted at in the pictures above (i.e. the 8-looking metal piece near the front bumper)?

I use that spot to lift up in the front, and although my jack goes up pretty high (I will measure tonight, can't seem to find it online) I can hardly get more than 3 notches or so on my jackstands. That leaves very little room to work under the car, which is why I end up using the wooden "spacer" to jack it up some more. And, whenever I use the spacer to raise the car, I also have to use it to lower it since the jack won't reach without it.

I guess the jack you are referring to is good enough to swap tires, however, I recently rebuilt my suspension and brakes (front and rear), and I needed all the room under the car that I could get. I am now working on the tranny and it is a huge PITA to remove the linkage, exhaust, axles, etc without ample room under the car (ideally 2' or more). When the car is high enough I don't have a problem using air tools, etc., which obviously makes the whole process a lot faster and easier.

Tyson

i get it high enough i can drag my transmission out from underneath no problem.

dynamo

So what are the specs on your jack (i.e. max top-out height)? And, I recently pulled my tranny too but I was using a small tranny-stand-roller, and got the car high enough to just roll it out from underneath so it was very convinient. But, the wooden spacer was a must to get it up that high.

Tyson

the specs are on the link.

i use a sheet of cardboard to drag the tranny out.

sorry if this jack doesnt meet your requirements. its lightweight and portable and has suited all my needs at home and at the racetrack. i work on my car a lot, do a lot of stuff on suspension and underneath the engine bay (exhaust and tranny stuff).

i hope you find something suitable for yourself.

i dont feel like answering any more questions. good luck.