landar Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 This may be slightly off-topic...or not. I love to work on my LS400 and dont mind buying specialty tools to do my own work. One of the most frustrating aspects (for me anyway) is crawling around on the cold garage floor, trying to position the hydraulic floor jack, get the jack stands positioned and making sure the heigth is not too low, too high and most importantly, stable and safe. I have been wondering how many of you DIYer's use this method? Or do you use ramps? How about a nice home garage lift? I envy those garage mechanics who can put the vehicle on a lift and work on the brakes w/o bending down. Would be easy on my arthritic knees too! I think I could convince the frau to allow me to spend some $$ on a nice lift if one is available. Sure would be nice.
JIBBBY Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 Those ramps are a bit dangerous...Over shoot or a slip can happen... I use the jack stands and a slide board with wheels... That usually gives me enough room to do just about anything under the car... Of course a hydraulic all wheel car lift would be the best choice, but that is not exactly cost effective or practical in a private garage...
1990LS400 Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 I use a professional grade hydraulic floor jack and four heavy duty jack stands. I don't spend much time crawling around on the floor. It pays to buy a high quality, high range floor jack - skip the ones at the discount stores. A high quality floor jack may cost more but it will last a lifetime.
wwest Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 Good high quality floor jack and heavy duty jackstands....
JIBBBY Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 I never rely on just the hydraulic jack to hold up the car. You got to use those jack stands too....
JIBBBY Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 I never rely on just the hydraulic jack to hold up the car. You got to use those jack stands too....
eatingupblacktop Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 Been meaning to build a set of ramps similar to what a friend uses. He's a diesel mechanic who works on highway coaches (MCI, Prevost etc). His ramps are made of .75" plywood glued together in layers, bolted (recessed) and stepped very gradually at one end for easy access. They are quite large, as they're designed for large vehicles. I would scale them down of course. Very stable, cheap, cannot collapse, but they have to use a spotter. In the garage I would just set marks on the floor to line up with.
92silverls400 Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 now a days, you can check the internet for a garage lift, cost about $2 to $3K for one. if you buy a garage lift, make sure you can lift from the frame otherwise, you will just have extra parking for another car underneath.
wwest Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 Been meaning to build a set of ramps similar to what a friend uses. He's a diesel mechanic who works on highway coaches (MCI, Prevost etc). His ramps are made of .75" plywood glued together in layers, bolted (recessed) and stepped very gradually at one end for easy access. They are quite large, as they're designed for large vehicles. I would scale them down of course. Very stable, cheap, cannot collapse, but they have to use a spotter. In the garage I would just set marks on the floor to line up with. Keeping ramps at a "set" position on my garage floor as I drive the car on has often proved to be problematic.
djspawn00 Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 A good jack, heavy duty stands... and cardboard, the floor liner of champions... even though I have to do all of my work outdoors since my garage is currently full of appliances and cabinets right now.
eatingupblacktop Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 Been meaning to build a set of ramps similar to what a friend uses. He's a diesel mechanic who works on highway coaches (MCI, Prevost etc). His ramps are made of .75" plywood glued together in layers, bolted (recessed) and stepped very gradually at one end for easy access. They are quite large, as they're designed for large vehicles. I would scale them down of course. Very stable, cheap, cannot collapse, but they have to use a spotter. In the garage I would just set marks on the floor to line up with. Keeping ramps at a "set" position on my garage floor as I drive the car on has often proved to be problematic. Putting some rubber matting under the ramps usually solves the problem. Also making sure the slope is gradual helps.
JIBBBY Posted February 17, 2008 Posted February 17, 2008 now a days, you can check the internet for a garage lift, cost about $2 to $3K for one. if you buy a garage lift, make sure you can lift from the frame otherwise, you will just have extra parking for another car underneath. That sounds nice.....
Ridgerez Posted February 18, 2008 Posted February 18, 2008 Safety, safety, safety. I hope those of you with air suspensions deactivate them before jacking. The safety button is in the trunk, on the driver's side.
JIBBBY Posted February 18, 2008 Posted February 18, 2008 Lazy, lazy, lazy....Jack only, work fast and get out in a hurry....Forget about the ramps, stands, lifts, etc.. A waste of time and money and is overrated.... (just kidding)
eatingupblacktop Posted February 18, 2008 Posted February 18, 2008 Jack be nimble Jack be quick Jack get tired Pretty quick! OK, I'll stop now. Must have been what I ate for breakfast.....I'm better now.
JIBBBY Posted February 18, 2008 Posted February 18, 2008 Jack be lazy Jack be quick Jack got stuck and pinned under the ...
hughes369 Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 I use an Autolifters 4-post lift with a 6000 pound capacity and runs on 110V. I highly recommend another brand though, this company is now out of business. The lift cost me 2795.00 plus 99.00 per jack bridge (i got 2 of those) and 250.00 for the phenolic castor kit to roll it around the shop or outside. (1998 prices) This lift is ok, but the Bendpak lifts have better pulleys and thats the main drawback with autoliters lift. I am eventually going to buy a BendPak lift and keep the Autolifters lift for lighter cars. It picks up my LS400 1992 just fine, and allows me to park my other cars or motorcycle underneath it. I have a 10 foot ceiling in my shop, so i have no problem parking another car underneath, just have to be careful when i open and close the garage door which its opening is 8 feet high. I hate working on the floor and had a Z-car fall on me, luckily i had a safety stand under the car to save me. I bought the lift after that fiasco, and its been worth every penny. All you guys who really work on your cars will do it more if its a pleasure to do and not a chore. The lift makes the work not like work. All my friends want to come over and use it though. The money you save by not taking your car to a real mechanic can be put into the cost of buying a lift and fixing your ride yourself. It pays for itself, especially if you work on cars on the side. I work on Nissan Z's and anything Lexus or anything High End. The money will come if you are meticulous and honest. later, THE SNAKE
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