Hi all. I am currently restoring a 69 firebird and want to get the car at ride height, but I do not have wheels and tires selected yet. I was hoping someone knew of jack stands that were short enough to put under axle and control arms to help simulate the wheels being in place. The reason for this is to adjust the coil overs to get the body sitting how I want with roughly the wheel size I am thinking. Then I can use a wheel tool to simulate wheel size and make sure no rubbing will happen before purchasing wheels and tires.
Short jack stands
- Thread starter stbljmpr
- Start date
Leaflessshadetree
Well-known member
Get some oak 2x4s and 4x4s (old pallets are usually easy to find and break down) and stack them into cribbing.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That's awfully short. I'd use wood blocks as well
Xcursion88
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2013
- Messages
- 785
Presure treated 6x6. Cut it to the length you want.
If you need 8"...
Get cinder blocks. You can gave jack stands for $1.49 each
One cinder block holds 1,700 pounds per square inch.
If you need 8"...
Get cinder blocks. You can gave jack stands for $1.49 each
One cinder block holds 1,700 pounds per square inch.
Xcursion88
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2013
- Messages
- 785
Too add...
Get creative. Any old steel wheels around? They'll hold it and around 6-7 inches wide
Lots of jack stand possibilities probably around you this very second
Get creative. Any old steel wheels around? They'll hold it and around 6-7 inches wide
Lots of jack stand possibilities probably around you this very second
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
You need cribbing. I keep a stack of 12-18” long pressure treated 4x4 outside my garage door for that and blocking tires etc.
Concrete blocks maybe.
Jawn
Well-known member
...and the slightest impact or uneven pressure causes them to shatter. I would not use cinder blocks for that.
I'd use some sort of timbers, or cribbing assembled from multiple pieces of wood. Chunks of old railroad ties, if they're still in decent shape.
Cinder blocks are generally considered verboten. Never use them. They are hollow and if they break they simply collapse. Just a stack of wood or a wooden block is similarly forbidden. If it splits it can collapse. Cribbing is the correct way. They hold up bridges and entire 10 story office buildings with that sort of support after the volume are damaged In an earthquake. Its strong and stable.
Xcursion88
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2013
- Messages
- 785
They don't shatter...they crumble...
But he's not beating on them... and one block must gave a 1700 pound per square inch rating.
Significantly more than one corner of late 60's Pontiac.
Moreover we've no idea what kind of floor he or she is working with. Concrete...ok...jack stands are obviously the #1 choice but height here is a problem and if the floor isn't good concrete that's problem #2 and creates a danger itself.
Lastly....either one will hood up a corner of a late 60's pontiac. We're talking approximately a 1.5 ton curb weight. 3,000 pounds. This car probably has around a 58/42 weight distribution. In other words that front will have approximately 870 pounds per front corner.
Either item is fine here in particular one 6x6 pressure treated piece (hell maybe he can get a railroad tie for nothing)...against the solid ground will be plenty up to the task of holding a measly 870 pounds. 6" is perfect for getting it close to simulated ride height with wheel and tire.
RR tie even closer to that perfect simulated ride height.
Now if the goal is trying to get this 24" off the ground sure...crib away...
But the goal is 6-8" from the ground. One solid piece of the above mentioned can support a corner of that car no worries whatsoever!
Xcursion88
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2013
- Messages
- 785
Cinder blocks hold up buildings too...just saying.
Midnight auto supply doesn't seem to have an issue with comcrete blocks.
Been using them in the ghettos for years.
Back to at hand issue. .
Are you going to crib wood out of .5x.5 so you can make a stand 6-8" high?
This isn't sitting 2 feet in the air or higher nor has a 5 ton or more curb weight.
Those front corners are around 900 pounds. That's it. A 6x6 pressure treated hunk of wood or railroad tie would against solid ground (no jack under the wood) would be perfect in this application.
Ok, I'll get on board with a single chunk of good quality dense wood against solid ground such that the wide part contacts the ground. In other words, an 18" 6x6 holding the car up 18" would be asking for an accident. But say two of them on the ground, and then one perpendicular to hold the car up 12" should be fine. But not a cinder block. If it breaks or cracks it will lose all it's strength and collapse. And the car is not going to spread the weight over the entire surface of the block, it's going to rest ant one or two small points, likely cracking it. People stealing tires only care that the car stays up long enough to get the tires off. A building is a different thing. I've also seen some atrociously bad quality cinder blocks. "Never use cinder blocks" is a thing.
Thank you guys. Considering I am looing at 13.4" to center of the hub in the rear and 12.8" in the front. And this is in my garage on solid cement and epoxy. And the car is essentially a shell with an engine. I think that wood will work just fine. Two 6X6 PT posts will give me 11" lift and I can use 2X8 or 2X10 on the sides to keep them attached. That should be close on the rear. And a 6X6 with some 2X6 on top will get me the front. Probably easier than trying to build something from metal or find a few jack stands.
Thank you for the advice. I didn't think of using wood pilings. I actually considered creating wood wheels from 3/4" ply, but thought that might be a little too risky.
Thank you for the advice. I didn't think of using wood pilings. I actually considered creating wood wheels from 3/4" ply, but thought that might be a little too risky.
The 4X4 guys deal with this issue a lot. There Two are two issues to be aware of. Tires compress a little because they are squishy, and springs compress. The amount of compression is of course proportional to the weight so if you adjust the height when its supported by a ridged block of wood, and while its a significantly different weight like if it has the engine out, then its not goin to come out right. The weight is the easy part. Weigh all the parts that are going to be supported by the suspension, then add that much weight. (Bricks, rocks, jugs of water, whatever works). The tire is going to be a bit trickier. I'd bolt it to another vehicle if I could, and measure how far it compresses the weight the corner of the one your working on. The ratio of the weights is the ratio of the amount it compresses. If you can't bolt it up to another vehicle, you could measure a similar tire. Personally, I'd wait to get everything in before adjusting the ride height because I'm 100% sure I'd screws it up and have to redo it.
If all your doing is simulating ride hight to select tires which may well be all that you care about at this point then it's a bit easier. But I suggest being very carefully. Measure twice cut (or buy in this case) once and don't cut things too close. Because of the risk of buying the wrong tires, and presumably your going to be buying some pricey tires and maybe wherls, it might be worthwhile to find a friendly local tore store that will go the extra like for a good sale. Maybe you could talk said tire store into mounting up a set of junk tires on the wheels so you can test fit them before 100% committing. Like you buy the tired and wheels, then mount up some crappy ones from the pile they allways have, and test fit. Then if it doesn't work, you can get the right ones because you didn't mount them if not, it might even be worth finding a junk set on freecycle or Craig's list and paying for them and even paying for mounting of necessary. I just ee that if it were me, I know if screw this up and end up having a set of expensive tired that woken fit. Because that's just allways how it works out for me.
If all your doing is simulating ride hight to select tires which may well be all that you care about at this point then it's a bit easier. But I suggest being very carefully. Measure twice cut (or buy in this case) once and don't cut things too close. Because of the risk of buying the wrong tires, and presumably your going to be buying some pricey tires and maybe wherls, it might be worthwhile to find a friendly local tore store that will go the extra like for a good sale. Maybe you could talk said tire store into mounting up a set of junk tires on the wheels so you can test fit them before 100% committing. Like you buy the tired and wheels, then mount up some crappy ones from the pile they allways have, and test fit. Then if it doesn't work, you can get the right ones because you didn't mount them if not, it might even be worth finding a junk set on freecycle or Craig's list and paying for them and even paying for mounting of necessary. I just ee that if it were me, I know if screw this up and end up having a set of expensive tired that woken fit. Because that's just allways how it works out for me.
Supporting it on wood wheels, yes, but making a mockup might not be a bad idea. Cardboard might even work. But at that point, why not ho get a pair from Craig's list. Or like I said see if the tire shop will work with you and mount up some **** tires. Even if they make you pay for mounting. (They shouldn't, Les Schwab fixes flats for free, and when I brought in the replqcement for one or tore the sidewall on, the hey swapped it for free. I didn't even buy the tires there. That sort of old-school service is just a heir thing. If youbwere buying the tires from them they might well help. But they are expensive. Smaller independently owner shops might give you a better deal but still be willing to help And if you had a junk tires on the chosen wheel, it would eliminate not only all doubt but all concern about supporting the vehicle.
If you make a cardboard wheel, make sure you get a picture where you can't see the support and it looks like you have cardboard wheels on it. I suggest embelishint with a sharpie or some paint to make it a whitewall with q fancy rim. Lol
On a only slightly sarcastic note, have you seen the price of wood lately? Maybe supporting it on gold bricks would be cheaper.