How to get under the car?

Blitzkrieger

I need to rust-proof the bottom of my car but I can't figure out how to do it. I can probably park it in a reasonably level driveway for a few days and put it up on axle stands. I'd have to find some bricks to put under it too as back-up. The problem is the sheer size of the car - it's 78.6 inches wide with 235mm tyres. I'd barely have room to get around the car!

Does anybody know of a trick that I'm missing to quickly and easily get under the car? Failing that, does anyone have a space with a pit or something they want to rent for a few days near cork city?

corktina

get it high...get it safe....take off the wheels ...get a crawling board on wheels...

hi5

Get yourself a pair of heavy duty axel stands for commercials,take the wheels off one side,jack it as high as you safely can on that side,do that side first then do the other,this allows more light in aswell.

mustang68

Get axel stands, don't use those metal ramps, also don't use bricks, they sometimes crack if they get a good hit in the middle. Use wood near the car.

TigerTim

Slightly off thread but why not use those wheel ramps. I was thinking of buying a pair. Depends what you are doing under the car but I thought it might be safer/more steady than axle stands.

T.

RobAMerc

Are you by any chance near Dublin Airport?

Theres a Kia (I think) dealer on the Old Airport rd on Santry side of Quickpark that has a stand for showing off cars with nothing to stop you driving onto it - A few eves I have seen guys doing oil changes on their cars there.

hth

Blitzkrieger

Na - Cork. Something like that would be handy but I am concerned about the width. Shouldn't be much of an issue....I hope.

I have a set of axle stands rated at 2 tonnes. The car weighs 1.3. The trouble is I've heard so many stories of axle stands collapsing. I'd also be worried about leaving the patch underneath the axle stand un-treated.

Maybe I should see if my local garage will rent their lift for a day....

mustang68

TigerTim wrote:

Slightly off thread but why not use those wheel ramps. I was thinking of buying a pair. Depends what you are doing under the car but I thought it might be safer/more steady than axle stands.

I'd be happier with axel stands than the ramps, I've had my car on those before a few times. The first problem is getting the car up, you can only do the front or back, so you take a run at it and hope you have it all lined up right and when you do that you stop before you go over end!!

I was also under my car once happy that it was being held up by the ramps and I hit something on the gearbox taking the car out of park, the car starts to roll off the ramps, the handbreak didn't hold and the chocks were pushed out of the way....My friend grabbed the car and held it off me and I slid out, with a bump on my head from the oil sump :eek:

folkswagen

check out www.liqui-technik.com

It is a vehicle tilter. Anyone in the classic restoration business would normally have one;) Maybe you could check with your local businesses and see if they have one. It is very safe and makes access to do the job you mention very easy:) Let us know how you get it done in the end:)

deckie27

folkswagen wrote:

check out www.liqui-technik.com

It is a vehicle tilter. Anyone in the classic restoration business would normally have one;) Maybe you could check with your local businesses and see if they have one. It is very safe and makes access to do the job you mention very easy:) Let us know how you get it done in the end:)

That looks great

What sort of money would they be? Folkswagen

folkswagen

Hi Deckie,

just under €800 delivered with the three sets of plates (3-stud, 4-studs and 5-stud):)

Folkswagen:D

Blitzkrieger

lol - that's a funny looking yoke. I must google some more info on it but I don't think I could justify the expense.

folkswagen

of course not - for one job:) but you may get access to one somewhere.

Blitzkrieger

Couldn't find much on it but I did find some skeptics. One guy said that unless you drain the oil too it's probably going to leak out the dipstick. I suppose you'd have to check what side you tilt it to to avoid spilling out the fuel. Another guy wondered about putting the weight of the car on the hubs and said you'd better be sure the engine mounts are strong

TBH I could probably use one for projects in the future too but I've nowhere to store it. If I had somewhere to store it I'd probably build-in some sort of ramp/pit to allow me to get under the car anyway.

mustang68

Blitzkrieger wrote:

TBH I could probably use one for projects in the future too but I've nowhere to store it. If I had somewhere to store it I'd probably build-in some sort of ramp/pit to allow me to get under the car anyway.

On the site they said that when it was folded it would fit in your boot.

Blitzkrieger

It's not just that I'm really short on storage space though - some of the other comments had me worried. Realistically I think I'll be looking to rent some space and/or a lift to do the job.

There are some cool things out there for lifting cars though. These would be cool. There'd be no worrying about the car dropping on me - just about it rolling away. They have brakes though and I could put extra chocs on them. I don't think they'd give me the height I need though.

This would definitely give me the height I need, but all the cars featured are bare shells, so I'm not sure if it'd be suitable. Pricey too.

More googling required....

mustang68

Blitzkrieger wrote:

There are some cool things out there for lifting cars though. These would be cool. There'd be no worrying about the car dropping on me - just about it rolling away. They have brakes though and I could put extra chocs on them. I don't think they'd give me the height I need though.

This would definitely give me the height I need, but all the cars featured are bare shells, so I'm not sure if it'd be suitable. Pricey too.

The first trolleys are just designed to move a car around a garage easily, they would give you two inches at the most. The second one as far as I remember hooks onto the bumpers or frame and I think as you say they are for stripped down cars. Let us know what you search turns up, this is interesting

Blitzkrieger

WANT!

I'd still be concerned about the size of the ramp cos the car is more than 18ft long, but I'd surely get the wheels up on it. The extended lead up ramps are only 65 squids extra too - I'd need them for my other car. Pricey enough too though. You could be talking 1,300Stg including delivery and you'd have to paint/powder coat it yourself. You can take it apart for storage but again, I don't have the room.

Something like this could be a cheaper option (even though they don't give a price online) but again, I don't have the room.

folkswagen

They look very good, but, you still have to lie down to get under the car - not the nicest working position and they are bigger then a car to store.
I still say the best solution is the tilter which is smaller to store and makes the car extremely easy to work on

Blitzkrieger

Well you can dismantle it to store it away but some people just park on it. Keep in mind the car is longer than the ramp + the extension. If I had space to store it I could probably build some sort of frame to hold it and store other stuff in the gaps in the frame - it's actual volume isn't that big. It might be awkward to rust-proof it with that frame but it would be possible. Especially if I took the back wheels off and used that support jack that comes with it. I'd also be able to use it for other jobs. It would make brake work a lot easier.

TBH I think I'm going to end up doing this job with axle stands. I do know one guy who would probably let me use his lift, but I can't imagine getting the car to him down those narrow back roads without damaging the paint.

Abelloid

Take a spin up to the army surplus just outside Midleton (towards Trabolgan) good quality 8 and 20 tonne axle stands under €50 a pair, bottle and trolley jacks 6 - 8 tonne €25-€80.

What car is BTW? These stands have a decent reach and are sturdy.

I'm renting a garage with a pit but unfortunately it's got my bodyshell in there with no room for anything else at the moment..

Blitzkrieger

Might have a look in the army surpluss store next time I'm off. I already have 4 two tonne axle stands though...