Cheap and easy to make car ramps

[jtbo]

No need for car lift and lot better than axle stands, well you can still use axle stands if you design these with good measurements:
http://corvettec3.ca/ramps.htm

http://www.srtforums.com/forums/f75/how ... ps-568285/

I'm definitively going to try building something to get car better up than with small jack and axle stands...

[jtbo]

To get better under the vario so that I could do something about belt adjustments, I was thinking about putting up these kind of stands (I did used part of MJ's 3d car model to give you better idea from scale):


Each of them is designed to have:
2 by 4 wood:
3 x 25cm (these could be perhaps bit longer too as they are bottom supports so they don't tilt sideways)
6 x 20cm
6 x 50cm

Bottom part is special in there that it has those longer support pieces, top and middle are same kind 2 x 50cm and 3 x 20cm pieces, which makes basic module, add more of those and you get more height, modules are not screwed together into each other, but that 2 x 50cm and 3 x 20cm are screwed together.

On top two pieces are better to make wedges which I think are just fine without screwed down.

I think that is most economical way to get car higher up than with axle stands.

Then I would still need to design pieces which I use under the jack, so that I can get it up, one layer at the time, adding up just single piece of 2 x 4 is perhaps not enough as it may become bit unstable, so maybe I need to make third set too, if I make five sets then I could get both front and rear up, but it will take quite many screws to do that, also quite bit of wood. I have tried to design such way that I could do everything with what I have around.

[jtbo]

After bit of building, I got similar setup as in rendered image made, not as perfect of course, but I got good amount of air under the car now. Making from modules was great as I could jack up what little jack is able to lift and then add new piece, lower the jack, put more pieces under the jack and again more pieces under the wheels, total lift was now around 30cm but I can do even more pieces easily and add to that, then I can also make pieces for front and get whole car up, which is really useful for some jobs.

It is possible to use those under axle stands too, so you can get wheels off while car is enough high for doing stuff under it.

Wood I had was actuall 5cm x 10cm, so I did use sledgehammer and nails to put them together, I always use sledgehammer instead of regular hammer, much easier to use

edit:
Here is pic from them:

[Chris_C]

Looks good dude, much stronger than the first ones you posted which to my mind look a snadge flimsy. I'm somewhat paranoid... but I don't really want to have to bench press the car off my chest one day

[jtbo]

Looks good dude, much stronger than the first ones you posted which to my mind look a snadge flimsy. I'm somewhat paranoid... but I don't really want to have to bench press the car off my chest one day

Also these are a lot easier to make, as you can see from photo of what I made, there is no straight cuts at all, maybe it is my tools, but even when I 'drive' directly within line I draw I get cuts that are very much wrong.

I use this kind of cutting tool, Magstorm brand though, cheap and flimsy, but even handsaws are not compatible with me


Anyway with this kind of building it really does not matter how wrong I manage to cut as Weight is on solid wood whole the time, only thing is that I can't drive on those, well, maybe I could if I make a ramp that is not steep at all, but it really does no matter either as it is easy to lift car up using jack, and it is very sturdy.
I did of course test it before going under, shaked really well from towing hook, only tires did flex

If car would fall over me it might be over a month before anyone notices, might be even longer, so I like to take some precautions with stuff like this, for example front wheels are blocked and also I put small stops over stands too, car is tilted bit towards uphill and there is icy downhill towards rear, if there is some worrying sounds etc, I need to jut grab from rear axle and slide to safety with almost 0 friction, it tends to make working under the car bit challenging, though

I wonder why those american drive whole car on top ramps did not have cross supports at all? Usually that kind of construction requires cross beams between two vertical support to make it solid construction. Engineering stuff needs triangles or direct supporting structure.

[Chris_C]

That was my worry, no triangles. Then I realised they were American, and Corvette owners