I normally put boards under the jack stands when working on gravel or dirt...this time I cheated and look at this! It was up in the air for about 5 weeks...then we had a lot of rain and boom! Guess the good lord was watching out for me as it happened while I was at work. Thought I would share and save someone else the aggravation...or worse! :spank: - Bill ou: ou: ou:
Bill- I'm just really glad you weren't under it! :eek2: Some of life's lessons are easier to learn than others. I'd consider that one an easy one. You're lucky. Have a great Christmas!
One time,I was working on my 81 Regal that I used to have.I had it up on cheapie ramps and was working on the tranny in it.I had to get out from under it to get some tools, when it decided to crush the ramps and drift down the driveway into the trees.I was pissed but then thought that if I were under it I would no longer be here.Guess luck or GOD was on my side.Looks like someone was watching out for you too.Wow thats scary looking. Glad you are allright. Pat
Your picture and description say it all, no need for me to add any comment. Glad you are safe and able to relate this story. :TU:
NEVER use cinder blocks. NEVER go under any vehicle with just a jack. A good friend of mine lost his life because a floor jack failed.....left a wife and 3 young kids. I always use a back up when I am under any vehicle. Usually 6"x6" pieces stacked up to back up the jack stands.
A time long ago I was changing a rear wheel cylinder in a Plymouth the car was mounted on a cheap jack . I was sitting cross legged on the curb in front of my house tire off with my head between the backing plate and wheel well looking at the wheel cylinder bolts, the jack seal let go and the car slowly creeped down clamping my head in there. This stupid act of no jack stand nearly took my ear off, Some old lady called the fire rescue and they raised the car. I try to teach to my kids to work safely but they think I'm a spazz.
Many, MANY years ago, me and a friend were traveling out of state in a early 70's something pontiac bonnieville..... BIG car. One day the tranny took a crap. As luck would have it, the car died just a couple of blocks from a salvage yard. We bought a used T-400 tranny and changed trannys on the side of the road supporting the car with nothing more than the bumper jack! I re-connected the shift linkage, the last item of work under the car, and came out from under it. All that was left to do was re-install the front drivers side tire, top off the tranny fluid, and hit the road. Yep, you guessed it. At that exact moment, the car slipped off the jack and crashed to the ground. Talk about luck! We learned our lesson as the jack broke and we had to sit there for nearly two hours untill someone else with a working GM bumper jack came along, and was nice enough to loan it to us for 2 whole minutes to put the tire back on so we could hit the road.
Bill, Are talking about that storm that belw threw on the 23rd? Because my car almost got flooded. Get this...my idiot neighbor's :blast: BOYFREIND from MARYLAND shoved all their leaves from this fall INTO the storm drainage. My car was parked just infront of the drain. I had wade out into 6-7 inches of water to get the car. It started and I able to move it up the street a bit. People passing were splashing me as I was getting the cover off of the car to move it. OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH I was HOT!!!!!!!!!! :af: :af: :af: I took the cover off the storm drain....completely filled with leaves. MORONS!!! God...I'm still steamed :af: :af: :af:
Yep - that one! Whoa - that stinks! Some people are just out of touch...with their brains! And all those nice NoVA people driving by and you in that beautiful car. So many A**h*&*^$#$ around here are clueless - a nice car means nothing to them. Glad you were able to get to it in time! - Bill - Bill
I'm just assuming that the man in the picture is no longer with us. If the Gas tank didn't explode, or the truck didn't fall on him, he would have comitted suicide by some other means. Or perhaps a kind passer-bye saw his desire and shot him down. Tom
Im guess Im real dumb 4 months ago I was changing a fuel filter for someone on a 93 Iroc in a gravel drive I was using two floor jacks and had the car way up in the air trying to manuver the jacks into position. While I was letting one down to rest the axle on the other Jack One jack fell side ways Im halfway under the car it completely fell on me and Im laying on my side The flat part of the trunk area pins me to the ground Thank god a friend was there and instantly began to jack the car up and pull me out. I end up with a seperated AC in my left shoulder and 3 months of physical therapy 3 times a week. Im ok now but never will I do something that stupid again And I know Im running out of second chances. :Brow:
I always place the wheel that I take off of the car, underneath the car's chassis rail. So if the jack and jack stand will fail, the car will always rest on the wheel. Might be the difference between getting killed or just injured.... Here you see the wheel just laying next to the truck ou:
That's what I always do. Once I had one on 4 stands in my asphalt driveway....you guessed it...thankfully the tires were under the rocker panels and I was away from the car. I'd hate to think of how I'd have gotten the jack under the car to raise it back up if the tires weren't keeping it up just a little to get the floor jack in there. Ever since I ALWAYS use a couple 1/2" steel plates I had made up under the stands if I use them on asphalt. :bglasses:
My father taught me to put the tire under the car before I was old enough to drive. I always do that if I use a car's bumper or siccors jack, though have stopped doing it with a real floor jack and good jackstands.
ok here's another tip. Back when I was around 17 I had my first Buick '70 Skylark 4dr safely up on steel ramps in my dad's inclined driveway and I was messing around the the trans linkage. I had the linkage disconnected from the trans. Not thinking, I turned the gear selector shaft on the trans taking it out of park. Almost exactly as I did it I said, "oh crap" and scooted outta there. The car didn't move for at least a second but when it did it picked up speed fast. Luckily I was able to chase it down, get in and nail the brakes just as the rear tires touched the curb across the street. No damage and lesson learned. Use parking brake and or wheel chock ou:
