Suspension Work on Jack Stands

[ZackR]

You would be amazed at the size of some of the things I've seen cribbed up on wood blocks in the industrial construction world. I wouldn't be scared of that setup at all. If you don't hear wood splintering as the load comes down on the block, it's fine. Seriously.

Before I removed the wheels I tried to shake the cruiser pretty hard and it didn't move.

I was mostly worried about the vehicle rolling forward since the frame slopes in that location, hence the deliberate wheel chock on the front side of the back tires.

 

[BILT4ME]

Retired fire captain shared horror stories of calls he rolled on where homeowners were crushed when jacks and jack stands failed. He told me that despite the cost he would only buy from USA manufacturers and only their products made here, not farmed out overseas. He said these manufacturers carried huge liability insurance policies and had a lot to lose if sued following a death--and that the products were better engineered with that in mind. Sounded about right.

Yes, safety is a great concern when deciding to get under a vehicle.

I had a friend that was always working on cars and was typically safety conscious. He slid under his Chevelle one day to just check something quick. His wife found him over two hours later, as he didn't place jack stands under the car and the hydraulic floor jack collapsed and placed the transmission pan squarely on his chest, so he couldn't breathe to yell for help.

It only takes seconds.

 

[reklund5]

I like these. Position them under the frame at the bumpers and they're plenty stable. 2500lb rating, so plenty for your average cruiser (assuming you use two per end)

Sumner Hi Fold A Jack Pipe Stand with Vee Head

Sumner Hi Fold A Jack Pipe Stand with Vee Head - 781300S

www.acmetools.com

 

[Broski]

I like these. Position them under the frame at the bumpers and they're plenty stable. 2500lb rating, so plenty for your average cruiser (assuming you use two per end)

Sumner Hi Fold A Jack Pipe Stand with Vee Head

Sumner Hi Fold A Jack Pipe Stand with Vee Head - 781300S

www.acmetools.com

Scary not even designed for automotive use.

 

[reklund5]

Scary not even designed for automotive use.

Correct, not originally for automotive use. Theyre designed for heavy industrial use and are adequately rated for the loads a vehicle places on them. NO reason to be scared at all.

Lots of guys in the racing world use them- esp on tube chassis vehicles that are far too tall for normal "automotive" jackstands.

I've used them to support all kinds of vehicles over the years and find them much more stable than regular wobbly automotive jack stands.

 

[florida95fzj]

Reporting back after getting the springs changed out.

The newer style Daytona 12 ton worked out well as expected. I was at 4-5 teeth up and I'll take a measurement when I finish this job tomorrow and edit this post.

I did come across the Sunex pin only style for $225 up to 30" height and $281 for up to 46", but with a minimum of height of 28.1". Mentioning this for anyone wanting to avoid ratcheting stands but are on a China budget. Given that the HF was $150, I may have opted for the medium Sunex but I didn't want to wait around for delivery.

FWIW, I was able to remove the OEM rear springs with only disconnecting the sway bar. I did have to use a bottle jack since my method did not result in enough droop and I had no helper. One of the bump stops got in the way of removing the spring but I was replacing them anyway. I spent 4X more time screwing around trying to get the truck on jack stands on my uneven driveway than removing the springs.

I hate the rear sway bar bolts that are in the side of the frame. The first one broke after applying heat and Kroil. I got the other side loose with a ratchet and started to loosen and re-tighten them. I was re-spraying each time. They always got bound up after a few turns. So I said said F it and used the battery powered impact. Neither broke. I would usually never use a 1/2" impact on a 12mm bolt head but clearly don't have any skill in picking the right removal method.

I am waiting on the LCP bottom mount bracket and links but USPS is delayed. Hopefully one bolt will hold the driver's rear sway bar link for normal driving around the neighborhood.

 

[CharlieS]

I'd keep a close eye on it. I lost one bolt on my side mount rear swaybar brackets at an offroad park and figured no problem to drive it out and get some more hardware. Unfortunately, the movement in the bracket while driving worked the other bolt out too. Fortunately I caught it before it caused any real damage. I don't generally use red loctite for things like that, but I did that time.

 

[florida95fzj]

I'd keep a close eye on it. I lost one bolt on my side mount rear swaybar brackets at an offroad park and figured no problem to drive it out and get some more hardware. Unfortunately, the movement in the bracket while driving worked the other bolt out too. Fortunately I caught it before it caused any real damage. I don't generally use red loctite for things like that, but I did that time.

Thanks for letting me know. I imagine its under a lot of force. I may try to drill it out and tap it. It's not in a terrible place.