I know a couple of folks had extensive posts on this, but alas, the archives are still down. Weather permitting, I will be doing an oil change soon. Got the balwin filter, 2 crush rings, and a lot of 20/50 castrol gtx. Now, how do I lift the car up at least a couple of feet? I will probably get a lift this summer, but want to do it the old fashioned way at least once - to see if a lift is worth it. At my disposal are 2 ramps, 2 seperate 3 ton lifts, and lots of jack supports. Can I lift one side of the car, put a ramp under the front wheel and a jack support in back, then do the same to the other side? Will this damage the tires/wheels? I believe some folks have removed the front bumper and lifted up the back by itself - is this adequate access? How much work is involved to take off the front bumper? I weigh a fair amount, and my buddies weight even more, so we need some space... In short, whats the best way to do this?
Maybe it is the UFI I have, I'm not sure. LFSC told me it was what I needed - it likely is the UFI... Any thoughts on lifting it?
For lifting, I do a side-to-side (and a little front-to-back) approach without any apparent problems, but if I'm going up a long way, I don't try to do it all at once -- e.g., 1. lift at the LH rear jack point (I use a 2"x2"x6" piece of wood placed in the u-channel jack point to give a flat surface that I can push on with my floor jack with its pad removed) so that the frame is maybe 12" off the ground at the LH rear and maybe 6~8" at the LH front, 2. add wooden cribbing/support at LH front and LH rear at appropriate points on the frame, 3. lift at the RH rear jack point so that the frame is ~18" off the ground at the RH rear and maybe ~12" off the ground at the RH front, 4. add wooden cribbing/support at RH front and RH rear at appropriate points on the frame, 5. go back to the LH rear and bring the LH rear frame up to ~18" to match the RH side -- add the cribbing/support, 6. go to either front jacking point and bring the front end up to match the rear (after owning a 308GTS it was amazing how much more rigid the TR chassis is -- it really sits very flat with only 3 supports -- but, of course, please use 4 for safety).
Thats about what I figured, and appreciate the input. I figure if I can get the front lifted and slide the ramps under it, that should steady it...then add jacks in back...
I made some 4-3/4" high ramps for the front and back wheels, that I drive my car onto before jacking it up. The front ramps are inclined and then have a long flat portion afterwards and just as the front wheels are going from the incline to the flat, the rear wheels start up their incline ramps. So there are 4 ramps total, 2 long ones for the front and 2 short ones for the rear. Getting the proper spacing between the front and rear ramps is critical. But this way I get the whole car up at once. I then use a floor jack and a sturdy piece of 4x6, and raise the whole front up at the main cross member and put jackstands in place. Then I raise the whole rear up, with the peice of wood under the transaxle/motor, and put jackstands in place. The wood must be wide and strong enough to distribute the load as evenly as possible. I have never had a problem doing it this way, and it's pretty fast too. I don't like the idea of see-sawing the car up from side to side. Some people have said I'm nuts for jacking under the motor/trans...but if the load is evenly distributed....I don't see what the problem is. If I'm nuts please let me know.....
Jeff, when the car was being put on a lift at LFSC they also jacked it up by the engine/trans to get clearance...seems ok to do. Has anyone had problems with this? Jeff, I believe you had extensive posts (which are gone now) on your car in the past. Didn't you do your own major? How long did it take you to get the motor out, and how feasible is it without a lift? I really hope the archives come back up...
I've had the motor out twice so far, getting easier all the time. The first time was slow, the second time took about a week just working as time allows. If I really go at it, I'm sure I can have the motor out in 2 days or less. A lift is nice, but not necessary. The first time I raised the whole car and lowered the engine/trans cradle out on a big transmission jack...but this was kinda scary. The second time I disconnected everything, and leaving just a few securing bolts in the frame, lowered the rear of the car back down so the rear tires were on the floor. I then put a floor jack under the front portion of the engine/trans. Then remove the last few bolts so the engine is totally free. Then jack the rear of the car up to the point where the engine can be rolled backwards out from under the body. The rear tires and the floor jack are like a big tricycle. This is without a doubt the safest and easiest way to do it at home, without a lift.
Jeff, how many hours do you figure it was to remove the engine? Are we talking 4-8 hours, or 24 hours plus? It just doesn't look like there is that much holding it in there... Did you do it by yourself, or with help? Oh, to have the archives up again...
I'll stop by, you grab one corner, I'll grab the other... I'd offer the 4-post lift in my Dad's garage, but it's full of Corvette at the moment and will be until April. If you wanted to try it out then to see if it's worth it, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem.
