New Jack Stands (Made in the USof A no less)

Nicad

Nicad

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I could use many jack stands at this point. Three of my old cars need some work on the underside . I thought I would buy some new jackstands and came close to buying some Harbor Freight 6 ton ones when I went to Buffalo last month to pickup some E9 parts , but I balked at the store and thought I'd better keep looking for something from a more trustworthy supplier. While doing a little looking online I came across a tragic thread involving the death of a car enthusisast on Bimmerforums about a jack stand failure where they suspect the person somehow managed to knock the release handle while under the car.

I ended up buying these stands.

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I hope they serve me well and for a long time. When I look at my other stand (in the photo) I can see a couple of areas that it could fail. I do believe the pin style mechanism is superior when it comes to safety, but the welds on the lower reinforcements could crack and the jack stand would then collapse. The welds look pretty rusty. The Black ones are pretty heavy duty, but I have had them for twenty five years and never given them much thought. (I will weld an additional reinforcement on the perimeter and keep on for another twenty I hope.)


The new ones are made in the US and are very reasonably priced. They have a double tooth engagement and I cannot see the handle being dislodged while under load. I also think the design with the lower reinforcement being on the outside is far superior.

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They are rated at 6 tons per stand. The base is very wide. They only cost $67 for the pair plus shipping. My second choice would probably be the Torrin ones with the secondary locking pin or the US made Hein Warner's)

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Anyway, always a bit of a comfort buying a US made product when it comes to metal quality. For me the problem with the Harbor Freight style ones is when to decide that they should be replaced. I hope these last a long time. Will be putting the E9 up in the air for an indefinite period
 
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I also did not buy Harbor Freight stands - they are an ok supplier for a cheap one-use tool but not with my life on the line. I bought some Craftsman ones that aren't as nice as yours but seemed pretty solid. When I had my car up for a month when I did my clutch and tranny seals etc. I still would get the heebie-jeebies under there so I had blocks under the wheels as a backup in case something went wrong. Where did you get those?
 
Putting a new car up high is always tense for me. Anyway, the E9 is not too bad to jack up with a low floor jack. Positioning the stands is tricky on this pretty delicate body. (I put it up yesterday) The jackstands are quite stable due to their width, but I have decided that they have a flaw that leaves me not as enamoured. The thin sheet metal sides are really quite vulnerable to collapse if something big enough and heavy enough got away and smashed into one leg and it folded inward. there is not enough beef here. I'll keep this in mind. Might be welding some reinforcements on them. The paint is also low quality. My glowing initial review has gone down. Still glad they are made in NA.

I think the Esco ones are the way to go.
http://www.asedeals.com/flat-top-jack-stands.html
 
Yes very stressful - key is to take your time and do it incrementally side to side a couple inches at a time. And balanced height-wise front to back - if your doors don't open or shut easily there is some torque going on.

Nicad said:
Putting a new car up high is always tense for me. Anyway, the E9 is not too bad to jack up with a low floor jack. Positioning the stands is tricky on this pretty delicate body. (I put it up yesterday) The jackstands are quite stable due to their width, but I have decided that they have a flaw that leaves me not as enamoured. The thin sheet metal sides are really quite vulnerable to collapse if something big enough and heavy enough got away and smashed into one leg and it folded inward. there is not enough beef here. I'll keep this in mind. Might be welding some reinforcements on them. The paint is also low quality. My glowing initial review has gone down. Still glad they are made in NA.

I think the Esco ones are the way to go.
http://www.asedeals.com/flat-top-jack-stands.html
Click to expand...
 
Steve, I jacked the car up from the middle of the sub frames. Rear first about midway, then the front. I put the two front stands under the frame rails with some plywood acting as a pad and the rear stands are straddling the rockers and the rear suspension subframe with a wood Block. I cut a channel out of the wood where the sheet metal is folded at the base of the rocker. That's is all I could think of. I am going to take everything off underneath, so once the subframe is gone, Not sure exactly what the best way to support the body is. The doors are opening just a bit differently than normal at the moment.
 
Suggestion

When jacking the body for long term and maximum safety, try leveling the jack stands. A 2x4, 4' level, plywood, masonite, etc under the jack stands to get as close as practical to level on the frame dimensions so tweaking and racking of the body is minimized.

It's always good to see how level your floor is.

If you're doing structural work; do so with tires down on the ground unless you've got a reinforced rotissorie. Even the best alignment machines aren't used for Karmann bodies. The best body alignment is a machine called a Cellette. Same as for vintage Mercedes and Porsche.

Last but not least, the factory repair manual shows a harwood handy block that bridges the rockers with dimensions even. Make some up. On the rear, there is no better place that the reinforced trailing arm area to body.
 
Good points. I might be welding some of the rear seams , so I'll save this till the wheels are back on.
 
Whenever I jack up a car and have the wheels off I set the wheels flat under the car. Thinking if all goes badly at least there is a hopefully survivable crush space.
 
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