951Dreams

Oops

If you don't see it at first, keep looking. It'll hit you.

No, I wasn't under it (hence being able to post). And no, I don't want to talk about it.

And of COURSE here's my Jack....




FML

odonnell

Damn! Excuse to upgrade to some slotted rotors? and some jack stands are $20...

951Dreams

If that's all it is, I'll be lucky.

Till I figure out a way to get it OFF the floor, I don't know exactly what the two front jack stands may have done. I'm hoping they are just smooshed under the frame, and that they didn't get into any lines. One of the rear ones kicked sideways, but doesn't appear to be touching anything, the other is smooshed under the exhaust.

I didn't notice at the time (the pic was like 10 mins after it happened, and I just took them, closed the garage, and came inside. I'm done for today) but looking at the pic, I'm a little worried about my rear caliper. All the fluid coming from the front is from a plastic tub (I hope!) that I had under there catching assorted fluids as I took stuff off. Honestly, the only thing up front left with any fluid in it is the power steering.

Anyone have any idea what ELSE might be damaged now, aside from what the plastic tub and jackstands might have done? From memory, I can't think what might be lower than the frame.

At least I have a valid excuse to get a low profile, "real" floor jack. I've had that cheapie Wal-mart floor jack for like 15 years. It was too high and didn't have enough rise anyway. I just hadn't been able to justify dropping the cash for anything else, cause I could always make it work one way or another...

At this point, I'll take any silver lining I can find.....

odonnell

Silver lining...

Excuse for 951 caliper upgrade
Excuse for more tools/parts, in general.

mrgreenjeans

A silver lining may be:

not having to replace your hood, because when it dropped, that wooden pogo stick jumped a few times and stabbed the underside making a few dents upward you will be forced to stare at right in line with your steering wheel.......

Did the jack stands themselves split ? The welded tripod ones have been known to do that. The cheap foreign made crap one pays very little for down at your friendly Chinese/Mexican distributor of tools known as harbor fright.

~ killed a neighbor working on his pickup when the jack failed, dropped hard and split the stands, and came across his chest. He was in his 30s.

Making it a "gold lining" since you escaped with nary a bloody scrape...... you could have been near it or worse yet UNDER it

951Dreams

Nope, I think my hood escaped any damage. I'm using a baluster from a deck I build, it's pretty wide, and I THINK it's in a place that was safe. But now I'll have to check... why does that sound like a personal story?

Nope, no 3 legged killer stands here, only decent quality 4 leg stands with cross supports. I hate being under one with those even, but you gotta do what ya gotta do.

This was 199% self inflicted..... Let's just say.... 6,000 LBS of Suburban + very steep driveway + being in gear trying to troubleshoot reverse lights + unwisely trusting your parking brakes only + reaching in the dark only half thinking while trying to pop the hood + Brake release and hood release being inches from on another = Porsche flat on the ground.

Ran over my ONLY DD's driver side taillight housing as well. So now I have a Porsche on the ground, a DD without a taillight, and more pissed at myself then I know what to do with.

Also, my reverse lights still don't work!

Voith

Aways place wheels under car..

Tiger03447

Looks like it may be time for wooden blocks and cribbing. A little at a time. One end, then the other,then move forward to get the engine bay off the floor. A good new, low profile jack will help a lot here. Just noodling here, but if you can get an inner tube for a semi trailer, put it under the car wherever you can get it under, then inflate it, that may help some too. Talk to the guys at a local tire shop first..just a thought..gotta be faster than the cribbing and wooden block route.

Jay Wellwood

You are very lucky.

The car is replaceable...

mrgreenjeans

A tip on using an alternate hood 'prop rod':

Don't.

IF you need to keep those hood stays up before replacing them, there is a widjit available to buy at most mechanic's part or tool sources, like Snap-On, MAC Tools, etc. A small knurled screw type clip on which fits over the rod on the strut, affixed with a little furled red flag which drapes over the fender as a reminder before an attempted hood closing. I think mine is light alloy and made by MAC. I use it on all the cars I work on with hood struts whether they are weak or not, as a good breeze will sometimes drop a hood shut at the wrong time.

A small vise grip with a grease rag wrapped around 'offending' metal to metal contact points may work as well, but be careful of leaving a mark on the strut rod as it will tear the seals in the housing when the scratched rod now retracts, causing gas to escape. Or trying to close the hood with the grip still attached without the little flag to warn you.

I have seen damage done by others on their cars from using a broom handle, two - by, or some other rod. Sometimes on hands or head, but usually on a hood or fender. It can become a costly paint and dent removal moment in a nano-second.

Sorry about the suburban attack. Hope there wasn't a garage door involved as well ~

V2Rocket

I haven't used jack stands in 10 years.

I made my own wooden blocks out of 4x6 lumber. Cut into 12" sections, lay two parallel (4" side on the ground, 6" vertical) and stack two more perpendicular on top, so the corners are all flush... Secure with lumber bracket and nails.

You can even stack these assemblies to raise the car higher in 1' increments.

Cost about as much as jack stands, but I'd guess much, much stronger, not to mention a thousand times more stable.

carlege

so your jack and jack stand failed?

azbanks

If I am reading the story correctly, he released the parking brake on his suburban and it rolled down the driveway and into the garage, rear ending the 944 and knocking the 944 off the jack and stands.

That could be a tough one to explain to the insurance company.

jhowell371

Sorry about your luck :C Just tell your insurance man the truth. They know B.S. and appreciate honesty and will usually reward your honesty with a little more leeway in $ amounts allowed. When the tornado hit my house and garage the adjustor asked about the hood and windshield damage on my 944 and I told him it was old, just a new ding on the door when I could have easily lied. He compensated me very generously for the amount of damage done, tiny door ding and some leaves and a little water thru the open sunroof that came from the hole in the garage roof.

951Dreams

Unless there is major damage on the underside, I'm not going to report it to insurance. We'll see what I find when I get it off the floor. That will be a project for this week.