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So I don't have an 8 car garage with a professional lift. But I want to get underneath the front of my Spyder on occasion (like now when I want to install the GT4 lip I just got). What are some of you guys doing in this regard? I've considered using 2x10 lumber and making my own but would like to hear what some of you guys are doing in this regard.
My garage lip-onto-driveway provides just enough angle to use Rhino Ramps for the Boxster and/or my very-low-to-the-ground SP3 968. Favorable garage floor / driveway angle interface helps. Gotta disable the garage door to avoid any unfortunate incidents, but otherwise effective. If I'm really nervous, I have a spotter or use a big mirror to observe progress onto the ramps (don't want one to slip... #bad).
You need to have ramps that you can count on not moving as you climb. The spotter helps take the "scary" out of it.
For serious work, I'll take the time to lift the car properly onto jack stands (what a process, even with two good jacks). For even more serious work or for flat-out convenience, I'll stop by a friend that has a lift in his garage (bring beverage of choice). All depends how much "up" you need and how long you need it to stay there. For example, when I rebuilt all calipers and replaced brake lines on the SP3 car, it was worth taking the time to carefully put the car up on stands. Oil change... quick trip on the lift or back car onto the ramps.
I have ramps from harbor freight that come apart. I progressively jack up front side to side until the tire portion of the ramps fit under the wheels/tires. this would give you a lot of room to work on the front end. Don't forget to block the rear wheels.
Simple, light, portable, pretty bomb-proof. There is almost nothing that can't be done with this setup including the front lip I just replaced. Also works great for oil, brakes, etc. Cut the rubber mat into 4 pieces. Put a ramp wedged under each time, put rubber right under ramp. Even on my epoxy floor they stick. Drive up onto low pro ramps. Grab lift-bars, insert into place, jack up side one and put in stands under lift bars, jack up side two.
Takes me about 10-15 minutes tops for the whole operation, car is relatively high and level. Everything but the lift bars can be used on any other car/pretty much forever.
A jack and normal jack stands work fine. Jack up the right rear jack point and you can get a stand under the right front jack point. Then jack up the left rear jack point and you can get the second stand under the left front. Easy peasy.
I installed a BendPak mid-rise scissor lift into my garage floor. When not in use, it is flush to the floor. When I need it it raises 45" - enough for me to do minor maintenance and detailing. We saw cut the concrete, excavated about 16" down, rock, rebar, pinned it to he slab, poured concrete. Then we porcelain tiled the entire floor and dropped the lift ramps into the bay. We also bring a chase in the ground to go to my cabinets and all of the lift hydraulics go in the cabinet. You see nothing. Total cost was about $6K.
I used four 4" race ramps, with raised lips for the front wheels--and the ramps with no lips for the rear wheels, so they could fit under the rockers. The 4" lift was enough for lots of under car stuff, including oil changes.
Never got the Android upload to work, so finally got to my PC.
With a lowered car, ramps are too much of a pain. The yellow stands are just low enough to slide under the wheels when the car is jacked at the front or rear. Then once on stands, its much easier to position a jack in the factory lift points if I need to raise one corner or go higher and put it on jack stands.
Never got the Android upload to work, so finally got to my PC.
With a lowered car, ramps are too much of a pain. The yellow stands are just low enough to slide under the wheels when the car is jacked at the front or rear. Then once on stands, its much easier to position a jack in the factory lift points if I need to raise one corner or go higher and put it on jack stands.
So what is the sequence? Jack at rear jacking point high enough so you can slide a stand under the front jacking point? How then do you get a stand under the rear jack point if the floor jack is already there?
So what is the sequence? Jack at rear jacking point high enough so you can slide a stand under the front jacking point? How then do you get a stand under the rear jack point if the floor jack is already there?
Jack up right rear jack point, then put a jack stand under the right front jack point. Repeat on the left: now the front of the car is in the air.
Then in the back, you can jack under the wide suspension bars that run diagonally, inboard of the rear wheels right below where the aluminum suspension bracing is. This lets you get stands under the rear jack points.
Once I figured this method out it’s one of the easiest cars I’ve worked on to get up and level on four stands.
I drive the rear wheels on the rhino ramps, then lift the front left about 4" with the floor jack and put 2 pieces of 2x6 wood under the tire. Then raise the front right high enough to get the other ramp underneath, then back to the left and raise that to get the final ramp in place. This ensures a nice flat setup that I use for changing oil.
The same 2x6 wood can be used to drive the front wheels up on the ramps if you go fast enough, but a bit dicey, even with additional rubber under the ramps.
Jack up right rear jack point, then put a jack stand under the right front jack point. Repeat on the left: now the front of the car is in the air.
Then in the back, you can jack under the wide suspension bars that run diagonally, inboard of the rear wheels right below where the aluminum suspension bracing is. This lets you get stands under the rear jack points.
Once I figured this method out it’s one of the easiest cars I’ve worked on to get up and level on four stands.
Could you please point out the rear jack point in this picture?
02-07-2018, 06:03 PM
Ramp ideas and options...
But I want to get underneath the front of my Spyder on occasion (like now when I want to install the GT4 lip I just got). What are some of you guys doing in this regard? I've considered using 2x10 lumber and making my own but would like to hear what some of you guys are doing in this regard.
