Opinions on Safety while Under the Car

[RC7]

I'm paranoid about working under the car. My 240Z is of course too low for me to get underneath. What I've got to do is remove the metal fuel lines from a parts car & put on my car.

I know about getting on a solid level surface, using jacks stands rather than floor jacks, etc. But my experience is that it's tough to get the floor jacks placed just right on an S30. I don't feel comfortable because I feel they are too close together for any jerking of parts or something. Is this how all of you work underneath your car?

Have any of you considered placing or stacking multiple squares of 2x6" wooden blocks under the corners of to help support the floor jacks?

[zbane]

I remember reading in a different thread this suggestion-

1. Get two sets of those car ramps

2. Jack up the front, put the ramps underneath, ramp part facing forward

3. Jack up the rear, put the ramps underneath, ramp part facing rearward

This way, the car will go nowhere, you'll have plenty of workspace and peace of mind.

[theianmonster]

I always jack up the car, put the jackstands on the solid suspension points, lower the car, then put the jack right under the diff. for extra safety.

[EScanlon]

As long as those ramps have the "bump" to stop the car from rolling off the end AND the car's tires have been chocked and/or the parking brake set.

[DatsunZsRule]

It's not that hard. If you have a Factory Manual, it shows the lifting points and where to place the jack stands. If your looking at jacking up the rear, the lifting point is the differential case. The front is in the middle of the crossmember. The hardest part is to get the floor jack to fit under the Z This requires using your head When I did my ball joints and tie rod ends this summer I had to first drive her up on the ramps and being that the Z is rear wheel drive and pushing from the rear, the front wheels wouldn't bite and would just push the ramps forward on my smooth garage floor. So I got thinking for a while what I could do and I noticed I had an old rubber garage mat laying in the garage so i cut it in half, put each ramp on top of the rubber mat to prevent the flippin ramps from sliding and Bingo the front wheels went right up on the ramps. Then I used the floor jack to get the front in the air and positioned the jack stands. Sometimes you just have to get creative to get the floor jack under there. My Z is slightly lowered too so that doesn't help

Best of luck man and be safe.

[sblake01]

My ramps have rubber pads on each corner which prevent them from sliding. Had them for years. Bought them at some cheap tool store when I was living in West Covina. But I rarely use them, I just put it on jack stands.