From: whitney <whitneys@mindspring.com>
>Another option - which you may need even with ramps - is to remove the
>front wheels of your jack, as well as the swiveling contact plate - that
>will buy you an extra inch or more.
Of course, Stan knows this, but forgot to mention it: If you do this, you
can only use the jack with the handle parallel to the centerline of the car,
and only if the wheels on the other end of the car are free to roll.
The reason is that the wheels are designed to let the jack move to allow for
the arc which the saddle describes and the arc which the jacking point on
the car describes. If the jack cannot move to do this, the car must. If
this is not done, unhealthy tensions can develop on the tires which may
cause the car to snap it's position when you put the jackstands (you DO use
jackstands?) in and remove the jack. Or, if part of the car is already on
jackstands, an unwheeled floor jack could tip them. Ugly.
Thus a jack modified by removing the wheels is useful for only one type of
work.
Phil "jacking a lowered Europa is a real treat" Ethier
Saint Paul Minnesota USA
Lotus Europa, VW Quantum Syncro, Chev Suburban
LOON, TCVWC, MAC
pethier@isd.net http://www.visi.com/mac/
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