If you are using decent jack stands, using four of them positioned well
(toward the corners on the frame), and are doing it on a concrete floor,
very little this side of a 7.6 quake will take it off the stands.
Living here in Los Angeles, however, if I'm going to spend a good deal
of time under the car, I take one last precaution if the wheels are off
the car (dropping the car with no wheels on it could produce a severe
case of "pancakism").
Since the wheels are off the car anyway, just slide one of them under
the car with you. If the car does drop, it will drop no lower than the
width of the wheel/tire. While this probably would cause you some
scrapes and bruises, there is no way the Triumph will flatten its own
wheel and tire. If you wish to get very compulsive about this, just
slide each tire under the frame at its corresponding corner of the car,
or stack them two high--the car would not even touch you then.
If you only use two jack stands, this is considerably more risky,
especially if you do not block the wheels. The angle of the raised
frame members in relation to the vertical jack stands is far from
ideal. It clearly is possible to push a car off from two jack stands.
If you have any of the wheels off, I would not want to get under it
unless you had four jack stand placed well.
To support your car, you should not use any masonry products (bricks,
concrete blocks, etc.) as they can crack and bascially explode under the
weight of the car, nor should you use wood (unless you have some
reasonably new railroad ties--railroad ties are bulky, but as long as
they are reasonably new, they are very safe as they have such a wide
footprint, they are very hard to "tip the car off", are resilient, etc.)
A short piece of 4x4 to distribute the load probably is safe as long as
it is supported along its entire length (don't center a jackstand and
span frame members with it).
Never, never get under your car only supported by a jack, even if it is
a good floor jack.
Just buy a decent floor jack and use four jackstands. You can put a TR6
in the air and on four jack stands in minutes. Used wisely, jack stands
are very safe.
Instead of being overly concerned about the car dropping on you,
however, you should not be in the garage without dragging a small dry
fire extinguisher out there with you if you are using a torch, doing any
electrical work (i.e, the battery is still connected), using a welder, a
grinding wheel on a drill or air grinder, or you are working in
proximity of the fuel tank or lines, especially for any carberator work.
I have seen more than one car catch fire e.g.:
A backfire while adjusting double pumper Holleys--you would have to do
one to know what I am describing here--toasted a 70 Z-28
A loose fuel line bushing on a Fiat 124 Spider spewed gasoline until it
filled the valley between the DOHC covers (an electric fuel pump) where
it reached a dried out spark plug boot--burned it to the ground next to
a gas pump at a filling station. This had everybody's attention.
Old cars, old fuel lines, leaking gas, torches, frayed insulation on
wires, backfires, and 12 gallons of gasoline--now that gets a little
more scary than the jack-stand phobia.
shook
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