Car ramps

[BobE]

The photos below maybe of interest regarding car ramps - maybe not as good as a pit or a hoist but OK for oil changes etc. A simple DIY project using chipbord or MDF and involve no welding and are `safe`. I made mine from 18mm chipboard - wide enough for the wheels fitted to these cars and a gentle slope so you don`t need to remove the front or rear clam shells. The laminations have hidden lightening holes cut out with a jig saw to make them lighter. The rear ones are `full height`, (enough to get yourself under the car), and the front ones low enough to go under the sills.



You then carefully reverse up onto the four ramps - making very sure not to go over the rear `stop` which you need to screw to the back of the rear pair. Apply the hand brake......



Then using an hydraulic jack - or a pair preferably as I have - jack up the front of the car and insert a further pair of `blocks` which include forward facing `stops`..



Then lower the jacks and your car is secure and level.
To get the car down is a reversal of the procedure. Not a pretty solution but effective. I used mine today to do an oil and filter change. The oil filter was scarily loose - only finger and thumb to start unscrewing it... The new one was smeared with a film of oil and then tightened by 1/2 a turn from when the seal contacts the housing. I then took out the 2 fuses for the fuel pump and ignition and then turned the engine over in 15 - 20 second bursts to get the oil pressure light to go out before replacing the fuses and starting the car and checking for leaks. (This way you don`t start the engine without being sure the oil pump etc is primed). My car has a track day sump and took 8 litres of oil to bring it to the full mark.
The next job is a gearbox oil change - I presume the under tray has to be removed to do this - can some one advise where the drain and fill plugs are please!

[BobE]

Zoobeef said:

This is my project for my 2 weeks off! Good work.
Did you glue or screw it all together?

Cut them out of flooring chipboard with my circular saw - lightened then using my jigsaw which you don`t need to do if you like lifting heavy weights...The lightening holes are obviously on the parts of the `laminations` that are hidden when assembled. The laminations were screwed together - obviously starting from the second from bottom to the bottom one and then working `higher`. You can see from the photos that the number and differing lengths of the laminations are set to allow the car to go up the ramps without taking off the rear clam shell. The rear end stop is very important but if you have the door open and look at at the rear wheel as you reverse up them there`s no real danger of driving off the back...You can make the `top` slightly longer than I`ve done if you are a bit nervous so you`ve got more time to ensure you aren`t in any danger of touching the end stop. Note that the front blocks also have stops so the car is captive when the jacks are lowered.

Edited by BobE on Wednesday 21st March 22:44