Novice_MIG
New Member
- Messages
- 19
- Location
- London, UK
Hi all,
I would like to make some stands for my car. I have previously used blocks of wood to put my car up in the air for long periods of restoration. More accurately, I used blocks of railway sleeper (L)200mm x (W)200mm x (H)100mm - these were stacked 5-high, with each stack of blocks having a 10mm thick mild steel rod going through the centre, to ensure the blocks did not slip against each other. This setup allowed use of the factory jacking points, and gave 500mm of additional clearance.
I made up these stands, and they supported the car well for 3 months (axle stands were used for added insurance). This was a few years ago, and now that I need to carry out a similar job on another car, I see that the wood has become dry, warped and cracked - definitely not safe to use. So, now that I have a welder I would like to make something safer and longer lasting. As a welder I am a novice, but the designs I have in mind will not rely on any of my welds carrying the load, so I don't anticipate any major issues there. I believe this would be the safest design:
This uses 4 x 500mm lengths of box section (100mm x 100mm x 5mm wall) sandwiched between two 10mm thick mild steel plates (200mm x 200mm). Some issues with this design are very high weight and cost, and also I'm not sure exactly how/where I would weld the pieces together. Perhaps making the end plates 220mm x 220mm would then give me a lip to weld the box sections to.
My main concern is ensuring the design can support the car safely. The car weighs 1600kg, and this will be shared by 4 stands, but during jacking, the car's weight will be put onto two stands at a time. To feel safe, I would like each stand to have a capacity of at least 2000kg. It might be possible to reduce cost and weight by using box section with a 3mm wall.
Here's another example using mild steel tube and angle.
I'd appreciate any advice or tips on this project!
I would like to make some stands for my car. I have previously used blocks of wood to put my car up in the air for long periods of restoration. More accurately, I used blocks of railway sleeper (L)200mm x (W)200mm x (H)100mm - these were stacked 5-high, with each stack of blocks having a 10mm thick mild steel rod going through the centre, to ensure the blocks did not slip against each other. This setup allowed use of the factory jacking points, and gave 500mm of additional clearance.
I made up these stands, and they supported the car well for 3 months (axle stands were used for added insurance). This was a few years ago, and now that I need to carry out a similar job on another car, I see that the wood has become dry, warped and cracked - definitely not safe to use. So, now that I have a welder I would like to make something safer and longer lasting. As a welder I am a novice, but the designs I have in mind will not rely on any of my welds carrying the load, so I don't anticipate any major issues there. I believe this would be the safest design:
This uses 4 x 500mm lengths of box section (100mm x 100mm x 5mm wall) sandwiched between two 10mm thick mild steel plates (200mm x 200mm). Some issues with this design are very high weight and cost, and also I'm not sure exactly how/where I would weld the pieces together. Perhaps making the end plates 220mm x 220mm would then give me a lip to weld the box sections to.
My main concern is ensuring the design can support the car safely. The car weighs 1600kg, and this will be shared by 4 stands, but during jacking, the car's weight will be put onto two stands at a time. To feel safe, I would like each stand to have a capacity of at least 2000kg. It might be possible to reduce cost and weight by using box section with a 3mm wall.
Here's another example using mild steel tube and angle.
I'd appreciate any advice or tips on this project!