PLEASE be careful when working on your cars!!!

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

I just got this from a friend of mine (names deleted, but otherwise complete). He's an occasional poster here, so he may chime in. Just a reminder to always "think twice, act once" when in the garage. . .

I just got word that a friend of mine was crushed under a car he was
working on and passed away this last week. ****** was a VW bus
enthusiast, and we shared a storage space in Venice, California. I
have a fleet of Porsche's -- and he had a fleet of VW buses -- so we
swapped parts and tools. We even thought about dropping a 911 motor
in a VW bus one-day. I just spoke to his girlfriend, and apparently,
the VW bus he was working fell on him while he was underneath it --
crushing his chest.

In his last will, he wished that he be parted out so that others may
live.

Please: properly support your vehicle when you are working underneath
it -- and back it up. And remind others to do the same.

frogger · 10-22-2007, 06:32 AM

Good reminder. Make sure your cars are safely supported.

onewhippedpuppy · 10-22-2007, 06:34 AM

He requested that he be "parted out"?! I guess that's one way to put it.

notfarnow · 10-22-2007, 06:39 AM

About a year ago, I was working on my neighbor's '72 westy. I had the front up and was about to get underneath to work on the shift linkages. I got the van onto stands with the wheels off, and then walked to the front and gave it a hard shove to make sure it was solid.

I heard a "PING", and then it wobbled a bit. I crouched over, and pushed the van as I looked. On one of the stands, two legs would wiggle; the other two stayed in place. I turned around to get the jack, and the whole works came tumbing down.

Here are the pictures I took of the stands:

Now, look at how the horizontal bar is free from the legs of the stand:

A closer look at where the bar broke free. Look at that weld... do you think it had sufficient penetration?

These stands were 2, maybe three months old when they failed. It really scares the hell out of me... how many of us check the weld quality on our jack stands? I never did before, but I can promise you I sure as hell do now!

Be careful out there folks!

legion · 10-22-2007, 06:39 AM

I never get under a vehicle unless it is supported on jack stands or ramps, and any wheels still on the ground are chalked. I will make sure all jack stands are flat and not tipping, and I may even give the car a light push to see if it is unbalanced in any way. I absolutely never get under a car that is just supported by a jack.

frogger · 10-22-2007, 06:41 AM

I leave my floor jack in place nearly supporting the car while it's sitting on jack stands. I think it's a good back up plan.

rammstein · 10-22-2007, 06:47 AM

Back when I had a garage, I eventually got cinderblocks and lined them up an inch under the frame, just in case. I did this after I was under the car one night, and it dawned on me that the car is like 4 inches off the ground when its off the jack. I am at least 9 inches laying down, and thats a lot of compression. I guess I got scared. Rightly so.

Yeah, be careful. Stuff breaks.

onewhippedpuppy · 10-22-2007, 06:48 AM

I had a jack stand fail at the lower supporting bracing, the legs splayed outwards when it gave way. My floor jack was still in place, as I usually try to do, so there was no real scare. Still, if possible I always try to use ramps. I also utilize the wheels under the car trick, at least when there is space.

Aerkuld · Aerkuld's Garage

I think this is one of those things that happens more times than we realise. I have heard of a few instances recently, fortunately without the tragic ending. There was even someone on this board in the last few weeks who's hydraulic jack decided to blow it's seals out all of a sudden, I don't recall the exact situation but it does make you aware that it can happen. While you should never work under a car supported on a jack I'm sure we've all done it at some point "just for 30 seconds" when we were younger and immortal. I'm getting more and more cautious now and use extra stands to back up the main stands, just in case. Even just leaving the wheel and tire under the car you're working on would likely give you an additional level of protection in the event of a catastrophy. Please be careful fellow Pelicans, you can never be too safe.

Saying that, I like the idea of being "parted out''. It's good to see that someone can still put on a brave face during a difficult situation and that's a nice way to think of it from a car guy's point of view.

tcar · 10-22-2007, 07:06 AM

[QUOTE=rammstein;3545381]Back when I had a garage, I eventually got cinderblocks and lined them up an inch under the frame, just in case.
QUOTE]

NEVER, EVER USE CINDERBLOCKS!!!! EVER! They are NOT safe.

A sudden compression load on a cinderblock can easily cause it to shatter! Even a static load can cause them to break.

Seriously.

jmaxwell · 10-22-2007, 07:13 AM

One of the contributors on the 914 board had an experience with the types of jack stands shown above, where the jack stand released and collapsed while he was under the car, flattening his nose and other parts of his face. He didn't remember hitting the release or bumping the jack in any way, so how it released is a mystery. It was under the trailing arm, and luckily did not tip over, but just went down to the lowest position. The conclusion there was that while the quick release functionality is very handy, you should always use stands that have a safety pin in it as well.

rammstein · 10-22-2007, 07:23 AM

[QUOTE=tcar;3545421]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rammstein

Back when I had a garage, I eventually got cinderblocks and lined them up an inch under the frame, just in case.
QUOTE]

NEVER, EVER USE CINDERBLOCKS!!!! EVER! They are NOT safe.

A sudden compression load on a cinderblock can easily cause it to shatter! Even a static load can cause them to break.

Seriously.

Every day, I learn how badly I screw things up! Thanks for the advice- if I find mysef under a car ever again, I will do the jackstands, then floorjack, and then something else- maybe wheels like someone mentioned.

Superman · 10-22-2007, 07:29 AM

Besides using jackstands that appear to be in good shape and are rated for six tons each, I generally place something, a jack or a firewood (round) or two, under the car just in case.

David · David's Garage

I only use jackstands that are pinned, not the ratching lock type like Jake showed. And I always have at least one redundent stand.

Dottore · 10-22-2007, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notfarnow

Be careful out there folks!

Those stands look really crappy - it has to be said - with legs made of angle iron???

The incremental cost difference between stands that will just carry the weight of your car - and the best stands out there is really not that big - if you compare at Lordco - or wherever you buy these things.

Always get the very best.

masraum · 10-22-2007, 07:33 AM

Horrible news!

Hey, this wasn't Thom F, was it?

Jays72T · 10-22-2007, 07:37 AM

Years ago I was doing a clutch on a '75 02 and had the trans out. Thought I should clean and check something so I jacked it up, crawled underneth and the jack (cheapest one I found) twisted and rolled over. Car came down on me pretty fast. My head was in the tunnel so it didn't get crushed but the car bounced off my chest. Luckly the stock ride hight less the weight of the trans gave me room to get out. I always have a back up support now and make sure the car is stable.

john walker's workshop · 10-22-2007, 07:39 AM

when i was young and new to seattle, i vividly remember riding around on my bicycle one night and going over to check out what all the flashing red lights were all about, seems some poor guy was crushed under his '57 ford when the bumper jack slipped. both front wheels were off. i remember seeing a pile of red stuff under the car lit up by the rescue lights. rags maybe. i still remember the guy's name from the news story. 44 years ago. it certainly made an impression on me.

TSNAPCRACKLEPOP · TSNAPCRACKLEPOP's Garage

i have used firewood, and felt darned safe with it, so , recently, when the neighbor was building a deck, i went over and got the treated wood "trimmings". i cut them into approximately 10 inch lengths, and nailed them together, flat, forming a neat 10 inch block, nailed with big nails as each piece was added.. then i added a SCREW IN EYE, AND A SECTION OF BRIGHT YELLOW NYLON ROPE, TO PULL THEM OUT WHEN THE WORK IS DONE. in addition to the jack stands.

notfarnow · 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dottore

Those stands look really crappy - it has to be said - with legs made of angle iron???

The incremental cost difference between stands that will just carry the weight of your car - and the best stands out there is really not that big - if you compare at Lordco - or wherever you buy these things.

Always get the very best.

Agreed. These were a gift and I didn't pay much attention...

I had always gone by weight rating alone, and never paid much attention to design. These were rated for 2 tons, so I figured they were plenty strong enough for what I needed. Apparently I was wrong

If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see that the weld just popped loose... no penetration.

Here's the real SHOCKER: they were made in China.