Hello,

I have read plenty about jackpoints but is it safe to use a pair of plastic ramps that I bought at K-Mart to raise the front and jack stands for the rear? How about using the ramps to raise the right side only. I need to replace my exhaust system except the catalytic converter. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you in advance for all the help from all of you.

Hi -

For my exhaust work I drive the car onto ramps on both right side wheels.

Gives enough clearance for the job, and is soooo easy to do. Keep car in park, in first gear, and the E-brake pulled on.

Get some P'Blaster on the cat bolts and nuts 12-24 hours in advance. Use a lot.

The cat bolts can be either 1/2 inch or 13mm. If they are bolts, and not through-bolts and nuts, be ready for the bolts to shear off. Have replacements available. Got mine from ACE hardware.

Got a floor jack? Use it under the front muffler.

Undo the cat. Then the front muffler hanger rubber loops, and be sure that muffler is up on the floor jack. Then remover the LEFT back muffler hanger.
The right back muffler hanger is last. Then you can drag the entier system out from nuder the car in one pipece.

The idea for the jack under the front muffler is that (1) If the front muffler drops, the back muffler pivots and the tail pipe gets locked up under the bumper. Also, (2) the installation is a lot easier, too. Use AntiSieze on the cat bolts. Put a little ATF on the pins where the back muffler hangers fot on the car.

Good Luck, May your shade tree not leak.

Bob

:>)

Hi there,

Just as a safety precaution for the future--not necessarily today's concern -- but remember to keep your plastic ramps indoors when they are not in use.

I've seen many metal ramps being stored outside, under a tarp or whatnot since they are rather bulky, and for people such as myself where garage space is at a premium, this seems like an OK idea. The problem is many plastics lose their resiliency when exposed to UV radiation and/or extreme temperatures.

As someone who personally knows another home mechanic that one day found a 1900 pound Opel Kadett on his chest and lived to tell about it, this is extremely important to remember. And most Volvos weigh a *lot* more than an Opel Kadett!

Just a safety note-- hope it finds you well.

Fred

Both ways should be fine. Just use your common sense and do a wobble test before you crawl underneath. I like to have a stack of two wheels under each side of the car to give me some survival room "just in case", even if they are not apparent in this picture.



Erling.
--
My 240 Page

I agree with Erling about precautions. Redundancy is good, ie. a floorjack used as a secondary support, just to be there if the jackstands wiggle.

Something else to think about: installing the exhaust system with the axle hanging free isn't optimum. Best is the car set at ride height, all wheels supported, as if parked. This lets you set the pipes at the proper angles for best clearance.

Dear Al A.,

Good a.m. and may this find you well. Your points about clearance are well taken.

Therefore, should not the ramps be at the back end of the car, and the jack-stands up front?

Would not that arrangement - harder though it is to back onto ramps - keep the ground clearance in the rear just as it would be, if the car were on the ground (or on a lift)?

I presume, possibly wrongly, that the location of the front wheels is less important for exhaust pipe installation, than is the location of the rear wheels.

Thanks in advance for your comments,

Yours faithfully,

spook

Good point about ramps in the rear. Here's what I do: I've stopped driving up on my ramps all together -- I now only use them as "risers". I use my floor jack to lift the car (front or rear) then set the ramps under the wheels and lower the car on to the ramps.

Another advantage of this method is that if you have 4 ramps, you can use it to raise the entire car by putting ramps under all 4 wheels.

Hope it helps.

Jeff Pierce
--
'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow

Dear Jeff,

Good p.m. Using four ramps is inspired. Ramps are cheap. Absent new physics, four ramps won't collapse under the vehicle's weight.

A couple of jack stands can be placed as "back-up, just in case...

Have an enjoyable weekend!

Yours faithfully,

spook