[ComingApart]

Hey guys, need some suggestions...

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I'm forced to do alot of work on my current project sans shelter. So basically what I'm wanting to know is, what would be a good temporary ground covering I could put down in my back yard to put my car on so I can work on it. I tend to have a soggy backyard, so thats a concern. I want a surface solid enough I can jack the car up and rest it on jack stands safely.
I was thinking about just throwing down some sheets of plywood with some tiype of moisture barrier underneath and suffering with that, but I'm open to any suggestions you guys may have.

Keep in mind this is only temporary till I can get my shop space back, and the cheaper the better....

[S10Fan]

Please be careful working with jack stands on any thing other than concrete.

A lot of local track racers are used to pitting in a non-concrete area. Something commonly seen are jack stands with a 1/8-inch plate welded to the bottom of the stands for added support.

[ComingApart]

Already done, I started doing that years ago when all I had to work on was a gravel driveway.
Good suggestion though.

[poncho62]

Get a bunch of 24x24 patio stones and put them down.

[staircasesurfer]

thats what i was planning to do, i all ready got the stones

[OneMoreTime]

The mats that are used in horse stalls work well for an outside work area..best if the area is leveled.. Lay the mats down and they will support a floor jack..they are a heavy recycled tire material..

OMT

[jimfulco]

Use old wheel/tire assemblies to keep the car off you in case the primary support system fails. And NEVER trust a cinder block.

[staircasesurfer]

bad experence???

[jimfulco]

Yep. Worked a few hours under a '65 Ford on cinder blocks one day. The passenger-side block collapsed during the night. Things that make you go "Hmmm", etc.

[ChevelleSS_LS6]

Originally Posted by jimfulco

Yep. Worked a few hours under a '65 Ford on cinder blocks one day. The passenger-side block collapsed during the night. Things that make you go "Hmmm", etc.

there are likely a bunch of those cinder blocks (what is cinder anyway? is it concrete?) holding up your house, and mine too. Odd how they crumble under a car. but I've heard of it happeneing before.

[AhX]

the way they are laid out for home support creates most of the strength. remove one or 2 of those and your house would fall also.

[jimfulco]

Cinder = coal or other combustible, partially burnt, but not quite to the point of being ashes.

Mix it with cement like you would sand & gravel, pour it into a mold, and you get a cinder block, AKA a clinker block. Use sand & gravel and you get a concrete block, commonly referred to around here as a cement block.

[tm454]

my Dad needed jackstands and used cinder blocks and 2X4's to hold up a car he wanted to pull the rearend out of...out back by the big tree in the back yard he used his come-a-long as a crain in...I wouldn't go up under the car for anything!!!


Tazz


Rat Rods Rule!

[Hippie]

Originally Posted by jimfulco

Yep. Worked a few hours under a '65 Ford on cinder blocks one day. The passenger-side block collapsed during the night. Things that make you go "Hmmm", etc.

The blocks under one of my '63 Impalas collapsed just as I was pulling myself out from under the car. Fortunately the wheels and tires were on it and I just got a good smack on the legs. I grabbed the bumper and pulled as hard and fast as I could after hearing a "pop" and seeing dusting coming from one of them. I just got my body clear when down she came, the back bumper caught my knees but bounced back up. Bought the best jack stands I could afford off the Snap On truck the next day. Still have and use them 28 years later.

[Fast Orange]

Good safety equiptment always seems much cheaper after a close call,doesn't it?
lol,George