Take a pause for safety

This is off topic, but worth 2 minutes of your time

http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27997

May he rest in peace.

I post this hoping you will think twice about the safety measures you use when crawling under a car. It only takes an instant.

Use quality stands
Try to rock the car off em before you get underneath, make sure it's solid
Use a secondary safety measure
Chock your tires

Last but not least, if you see that fart-can tuner neighbor of yours working on his car without proper stands, don't give the kid a lecture, give him a set of stands.

 

Shifty this should be the start of a great thread, you cannot let safety go unanswered. My Father was crushed when some of those round thin 3 legged pipe jackstands gave way. Luckily for him at the time my uncle saved his life, he suffered from bruised lungs and some broken ribs.

 

geez, I get under something almost everyday that is up on jackstands, I cannot remember the last time I REALLY checked to see if it was stable. I need to review my safety practices

 

Very sad indeed, to bad something like this has to happen before some wake up and notice how thier safety practices can fall by the waste side after some time has p***ed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends

 

That ****s..

I aways put the wheels under the car when doing a brake job, or whatever just to give a little help in case the car falls off the stands.

There would be one less Mexican dude in the world right now if my buddy and I didn't hear a car fall on him after the cinder blocks he had it on crumbled. Who wouldve thought 2 guys could pick up a half of a Maverick..

 

Very sad to hear. My condolences to his family.

Safety should always be part of anything you do, especially modifying a hotrod. I came to this hobby with kids and making sure the car was safe to drive and secure when working on it was the #1 rule.

LED taighlight repos are not "traditional" but gives me peace of mind driving at night.

got a Fire Extinguisher?

 

It's always terrible to hear things like this. Did you guys see his truck that fell on him? Crewcab dually. Sometimes, even with decent stands your rig might be too heavy. I don't know really, I've never owned a truck that big......slim

 

I always give a car a good shove or 2 to check for stability before I go under, you never know when that earthquake will hit.

 

My dad has taught me many of the things I know and tips and tricks about wrenching. The very first being that you should never crawl under a car if it isn´t secured properly. Thanks dad

 

I was 15 when I learned my lesson about jack stands. I was under a 65 T Bird and one of my buddy's unknowingly stepped on the jack release. Man when I saw that car getting closer to my face, my *** cheeks grew feet and literally walked me out from under that car !! Never again got under a car without them. Even now it still gives me the willies just thinking about it............

 

Even after I know that the car is secure on the stands I still work cautiously. Remember, cars arnt the only heavy things we work around. Their parts are also heavy. A friend of mine had his foot CRUSHED when a 350 chevy broke loose from the engine hoist where it was hanging. I've seen guys get under engines hanging by two 5/16" bolts through a length of chain. If it fell on your head there'd be nothing left just a grease spot. Be CAREFUL around ANY heavy object supported up off of the ground.

 

Sad news but a very good thread topic. My dad taught me very young that you always have at least two mechanisms holding the car up. Always give the car a good shake as well once it's up in the air. It's better to have the car fall from you shaking it than to fall once you're under it. You can get 6 ton jack stands from Harbor Freight for about $25 a pair on sale. That's cheap insurance and there isn't much that weighs even close to 6 tons in the hot rodding world.

To this day my dad always tells me a story about a well known mechanic who got killed when a car fell on him back in the 50s. My dad knew the guy and it had a lasting affect on him.

 

Very good thread.

Just because you have the safety equipment and use it, that's not enough. Take a minute every so often and inspect your equipment. Check jack stands for worn catches, bent legs, cracks. The same with your jack: cracks, fluid level, leaks etc.

Another thing about jacks. If the wheels will not roll properly when lifting the car, you are taking the chance of the jack pad sliding. Take a minute and oil all the pivots and casters.

 

I think one thing we forgot was securing the wheels also. Had a friend working on a ****** when it slipped gears and the suburban rolled over his shoulder and chest. Broke lots of bones and tore his ear off. Raising cars just puts a pit in my stomach everytime I have to get under one.

 

I believe in having a final backup near me as well as whatever stands are in use: my preferred one is a 12X12X36 timber I found--ain't nothing gonna break it, crush it, or roll it out of the way. I keep this or something else incapable of tipping or crushing near me under a solid part of car. My favorite way of elevating the car itself is not on jack stands but on other huge timbers placed under the tires, so car is sitting normally but up in the air. And pay attention to whatever is preventing car from rolling as well as falling--I have heard of people moving the shifter from below or removing the driveshaft on cars held in place only by the PARK sprag in the trans---splat. An easy, understandable, and fatal mistake...

 

PS--I have never found a real source for those 12X12 chunks truckers use as dunnage--mine all came from beside the road. If I didn't have a suitable chunk, I would build one from landscaping timbers to suit.

 

I would think that a local saw mill that cuts timbers would be able to cut one pretty easy. Thats a good tip. I like it and may look for such a timber. Thanks.

 

A previous post mentioned cinder blocks failing. I read a post like this someplace and a person mentioned that cinder blocks and bricks fail catastrophicly instead of slowly because when their compression limit is exceeded they just go. He said lumber does not do that because of the way it is made so lumber is safer and may give you that extra second to shimmy out of harm's way.

 

Fellow HAMBer's




READ THIS THREAD!!!!!




You have so much knowledge, I don't want to see it spilling across your shop floor.

I know you try to be carefull, and have TONS more experience than me, I think you should be more careful. And I know I'm a puss when it comes to taking chances. Just call me "Safety Sam"

I don't want to lose a buddy (or anyone!) to a lack of safety measures, that only take seconds, and can save a lifetime.

 

Glad to see positive response, thank you all for not flaming about a link to pro touring.

If it weren't for a 3 week old metal garage door, I would not be here either. 17 years ago my stupid teenage *** was working under BUMPER JACKS that gave way, and the car rocked into the garage door on the way down. Momentarily caught on the garage door's lip giving me one second escape time. I've never moved so fast before or since. If the ole man had bought an insulated door with a smooth inner face, I'd be dead. If it happened 3 weeks earlier with the old wood door, I'd be dead. The dangers are real.

BTTT for another Hamb'r to read

 

Cinder/Concrete block also does not fare well with point loads. Smack the side of the block and watch it crumble.

Wood cribbing works for firefighters to stabilize trucks and cars, its also an easy to move secondary support we can all use. I'll also use it like Bruce if the wheels don't need to come off. Its a simple solid base.

Now, really want the fear of God put into you? Try working on a sloped driveway. Two wheels on the ground... Good chocks, and secondary backups for everything. I need to move.

Alex.

 

i had a sawmill cut some 6x8's for me and i chainsawed them into 2' long pieces at home. when i'm under a car it's cribbed like housemovers do. if i have any more made i'll have them made 8x10 and about 30" long.

 

A local rodder here was killed a couple of years ago when he thought he was doing everything right. His 57 Chev was on solid stands in front, on the ground in the rear, with the 4 speed in gear so it couldn't roll on his garage floor. He was underneath trying to change #8 plug when the ratchet crossed the starter posts, spinning the engine for a second in gear, pushing the car off the stands onto him.
We all get complacent about this stuff, thinking we'll only be under there for a minute, and it could turn out to be forever. I hate working under cars, but I still do it, sometimes spending more time blocking than working.

 

I am truly sorry to hear of this family's misfortune. They have my prayers and sympathy.

 

I've always been told to leave the jack under the car. That way it's already there for someone to lift the car off of you in case something goes wrong. Sounds silly, but seconds count when you can't breathe.

 

Now, for the lecture. I just have to add my nickel, here.

I have been crawling under and into things and tight places for most of fifty years, and I have managed to keep from getting mashed, or broken - pure luck in the early years. As I got older, and more experienced, I developed a pretty good "pucker factor meter", and learned to listen to my "scaredy cat muse". I think the cribbing idea is the real ticket, and I have been using it for nearly as long as I can recall. Just remember, nothing is completely foolproof. I made cribbing blocks out of stud grade 2 x 4s, cut to 17-1/2 inches long, layed five wide, then crossed five wide, and nailed together. I had a stack of twenty of these things, and could just grab as many as needed for the task at hand and stack them as high as I needed. Individually, they were not too heavy to move around, and they were, for all intents and purposes, a solid wood block, when stacked. At the 17 inches square, I wouldn't go any higher than about twentyfour inches, though. Higher would need a wider base for good stability. They could be used for the primary support, but I used them as a secondary safety device; I would move them around to suit my needs, where they would protect my carc***, but not necessarily be in the way.

Please work safe.

 

I added this to the last discussion on here and, since it hasn't been suggested yet, I'll do it again. I keep my cell in my pocket in case I need to call for help after a friend got his leg pinned for a long time when I was in high-school. He was okay, but it occured to me that phones beat yelling anyday...

 

Also do not forget DUST MASKS when you grind , sand , clean up the shop, and weld.
Having Asthma I'm reminded every day about my lungs or lack of volume.

 

Making sure a car is supported correctly before getting under one is my first order of business. A local kid was killed a few years ago because the car he was under fell off a jack. I use the wood block cribbing, whenever possible. I also put a wheel chock behind any wheels still on the ground. I leave the jack in place and don't take wheels off unless necessary. I also try to rock the car before getting under it. Jack stands can shift and the car doesn't always sit just right on them, that's why I like the cribbing. I have 8 8X8X20 oak blocks I got from a local saw mill, and an ***ortment of 4X6's. They were real cheap. All these safety precautions may take a few extra minutes, but are worth it.
Red