Gumby

Anyone done the IndyCar style built in 4 corner hydro jacks?

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (1)

IDK but that would be SWEET! jacking up my car is such a PITA!

Gumby

Amen brotha......

Would be to sweet to just hook up an air hose or even a manual foot pump to raise all 4 or just 2. But there has to be a budget mod. Little money spent long as you have the tools needed to fab and some spare metal around.

Seen a hotrod that only had 1 in the rear on TV.
Making it a tripod of sorts for quick changes in the rear.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

the only issue i see here is that indycars sit like 1 or makbe 2 inches off the ground so the jacks dont have to be very long. a stock f-body can sit like 7-8" off the ground. thats a hell of a jack not including the suspension drop. the piston would have to be like a foot and a half long! where would you keep that?

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

I'll agree that jacking up an F-body is a PAIN in the rear - but geez, I'm looking for ways to remove weight, not add another 100 lbs!!

My GTA w/ me in it just scaled at 3,730 lbs, which means that the car by itself is right at 3500. I don't think I'd use the 4-corner jacks often enough to make them worth it (for me).

Nice idea though!

maroon85

[quote=V8Rumble;3105729]I'm looking for ways to remove weight, not add another 100 lbs!!

I don't think I'd use the 4-corner jacks often enough to make them worth it [/quote]

turbochargedrs

its worth it if your switching tires often like street to strip or to show rims that you dont wanna mess up but you're really gunna want to pull some **** out first if your racing it on the track like use a fiberglass hood, take out the rear seats and maybe a make change hatch just for racing to keep the aerodynamics so you dont have a big hole creating drag and you could drop alot of wieght with a fully fieberglass panel to cover it. its all stuff you can put back on for the street. But thats really all that jacks you be needed for if you smoke em up like a 17 year old or have a few sets a rims and/or tires your rotating thats the only reason to have the jacks.

if you put them in the rear ones can always be install into the trunk under all of that plastic crap. good luck though

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (1)

changing tires wouldnt be the only use. In the past 2 months ive jacked my car up 10+ times. for changing out collector gaskets, plugs, tie rods, fuel tank, panhard rod, ball joints, and a few other things.

How much would a telescoping air piston weigh? you would have 4 at each corner so the load would be split across the 4 points. if the piston was 10" long and telescoped 3 times you would have PLENTY of room under the car. talk about an easy time setting your jack stand!

I know they cant weigh that much, even if they were twice as much as a indy cars they would be worth it to me.I know there is plenty of room up through the fram rails in the front by the battery and radiator and ther is tons of room back by the wheel wells under the plastics?

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

Not only does an f-body sit higher but it has more suspension travel. I’d bet that you needed something in the range of 5x or more the travel that the jacks used on indy cars need.

You wouldn’t want to mount them in front of the front or behind the back tires, you’d want them inside the tires since like most unibody cars there really isn’t enough structure to jack them by those areas without bending something.

Personally, I think this is a total waste of time. You couldn’t work under the car with them, even if you built them with enough travel, you’ll want to still put jack stands under the car if you’re going under it and jacks at 4 points are just about guaranteed to get in the way. Hell, if you need to get under the car just drive the front up on ramps, jack the back under the pumpkin and add some jack stands outboard on either side and it’s in the air in 2 minutes, if that. When I go to the track and swap tires I actually just pull it over the jack, jack the pumpkin, take both tires off with an impact gun, slap the drag tires back on, and I’m ready to go in 5min, 10 if it involves a few breaks to scratch my nutz…

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

http://www.hrpworld.com/AirJackSyste...action=product

still sound like a good idea?

i just made some tiny ramps that i drive up on to so i can get the jack under the front of the car. or if you have subframe connectors you can just jack on them

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (1)

Ouch! not for that price! that and they only extend 9.5". I found some telescoping air jacks used for heavy equipment, the stroke is good (14-16") but they are rated at 12 tons and they weigh 154lbs

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

They were good enough for speed racer. Cept he used them primarily for jumping over canyons and logs. I'd like to see someone drive 100mph and activate those suckers :P

Time to email myth busters.

WheelsUp84z

iTrader: (2)

telescoping piston

Gumby

One car I seen on drag racing just had a single in the back with a foot plate like homeplate size. Made the car a tripod.

my $99 HF pipe bender has enough throw, but it doesn't work upside down.
Cylinder alone is probably $40 from HF.

You would probably almost surly need some sort of blocks you can stick down for soft surfaces or to give more hight. Most cars raced drag or road corse have them travel limiters. Keeping the shock/springs what not in its best working range. Not good for it to etend like that?

N E ways I would probably try to have it so on hard level ground it would only lift it just enough to remove the tires. Use rubber replaceable tips. Anymore then that and you gotta grab you spacer blocks. They could be very neat themself, interlocking aluminum stackable disc. Also the end could unscrew some how them mini hydro jacks do. Just have a mini hight to get tire off then other option for more room.

though I am lucky as I can get up on car ramps ok but I can't use my real floor jack without using a mini jack to lift it some first.

here is some replys to other stuff posted

Weight, don't care. Different is better, money can buy more power if you need that.

Gumby

I just had a brain fart on this idea.

Thing with indy cars is they are just simple air cylinders that would be easy to fit and build. But they got super good constant air supplies that just by the volume and PSI or design the car must stay in the air; long as they got air.

I would want hydrolic that is also manual and lockable.
Try n tow that away sucker............

I did find a $40 8 ton jack with a 20" stroke but I still was thinking of indy cars and my brain wandered to the crafty front end desing some of them use. With the shock mounted horzional and using levers n pivots for the linkage. Making super tiny shocks act 4 times their size.

That is the sure fire fix to this stroke problem. Two regular cheap $10 8 ton bottle jacks could easily do the job with the right linkage n lever system.
Stroke and power can by upp'ed easy. That will also save space in a way, instead of trying to fit 4 monster long jacks in each corner.

But thats are far as my fart got me.

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (1)

I guess you would have to figure out if you wanted them to be safe enough to hold the car up indefinitely or just enough to throw jack stands under it. I would be more interested in an Air powered system that didn't require me to put out ANY work other than connecting the air line.

Gumby

They got some decent priced small ones that are both foot and air operated.

Gumby

Nother brain fart, gewizz. Why not just use some motor operated worm screws?

Could easily hide all that in the quarter pannels just behind the front wheels and in front of the back. Nice 4 corner jacking spot. Plenty of room in the quarters to stuff a motor n worm gear jack???

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (1)

Now your talking! running them off the cars battery would be great when your not near an air compressor! wonder that they can push? and how strong there cases are against lateral loading?

Gumby

Well that worn screw idea would be electric only, so you better have a good battery. Thing with tme is they can lift all ot and don't move. They won't unscrew or what not. No locking needed.

laiky

instead of adding weight and complexity to the car, why not just build a better jack with jacking points on the car. you could put a socket of sorts in the center of the crossmember and use an air/hydraulic jack on a long handle to quickly raise the car then put jack stands under it. You could also add sockets for the stands so you have defined points and slip free connection.

1991Camaroz28

anyone ever seen an rv with self leveling jacks. rv's are heavy and high up. jacks for those might just give you good clearance and definatly be able to support the car. still expensive though.

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

or just install subframe connectors. The best jacking point period.

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (1)

great idea. .....off to ebay to look for used ones
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finding a spot to jack the car up isnt the problem. its the actual jacking park that sucks yes yes I know we are lazy. but if I can jack my entire car up with the flick of a switch I would be in heaven!

Fastcamaro87

what about something like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=41487

maybe use a small air compressor, c02 tank, even a nitrous tank could probably be used. you could possibly build a system weighing around 75lbs with 2 jacks, even with 4 jacks and a c02 tank you could keep the weight down to around 120lbs.

Gumby

Yep, jacking sucks. Plus you can't get a real jack under these cars. A good floor jack just don't fit. And not them mini $20 thing they call "floor jacks".
Real garage floor jack has 30in of travel and will lift a house.

grover85

iTrader: (1)

I dont think you guys will get enough height out of it.
Here is a website with my bosses race car. That thing has almost no suspension traval and it doesnt even get that high.
www.airjax.com
We actully make theise in house. Nice prodoct but expensive.

laiky

The problem with ANY jack is that the car isn't safe to work under unless a stand is put in place first. Air or Hydraulic you still need a stand of some sort to be safe. This is a neet idea, but i stopped watching speed racer some time ago. I would rather have a lighter car and spend several hundred if not thousands of dollars elsewere. I still think you would be much better off spending your time and money developing a dedicated or just a better jack for low cars. It could be powered so you would save time, and a long handle with dedicated jacking points would also make it quicker.

Just my Opinion!