Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Removing wheels

I sometimes shove a spare wheel underneath too, then if anything goes wrong, the car wouldn't crush me completely.

I have used axle stands a few times to have a whole car in the air, I have a few tips..

Use a wooden block on your trolley jack to prevent damage to the car when jacking up and to provide a flat surface - the bigger the head on the trolley jack the better (professional ones are best and more easily controllable when releasing pressure).

I also use some gaffer tape on the axle stands to cushion the flat area that sits in direct contact with the underneath to reduce the risk of slippage. I do this under the axle stand base also if the surface is very smooth to provide more grip against the floor.

Go slowly, watch all the corners and you will be fine.

On a final note I usually jack the front end up first and do it corner by corner, then for the rear of most cars you can jack towards the centre of the main beam - this lifts the rear level and makes putting the last two stands in place much easier, if you jack each corner the car can move about a lot and if in a single garage its not ideal.
IF of course there is somewhere to jack centrally at the rear...

Support the car under the axle and front cross member (more or less in line with the centre of the front wheels) otherwise the car will sag (flex) and doors may be hard to open etc.

Just be sensible,and dont jump around in the car when on the stands. should be OK then.

Last time I did a 4 wheel lift I raised the front with jack on cross member centre. Lowered then to axle stands under the cross member/chassis junction.
Then used a jacking beam on the jack to raise the rear and axle stands on chassis/cross member point. I wanted the axle clear.
In that way the car was pretty stable due to a 3 point base during jacking.
I have 3 trolley jacks but NEVER use them as sole supports or do stupid balancing front and rear! It has to be axle stands or wheel ramps.
I would consider a scissor lift. They give good height but can obstruct access. Decent ones are over £1000 easily though.
I also have a creeper to lie on that makes moving under the car easier, provided the car is high enough.

Axle stands tend to have tripod bases. Make sure that the bases are not aligned. It is easier to topple if two bases at one end are in line. And when you lift the second end watch the two stands closely in case they rotate.
I made my wooden blocks to be safer than stands. Step 1 is up on the side of the blocks - one end at a time. Step 2 is on top of the blocks. This is totally stable. Then I remove wheels if necessary by jacking as normal and adding an axle stand if I need to go underneath. I can also use the blocks each end of the jacking beam for a lower lift.

There is an estate I know where the kids will do all of this for you using housebricks AND remove your wheels..

Why don't they just leave the car on the deck? I've always wondered about this.

Elf 'n Safety........
Safety means the twisted Elves don't end up in hospital thus reducing their earnings potential.
Mind you, a hospital provides opportunities too,

Nice thought