Date:         Fri, 8 Sep 2006 09:03:44 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Dont do this at home ( I didnt)
Comments: To: Jens Jakob Andersen <jayjay@ZORCK.DK>
In-Reply-To:  <7.0.1.0.0.20060907221326.01bf0130@zorck.dk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

I would NEVER EVER put a van or other vehicle up on blocks like that.
Wooden blocks, yes; concrete blocks never!! Concrete blocks - or even
stone for that matter - are extremely brittle and therefore subject to
sudden failure, allowing a load to shift suddenly. Bad news.  And never
work under a vehicle on a car jack either.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Jens Jakob Andersen wrote:
> Dont do this at home (I didnt do it at home, it did it at family-in-law).
>
> Took the engine down on 2 wooden pallets.
>
> Realized that I had a problem,had to rise van high.
>
> So in with some slabs of concrete, build some plateaus for the jacks,
> and use 2 standard VW jacks to rise the van high.
>
> IT went well, pulled the engine+gearbox out.
>
> Then when I lowered the van, I lowered it too much in one side (5-10
> cm or so), and went to the other side.
>
> When I startede lowering there, it creaked and cracked, fell down in
> one side - we used the tractor to lower the car fully.
>
> The spindle in the jack that had held the weight had just snapped....
>
> Dont do this at home....
> http://www.zorck.dk/Caravelle/vwdont.jpg
>
>