Hi, Miles,
If you bought a lift I'd be delighted to come over and borrow it, but
some observations:
Ramps work fine if you can drive the car up onto a pair of them (to,
say, change the oil). Not so fine if the car isn't running (12 years and
counting on my 78). Putting all 4 wheels up on ramps would be
interesting, plus what if you're working on the brakes? Ramps also take
up a lot of room under the car.
I use a floor jack and jack stands, removing the jack once the jack
stands are in place. They don't take up much room, are very safe, and
you can leave the car up on them while (in my case) all 4 wire wheels
are off getting bead blasted, and I slowly work my way from brake to brake.
With a floor jack, it might be a good idea to put a 2-foot piece of 2x4
crosswise on top of the jack, to spread the load out. And rather than
jacking under the side, just center the jack under the front
crossmember, or (without the 2x4) under the differential. Once one end
is up, insert two jackstands, lower down onto the stands, remove the
floor jack and take it to the other end.
A heavy-duty floor jack can get expensive, but thankfully (even
pre-rust) a Spridget doesn't weigh much. Harbor Freight's 2-ton $19
model will work fine, probably forever, and jack stands are about 20
bucks a pair. Beats the heck out of cranking for not much money.
Hope this helps.
Mike
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