Home garage ramps

[Eleven]

I need to buy a set of ramps for my car. I too old and fat to fit enough of me under the car (my modern) to get at the filter and oil drain hole easily. With all the plastic, I am terrified of using my floor jack. Went to the local parts store (more like toy store, bicycles and other non auto crap) to look at ramps and only found some pressed plastic pieces. No steel other than one pressed sheet metal one that I wouldn't put my lawn mower on. Does anyone know of a good strong brand of garage ramps?

Thanks!

 

[puff4]

I've got a set of heavy pressed steel ones I've had for *years* and I've never worried about them collapsing. The only issue has been that sometimes newer cars are a bit too low in the front to be able to go up on them.

As for using your floor jack, what about just jacking under the lower suspension arms? I usually do that, then put a jack stand under the jacking point on each side.

 

[Eleven]

I've got a set of heavy pressed steel ones I've had for *years* and I've never worried about them collapsing. The only issue has been that sometimes newer cars are a bit too low in the front to be able to go up on them.

As for using your floor jack, what about just jacking under the lower suspension arms? I usually do that, then put a jack stand under the jacking point on each side.

Any idea who made your ramps? Oh, post a photo of your Renown, been dying to see a photo of it!

Thanks!

 

[Chuck Ingram]

It is so easy to make your own.You just need some 2x10 and a few 2x4s
Make sure you brace on the angles and oppisite on the other side.You can make them relatively high and just make the ramp long enough so you can clear on the up angle.I made mine 46 years ago and they are still pretty good but are a little long in the tooth.Also I need to extend the ramp length
Be sure to paint well and get into the joints with lotsd of paint.Seals as well as help bind the joints

 

[puff4]

Any idea who made your ramps? Oh, post a photo of your Renown, been dying to see a photo of it!

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure I got them at Pep Boys about 30 years ago... don't have a pic of them, but they look like these...

And here's some similar ones from Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/Truck-Car-Ser..._3?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1238550252&sr=8-3

And here's the Renown with yours truly all dressed up....

.. and in a parade with the Sunbeam!

 

[Bill Blue]

I have some just like those, purchased in about the same time frame. Think they came from Sears. As to their strength, I had the front of a 1 ton Ford van with 460 engine on them. It is just possible they will hold an Alpine.

Bill

 

[Nickodell]

Kevin, congratulations! That is one beautiful Triumph Renown. One of the very few cars that the "razor edge" styling worked on. Incidentally, your car, if the number plate is the original, was first registered in Maidstone, Kent, in 1950.

They tried the same styling on a smaller car, the Mayflower - essentially a scaled-down, budget priced version of the Renown - and it looked like crap, awkward and out of scale:

I have the same wheel ramps, and mine came from Pep Boys too, about 20 years ago.

 

[tony perrett]

When the Renown was introduced it was known in UK as "the poor man's Rolls".

 

[puff4]

When the Renown was introduced it was known in UK as "the poor man's Rolls".

Indeed, and many of the components came from the same suppliers - the Wilton carpets, Connelly hides, Wilmot Breeden locks... even the ash trays are straight out of a Rolls/Bentley. However the engine and most of the drive-train are straight Triumph TR-2, so parts there are not hard to come by and very economical. I am fortunate in that my car has virtually no rust and the wood superframe is in great shape. All of the movable body panels are alloy (doors, boot, bonnet) whilst the rest are steel - very thick steel.

I purposely looked all over the UK for this particular model of car as I did want a luxury car but didn't want luxury prices, and I knew the Renown's well since an acquaintance of mine, Dick Langworth, owned one. And I must say, it was a good choice - it has been a wonderful car. It rides smoother than a Cadillac, and although performance is sedate and steering somewhat ponderous, it is a really an enjoyable car to drive. Once you get used to shifting the 3-speed gearbox with your left hand using a column shift, that is!

Interestingly, Dick also owned a lovely Mayflower... it was black and had tan wicker/rattan-covered side panels and a biscuit interior. I've never seen another like it. Oh, and he owned a fairly nice white Harrington Alpine, too.

 

[Eleven]

What a beauty and joy! Thanks for sharing the photos! (I looked at a set of steel ramps a bit ago. Looked like yours except no cross member..yikes!) Might have to buy them and weld a couple on. I'll check Sears.

 

[tony perrett]

Kevin, Would your friend be the Richard Langworth who wrote the book "Tiger, Alpine, Rapier"?

 

[sunbby]

I bought some RhinoRamps at a local AutoZone, they seem pretty good to me. I don't actually drive up on to them however, I usually jack up the car and then set it down on the ramps. It seems much more stable than jack stands that way. I like the big lip on the end and set each ramp pointing a different direction to lessen the possibility of the car rolling forward or backward.

Is there something wrong with non-steel ramps? If engineered correctly you could probably have ramps made of cardboard.

www.rhinoramps.com

 

[Bill Blue]

Most plastics degrade over time. Maybe after a few decades the material in your ramps might get brittle or something. Other than that, I think they are fine.

Bill

 

[puff4]

Kevin, Would your friend be the Richard Langworth who wrote the book "Tiger, Alpine, Rapier"?

Yes, though I haven't spoken to him since he moved from Hopewell, NJ to NH many years ago. He co-wrote that book, I believe.

 

[puff4]

(I looked at a set of steel ramps a bit ago. Looked like yours except no cross member..yikes!) Might have to buy them and weld a couple on. I'll check Sears.

No, check the link I supplied in my post... they have no cross-link and will work just fine as-is.

 

[Bill Blue]

Hey, check these out http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Service-Ramps-Capacity/dp/B000GHK2IM/ref=pd_sbs_auto_4
Removable ramp. That is a very nice feature as the ramps have a nasty habit of being in the way.

Bill

 

[Chuck Ingram]

I could not for any reason have ramps that are only 8.5 inches high.
My wooden ones are 14 inches high and at times I think they are a bit low.Mind you the higher the box the longer the ramp must be
I usually drive up the ramps and then jack up the back to equal height and then use jack stands.Because of the height I need to put a piece of plank for the rear wheels to come to rest on.It takes a small jack to lift the one side of the car high enough so the big floor jack will slide under the rear.
Mind you I do like the idea of a removable ramp.I think I see new ramps in my future

 

[Nickodell]

Don't forget the tree stump safety!

 

[Chuck Ingram]

Don't forget the tree stump safety!

I had one but it got the rot disease and just wasted away.

I use 3 ton jack stands.I shake the car vigorously before I will venture underneath.Even if I have the car on all 4 stands the ramps are under the sides just in case.

 

[Eleven]

Great ideas and thoughts guys! Many thanks! I was unsure about plastic (I have seen the Rhino Ramps), the ramps on ebay look interesting. I have been jacking the car but really hate lifting one corner as it torques the the whole unit. The cars are stiff and strong but it bothers me to do that.
Nick, when my Father in Law closed his business, I salvaged 6 12x12x15 old growth wood blocks. Between jack stands and those babies, the Space Shuttle could land on my garage and the car would still be up!!!