The second scariest thing that can happen when a car is on jackstands...

wheelspinLX · 12-14-2007

The first scariest is that the car falls off jackstands with you underneath. Second scariest is your rotating tires, and im still not sure how yet, but the jackstand slid forward until it was only supported by sheetmetal. This didn't happen fast either, it crept slowly which made it take even longer for me to notice. It scared me because I had two wheels off and the other two wheel's lugnuts were only a couple turns on. Luckily I got it supported in time with the hydraulic jack before it fell all the way off. Moral of the story is keep an eye on those damn things. Ive never had them so much as budge before today, but somehow it can happen.

Here are some pictures of how it looked after it happened and how it looked after I fixed the damage with a hammer and a block of wood. Thankfully pretty much good as new.
Sorry some are so blurry I didn't have a great camera.
Broke

Fixed

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greeen01civic4d · 12-14-2007

"fixed" hahah, that sucks man, thats why the lift points are there, but im sure u know that now, whenever i use jackstands i always use wooden blocks inbetween them and the car to provide a buffer, its much better, and does less damage

wheelspinLX · 12-14-2007

I knew the lift points were there and thats exactly where I put the jackstand. Somehow when I went to the back of the car with my hydraulic jack to lift the rear wheels just off the ground so i could rotate my tires, that jackstand slipped foward. The other side stayed put though. So I didn't put it on the un-reinforced part somehow it migrated there. Which is why I made this post because in the past those haven't budged and I didnt fathom they would, but apparently they can. So heads up everyone.

gearbox · 12-14-2007

yeah same happened to me when i had to go take a tire for flat repair. when i got back, omg there was a huge dent in the side frame. lucky the sideskirts i got later covered it up. but i was like wow what happened lol.

rice4lyfe · 12-15-2007

so what ur saying gear, is taht theres a flaw in your car?! lol thats crazy talk

I would bring that to a body shop to get it fixed asap, before rust n stuff starts to infest, rust to bare metal is like a moth to a flame

TRIZ · 12-15-2007

rust to bare metal is like a moth to a flame

ahaha..

speedfoos · 12-15-2007

Same thing has happened to me as well before. Now I just put my jacks on the subframe in front so there's less chance of them slipping. Good thing that fender sheet metal is so thin that you can take it off and get it back to pretty much the stock shape with ease.

greeen01civic4d · 12-15-2007

these are all good examples of why i use wood when i use jack stands, ive left mine on stands for over a week b4, and never had it move a bit

wheelspinLX · 12-15-2007

Yeah it was real easy to fix. I just pulled the screws and a clip from the fenderwell plastic then pulled that back away. Then i put a 2 by 4 on the busted spot and tap tapped away until i was sufficiently pleased that it was in the same position as before i fudged it up. It really only took 5 minutes or so to fix it up lol. I am just real glad it didnt fall all the way off.