Hi all,
Its my first question on this forum Having been viewing the contents for a few months however.
I wanted to paint my brake calipers on my car (in red).
For the I will need to jack up the car and take of the tyre.
I was wondering is it possible to leave the car on a jack overnight without any damage? the jack is just a standard one that came with the car.
Also this brake caliper paint is a two part paint whereupon you have to mix the paint and hardener. The paint apparently goes rock hard in 20 mins. Any suggestion as to how i can get all 4 calipers done?
Any comments appreciated
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Im sorry i seem to have put this post up a few times. Im sorry. Dont know what happened!!!
Sorry {duplicate entries deleted, and replies to those posts moved here. DD}
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I would never leave a car just on the jack, which is for emergency use only. Nip down to Halfords and buy a pair of BSI approved axles stands and still probably have change from fifteen notes.
As much as anything, a car on a jack is just *asking* to be pushed over by someone...
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I would recommend using axle stands as a back up.
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Re the paint, don't mix it all at once.
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If you mean the hydraulic kind, they do very slowly sink through internal fluid seepage, but I think over days not hours.
I echo what everyone else says. Never for so much as two seconds put your head under a car that is supported only on a jack. At the very least, shove the wheel you have just removed under the cill or lowest sturdy looking point.
Axle stands are fine if the ground is flat and secure - eg concrete. On a sloping road camber, or earth or grass, they are potentially lethal in their own right.
I have a stock of big baulks of timber offcuts - about 9" wide, 3" thick, and 18" long. I lift the car on a hydraulic jack, and then build a pile of blocks to a suitable height under the chassis and lower the jack until the pile of blocks is just nipped by the car's weight. That way there is a double back-up.
What you buy partly depends on how much maintenance you are likely to do over the next few years. A big trolley jack and some blocks of wood might be a better investment than some flimsy axle stands. They are always fiddly to adjust for different heights, and need a single very strong point under the car to take the pressure. Wooden blocks spread the load and have more widespread application.
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Also,if you are on tarmac,place a thick board under axle stands or they will sink in.
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Well, it might not do any damage to car or jack to leave it all night, but it ain't what the jack was designed for.
I'd guess that you are not going to take the calipers off the car, in which case, i'd recommend getting a pair of axle stands - from a safety point of view, even the cheapest axle stands are probably better than a jack
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chimp:
i agree with borasport.
keep the car on the jack and axle-stands for the minimum time you can get away with.
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Just in case it's not clear from the above, do NOT work on a car that is supported on the jack that came with the car. You might get squashed - and even if you jump out of the way, the calipers will need more than a splodge of red paint to make them OK again.
Get yourself some axle stands. Less than a tenner for the pair.
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Providing the jack is used on firm ground I can't see any problem.
Re the calipers, I presume you would do one at a time...:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Axle stands aren't very expensive. I'd do that. Check where the correct support points are -- they may not be at the jacking points or indeed the axles themselves.
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P.S. A solid block of wood between axle stand and car is a good idea.
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Amazing to think that in a parallel universe somewhere, this same question is probably being answered by completely different posters.......
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What car is it? The heavier the car, the more stress on the jacking points.
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>>What car is it?
I suspect that it's a Lexus. GS300. But somebody isn't prepared to admit to it.........
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It's axiomatic that you never get under a car which is on the jack. They are purely for temporary use while you change a wheel.
Don't be tempted to leave the car on axle stands outside overnight. My son did that and somebody stole them.
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Would it help to use quicker drying paint? There is a chap over in technical who is painting his calipers with Hammerite.
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the paint goes rock hard in 20mins why do you want to leave it overnight .... no point.. and use axle stands it just might save your life or your legs etc lift the car using the jack drop it onto the suitably placed stands and you can do two wheels at a time give it two hours to dry and you will do the job in a day ...easy...cheers...keo.
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Axle stands.
Every test that exists on car maintenance tells us not to rely on a jack to support a car whilst working underneath it.
I'v never had a jack give way on me, but I've never yet been hit by a bus, I do however keep out of their way just in case.....
.....and I'm still here.
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What's wrong ?.....Its not Cliff Pope by any chance.
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