Re: Jack/Rotate Tires/Wheel Chocks/Torque Wrench

["Ryan Hart" <ryanhart@ntr.net>]

>Anyway, I saw a 2 ton floor jack at Auto Palace (similar to Pep Boys) for
$20.
>Are these reliable?  Any other suggestions on a jack?  How about where to
>place it under the car (please be descriptive as I'm not fully familiar
with
>the underside of autos)?
>
I've got a couple-of-years-old-Sears-special jack, and it's just fine. Any
jack ain't so bad, as long as you don't use it as the primary
vehicle-holder-upper. Get some jackstands.
I've used both the stock jack points and various sturdy-looking parts of the
suspension for lifting. You should probably stick with the stock points if
you can get the jack to connect nicely.
>
>Should I chock the wheels or can I rely on the emergency brake and leaving
the
>car in gear especially if I'm only jacking up the car enough to get the
wheels
>off?
>
Use chocks whenever you can. Even if you don't need 'em 99% of the time,
won't you feel like a dumbass when your car comes crashing down on you that
other 1%.
>
>Which way to rotate the wheels?  Keep on same side of car, just swap left
>front with left rear, ditto on right side?  Cross?
>
You can cross-rotate your tires if they're bias-ply.
Which they aren't. I'll bet you my entire family's pancreases that they
aren't. So that means: Keep 'em on the same side! If they're aftermarket
tires, chances are pretty good that the tires are only meant to rotate in
one direction, as well. Look for arrows on the sidewalls.