Dino Diaries - All Jacked Up For Christmas!

[Jason Edge]

I have very limited space in my 3 bay garage with the left and right bay used for storage and work tables, etc leaving the narrow center aisle for my 1964 Coupe de Ville Dino. Six years ago I bought a set of 56" 2 Piece Race Ramps as I was tired of the heavy cumbersome metal ones. I really like the fact the rear section removes giving you more side clearance. These "Race Ramps" are very strong, supporting 3,000 lb for the pair, but very light and easy to store. Below is a stock picture of them. You can buy them at the Race Ramps website at this link: Click Here  You will note they are cheap. 

Race Ramps also sells 8", 10" and 12" tire cribs. You may see them at the car shows. Some owners that detail the under carriage will use two on one side to tilt the car up and use mirrors, lights, etc to show off their ride's underside.   I passed on Tire Cribs 6 years ago but have enjoyed using the ramps pictured above. I have used them for both Escaladed, my wife's SRX then XT5 and the 64 and they hold up well.

So, I have been driving Dino a lot lately but it has turned cold with winter here, and wanted to really get under it to install some of that gold cadmium bling, and maybe address the rear engine seal with the mods we have talked about. After I drove the car up on the race ramps, unhooked the battery, I still did not have access to the rear section without a floor jack and jack stands so I bit the bullet and bought a set of the 8" race ramps as seen in the first pictures. I went with the 8", instead of the 10" or 12" because that is the height of the front ramps and it still gives me plenty of clearance to get under the car and do my thing with the crawler. So for at least the next several weeks Dino will be All Jacked Up and getting some attention from below. 

I see the members with the huge garages and lifts and I am of course envious, but this is at least a good solution to access the bottom of the car for those of us with limited room.

You can check out all that Race Ramps offers at www.raceramps.com. 
You can se the 8" Wheel Cribs I ordered by Clicking Here.

Check out the pictures below starting with the Tire Cribs that Dino just got for Christmas:

[Jason Edge]

Just a quick update on the Race Ramp Tire Cribs: I really liked them however the 8" lift meant I did not have much clearance on the crawler so I ordered Four 12" Tire Cribs. It takes a bit to get the car that high up there but worth the effort.  I have my car set on the 12" cribs and will get a picture and post later.

For me at least, the 8" tire cribs (coupled with the 8" front ramps) are fine if  you are laying flat on the garage floor on a blanket but even with the very shallow crawler it was too close for comfort for me.  

While scooting around underneath Dino I saw some expected todos (area's never really cleaned and sprayed), but then on the rear end I am getting some type of differential oil seepage. I am not sure if it is the pinion seal or where the differential bolts into the axle tube assembly. I am going to do some hard cleaning and try to see where it is leaking. It is  not pouring out but just a slight seepage to make things less than clean. I have all cadmium fasteners for the driveshaft and differential but would like to at least get things cleaned up.

This rear end us an optional Controlled (limited slip/posi) Differential equipped rear end and was installed back in 2004. Here is a picture of it going in: 

[Logan Robb]

I really like the idea of having cribs to get my car up to work on the bottom side as I don't have a lift. How would one go about getting their car that far off the ground safely?

[Jason Edge]

Getting the car up 8" was easy. I just drove up on the 8" race ramps on the front, the raised the entire rear at the differential with a floor jack and sliding the 8" cribs under.

When I decided I wanted it higher and bought the 12" cribs, I used a heavy 4"x4" block of wood under the rear end raising it an additional 4" and sliding the 12" cribs under. On the front I did the same went from one side to the other raising from under the lower control arm.

Doing a straight 12" lift is for most floor jacks is probably beyond their limit and you would probably have to do a 2 step approach. You could jack up and place wide thick wood under each tire and list the remaining high by my 8" front ramps and 8" rear tire cribs made it pretty easy for me as described above.

[Logan Robb]

I may need to look into these ramps! They seem pretty helpful