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Operation "Hockey Puck" - E46 Jack Stand Adapter

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jack pad adapter jack stand adapter jack up car
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76K views 48 replies 24 participants last post by  WOLFN8TR  
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#1 · (Edited)
Since I posted this thread on jacking up the car

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=450867&highlight=jacking+up+the+car

(and having been criticized by some for not being safe) I've been thinking how to improve the safety of putting the car on jack stands using factory jack pads and jack stands with common saddle configuration. I first cut small maple wooden blocks to fill the pad with and increase the contact surface of the pad and jack stand.

But I still wanted an adaptor. I found a couple of products online but they all had their drawbacks, were too expensive or not longer available.

So, thought I'd share this with you.

I recalled having read about people using hockey pucks to jack up the car and decided to make an E46 hockey puck jack stand adapter. The cost is $1.50 per puck and 30 minutes of cutting and filing :D I made it, tested it and should say that I'm 100% happy with the result. The car is not going anywhere using these adapters. The idea is to use the jack stands with the saddle that is as flat as possible. They are available in many weight categories - 2 1/4, 3 and 6 tons.

The adapter looks rough because I used only a hack saw, a double cut file and a c-clamp to make it. But it does the job.

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#3 ·
Fast Bob seems to be the only one excited about my puck adapter :rofl:

I'm heading down to the basement right now to make 2 more of those (I already have 2)

Happy Labor Day everybody! :)
 
#6 ·
This is very awesome! Clearly you don't have 4 kids and a wife with all that time on your hands!

I think I must needs make some of these. I wonder where I can get a hockey puck in my neck of the woods. We don't play hockey down here......

BUT ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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#10 · (Edited)
smolck said:
This is very awesome! Clearly you don't have 4 kids and a wife with all that time on your hands!

I think I must needs make some of these. I wonder where I can get a hockey puck in my neck of the woods. We don't play hockey down here......

BUT ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!
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Not 4, one is more than enough for us :rofl: But this car is my only hobby, spending most of my free time with my family I need a break once in a while for a diy project :)

Looking for a hockey puck I went to Walmart and Target - nothing, Dick's sporting goods - nothing. I came across the place called "Total Hockey" and it was my luck that on that day they had sold 150 pucks to a school team and were sold out. There is a skating ring 5 minutes away from my house and I stopped by to ask, to my surprise thay had a little store selling pucks among other ice hockey stuff and even a vending machine with pucks among snacks. So it was not that easy to find. They are $1.50 - $1.75 online (before shipping).
 
#8 ·
av98 said:
Dude...that's awesome!

Gives me an idea for my racing jack, since the jack point on the front in the center/middle of the car is not that strong.
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That is interesting. On my car which has the older triangular brace, the front jack point is very strong and I use it all the time. I wonder if you could just bolt on the older triangle support?
 
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#12 ·
Yes, the I jack the front under the front part of the frame rail on one side , put a jack stand and move to the same location of the frame rail on the other side to put it on the stand. It works really well for me. Rear is simple - U-brace near the differential.
 
#17 ·
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#18 ·
What I did is, I took a piece of wood (2 by 3 or something like that) that's slightly larger than the lift part of the jack. I put it dead center on the jack's handle and lifted the car. From the weight, the "teeth" of the jack left marks in the wood that I now use to position it on the jack (hydraulic jack by the way).
It won't work for jack stands obviously, but it works great when lifting by the rear suspension bracket.
 
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#20 · (Edited)
Well, they need to be customized to the specific set of jack stands in order everything to be near perfect. That's the problem with mass production, also you do not want to be responsible for anybody using them other than you and having an accident (god forbid) And sometimes it's hard to find 3 or 4 ton stands with FLAT saddles. My 2 1/4 stands work perfectly, however I want to use at least 3 ton for any serious work under the car. I found these:

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Omega HW93503, 3 Ton Jack Stands

The saddle looks pretty flat on those, but they are around $70 per pair. But that's your safety so I'd prefer "professional" grade of equipment and that always costs money

But if can make them "universal" adaptors made out of metal using your puck as a matrix, then selling could be a good idea :thumbup:
 
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#21 ·
Good point on the customization needed for different jack stands. My 3 tonners are not as flat as those Omega's, but pretty flat. I didn't make flats on the edges of the pucks to sit inside the saddles, as the puck was only ~3/16" too large, so I roughly centered the saddles and let the pucks deform a little - worked great. I am going to do another set that is a bit neater; I kinda hacked mine out in a hurry. I definitely felt safer than when the jack pads were sitting right on the saddles.
 
#22 ·
One solution (to standardize things) would be to choose a specific jack stand, such as the one pictured in Alex`s post, and machine the pucks to fit that stand, and have buyers obtain the stands from that website to match up with the pucks.
 
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#25 ·
For measurements I chose the adaptor that fits tight in the pad (if it's too tight just file the edges a little)

I measured everything in millimeters (sorry, my old russian habits) and converted to inches (still can't get used to them). Hope it's ok





 
#26 ·
Starless said:
I measured everything in millimeters (sorry, my old russian habits) and converted to inches (still can't get used to them). Hope it's ok

]
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Nothing to apologize for....metric is superior to SAE *any* day of the week....everything is in increments of ten (it`s like counting money), it`s easy to visualize the next size wrench (up or down), like, say 11mm or 12mm, as opposed to SAE, which would be 7/16 or 15/32. IMHO, American industry missed the boat 35 years ago, when it was suggested that we should get on board with the metric system. I use metrics whenever possible.
 
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#27 ·
That's excellent - thanks for the dimensions!

My e28 has jacking points that are *far* less accessible than the blocks on the e46. There are people who've milled aluminum adapters for it, though I think your hockey puck adapters a much better project - far more accessible, and far less expensive!

(By the way, I'm going after the CCV this weekend; your DIY will be getting yet another workout ;) )
 
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#29 ·
Looks like a good solution, but the biggest challenge is that most jack stands don't have flat saddles. I made similar adapters out of wood, but on the back side, I attached a strip of wood to the center of the block whose thickness is approximately the depth of the dip in my jack stand saddles. This way, it fits snugly on my jack stands, while accomplishing the same distribution of the load that Starless' hockey puck adapters do.

Also, I've had great luck using the center jacking point at the front of the car, using my rubber padded hydraulic jack head. The jacking point isn't distorted in any way - looks brand new.
 
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#30 ·
Further thoughts...

A. Perfect adapter vs. not perfect jack stand

The adapter fits this 2 ¼ ton jack stand perfectly due to the size of the saddle (almost exactly the length of the puck (3") and the shape of the saddle (almost flat) however the jack stand itself is no good for a number of reasons:

1. Rated Capacity (2 ¼=4,500 per pair) Seems enough? No, you really need 3 ton…
2. Brand - Craftsman (made in China). Yes, sad but true, what used to be a proud US manufacturer is now a bunch of "made in China" crap.
3. Closer to it's maximum range - 17-1/8 becomes way too unstable

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B. Perfect jack stand vs. not perfect adapter

I really like these Hein-Werner stands ($70 per pair):

1. Quality (made in USA)
2. Rated Capacity (3 ton)
3. Saddle (one of the flattest for a 3 ton I've seen)
4. 3 ton stands are way more stable

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But, the adaptor fitment for these presents a couple of problems:

1. The saddle length is 4-1/4in (the puck is 3")
2. The biggest problem is that the central concave part of the stand eliminates most of the contact surface with the puck adapter. Just two ends of the puck surface will be making a contact with the stand saddle. See illustration.

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Despite this, the problem can be solved by making an insert to fit the concave area between the saddle and the adapter. 1 more puck should be enough to make at least 3 (may be even 4) inserts like that. See illustration.

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C. All metal adapter

If somebody can make a mould and cast a metal piece, it should look like this:

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Perfect!
 
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#32 ·
Daniel, I saw this one before. The drawback is obvious - it has only 3 legs. I need jack stands to lift all 4 corners of the car. I'm aware of the fact that it's written on every jack stand that they should never be used to support the entire vehicle. But that's exactly what I need and it's my choice to go against this recommendation but in the safest way possible (using jack stands). I would never trust a jack stand with 3 legs for this purpose. If you find a flat top stand with 4 legs, let me know, I'll probably be one of the first to buy it ;)
 
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#35 ·
I don't mean to hijack the thread, I have been looking for jackstands for a while.

First i was thinking of going with HF , walmart, duralast, craftsman jacks stands but I realized that all of them are pretty much the same and lower quality and honestly since I am already afraid of going under the car I started to search for a quality stand.

I am planning to use at least 6 ton rated stands, read good things about Hein Werner but honestly it is hard to find any tests etc. about the product. Here is a link to the one I want to purchase:

http://www.jackxchange.com/products/HW93506.cfm

As an example to the cheap ones:

http://www.jackxchange.com/products/JS-12.cfm
http://www.jackxchange.com/products/32035.cfm

As you can see I can get 12ton rated ones for cheaper. HW seems to have a good base area to height ratio, but still I don't know if I should go for lesser quality 12 tons instead.

I am also planning to get rhino ramps. Probably put 4 jack stands (to get only one side up) and ramps for safety.

BTW I am also looking for something like a wood block to put under the jacked car for added safety. You know if somehow the car slides on the jack stands it will still hit the blocks and I am not crushed under it. Any suggestions?
 
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#36 · (Edited)
amateur said:
I am planning to use at least 6 ton rated stands, read good things about Hein Werner but honestly it is hard to find any tests etc. about the product. Here is a link to the one I want to purchase:

http://www.jackxchange.com/products/HW93506.cfm

As an example to the cheap ones:

http://www.jackxchange.com/products/JS-12.cfm
http://www.jackxchange.com/products/32035.cfm

...

BTW I am also looking for something like a wood block to put under the jacked car for added safety. You know if somehow the car slides on the jack stands it will still hit the blocks and I am not crushed under it. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Go with double locking jack stands, 3 tons should be ample but if you want to go for 6 ton, check these out:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200305227_200305227

I'll tell you what, these are freaking huge. I just bought them to prepare for a tranny and rear end swap since I need the extra height that these will provide over my existing Torin double locking 3 tons.

The plastic jack pads that are on the vehicle are yes a bit sketchy, but the vehicles stays on it fine. Just be careful with jacking up the vehicle as the vehicle will slide a little bit if not jacked up slowly or properly. Just make sure you put extra jack stands under the frame rails as you are under it, tires, ramps, whatever since you do not want to take any chances.

Also, I turn my jackstands perpendicular to the OEM jack pad, so that it makes a 90 degree angle with the pad and that it does not run the length of the pad. This way it stays more secure and gives it more area in case it does move a quarter inch or so. I went further and put on anti-slip drawer mesh over the tips of the jack stand to help with preventing the sliding.
 
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#37 ·
^ 6 tons are huge. 12 tons, I do not even think you'll be able to use them due to their height, even if you prejack the car really high. They all look the same on the pictures but in reality the difference is huge. Look at their dimensions and you'll know what I mean.
 
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#38 ·
My two 3.5 ton floor jacks have a max lift of 21 3/8" :D

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200345429_200345429

I also plan on getting something under it so I can try to get it above the floor about 20 to 24 inches. This transmission is slightly less than 17 inches. Getting a transmission jack under this car, I could possibly loose up to 8-9 inches, if is not a low profile transmission jack. I definitely cannot bench press this automatic transmission. :eeps:
 
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#41 ·
I have the 3 ton Omegas from JackExchange, and I've been under my car with one of these stands under each OEM jack pad, adding Alex's hockey puck concept, and I had zero concerns. The weight capacity of the stand is, IMO, irrelevant, assuming you use pairs. The major issue is getting them seated properly on the floor and with the car's jack pads. I do have a pair of home-made wood ramps that I threw together to get the front high enough that I can bring the jack under the front jacking point on the front subframe, and I usually leave these under the front or rear wheels as a little extra insurance.

BTW, I also have the Norco 2102A floor jack from JackExchange, and I love it. I did a little research, and Chinese jacks are getting a very bad reputation. This jack is made in Taiwan, and is supposed to be much more durable. I had some shipping damage, and JackExchange made it right with replacement castor ASAP. Excellent customer service.
 
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#43 · (Edited)
Mark in TX said:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Search/ES251251/

These guys sell a lot of interesting stuff you don't see elsewhere. I think order minimum for free shpg is $75, so look around for other stuff you may need.
Click to expand...
Ecstuning sells a floor jack to car (E46) jack pad adapter. Nobody I know of sells a jack stand to E46 jack pad adapter. That's the reason I had to make my own.

Btw, I bought 4 ton Craftsman jack stands with almost flat saddle and the adapter fits them great. Changed my brake fluid using this set up on all 4 corners and the car was rock solid on the stands
 
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