How to make your own low profile car ramps

[mrphotoman]

Super easy to do, I made mine about 4 years ago and they still look like new. They could support a house they are so strong and are a heck of a lot cheaper than buying "race ramps".

Just an option for you to have. If you do not like it, then do not build it.



http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/...amps/index.htm

For slammed stangs and the DIY'er

If your stang is lowered more than 2 inches, or you just find it a PITA to lift the front of your car then you might need to make yourself some MW ramps :-)
(DIY means "Do it yourself" of course)

[mrphotoman]

Our stock 2000 on the ramps.
One of the key things in getting motivated to do your own oil changes or modding your stang is being able to easily, quickly and safely lift your stang. If it's going to take 15 minutes for you to jack up the front end of your stang one side at a time with a jack and jack stands, chances are you won't be too motivated to install that supercharger you had sitting in your garage for the past 5 months :-)
The next problem is if your stang is already slammed (lowered), then you have a real challenge lifting the front end with probably only 1" - 2" of clearance.

Other Ramps

We reviewed Rhino Ramps a few years back which is probably the best store bought alternative (for the price), but the things we don't like about them and other ramps were that on a lowered stang, you still scrape the black lower portion, and most ramps are a single incline ramp, which means any mishap and that stang is rolling down to the ground in one shot. Also most store ramps are very light weight, which means they can slide on a smooth floor when trying to drive up onto them.
We wanted ramps that addressed all these problems that were the same price or less to make than some store bought ramps.
Let's Build

MW Ramps sketch. Cost to make: Around $30 in wood
Materials: 2" x 10" x 10 foot (two), 2" x 10" x 8 foot (two) and a 2" x 3" x 10" piece.
This isn't New Yankee Workshop, so just a quick overview.. :-)

[mrphotoman]

Go to your local lumber store and buy the pieces of wood mentioned above. You can get them in different lengths. Try to find dry wood that's not warped. You might buy 20 foot long pieces and cut them according to our sketch. We made at least an 18" stretch between steps to accommodate the stang's long nose and to avoid scraping ground effects on most slammed stangs. Building is easy, simply nail the pieces together as shown, taking care to pre-drill a slightly smaller hole for the nails, so you don't run the risk of splitting the wood. Bend the nails over at the bottom of each ramp if they stick out.. You may also glue the parts together to boot.

[mrphotoman]

Finished Ramps.


10" wide is good for wide tires.. Got wider ? You can get 2 x 11's if need be.

This is with the stock springs, but you can see plenty of room.

Drive on up

ON A FLAT LEVEL SURFACE, just drive up the ramps. The stopper piece will prevent you from driving off and each step is easily rolled onto. Then lay a wheel stop "behind" the front wheels and you are ready to work. Each ramp weighs enough so they should not slide when driven onto slowly.
If you are on an uneven surface, you might need to shim the ramps to get them level and to ensure they lay flat. You can also place jackstands as a backup if you wish.
What kind of lift
It raises the stang about 6" (a little higher than rhino ramps as an example) and it's high enough to do most under chassis engine / h-pipe work. Need higher ? You can add an extra step (before the rear tire hits the ramps even).

[mrphotoman]

Access is from the front. You can swap an H-pipe and easily access the lower engine. For more space or for oil changes you can lift the rear to level out the stang. You can also now lift one side of the stang at a time up front (a tiny amount) easily with a floor jack for changing the front tires for example.

Is wood strong enough ?
Let just say laid flat the wood can lift your entire house (many tons) with no worry. The only worry we have (way back in our minds) is wood splitting, but if you pre-drilled your nails and / or glued your wood together, you should have absolutely no problems.
The "stepped" nature of the ramps
The stepped nature of the ramps also means that if for some reason you forgot to put a wheel stop behind your tires and you start jacking up the rear, your stang may only roll down one step, NOT roll down the entire ramp. Most other store ramps are single incline or 2 piece ramps, not stepped like these home made units :-)
Only 1.5" clearance needed
For most lowered stangs (or other cars) lifting is no problem, because we only need 1.5" in front of the tires. We have 18" of space before each step which covers the lower edges on many body kits. If you need more room, you can extend the step interval to 20+ inches. You can see there is plenty of room left before the ramps hit our rear tires.

[mrphotoman]

The bottom line...

If you could not find yourself the "right" set of ramps in stores or are tired of jacking up the front end one side at a time or bending your center crossmember with your jack, or can't get a jack under your front end... you can see making a set of home ramps is fairly easy and you can make them to your very own specs.
The cost of the wood can vary, so these are not really "poor mans" ramps in some cases home made may cost a few dollars more, but since it's to your own specs, we like that :-)
We gave our ramps a coat of paint after these shots were taken.
Extra notes:
These ramps will weigh 30 - 40 pounds each depending on how dry the wood is, so they are mainly for home use (not really portable). We still have all our other ramps (Rhino, metal, 2 stage, etc) and use them when we can for different jobs.

[onehundred80]

Thats just whats needed, cheap and cheerful and most importantly SAFE.

[boricua1]

Thanks Mrphotoman for the instructions and the pics. Good info

[mrphotoman]

They are nice and sturdy and wide, I love mine. I threw my 2 sets of plastic ramps in the building and have not used them for years now.

Saves money and works great.

[GDC-SRT]

WOW!

I bet you could even angle cut each step front, @ say 30 degree,and make driving on easier!

Good post Photodude!

[AlG]

Just out of curiosity..how much do each one of those things weigh. Seems like I would think about 20 pounds each and being over 6 feet long they look like they're not so easy to store.

[mrphotoman]

Originally Posted by GDC-SRT

WOW!

I bet you could even angle cut each step front, @ say 30 degree,and make driving on easier!

Good post Photodude!

I actually like the "steps" on them, I know how many they are and it lets me know how close to the top I am because I can count as I drive up them lol.

[James1549]

Looks like the set I made about 20 years ago. Mine are about 5' long. You can turn one upside down on top of the other for storage. Fits like a glove to each other. James

[Serendip]

Just to stir things up, check out this link: http://www.classic1800.com/ramp-pit-plans/

I don't know if I'd want to try it myself, but it is an interesting idea.

[07bluezx14]

I was going to build some of them for my cobra, but some drunk uninsured foreigner took care of that problem for me. God I miss that car.

[onehundred80]

Originally Posted by Serendip

Just to stir things up, check out this link: http://www.classic1800.com/ramp-pit-plans/

I don't know if I'd want to try it myself, but it is an interesting idea.

Perfection in design is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Good idea, ....I think.
I like your quote in the signature, as a tool designer I try to live by that rule, its great for keeping costs down as well.

[Franc Rauscher]

Very clever Mrphotoman.

I'm going to make a set for loading my trailer. I hate my curent steel ramps. Never feel safe on them.

thanks.


roadster with a stick

[HowardJ]

I bought two 2x10x8 boards.
Plan on doing: 4', 2.5', and 1.5' steps.

[Bazzer]

I find these do the job just perfect.