Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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The Car Easel™

 Work on the bottom of your car at eye level. No bending over! no crawling!
  (+3, -1)
(+3, -1) 		  [vote for,
against]

The other day I was in the junkyard when I noticed that there was a car turned on its side as the yard mechanics dismantled the parts from underneath the car.

I figured that this is a very convenient way of working under the car because you don't have the hassle of attempting to drag yourself into a dark, dangerous, dirty place in order to accomplish the task. So I thought of the Car Easel™ which is a fork-lift type of tool that will lift your car and tilt it over on its side so that you can clearly see and safely work on the components under the vehicle.

The lift mechanism is heavily padded (to avoid scratches and dents) and is very well stabilized so that your car will not tip over while it is sitting on the easel.

—Jscotty, Feb 02 2007

a Car Easel? http://www.theroto2...body_rotisserie.htm
[jhomrighaus, Feb 02 2007]

El Cheapo version http://www.geocitie...oy/easel/easel.html
Easel do nicely [Ling, Feb 05 2007]

[link]






       This is ok if you don't have anything in your car that you are worried about falling to one side.
—BJS, Feb 02 2007
   

       Such as gasoline, for example.
—Galbinus_Caeli, Feb 02 2007
   

       +Well I like it, but of course I have never worked on my car. I would like an easel that sets up on my dashboard so I could draw stuff when I pull over at a scenic view.
—xandram, Feb 02 2007
   

       Kind of Baked, See Link
—jhomrighaus, Feb 02 2007
   

       About 20 years ago, somebody developed a set of steel rockers that bolted to the wheel lugs on the car. Bolt the bad boys on, give a lift and a shove, and the car was over on its side a few feet above the ground. That's all that I can recall--I don't think they were ever popular--and that may have been a mention in a What's New article, not even an advert for a real product.   

       I just googled around, but can't find anything.
—baconbrain, Feb 03 2007
   

       I've seen these things advertised in a classic car magazine. Supposedly great for restorations.
—Texticle, Feb 04 2007
   

       [baconbrain], they are real - I've seen them in use (albeit only at a display at a local car show). I always wondered if the wheel lugs were designed to be capable of supporting the loads developed.
—neutrinos_shadow, Feb 04 2007
   

       yes they are. Corner loads at the bottom of a wheel during high speed maneuvering are right up there with the vehicle's weight, and that doesn't even include the radial offset, vibration, etc.   

       A car can be tilted sideways onto two wheels and driven (carefully). Hit any bumps like this and you'll be copping more than the vehicle's weight axially through the bearing, coupled with the normal radial load.   

       I think this is a fantastic idea, except that it's baked. I tilt my ATV sideways or onto it's back wheels to work on it, only problem is fuel seepage (sometimes out the breather) and oil bypass in the cylinder. solution - turn (bar) the engine a few times with the sparkplug out to make sure you're not going to hydraulic it.
—Custardguts, Feb 05 2007
   

       Love the rotisserie, [jhomrighaus]. I wish I had had one when I got rid of my Vauxhall Cavalier <spits>. I would have strung it up and roasted it alive over hot coals in revenge for all the non-pleasure it gave me.   

       And yes, this is for sure a good idea, being simpler and more compact than a lift but still giving decent access.
—wagster, Feb 05 2007
   

       Ling did you notice that it looks like he is welding on the fuel tank in that photo as well?
—jhomrighaus, Feb 05 2007
   

       That's OK. I think he made sure it didn't any vapour in it, by filling it to the brim.
—Ling, Feb 05 2007
   

       That rotisserie thing is indeed good for restoration but now that I think about it, this would be terrible for cars that are being driven because of the oil and trans fluid that will leak out.
—Jscotty, Feb 23 2007
   

       If it could bolt into the frame it would be better. Are fluid containment lids designed for this possibility?
—Zimmy, Jul 01 2011
   

       There is a TV show that keeps getting repeated on Yesterday of tank restorations.
One featured a cut-and-shut operation on two different halves of Sherman tanks at a museum on the Isle of Wight.
To do the welds properly, they built a rolling cage around the two halves, so, kind-of baked (at least for WW2 armoured vehicles)
—AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 01 2011
   

       Rotating gimbals for doing intense work in professional shops are nothing new. I think what is being proposed here is something that you could shove under your car in your own driveway and tilt it up on one side to replace the muffler or whatever. Two points:   

       1) Cars are not built to sit sideways for extended periods (or at all, for that matter). Using this device more than once on the same vehicle would start stress fractures in the frame/unibody.   

       2) This device would be about as expensive to buy and operate as a small 2-poster car lift, which can be installed in a home garage with reasonably high ceilings or even outdoors.   

       Not a bad idea, but not a great one. Keep thinking!
—Alterother, Jul 01 2011
   
      
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