Remember safety when working on your truck

[pwrunt3pte]

I just wanted to remind everyone about being safe when working on there truck today. I made a mistake today and it almost cost me my life. I've been working on a 1955 1st series GMC on and off for the past 2 years. I recently reinstalled a rebuilt BBC 468 and a rebuilt trans in the truck. I went out today to tie up some loose ends, and the truck fell off the jack. I forgot that the truck was in nuetral, and i chocked the back of the wheel to keep the truck from going backwards and forgot to put a chock in front of the wheel to keep it from going fowards. The truck slid foward and came off the jack as I was jacking it up. I do have jackstands, but i hadn't reached the height i was looking for. I'm mad at myself for making a simple mistake. The brand new rack and pinion I installed about 2 weeks ago has a hole in it now and the crank pulley is bent up. I just thought i would share this with everyone. Be careful!!!!!

[Yewhi]

Geeze! Sorry for your misfortune but glad you're ok!
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[mr48chev]

Glad to see that you didn't get hurt in the process except in your pride an your wallet.

One thing to remember is that floor jacks have to be able to roll freely or the rear tires have to roll to the jack when you jack the vehicle up with a floor jack. Having a wheel of a floor jack catch on something with the wheels on the other end blocked up tight is a recipe for disaster most of the time.

I've seen more cars/trucks slip on floor jacks when they were used under a car outside on asphalt or dirt or gravel than I care to count and have had to stop and reposition a jack many times to prevent a rig from sliding off it.

I've been a stickler for shop safety since I walked into the high school autoshop at 15 for my first day of class and stressed it daily for the 13 years I taught high school auto shop.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

As many years as I've been fooling with cars, I still worry about getting under them.
I always use jack-stands AND 12x12 pressure treated wood blocks. I don't trust the "Made in China" jack-stands that are on the market now days.

[booger1949]

i also am glad that u didnt get hurt r worse, people have to worry at all times when havin fun on these old trucks r cars r anything, what good will it b if u wasnt around to enjoy it, ALL WAYS MAKE SAFETY TOP OF YOUR LIST, people please stay safe in your life

[arturo7]

I was grinding off a bolt head this morning. The wheel broke, flew up, and hit me in the safety glasses.

[Chevette]

Getting brutally crushed to a slow death under your truck is one thing. Worse yet, your wife will eventually mate up with some jerk after you're dead and buried and the ba$tard will be drivin' around in your truck tellin' everyone that he built it. Now that's reason enough to play it safe.

[1project2many]

Glad you're ok. Working alone is always risky so it pays to think a few steps ahead and look at the "what-ifs" when setting up a job by yourself.

[OrrieG]

Glad you are ok. When I was in high school we used concrete blocks to support my 60 Impala during a rearend replacement. It was VERY high. My assistant and I were underneath trying to get every thing lined up when the car started to shift sideways. I crawled out and held it until my partner got out then stepped out of the way and let it pancake. We would have both probably been killed. Turned out the ground had started to thaw (it was winter). That was the last time I did not use a good floor jack AND steel jack stands on a good footing. I still always keep the floor jack in place, kind of a belt and suspenders thing. Always use chocks too.

[mr48chev]

Sometimes it doesn't have to mean getting under the truck or operating a piece of equipment in the shop to be a shop safety issue. The stuff laying around on the floor that you (I) didn't stop and straighten up and put away right can be a health hazard. This time it was the heavy duty SO cord that lets my mig move more than 8 ft from the plug that was laying across the path from the door to the toolbox and I hooked it on the way out and fell putting a big bruise on my hip and coming close to dislocating my shoulder again all the while hoping I would miss the metal saw horse and end of the frame for the 48 with my head on the way down. I'm stiff and sore and on the way out to straighten out the garage a bit.

[OrrieG]

This got me thinking. When I was in junior and high school every male had to take at least one semester of shop classes (on in jr, one in senior). That was back when in my community most of us were expected to end up with blue collar trade jobs. I do not remember my kids or grandkids have to take any classes. A lot of using tools in a shop environment is common sense but I wonder if anyone has done studies on if household accident rates have increased because more people are using tools without any basic safety training. I will say I am guilty of not keeping my shop as clean as it should be, usually end up spending a hour or so each weekend just putting tools away, etc. before starting the next task or phase of the project.