Well, I messed up! I should have known better!

[nikwho]

So, last night i was using my cheap "Big Red" floor jack that I bought from Sams Club to lift my '68 GMC. I was lifting it up to put it on jack stands so that I could figure out the power steering fluid leak that it has developed. Its got the cross member and suspension from an '86 C-10 and a 350/th350. The jack is too tall to fit under the cross member, as its got drop spindles and 2" drop springs. So, I took the round metal foot off of the jack, so that the jack would fit under the cross member (second mistake). I had the tires about 8-10" off the ground and it was just about high enough to slip jack stands under the truck to support it, when BOOOM! The truck was in park, and when the floor jack articulates up, the pad also moves toward the rear of the jack. The slippery, power steering fluid lubricated cross member allowed the jack to slip off of the cross member.

The entire weight of the front half of the truck slammed down on the jack, landing on the factory metal cross member that resides between the radiator and the suspension cross member, smashing the cross member up towards the crank pulley/dampener. It actually all ended up about 1/8" away from the crank pulley. It most likely hit the pulley and relaxed back down a bit. I was at the shop when it happened and had to drive the truck home. I gave it a once over, determining that it was safe to drive. The alignment is drastically different and the truck feels kind of "darty", wanting to turn R or L, not really wanting to track straight. So, the bending of the factory cross member has obviously shortened the distance between the two frame rails, knocking my toe off.

Such a bummer and such a stupid mistake! I am going to go buy the $200 floor jack that I want from NAPA, that sits nice and low and has a nice big rubber foot to support the vehicle. Anywho, that doesnt help my current situation. So, The cross member in question is held in I believe by two remaining factory bucking rivets and 4 grade 8 bolts where factory rivets used to be. The factory rivets, I believe had to be removed to allow the swap of the newer C-10 suspension cross member.

So, I am leaning towards removing the cross member and possibly building a new support out of 1.75" DOM tubing. Or, I had thought about wrapping a chain around the bottom of my floor jack and connecting each end to the stamped steel cross member that is bent and pushing the truck up with the jack by the suspension cross member, effectively pulling the bent cross member down. Its approx a 1/8" stamped steel cross member. It wont go easily, but its not the strongest piece. Since the cross member got pushed up and kind of twisted back, I had also considered putting the truck in park with the e-brake set and the wheels chocked and pulling on the cross member with a tow strap connected to my 3/4 ton truck in low range. Just slowly tug on it.

Anyway, I will assess and figure out how to best fix it. I just wanted to vent and complain to you guys about how stupid I am! I'll take a picture of the damage and post it up here as well.

Thanks for listening to me moan!

Nik C.

[nikwho]

Well, here are a couple of pictures. You can see in the second one where the truck landed on the red jack!

[nikwho]

On a lighter note, I do get to install my new steering wheel today! Just waiting on my billet adapter.

Annd, my new 10", 2,500-2,600 RPM converter and B&M shift kit came in, so I need to either pull my tranny and do the work or just install on a back up tranny that I have in the garage and swap transmissions after the work is done. But that will be fun when it's done! Also looking to swap the stocker heads with some World Products heads, Victor intake, new Comp timing set and a new cam. I just need to pick a cam.

[nikwho]

I did get very lucky in that the brake lines that route through that area didn't get smashed!

[68bowtie]

yowza! at least no one got hurt.

[nikwho]

Yeah, that's paramount! I am very cautious before getting under a vehicle aND always make sure that I'm clear just for situations like this. Just a bone head move.

[WestButteTruck]

Yep, no one was hurt! I do like that steering wheel, who makes it?

[nikwho]

Forever Sharp. It's nicer than I expecteD at its price range ($139) and it included the horn button. The old school GMC script was included. They have lots of choices, too, plus all of their wheels are available polished and black.

[El Dorado Jim]

we all make stupid mistakes, but we learn by them and do things smarter after that, luckily you werent under there putting jack stands there when it came down...

[alsriv2]

Originally Posted by nikwho

On a lighter note, I do get to install my new steering wheel today! Just waiting on my billet adapter.

Annd, my new 10", 2,500-2,600 RPM converter and B&M shift kit came in, so I need to either pull my tranny and do the work or just install on a back up tranny that I have in the garage and swap transmissions after the work is done. But that will be fun when it's done! Also looking to swap the stocker heads with some World Products heads, Victor intake, new Comp timing set and a new cam. I just need to pick a cam.

Where did you get that steering wheel?

Oops..should have read all the posts. Thanks for sharing.

[geunther]

That sucks, but glad you were not underneath. My wife has always told be she was afraid to come home and find me smashed under my truck. She lets me by all the quality jack stands and jacks I want

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by nikwho

Well, here are a couple of pictures. You can see in the second one where the truck landed on the red jack!

I don't think bending that small cross member would move your frame rails enough to affect your steering geometry. Are you sure it didn't bend your cross link, idler arm, or tie rod ends? That would change your toe in/out. The upper and lower "A" arms mount to the main cross member and you are not going to bend that by the truck sliding off of a jack....

If the small cross member is bent that bad it probably ripped the rivet holes out. I think I would just grind or drill the rivets out of it and remove it. That way everything will probably settle back into place and you can find a replacement cross member and bolt it in.

Trying to straightening it out by pulling it with another truck might be another "bonehead moment"..... If you are going to try that I would hook a come-along to it and the other truck and use that to pull with.

Just my 2¢ worth..

LockDoc

[dmjlambert]

I'm glad you are OK. Please do tell us more about the steering wheel. Is the billet adapter something you ordered at the same time from the same place? How does that all attach to the steering column?

[nikwho]

Absolutely!

Here's a link to Forever Sharp:

It's just as cheap or cheaper to go right through their site, rather than Amazon, etc.

http://fssteeringwheels.com/steering...f-wrap-series/

Here's the adapter I bought: it was cheaper and closer to the look that I wanted. It's a Grant piece, part number 5196-1:

Grant 5196-1 Polished Billet Installation Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CMD93G..._8iAxybHCH1CTS

Amazon says that it doesn't fit my truck, but I knew that my '82 Cheby K10 and 1994 S10 chassis that I bought to swap unter my '53 GMC both took the same size adapter, and the splines on my '68 column looked the same.

[nikwho]

The adapter female splines slide over the steering shaft after pulling the factory steering wheel, or in my case the 80's Camaro wheel that the previous owner installed. I wasn't a fan. After the adapter bolts in place and the horn is hooked up, you just thread the 5 screws through the horn button and horn, then into the adapter. The biggest challenge for me was determining that the Forever Sharp wheel and the Grant adapterm had the same 5 bolt pattern. They do.

[dmjlambert]

Fantastic info, thanks! Please let us see a picture of yours all put together. I wonder what those 2 red capsules are that are shown with the adapter. I guess you take those if the installation does not go well....

[nikwho]

WilL do! Yeah, mine didn't come wit the pills OR the bushing shown! I will snap a picture of mine installed and post it.

[garyd1961]

I had to replace that same cross member on my truck. It looked like someone had hooked a chain to it and pulled it so hard it pulled two of the rivets loose. I didn't even consider straightening the cross member, I just replaced it. It shouldn't be too hard to find a junker sitting around with that cross brace still intact or maybe one of the guys on here has one.
BTW, mine drove a lot better after I replaced it. I guess it was letting the frame flex before I fixed it.

[46stude]

If your truck (or any vehicle) is a bit too low to get the jack underneath, AND the truck runs... get you a couple 2X8 or wider boards & drive up on them. That'll give you another ~1-1/2" of height, which sounds like enuff to have helped in this scenario.

That's what I have to do with my Thunderbird.

[nikwho]

Originally Posted by 46stude

If your truck (or any vehicle) is a bit too low to get the jack underneath, AND the truck runs... get you a couple 2X8 or wider boards & drive up on them. That'll give you another ~1-1/2" of height, which sounds like enuff to have helped in this scenario.

That's what I have to do with my Thunderbird.

Yessir! I was lazy. I will make no excuses. With that said, I chocked all 4 tires, set the e-brake in park and hooked a tow strap to the cross member, routed under my '68 front sway bar and pulled very slowly with my 3/4 ton truck and the cross member came back into its correct position very easily! I'll have to take 'er down to the alignment shop, but I figure that it's a good opportunity to buy sime new tubular control arms that will allow me to get to *+5°-6° degrees of caster and -.5° Camber. And a touch of toe-in. She'll be ready to hit the auto cross track soon!

[70cst]

Like said before - sure glad you wasn't hurt. Sorry it happened.

[dmjlambert]

This fall I got an Arcan steel and aluminum three ton low profile floor jack for about $99 from Costco. It has a nice big round rubber foot. It is much better than my cheap big red jack. Recommended.

[nikwho]

Thanks fellas! Yeah, it was a bone head move! I am planing on buying a nice, new low profile floor jack. I've got 4 small 8-14" jack stands as well as 4 big really nice 18-36" jack stands. Gonna go find some nice jack stands that cover the 12"-18" height range as well!

I'll tell you guys what, I had a life changing event with cinder blocks about 15 years ago! I had some small cheap jack stands on top of some cinder blocks to hold up my old 3/4 ton diesEl Super Duty while completing a brake job. I heard a crack and dive out from under my truck as it crashed to the ground, redicing one of the cinder blocks to nothing! I've been very cautious since then! I was nowhere close to being under the truck when it slipped and fell. I always give a good "shake test" before going under, too! Even when I use the lift at work, even if it's held up by the most conventional locations, I give 'er a good shake before lifting it very far or going under it. I'm glad it turned out well. I'll have to start a built thread or something for this pickup. It's being built to be a back up daily driver and double as an autocross/hot rod pickup. Couldn't be happier with the steering wheel. Next up, my tranny build!

NC

[nikwho]

Double post. Sorry

[custom10nut]

It doesn't help fix your truck this time, but in the future, make some wooden block ramps, thick enough to raise your frame off the ground high enough (4 inches should be enough) to get your complete jack under a safe lift point. nothing fancy, just something to raise the truck up. I'm glad this mishap didn't cause injury to anyone.