On Apr 29, 2011, at 4:23 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:

> Japanese cars, like Toyota's,  used to have a fold-up steel wheel
> chock. You
> can still find them in the trunks of junkyard cars sometimes. Handy
> little
> item to have on board.

This is the best part about owning a Japanese car.  I have a pair of
chocks in each bus.  Look in the trunk of seventies/eighties Nissans
and Toyotas. They're typically powder blue in color. (Or rust colored.)

> and I also keep a spare stock vanagon handy in the shop to be able
> to just
> quickly grab and jack up one corner of any van quickly, like for a
> quick
> check of something..

I've sent a Vanagon or two to the boneyard. I've NEVER sent a jack. I
keep a pair of them in each bus too. With the chocks, makes it a piece
of cake to level for a night's camping. Just park with the right-rear
corner highest. The other three corners are easy. A jack on the RR can
interfere with the slider.

> and for sure ..
> using a jack stand ..the safest thing is to lower the van onto the
> jackstand, but keep the jack there with a little pressure on
> it ...that way
> there are two supports ..and the jack is in position ready to use
> when it's
> time to take it off the jackstand.

Agreed. I will not put anything larger than my hand under a vehicle
that does not have a solidly placed jack stand under it.

And can we trim posts please?

Jim