Ouch, my knees; or how do you lean over yer car?
 

Hi-

How do you folks work over your cars? Every time I have ever had to bend over the engine compartment of any of my cars, I end up straining the backs of my knees. It makes it uncomfortable to lean over the engine for more than 3-5 minutes at a stretch. I'm 5'9", 150 lbs, so I'm fairly lean.

Did I miss the memo where we all are supposed to dangle from some Mission Impossible-like harness over the engine compartment? Or is this just par for the course?

Sorry to be such a weenie, but I was working on the car earlier, and I was like "I could do this for a lot longer if the backs of my knees didn't hurt so much."

Oh well..

Youth, 21. Height, 6' 5". :D

A padded fender cover also helps.

sometimes i raise the front of the car so that i can lie (lay?) (rest?) recline, on the fender.

tom w

you can get something like this:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2161&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=619&iSubCat=623&iProductID=2161

You are not a weenie. I understand...I tore limaments in my right knee when I was 17. Two operations and 25 years later my legs are very sensitive to this type of use. I am not usre of the answer. I have seen platforms that are make for mechanics to work on high setting 4 whell drive trucks. You and I could use the same type of device except for the platform height.

Putting one knee on top of the bumper and leaning in slightly is one way I do it, another is holding myself up with one arm pushing back from something like the valve cover while the other arm is doing the wrenching. Personally, my back suffers, not my knees, they get plenty of excercise. 150? you may want to consider cheeseburgers.

Oh yeah......you missed the memo. Try being 6'4" tall and bending over to remove the full set of head bolts. You can't use Pete's recommended procedure because you must have two arms for that job.

Add close to 50 years of age to that lower back and.........can you say pain??:eek:

Gives you some profound respect for those fellows who do this for a living!!

Same problem here.

Shifting weight back and forth and attacking from different angles helps some.

Whatever you do, don't support yourself by putting your hand on the portion between the wipers! I watched a mechanic dent my RX-7 doing that. Man, did that burn me up to no end!

You do know about the hood standing straight up, right? That is a big help in comfort part for me. I also like those dense foam floor pads, you can get them at Home Depot, cheap.....I stack them up 2-3 high for a great cushion effect. You know, the knee bone is connected to the foot bone...try it, it helps....also great for laying on top of the concrete floor. Got 'em slung out all over shop, by the work bench, by my reloading bench....save your feet, they hold everything else up!

Fender skirts are great and let you really lean on the car without worring about screwing up the paint....also too cheap...get a set, you will wonder how you ever lived without them.

WHat is really happening, is we are just not used to this kinda work! Twisting ourselves into odd positions to access those bolts....using muscles we forgot we had! A kick butt hot tub is one of my best used tools!

bobbyv
 

that topside creeper thingie reminds me of the legendary hatian love swing!

could i get that thing into my bedroom?

tom w

Yeah, I put it on ramps for even basic under hood stuff. I'm not the tallest around 6'1" maybe, but it really saves the lower back.

That's very good for powerstrokes and other large/high pickups.

:idea:

Hahaha.. nice.

Glad to hear I'm not alone in this. It really does give you an appreciation for folks who do this for a living.

i may try the ramps idea and see if that helps. I usually try crouching down a bit and leaning my chest on the fender, but that still gets uncomfortable after a few minutes. Putting the hood all the way up is handy, and I rarely work on it with the hood only half-up.

Maybe I should design some dangling mechanic's harness. Just hook it up to one of those engine lifts, and your buddies could wheel you around!

I'm fairly lightweight so I could get on top of the engine to do work upclose and personal. Just make sure you don't break anything (one foot on the inner fender, one foot on the radiator support--avoid that plastic radiator neck too if you can, you never know).

Only problem is my knees will now be strained from the opposite side since squatting is the only choice. :P

Don't lock your knees. Always keep your legs a little bit bent.

Danny