What size press to buy ?

[Mark P.]

What size press would work for most C1 and C2 restoration tasks ?

Immediate needs include C2 A-arm and sombrero bushing replacement. Possible ball joint riveting too.

How much travel is needed ? Some of the 6 ton presses only have 4" of travel which is too limiting I think.

Not sure if a 10, 12 or 20 ton press would be best.

For those with a 10 ton press do you ever wish you had a bigger press ?

[Jim D.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

Anything less than a 20 ton press should be considered "light duty". A friend has a HF 12 ton press and it bent when trying to do some heavy work. My 20 ton handled it with ease.

[Dick W.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

I have a 100 ton, however for most Corvette related work, I think that a decent 20 ton would be enough. Just be careful, an item being pressed can turn into a deadly missle. I have seen holes knocked in brick walls by careless operators.

[Larry M.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

Agree with a 20 ton minimum. Try to buy one made in the USA. Steel will be better quality and the hydraulic ram should have replacement parts available down the road. USA built will cost more, but perhaps you can find an older, used unit for sale.

The one that you buy will likely outlast you and your car(s).

Larry

[Paul J.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

I recently bought a 20 ton press from Harbour Freight, and I love it. They're on sale right now for $169 (with the coupon). 20 ton is the minimum that I would buy. Yes it's cheap and Chinese but it works as well as any other cheap press that I've used. A press is a simple device and a careless operator can get poor results even with expensive tools.

[Patrick B.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

I have a Harbor Freight 30 ton jack. I was cheap and simple, powered by a big bottle jack. I used it for all the chassis and differential work on a C2 and it was great. I've had it for 10 years with no problems, but whenever the bottle jack fails, I'll just get another - maybe an American bottle jack if they still exist.

[Joe L.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

Mark------


I recommend a 20 ton. For one thing, a 20 ton does not cost that much more than a 12 ton. So, while a 12 ton will be enough for most jobs, why not get the 20 ton and have enough for virtually all jobs on a Corvette?

4" of ram travel is plenty for virtually any job you'll need it for on a Corvette or other automobile.

The cheap Chinese presses are fine. I've had one for over 20 years with no problems. They don't have all the convenience features (e.g. easily adjustable table) of higher cost, US made presses but all those features usually do is speed up a job. For the amount of use you'll get out of one of these presses as a hobbyist, do-it-yourselfer, the convenience features won't make enough difference to you to justify the extra cost.

[Mark P.]

Re: What size press to buy ?

I ended up getting the 20 ton press from Harbor Freight today. It was $150 after the 25% off coupon for July 4th customers and was on sale already for $199 from the $249 "regular" price.

It worked great to remove the sombreros on my 65 today. It should work for what I need. I got both out in under an hour. They were almost welded in with all the rust.

Thanks for all the advice.