How to work on in-place engine...

Brian VT said:

...and here's the ultimate version?

Elevator Over-The-Top Topside Truck Creeper | Redline Stands

Unlike other topside creepers, the Elevator truck repair creeper allows you to raise your legs so that you're completely lying down. Repair diesel trucks with ease as you lie down above the engine using this handy creeper!

www.redlinestands.com

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$1300 and change for that. Ouch! I wish Harbor Freight offered one. Bezos has chinesium topside creepers for $250 but they sure look cheesy, bad welds in review pics, and some comments are brutal.

gnathv said:

Have you ever tried scrubbing it with Dawn and rinsing with water. I spilled some on a friends concrete driveway and did that, it didn’t leave a stain.

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We keep cheap laundry detergent diluted to 30% on hand in a squirt bottle. If oil or diesel spills we put some on it quickly, then hose them off after a few minutes, it helps a lot. Dirty drain oil is the worst. Gotta scrub that. Diesel and gas do soften asphalt. Save your old cardboard and work over that. Especially when teaching newbies how to change oil etc.

Asphalt is just sand/gravel and tar.
Ok maybe not tar, but one of the layers of crud at the bottom of the barrel when it comes out of the cracking plant.

I worked with Asphalt for 30 years shoveling, raking it and working with paving it on High Ways.

A lighter oil/solvent just dissolves the Asphalt out of the material, especially when it is fresh. Soaks in quicker.

At NAPA I by this product, or one similar.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NFDSF75E?impressionRank=5

It`s a fine granular to a dust and really soaks up a spill. Hazmat crews, first responders use it.
Throw it on, sweep it back and forth, and depending how large the spill, sweep it off to the side and throw on some fresh. Really pulls the liquid up.

Forget Kitty using litter....
I do have three of the Kitty Litter buckets, one in ea shop and one in the garage incase I spill anything. Picked up empty ones at the recycle at the Dump.

On the concrete in front of the garage, I pour on a small amount of Wax and grease remover.
Use an old paint brush to scrub it around a bit and sweep up.

I use this brand but are others.

(Don`t you just love commiefornia? So concerned for our safety)
NOTE: This item is not for sale in the state of California

I order it from O`really`s on line and pick up in the store.

Then the Oil Soak pulls it right out of the concrete. Black old Diesel Oil? There will be some slight stain.

DA Pimple faced kid behind the counter said they don`t have it, not on the computer. Tried to sell me their brand on the shelf for $35.
Look up on my computer at home, $26 for kleen-Strip, and pick it up in the same store the next day.

When Iam changing the Engine oil, I do it on the gravel next to the shop. Helps hold down the dust if I spill any.

EDIT:...Note, do not pour the Wax & Grease remover on your Asphalt....


Goat

One of those over the top creepers look like they would work pretty good.
I use a a short step stool that fold up, like one used in the house/kitchen.

At PNP, one of the over the top`s would be a little difficult dragging around.
I have some knee Pads I use when on top of the Engine crawling around pulling parts.

At home if I do need to lay on the engine, I throw one of those HF Moving Blankest folded up.


Goat

I am cheap. I have an old 4' x 4' shipping pallet made out of 4x4's and 2x8's that I use. That gets me about 8 inches of extra lift. I also screwed a couple of blocks to one end of it , so there is another 4 inch step which helps to reach the firewall if needed. I still end up with dents and bruises on my front side because I always seem to forget to put a blanket over the hood latch.



The other option is to talk the Misses into crawling up on the cowl and handing her the torque wrench....