So, I know where the four factory jack locations are, and they clearly work by allowing the factory jack to slide into the box receivers.

The owners manual seems to suggest these locations are also OK for jack stands or jacking with a normal shop lift/jack. But before I do that, I wanted to be sure they are OK to jack under and the box sections won't deform or collapse.

I plan to do some rear suspension work this week and know I can jack the car in other locations on the suspension, etc but those are the parts I'll be removing so I'm looking for a safe, sturdy and stable location for the four jack stands under the car.

So, I just wanted to make sure those four locations are OK for putting a jack/shop stand underneath and they won't bend/crush.


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Yup, they'll be fine. Use 'em all the time for jackstands.

It *is* possible to crush the tube. I know because one of the tubes was a partially crushed on my car when I bought it. God only knows how it might've happened. I think the PO might've high-centered it on a curb or something. However, ordinary jacking and jackstanding will not bend or crush the tubes in my experience.

Place your jack and/or stands a few inches inboard where the tubes are a bit more solidly supported. You'll see what I mean.

Cheers
DD

 

Please use a block of wood (small section of a 2X4) to spread the load over the area and the square tube should not be damaged.

Sharp metal edges of a trolley/floor jack can bend metal body parts.

You can even use a longer section of a 2X4 on the body seam along the underside so that the square can be used for the 'jack stand' and the floor jack can be moved to another location.

If I am using a floor jack, I use the front subframe center to lift the entire front (both jack stands for the front tubes) and the rear subframe to lift the entire rear so that the jack stands can be placed on the rear tubes.

I have a square block of wood on my floor jack 'cup' that has been there for many years.

bob gauff

 

+1 on Motorcarman's advice.

I was jacking up each corner using the outboard part of the jacking tube and placing a jack stand on the inboard side. When I switched snow tires to summer ones this year I finally looked more carefully and did the slap-on-the-forehead thing.

Using the front and rear subframe center's are much easier. The only issue is that the car is so low I don't have much vertical distance for the jack handle to travel, but it still beats doing one corner at a time!

 

Funny how something so simple never occurred to me.

 

me neither, I'm sitting here laughing at how i carefully jack each corner to do tire changes on two cars twice a year

 

So let me clarify: It is OK to jack the car in the rear under the "A Frame" cross member and that will not bend?

Not totally clear under what bracket up front you are centrally jacking as I haven't been under there yet, but will look.

Thanks again!

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Don't use jackstands ...use wood "building blocks", like this:

https://plus.google.com/photos/11458...31422928350849

 

There are 4 vertical bolts in the center on the rear suspension that fasten the lower plate to the diff and subframe.

Place a wood block on the trolly jack 'cup'. Lift the rear end of the vehicle on or near those bolts and get it high enough to support it with stands.

You might need to come in from the side (angled toward the rear) in front of one of the rear wheels if the front is already lifted.

bob gauff

 

Those look like interesting solutions if one is leaving the wheels on, but in my case the wheels will be coming off so that doesn't appear to be that helpful in the example I was asking about

Unless I need the car up really high and both ends lifted, I have some ramps that work quite well also.

But I can see where this solution would work well for work under the car where one would need a lot of room and the wheels aren't being removed. This would get the car up higher, and ramps only work for one end of course. And putting the whole car on stands always seems a little worrisome to me if you are getting under the car.

Nice idea.

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until I can get a lift in my garage, I might consider something like this - Corvette C3 Ramps - Build Home Made Car Ramps

 

I can definitely see the convenience something like this offers, but yikes, those seem scary


Unless I am missing something, I don't see any cross bracing on any of those examples. I think at that height, and the higher one goes, the leverage/moment exerted on these DIY stands puts them at a significant risk of overturning... say if someone opens/closes a door, leans against the car or even wrenches hard on some part in just the 'wrong' direction.

And there is no longitudinal x-bracing other than the sheer strength of the OSB panels on the side. One would have to do the math, and perhaps that is sufficient, but I'd worry a bit about the ramps also "folding" since they are only vertically blocked.

This is the same construction concerns when one builds trusses, headers and beams for home construction for example.


I wouldn't climb under a 2 ton car up on those.

However, I think one could potentially expand the base of the ramps or even x-brace them, but that of course would reduce the room under the ramps. And one could x-brace the interior blocking as well potentially.


Or maybe I'm wrong and they are rock solid

I think the only way to know would be to 'test' with a junk car and see if it would tip or collapse easily.

And I can just imagine driving up on them and being off just a bit. Of course that is not the fault of the ramps, but they'd easily tip or crush if one started to run off an edge. There is a reason that even oil change pits have guide rails over the hole, and even then cars have fallen in.


I should add I realize that jack stands aren't fool proof either, but at least they aren't lifting the car to that height.



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That's what I noted "like this" with 5/8 or 3/4 plywood sides, glued, screwed and squared over a frame made of 2x12s, cross braced at both ends with at least 2x6s bolted through. I'd feel fine under there.

My old workshop had an old-school service pit. Just the right height to sit on a 5-gallon bucket and work under your car.

 

That would be awesome to be able to sit on a short rolling stool under the car, about that "5 gallon bucket" height

 

The first thing that came to mind when I seen those sketchy boxes was "no chance in hell would I be laying under my car sitting on those things cranking on wrenches" and to trust a single 2x12 to hold the weight of my car as I drive up it??? Not to mention u had better be straighter than straight when/if u do get up on them boxes or crash bang boom they either collapse or tip over

 

Never use a spare jack from another car as the Jaguar is heavy and will strip out an underrated jack

Ask me how I know

I use sawed off pieces of deck post laying on their side and never upright as can split or roll over and there you are