Hi All,

I was going to remove my wheels to have my tires replaced, but was a little confused about where to place the jack stands. The workshop manual states to place the floorjack, with an adapter, on the post under the vehicle. But I'm not too comfortable placing a floorjack on such a small post. It seems like a lot of weight for the posts to handle. Am I being paranoid?

 

Those jacking points are the strongest part of the body IF they aren't rusted out.
I start jacking Nix with one of those points whenever I put her on stands.

In fact, when she was recently in the shop for some exhaust work, the mechanic was careful to adjust his lift to match those points.
(';')

 

Thanks, that's good to know!

 

I have a piece of wood with a 3/4 inch hole receives the jack point protrusion nicely. This creates a no-mar surface for the car and secure surface for the jack to bite into.

 

Thanks, I have a few hockey pucks I was going to sacrifice for that same reason but I was worried about the jack stand placement rather than the floor jack placement.

Everything is so nice underneath I didn't want to risk any damage.

Thanks for the information everybody.

 

The monocoque frame of the XJ is extremely strong... Made that way through various bends and overlapping metal. When you cut through a single sheet of most of the metal parts you wonder how on earth it can act as the frame of the car. But when you add all the different bends and brakes of the metal it makes this structure that can really take a beating...
A while back I had to cut a car to pieces to get some metal panels for a client. I took photos to show how it all comes together to form a car.. You can see that here:
Anatomy of a Series 3 XJ
The jacking points are in a place where the metal is thickest, and extends straight up through the body of the car at the A post and C posts.
You can lift both wheels off the ground at once by placing the jack under the front cross member for the IFS, or the center of the IRS. In the rear especially you need a block of wood big enough to cover the tie plate on the IRS.
Cheers
David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

Tough as they come, unless the rust monster has visited.


David's necropsy and tutorial are great for understanding the structure.


I prefer ramps over jack stands when feasible. Son vigorously disagrees.


The Jaguar jack in the boot provides a slot for the "pin" to fit into.


Many folks have created adaptors for common trolley jacks to fit a bit better. Wood, hockey pucks, hared wood, etc. I use a rough sawn and drilled chunk of 2" pine. Just a few with a collection of blocks that I've gathered over the years.


Carl

 

Very useful David, thank you. I know your business is about supplying parts, but it just seems a pity to break up that relatively sound '86 low miler! Can't help thinking an engine transplant could have allowed to live another day (or 30 years!).

 

Thank you very much for your reassuring words! This is exactly what I needed to know.

 

Thanks Carl. Luckily, rust is not an issue with car.

My sister-in-law drove it around today and seeing it out in the wild makes me love it more and more. These coupes are beautiful!

 

I agree that it's a shame to break some really decent cars... I'm in the Southern US, and there aren't many of our cars that aren't mostly structurally sound, so looking at them as good body = salvageable is a tough thing to do..
A friend, that is also a Forum member told me something one time that actually helped me get past my own reservations about parting some of these cars.. " When people are looking for a part for their car, they probably already have the part... They are looking for something better than what they have now".. And while that may seem elementary, there is a lot of truth to it. When breaking cars, I can't always take something who's life is essentially over and sell parts from it. Chances are those parts wouldn't be better than what the client already has. So I have to take the parts from a nice car, to make 100 other cars that much nicer... If I were to advertise "Rusted out, ratty interior XJ6 parts for sale" chances are I wouldn't get a lot of hits.. So I have to look for some decent stuff to be donors for others...

Cheers
David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

Thanks David, I do appreciate the business angle. Naturally it must be your priority, it would also be mine if I were in your business. I was just idly ruminating from the heart as enthusiasts tend to do when we see a potential saver. And yes, we'll always need good parts down the track. As ever, we want our cake and the ability to eat it!! And therein lies this awkward juxtaposition

 

There has been more than a few that even I wouldn't turn the tools to the left on....
I found homes for one of the first 500 Series 1s, one of the very last 1987 US cars, one of the last 100 92 V12 VDPs, and last year a Series 1 XJS... As far as I know, a couple of those are back on the road today and the others are in different stages of restoration....

Cheers
David