Gentleman,

Over the next few days I plan to make a "chassis cart". I've removed the engine/trans and plan to remove both sub-frames next. However I need to be able to move the car around in my shop now and then. What is the min, ideal, max height from the floor to the jacking points to be able to drop the sub-frames?

I'll start a resto thread for this project over the next few days as well.

Thank you

Eddy

 

Hi avanti357

If you are planning to remove the IRS Axle, I have found that you need around 38 inches but if you are pulling it out from the Side then you could probably get away with a lot less

Though having said that, I found that it helps to have as much height as you can Safely get, for things like undoing the Propshaft Bolts from the Diff as well as disconnecting stuff like the Handbrake Cable, where although I do have a Car Lift, in some ways its much easier without

Removing the Cage from 'The Ice Princess' with 38 inches Ground Clearance under my Car Lift

Removing The Cage From '50 Shade' My Grey XJS Without A Car Lift

Cage Removal On 'Cherry Blossom' Using a Home Made Rig

Three different methods of removing the IRS Cage the best one being the last one with a Simple Home Made Rig, that also Supports the Long Exhaust Pipes

Lots of information here inc Rebuilding Calipers and Cleaning and Refurbing the IRS

Some of those YouTube Videos make this look the Job from Hell but for me I found it easier than Changing the 12 Spark Plugs

If you really want the Job from Hell try Changing all the Drive Belts!

 

I just went out and measured 20" from the floor to the rear jack point located next to the radius arm mount. The car is level so the front is the same amount off the ground. I was able to slide my IRS in and out from the side using a transmission jack. I was also able to remove TH400 from underneath the car at that height, but I had to jack up the front of the car about 3" to get the 700R4 underneath the car.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Last night was another cars, pizza, beer night at the shop. My version of cars and coffee. While I had intended to work on the chassis cart, while my buddy worked on his Z4, I could see he needed my help. So today I worked on the cart a few hours. The final height is going to be around 29 inches. I'll post a few pictures here when it's done. Hopefully I'll get a few more hours this week to finish it.

 

I can not remember the height I had the car at but to lower the cage I used a standard 2T jack.
I made a plate the located in the arm of the jack.

This worked perfectly and was super stable, I did not bother with tie downs when reinstalling it, once I realized how stable it was.
I also made two trolleys for under each side, I was able to slide the cage out sideways.

 

Thank you all for your replies and input. It's almost built and I've been taking pictures. I think I'll start another thread for a "chassis cart" to make it easier to search in the future. Hopefully someone else might get something out of it.