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Jack stand placement

Rsgwynn1

Rsgwynn1

Silver Level Sponsor
Where should jack stands be placed? I figure on the frame members behind the front wheels and in front of the rear ones. Will this give me enough stability to work under the car safely? I am getting ready to install transmission and engine. Will the balance of the chassis be ok if the stands are placed like this?

Also, if anyone has any tips on how to jack the car safely to put it on the stands, I'd appreciate it. I have nightmares about getting it up on the front stands but having it tilt off them when I jack up the back. I have a good hydraulic floor jack.

Sam
 
V

V6 JOSE

Donation Time
Hi Sam,

I always put two jack stands under the rear axle and put two ramps under the front tires. If you are going to put the transmission in, you'll need as much room as you can get, and if you put the jack stands under the two ends of the cruciform, you won't have much room between them to operate easily. The front tires on the ramps will give it a lot of stability, lessening the possibility of it falling off of the jack stands, plus getting it high enough so you can easily get under the car.

Jose :)
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Sam, when I am going to raise the car 'way up there, I do it in two stages. Take the front half way up, place the front stands on the X braces where they met the side rails. I then take the rear all the way up, placing the rear stands under the springs near the axle or the front spring eye. Then take the front up to desired height. I then try to shake the car. So far, never have been able to, but one never knows.

Bill
 
Rsgwynn1

Rsgwynn1

Silver Level Sponsor
Jose, you're saying to put the rear stands under the axle, right? Do you put the jack under the differential? How tall are the ramps for the front I should be looking for?

Sam
 
C

Chuck Ingram

Donation Time
I usually drive the car up the ramps.They are 14 Inches high with a long enough slant.Just make it barely as the spoiler just starts to scrapes just as the tires come onto the ramp.The ramps have a space where I put a piece of railway track to eliminate rear movement.The fronts are built so no forward movement.I then jack up the car by the axle.Yes I do it on the diff casing.Then I place the stands under the rear sprins right at the axle.I also shake the car hard just to be sure.At anytime I can jack the front to remove the ramps and place a stand where ever I desire.When I do this the ramp is under the side frame rail just in case.Never had a problem
The stands were Heavy duty 2.5 ton stands so no problem there.The bases could be a little wider for my own desires.
If the car is going to be up for a long time I do have a dolly.Makes it nice as I can move the car here or there or put it outside for a time.
 
Nickodell

Nickodell

Donation Time
As I don't want to read about how we lost a forum member, with apols to those who read it before, I replay a post of mine from January:

*********************************************************

My dad taught me never to get under a car mounted on any kind of jack or stands unless you have an immovable, incompressible object under it too. In the half century I've been messing about with cars I've always had a piece sawn from a tree trunk under there with me. The current one is from a large tree with a 24" trunk, and is about 18" high.

I say always, but I've been lazy and skipped that part on occasion in the past. Then two things happened. The first was when I was "just going to be under it for a moment to remove the sump drain plug." When I wriggled out to get a larger wrench for the plug, the trolley jack, which was under the front suspension cross-member, suddenly collapsed with a shriek of hydraulics and fluid spraying out, and the car came down boing boing. Where I had been a minute earlier.

The next was when I had the rear on substantial jack stands. It was a hot day and the macadam of my driveway was soft. The stands gradually began to lean over as one side sank into the macadam, and I came out like the proverbial scalded cat.

After those two scares, I heeded the message and "my tree" always goes under first.

Three or four years ago a guy not far from here was pinned under his car when either his jack failed or the car rolled. His wife came out after a couple of hours to bitch about how long are you going to mess with that damned car and found him. The coroner's inquest said that the weight of the car hadn't actually killed him; it just compressed his chest sufficiently so that he couldn't get out, breathe or yell for help - he just suffocated.

Wheel chocks are great, but making the above scenario impossible is better.

To adapt an old RAF saying: "There are old mechanics, and bold mechanics, but not too many old bold mechanics."
 
V

V6 JOSE

Donation Time
Rsgwynn1 said:
Jose, you're saying to put the rear stands under the axle, right? Do you put the jack under the differential? How tall are the ramps for the front I should be looking for?

Sam
Click to expand...
Hi Sam,

The height of the ramp should be ablut 12"/14" high, and yes, I put the jack stands under the rear axle, as far out as the springs will allow. You can lift the rear of the car by putting the jack under the middle of the banjo housing, then place the jack stands.

I put the ramps under the wheels , backwards, so that they don't intrude into the space you'll need to work underneath. I don't like to put the jack stands under the springs, because I feel that they could slip. Obviously, others have pretty good luck doing that, but I, personally don't trust it that way.

Jose :)
 
Ken Ellis

Ken Ellis

Donation Time
Jose wrote:

"others have pretty good luck doing that,..."

Jose, you are a wise man to shoot for a higher standard than "pretty good luck" when it comes to crawling beneath a car.

I think I've posted before about getting out from under a car just before it came down. Jackstands were on sprung suspension components, and *DUH!* things changed once the engine and trans were removed from the car (VW Squareback). Oh, to be young and stupid again.

Ken
Gravity... it's not just a good idea, it's the law
 
Rsgwynn1

Rsgwynn1

Silver Level Sponsor
Thanks, all. Now I've got to figure out how to get it on the ramps, since it lacks an engine. Will have to round up the rest of the family for that!

Nick, I'd read your cautionary tale earlier and have used various fall-back (no pun intended) devices when I've jacked up the car before.
 
Ken Ellis

Ken Ellis

Donation Time
Umm, just because ramps include the miracle of the inclined plane doesn't mean you have to use them to achieve elevation.

First step, jack up the front of the car at the middle of the front suspension member, and slide the ramps in under the elevated wheels. Point them forward, re: Jose, for more room underneath. Remove jack.
(Note: when you get the engine in, don't drive forward off the ramps. Use the jack again.)

Next, jack up the rear at the middle of the rear axle. Install jack stands
(or other ramps, depending on what you're doing) per previous posts.

Finally, remove jack, store it where the handle won't fall on the fender, and toast your conquest of gravity.

All the ramps do is give you a stable, correctly engineered platform on which to put the car. Cinder/concrete blocks, stacked timber, etc. can be unstable, hide cracks that can crumble without warning, etc.

The "Rhino Ramps" I use are rated for a 12,000 pound vehicle (which means holding half of it per pair, 6000 lbs per pair/3000 lbs per ramp)
which is adequate for a 2500 pound car. Just make sure the surface they're resting on is level concrete. Anything else would require an oversized board underneath the ramp to provide a level, stable surface for the ramp to rest on.

There ya' go!:)
Ken
 
V

V6 JOSE

Donation Time
Rsgwynn1 said:
Thanks, all. Now I've got to figure out how to get it on the ramps, since it lacks an engine. Will have to round up the rest of the family for that!

Nick, I'd read your cautionary tale earlier and have used various fall-back (no pun intended) devices when I've jacked up the car before.
Click to expand...
Hi Sam,

Ken said it all, so I feel like a nut in not telling you that I used the jack to lift the front end and placed the ramps under the tires, rather than driving it on.

The reason I don't put the jack stands under the outer ends of the cruciform, is that the cruciform slopes up to the outside and not parallel to the floor, so can slip out, if there is enough force exerted on the car. I have used these locations before, but saw that it wasn't secure. I have also used the springs to put them under, but again, it wasn't secure enough for me. I have found that the way I first described it, is the most secure manner to maintain the car in the air securely.

Jose :)
 
6

66Tiger

Donation Time
My car has been up like this for 3 years. I put the jackstands under first,using the front crossmemember for my jack. Then jacked the rear axle up to place the ramps underneath (each face a different direction). I added the wood under the jackstands because I couldn't slid the engine/trans out from under. I have a pair of wooden saw horses that I place under the front frame rails when working under the vehicle.

Paul

26.jpg
 
Nickodell

Nickodell

Donation Time
My other cautionary note, to recent forum members, is to use a trolley jack only on smooth concrete, or a very smooth, hard (i.e. cold) macadam. The reason is that the arm doesn't go up vertically, like with a bottle jack, but describes an arc, and to accommodate the arc the wheels must move forward when the arm is being raised, back as it descends.

If the wheels are prevented from moving, due to rough terrain, or sinking into soft macadam, the lift arm is likely to slip off. The result can be expensive damage to the car (or you).

Some people might think I'm a fussy old maid, but it has helped to get me through nearly three quarters of a century of potential hazards.
 
Rsgwynn1

Rsgwynn1

Silver Level Sponsor
Thanks, 66tiger. That look is helpful and reversing one of the ramps sounds like a good safety tip.
 
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