Putting the car up on stands under the front jack points "cups".

Bmachine

Bmachine

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I currently have my car up on supports under the front frame rails. But I'd like to move those supports farther out in order to get better access to the transmission. Since the factory designed those wheel changing jack stand "cups" under the rockers, is there any reason not to use those? I would first remove the rocker covers so as to not damage them and then spread the load in the area by using a 12inch / 30cm piece of wood for contact.

My rockers have been inspected and are rust free so would this create any problem?

Thank you.

d65e3e7c3f46f99075cc3ea419deb61a.jpg
 
With jack stands up front they fit in front of the steering linkage where the fraim rail arches up. They are then out of the way. I've used wood under the rear jacking points before when doing the rear sub frame, rocker removal is essential and proper fit with the wood to metal to prevent slipping.
 
zinz said:
You could try something like this? :)
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Haha, yea that pic is a classic. I love it.

I am often in admiration of those fearless do it yourselfers from other parts of the world who do not have the benefits of what we have access to, but still have to "make the damn thing work" one way or the other...

Personally however, I wouldn't mind staying alive for a few more years.
 
I'm okay with your stands, but I'd put the last bit of wood contacting the rails in the center of the supports beneath. Then it would be better supported when your assistant leans on a fender, or whatever.
 
Honolulu said:
I'm okay with your stands, but I'd put the last bit of wood contacting the rails in the center of the supports beneath. Then it would be better supported when your assistant leans on a fender, or whatever.
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For sure. In the pic they are on the side bc it limits the amount of room under the transmission. This is part of why I want to move them out towards the rockers.
 
The jack stands fit perfectly under the long sleeve around the big bolt that holds the control arms to the support frame. I put a shop rag between the sleeve and stand "U" piece.
 
Another solution is to hold the car by the rockers (sill), next to the jack cups. See attached pictures.
I used this only in the rear, and located directly under the B-Pillar as there is additional internal structure there. It is usefull as it allows to remove all rear axle components.
The front of the car is much heavier, so it may not work for the front.

For this I welded up a 1 foot long (~30cm) bracket, supporting the sill and the floor at the same time. Remove the outer sill before doing this. i used a rubber sheet to avoid sharp pressure points.

You have to be carefull to copy the correct angles, as otherwise you push a dent in your sill or floor. See the pdf template.
A prerequisite is the that structural integrity of the sill structure should be enough.
My outer rocker (not the cover, but the welded rocker) is in pretty OK state, but inside especially towards the rear my internals were pretty far gone. Nevertheless it lifted without deforming the rockers.

Erik.
 

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Really interesting solution Erik. Great work there.

eriknetherlands said:
The front of the car is much heavier, so it may not work for the front.
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That would seem to be true indeed. But since the factory set up those cups specifically to lift the car, that sounds as close to an official "It's OK to lift the front of the car here" statement as it gets.
 
Sven said:
The jack stands fit perfectly under the long sleeve around the big bolt that holds the control arms to the support frame. I put a shop rag between the sleeve and stand "U" piece.
Click to expand...

That sounds really convenient on the one hand and since I assume you and Mike have done it, it works well enough. But I can't help but shiver at the thought of the entire weight of the front of the car resting on the side of two bolts. Sure, they are pretty beefy, but lateral pressure would be their weakest point, wouldn't it?
 
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