How High to Jack?

[VAroute66]

I want to do some work on my engine and replace the transmission, and would like to know from those who have experience, how high I need to jack the car (reference ground to frame rail) to be able to pull both the engine and transmission together. Also, I assmume you alternately jack the front an back until you get the height you need. When you use a jack, it does not/cannot jack straight up, but tends to pull towards the handle. Either the car has to move or jack has to move to accomodate this. With say the back of the car on jack stands (on the frame rail), will the car pull forward or the jack backwards or does a couple of inches at a time not matter. Thank you for the benefit of your experience.


V/R

Dan

 

[JohnZ]

You need 12" - 14" clearance under the car for the pull/install as a unit; when you jack it up to put it on stands, make sure your jack wheels roll freely, and they're not stuck in a crack or seam in the garage floor, so the jack will move forward as you pump the handle.

 

[wishuwerehere82]

You can top out a floor jack before you get to the right height for the jackstands to clear the frame too. To add additional height to your jack, you can put large boards on top of each other for the jack to ride on. That way, you can incrementally raise the car to the next stop on the jackstands without having the floor jack standing straight up.

 

[VAroute66]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your invaluable help!

V/R

Dan