Jacking up

[my_85_vette]

Hi Folks,

i want to jack up my corvette as to get underneath to do some work .. such as to change the oilpan gasket, u-joints and so on.

Where should i jack up the car and where should i put the floor jacks (those four legged things .. )? .. where should i put my jack to raise the car and where do i put the floor stands .. a safe place and a place not to harm the car?

Can anyone help .. a diagram would be nice if one is available.

Thanks

 

[MsSchroder]

Luc,
Are you asking about jacking a C4?
I'm guessing from your profile that you are, so I'll move this over to the C4 section.

Tammy

 

[stearnman]

Well, from the 101 Projects book, that guy says you should just jack up the entire side...seems to be the easiest thing to do.

If you look at the lower panel on side of your car, you should see the wording where GM says you should place your jack...just after the front tire and just before the rear tire. The 101 Projects book, say to just jack up the entire side be placing it in the middle of these 2 spots.

ie:
__________________________________________________
\ Place Jack Here...................................Place Jack Here /
.)_v______v______________________________v______v_(
..........X...........................X..............................X

I would say, jacking it up at any one of the 3 x's would work just fine.

If you have 4 jack stands, jack up both sides. Jack on the middle X and place the stands on the outer X's. Repeat on the other side.

I you just have 2 stands and just want the front or back up. Place the jack at one of the "Place Jack Here" areas. Once that part is up, follow the frame going behind the wheel to place the stand. Repeat on the ther side.

 

[John Robinson]

Additional information

Well, from the 101 Projects book, that guy says you should just jack up the entire side...seems to be the easiest thing to do.

e:
__________________________________________________
\ Place Jack Here...................................Place Jack Here /
.)_v______v______________________________v______v_(
..........X...........................X..............................X

I would say, jacking it up at any one of the 3 x's would work just fine.

If you have 4 jack stands, jack up both sides. Jack on the middle X and place the stands on the outer X's. Repeat on the other side.

I you just have 2 stands and just want the front or back up. Place the jack at one of the "Place Jack Here" areas. Once that part is up, follow the frame going behind the wheel to place the stand. Repeat on the ther side.

Stearnman is right on the money with his diagram. I found the center X comes just about 2" behind the outside mirror. Put the jack lifting point on the edge of the body sill. Do not put it on the floor pan. (My mistake) when you have the car up you will see a solid frame rail for both the front and rear of the car place the jack stands there. Go to the other side of car and jack it up and put the jack stands under it. It will sit there rock solid and you can go under the car to work on it. HAVING SAID ALL THAT BE SURE YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND WHERE TO PLACE EVERYTHING AND TEST THE CAR FOR STABILITY ON THE STAND BEFORE GOING UNDER IT. I PERSONNELY USE SOME FOUR BY FOUR CHUNKS OF WOOD ALONG WITH SOME 2x6 MATERIAL TO BLOCK UP THE SIDE I AM GOING UNDER. :cool

 

[Black Bart]

First time I jacked my C4 I did it like the above post say to do but it was a real pain in the azz to keep going from side to side and if you lift it too much on one side and it goes off the jack sideways you could damage it big time.
Buy a thing called jack a vette or you can build one. This will allow you to place the jack under the front cross member to jack the front and us the jack a vette to raise the rear. Place the jack stands under the dog-bones on the rear and under the arms in the front. For those who think that you can't sit it on the A arms think about what holds it up when it is sitting on the wheels. Trying to jack from the sides is a disaster waiting to happen unless you own a four post lift. Those lift points are for using the little cheap jack supplied for changing a flat tire but not the best way to lift the entire car for service work.

 

[C4Ruby]

www.corvettegadgetman.com/products3.html
Here is an example of a jack adapter by gadgetman. See the link for info on how it works.

 

[Black Bart]

Yea those illustrations are how it works. The only time I would try to jack on the side would be to change a flat tire. That is what those jacking points are for they are not meant to be used to raise the entire car.
You can build one of those really easy for far less than the price listed but for those who don't weld I guess buying that is the way to go.
I have been using one for years but had to modify it last spring to make it work with my 3 inch tail pipes that I installed.

 

[Lucs_Vette]

So, what i'm hearing in this tread is that jacking up a vette from the side and putting jackstands (x4) as per above, is not a good idea. i too want to jack up my vette to do minor work (oil pan gasket, ujoints) and don't want to have to bring it to a garage and pay $$$ when i can do it myself ... any suggestions or help would be nice.

 

[tnovot]

The way I did it when I detailed the undercarriage and changed fluid in the OD of my 4+3 was to drive the front onto a set of sturdy ramps and then jack up the rear from each side and use 2 jackstands plus wooden blocks as a safety measure.

 

[Lucs_Vette]

Well folks, she's up .. and here is what i've experience and learned.

i went out and bought 4 x 6ton stands .. i had 2 x 2ton stands. i took my floor jack and lifted the right side and then put the 2ton stands as per the diagram below. Then went to the other side and jacket up the other side and sat the car on the 6ton stands, back to the first side .. raised the car again and sat the car on the 6ton stands (from the 2ton). lifting the car onto the 2ton jacks first help in not lifting the car to the point of wanting to fall off the stands when lifting the second side.

The car is very strudy now .. and i can begin getting it ready for Spring

ie:
__________________________________________________
\ Place Jack Here...................................Place Jack Here /
.)_v______v______________________________v______v_(
..........X...........................X..............................X

Works like a charm .. thanks for the advice.

 

[stearnman]

Sweet!

 

[Edmond]

That's the way I jack it and I even take it a step further by opening all the windows, the rear hatch, the hood and both doors.

 

[Vettefan87]

That's the way I jack it and I even take it a step further by opening all the windows, the rear hatch, the hood and both doors.

That is a must. The less the fiberglass flexes, the happier it stays.

 

[Lucs_Vette]

Hey guys,

Not sure what the purpose of openning up all the doors, hatch .. will do for the car .. what is meant by the less the fiberglass flexs .. can you shed some light on this .. please ..

Thanks

 

[ZumZum]

www.zr1netregistry.com/jackupzr1.htm

This will work for any C4, not just ZR-1's

 

[Vettefan87]

Hey guys,

Not sure what the purpose of openning up all the doors, hatch .. will do for the car .. what is meant by the less the fiberglass flexs .. can you shed some light on this .. please ..

Thanks

When you crack the doors, and the hood, the car will not "flex" like it is one entire piece, if fiberglass flexes to much you could run the risk of cracking it. Is it likely to happen? Probably not, but a precaution I always take, since it just takes a few seconds to unlatch the doors and the hood.

 

[Lucs_Vette]

Thanks for the advice .. much appreciated .. Luc