Perhaps a better way to put the front end on jack stands

[AggieBlake]

I bought my first ZHP last week and am getting prepared to do a lot of PM on it. I researched here and e46fanatics for ideas on safely putting a ZHP on jack stands and saw lots of good ideas... but all of them had draw backs. It boiled down to either crushing the front aluminum oval or using two jacks simultaneously. So I did some experimentation tonight and arrived at the following provisional solution that seems to be both safe and easy. It is certainly not as fast as the crushing the oval method, and I may end up going to that in the future if I do this a lot. But it's still fairly quick. Feel free to critique if you see anything of concern. As always - I make NO GUARANTEES FOR THIS METHOD. Be careful. YMMV.

1. Set parking brake and put chocks behind rear wheels.
2. Use your floor jack on one of the front plastic jack points. Raise that front tire enough to place 3-5 inches of boards under it. This will reduce the amount of tilt when you raise the other side and thus the possibility of the car slipping on a jack. See picture 1 below.
3. Go to the other side and place the floor jack on the vehicle's frame rail (green square in the second photo). Raise the vehicle and then place a jack stand under the jack point on that side of the car.
4. Go back to the other side, place the floor jack under the frame rail on that side and raise the car sufficiently to place the other jack under the jack point. And you're done with the front (pic 3). You can now proceed to raise the rear of the car using the cross member nearest the differential (NOT the differential).

[Jconlin16]

Nice write up, this is how I jack my car up!

Congrats on the purchase btw, it's beautiful.

[slater]

i usually use the rear jack pad first, lift the side of the car high enough to insert a front jack stand, and then do the other side. less steps!

[AggieBlake]

slater, I read about that method but was concerned with the total amount of rotation that would occur on that front jack stand when you transition from the car resting on one side's wheels to resting on the rear wheels. Seemed like a potential for damage. I was trying to find a method that required less angular rotation on a jack. But I'm guessing you haven't seen any problems? If not, your method would be quicker!

[GreatFrog]

Nice job, Blake! Can't wait to see the car in person:roundel

[slater]

slater, I read about that method but was concerned with the total amount of rotation that would occur on that front jack stand when you transition from the car resting on one side's wheels to resting on the rear wheels. Seemed like a potential for damage. I was trying to find a method that required less angular rotation on a jack. But I'm guessing you haven't seen any problems? If not, your method would be quicker!

is your concern for the structure that the front jack pad is sitting in? i didn't think about that as being a concern. hmmm.

i'd prefer to use the lift point on the front aluminum plate, but i need a super low-profile jack for that. i have a pad for my jack so i'm not worried about damage.

peter

[Oli77]

I don't like putting the jack stand on that little pad. When you tilt the car and lift the other side, I always get scared something bad will happen.
This is why I now put the jack stand on the frame rail. The tilt does not bother me anymore at all.

[slater]

but the pad is rubber - it will flex with the tilt - the frame rail won't. :)

the only way to truly fix this dilemma is a 2-post lift. :)

[AggieBlake]

Yes, a 2-post lift would fix this perfectly! Sadly, it does not fix my budget or leave room for our minivan or my kids' unending supply of bikes, trikes, and scooters.

As for the rotational concern - I'm really not too worried about the rubber pad itself. They're easy to replace. I am more concerned about shearing the pad off with all that rotation and then seeing the jack stand damage the underlying structure. It may, however, be overkill on my part. The car's brand new to me so I'm taking it overly cautious for a while!

And yes, I tend to agree that it's probably better to not place the jack stand under the frame rail because it will likely damage the undercoating when the car rotates which could open channels for rust.

[slater]

Yes, a 2-post lift would fix this perfectly! Sadly, it does not fix my budget or leave room for our minivan or my kids' unending supply of bikes, trikes, and scooters.

As for the rotational concern - I'm really not too worried about the rubber pad itself. They're easy to replace. I am more concerned about shearing the pad off with all that rotation and then seeing the jack stand damage the underlying structure. It may, however, be overkill on my part. The car's brand new to me so I'm taking it overly cautious for a while!

And yes, I tend to agree that it's probably better to not place the jack stand under the frame rail because it will likely damage the undercoating when the car rotates which could open channels for rust.

yep, my thoughts exactly. one of my pairs of jackstands are curved inside, another pair is flat. i'll have to try both out and see what works better for lift pad alignment.

my kids' bikes (and most times, the minivan - LOL) are not allowed in the garage unless repairs are needed. :) i have a small barn/shed for that type of stuff.

[AggieBlake]

How'd you pull off that rule?! The minivan gets the prime spot, which seems fair since my wife allows me to not drive it :) We have a deal that if I keep half the garage clean and organized for her van and all the kids' stuff, I get the other half for all my stuff. All in all, it's been pretty fair. She's put up with seeing my miata up on stands for days at a time as I worked on some project or another on it.

[ELCID86]

Crush the oval!! :mob

Good idea. Thanks for sharing!

[BMWCurves]

Right now I use a low-profile jack to jack up the front on that aluminum skid plate. It's been dented in a bit from use, but works fine. Unfortunately my car somehow still sits too low so right now I use mine and my father's widowmaker jacks to lift up the front a tiny bit using the stock lifting locations. Then I jack up the car the rest of the way with the low-profile jack until I can slide in the front two jack stands. The rear I can do using just the low-profile floor jack using the bracket inboard of the differential as the jacking point. I'm going to switch over to some low-profile ramps in the future so I don't have to muck about with the widowmakers. I put the stands on the rubber pads because they have some give and are replaceable plus I like the stands as far to the outside as possible.

[Oli77]

Crush the oval!! :mob

Yes! Thank you again Shawn! Small price i had to pay to get the CDV out of there.

[slater]

How'd you pull off that rule?! The minivan gets the prime spot, which seems fair since my wife allows me to not drive it :) We have a deal that if I keep half the garage clean and organized for her van and all the kids' stuff, I get the other half for all my stuff. All in all, it's been pretty fair. She's put up with seeing my miata up on stands for days at a time as I worked on some project or another on it.

two things... the garage is for vehicles being worked on, and failing that, the ZHP. :) the van gets parked in the carport; it's old, ugly and as long as we don't have to clean snow off it in the winter, it's all good.

my wife stays out of the garage for the most part. my garage is unconventional - it's a 2-car that was for some reason converted to a 1-car with a 1500 gallon water cistern in part of it - i've removed that and did a mild overhaul on the garage, making it more of a 1.5-car garage with good workspace, including building myself a 6x8' office in one corner (it's all insulated and nicely-finished inside... i'm typing this from there right now ;) ). so it's my domain. :)

the ZHP was just up on jackstands for 5 weeks in here. wow. your wife would've hated that. :)



Crush the oval!! :mob

LOL!



I'm going to switch over to some low-profile ramps in the future so I don't have to muck about with the widowmakers. I put the stands on the rubber pads because they have some give and are replaceable plus I like the stands as far to the outside as possible.

i'm considering this idea as well as i don't have a super low-profile jack yet, but i CAN make 2 miter-cut 2x10 wood 'ramps' that i could drive up on - that gives me another 1.5" of clearance and would be able to get my jack under the oval. hmmm.

[ryankokesh]

I can never remember exactly how I get the damn thing in the air.

All I know is it involves a hockey puck, two floor jacks, some scrap 1x10s, and a substantial amount of praying. Not my favoritest activity.

[ecrabb]

I can never remember exactly how I get the damn thing in the air.

All I know is it involves a hockey puck, two floor jacks, some scrap 1x10s, and a substantial amount of praying. Not my favoritest activity.

LOLs. Exactly. When I had to remove both back wheels a couple of weeks ago to throw some temp tires on, I backed onto two 2x10's so I had clearance for the jack, jacked the car up on the rear axle carrier crossmember under the diff, threw a stand under each rear jacking point, then took the pressure off the jack/carrier. I proceeded with removing the wheels, which in the case of the left-rear was a pain in the ass. It took some major bashing of tire to tire to get it to release its grip.

When I went to reinstall the wheels later, I noticed the jack stand on the passenger side had about a quarter inch of air showing under two of the legs. Somehow, the car moved enough to rock one of the stands to the side slightly. :shifty

Everything went back together and put the car on the ground with no further issue, but it's still annoying when stuff shifts around like that.

SC

[BMWCurves]

LOLs. Exactly. When I had to remove both back wheels a couple of weeks ago to throw some temp tires on, I backed onto two 2x10's so I had clearance for the jack, jacked the car up on the rear axle carrier crossmember under the diff, threw a stand under each rear jacking point, then took the pressure off the jack/carrier. I proceeded with removing the wheels, which in the case of the left-rear was a pain in the ass. It took some major bashing of tire to tire to get it to release its grip.

When I went to reinstall the wheels later, I noticed the jack stand on the passenger side had about a quarter inch of air showing under two of the legs. Somehow, the car moved enough to rock one of the stands to the side slightly. :shifty

Everything went back together and put the car on the ground with no further issue, but it's still annoying when stuff shifts around like that.

SC

Try some anti-seize compound on the rotor hub if you don't already. I put some on every time I take off the wheels and it makes life a lot easier. Also consider purchasing the wheel pin tool so it's not a guessing game where bolt holes are [part no. 71111093774]).

I've had that two legs of the jack stand in the air issue happen, usually when I'm getting the car off the stands. A little sketchy, but seems to be okay.

[Johnmadd]

Whenever I put a vehicle on jack stands I literally try and push it off the stands before getting under it.

[danewilson77]

If I need to only jack up the front (both wheels off the ground), I jack the car up as high as it will go from the rear driver side jack pad. I then put a jack stand under the front drivers side jack pad.

Lower the jack.

Place the jack under the front passenger jack pad and Jack it up as high as it will go.

Place a jack stand under passenger side control arm ball joint.

Lower jack just until it touches passenger side CA jack stand. Leave the jack as a second safety mechanism.

Done.

Takes about 3 minutes.

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[danewilson77]

Thanks for sharing your method. Many ways to skin a cat.

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[WOLFN8TR]

Everytime I get ready to work on my car I always think of Christian. Don't ever trust jack stands only, place a tire underneath, a jack here or there, some wood blocks etc. You never know what can happen so always be double safe!


http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1931-Please-take-a-moment-to-read-this-(regarding-Christian-Richard-Klorczyk)&highlight=Christian


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[BMWCurves]

Everytime I get ready to work on my car I always think of Christian. Don't ever trust jack stands only, place a tire underneath, a jack here or there, some wood blocks etc. You never know what can happen so always be double safe!


http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1931-Please-take-a-moment-to-read-this-(regarding-Christian-Richard-Klorczyk)&highlight=Christian

Agreed. If I'm crawling under there, a wheel's coming with me.

[ecrabb]

Ditto. I think of Christian every time I jack up the car - not just when I'm going under the car.

SC

[ryankokesh]

If I need to only jack up the front (both wheels off the ground), I jack the car up as high as it will go from the rear driver side jack pad. I then put a jack stand under the front drivers side jack pad.

Lower the jack.

Place the jack under the front passenger jack pad and Jack it up as high as it will go.

Place a jack stand under passenger side control arm ball joint.

Lower jack just until it touches passenger side CA jack stand. Leave the jack as a second safety mechanism.

Done.

Takes about 3 minutes.

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Ah, yeah, I use variation of that using the rear diff thing. That sounds easier, though...


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[Dave1027]

I don't like putting the jack stand on that little pad. When you tilt the car and lift the other side, I always get scared something bad will happen.
This is why I now put the jack stand on the frame rail. The tilt does not bother me anymore at all.

I also jack with the side pads and then put jackstands under the frame rails. Lifting the car is very simple that way and it does not damage the frame rails.

[ELCID86]

My wife's Acura has priority in the garage. But mine will be in there for at least the rest of this week.

23081


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[Sockethead]

There is a dimple in the front aluminum pan/brace where a jack pad adapter will fit perfectly. You can lift the front end all at once.
If your car is really low like mine I s just drive it on some 2X4 to get the clearance. I've been doing this for years...

Jack adapter:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/19/556ad60968db28e0531a5220cce17423.jpg

Dimple in front pan can be seen here below oil drain door:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?5757-Skid-plate&p=133748#post133748

[BMWCurves]

:/ bent that dimple, but hasn't gotten worse since the first time I did it. I just use a modified hockey puck.

[Sockethead]

Modified hockey puck is a great idea. You could cut to the shape of the dimple...
The wife's 135 has the same spot but much bigger and it looks like a jack point is what it's for. I fabricated an adapter and wrapped it in thick rubber... works great

[WOLFN8TR]

Hockey Pucks work great and they are cheap!

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[Sockethead]

I like the grooves for the jack stands

[WOLFN8TR]

Thanks. [emoji106] It works great!

[ryankokesh]

How'd you mill them down like that? I started trying and black dust just gets everywhere! Obviously I gave up before I finished...

[slater]

wow gary, that looks slick. i like that!

i have a rubber pad for my jack, which helps a lot, but that hockey puck idea is very cool.

[johnrando]

We used Gary's while woking on my car. I have a regular jack pad, his are awesome!

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[AggieBlake]

So... you guys were right. I got tired of the back-and-forth method I was using to get the front end up on jack stands. I need to get this thing up and down quick with all the work I'm doing on it. So I gave up my vanity and crushed the crap out of that aluminum bump under the engine. So much easier now! I can get all four pads on jacks in well under 10 minutes. I then keep a spare set of jack stands to position on the frame rails around my body when I'm under the car. 6 stands feels about right safety-wise for a guy with elementary age kids :)

[Sockethead]

So... you guys were right. I got tired of the back-and-forth method I was using to get the front end up on jack stands. I need to get this thing up and down quick with all the work I'm doing on it. So I gave up my vanity and crushed the crap out of that aluminum bump under the engine. So much easier now! I can get all four pads on jacks in well under 10 minutes.

Yep, sometimes you just have to say F' it! The only people that are going to see that pan are you and your mechanic.
If you use a jack puck thingy, it wont dent it as bad, it fits right in that dimple

[WOLFN8TR]

How'd you mill them down like that? I started trying and black dust just gets everywhere! Obviously I gave up before I finished...


wow gary, that looks slick. i like that!

i have a rubber pad for my jack, which helps a lot, but that hockey puck idea is very cool.

Thanks. Ya it works great. I cut them using a hacksaw. Just cut the top first then put the hockey puck in vise and cut the sides. I bought 5 from Amazon for approx $10 shipped.

Sorry I missed this back in December. [emoji15]

[derbo]

I have a set of ramps I drive up and then jack from the lcab bolts. I then remove my ramps and position the Jackstands


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[Guillaumenl]

I might try to copy that!!!!


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