Juliet

Or is there a way to use a floor jack to get a C4 convertible up on jackstands? I even read the owner's manual. It says to jack between those little triangle thinggies on the body. OK fine - but there's no FRAME there? Just plastic and fuel lines!!?!? :eek: Certainly nothing flat like on the C3 where I can put a jack against. :smash: :confused: It's all contoured and stuff and there's a bolt sticking down holding the fuel line in place. Certainly they don't mean squash all that with a jack!?!? :crazy:

~Juliet (Yes, some days I'm obviously blonder than others!)

morphious

I have done it, just need a low profile jack. :cheers:

Juliet

Thanks. OK, we've got 2 low profile jacks. But where on the car underside do you PUT THEM? There doesn't hardly look like there's a flat surface with anything structural to support the whole car. ~Juliet

Wadoka

Juliet, right behind that plastic flange on the rocker panel is a reinforced metal lip. That's what your jack works against. A floor jack can lift there too.

Then, right behind the front wheelwells is a flat metal structural plate that will support the car on a jackstand. I just did it again today - oil change, and cleaned and waxed my poor sand-eaten rocker panels.

I had the car on Rhino ramps in the back, and some 2000# jackstands up front. I have a little Advance 4000# floor jack.

Even the jackstands and ramps don't give me much room under the car to change the oil...

Juliet

OK. Here's the jack with the wide lifting circle thinggie.


Here's the front underside in the area between those two triangles on the lower body lip.


Here's the back underside are between the two triangle things (Sorry I couldn't get it to come out clearer).


So, in the front I lift on the area where the metal is tripled up? Do you usually put a piece of wood or something in there or do you just center on that metal and lift the outer body lip too? Because the outer lip is lower and it seems as if it would get crushed. ???? Where do I lift in the back? ~Juliet

Wadoka

The two-ply and 3-ply sheet metal flange sticking down is what the factory jack uses, and what I use with my floor jack. I just use the cup that is on the jack. The plastic rocker panel flange just gets pushed up out of the way - I haven't hurt it yet.

Same as the rear points - the jack uses the metal flange.

I don't put the jackstands at the flange - it looks like it *will* damage the rocker panel. I use the flat metal plate behind the front wheel, basically under the battery, for example.

You see where that vertical flange angles back towards the center of the car? That will hold up the car on the stand at the rear of the car.

Take it easy and don't let the jack off to settle onto the jackstand until you're happy with your placement - this advice-by-remote-control can be nasty...:eek:

I'll go see if I can take a couple of useful pictures...

Juliet

Thanks Matt. I never in a million years would have thought that it was OK to put the car on the vertical pieces of metal. :eek: The X cross mounting point seems to be pretty close to that rear metal part where it starts heading inboard. The one on the front seems to have enough clearance for a jackstand though. The pics above are the passenger side BTW. ~Juliet

Juliet

Here's another shot of the front pass side. Do I put the jackstands just inboard of where the vert X-brace attaches to the metal piece - on the Orange X or do I somehow put it where the vert x-brace comes in there? I don't think there's enough room to fit it ouboard.


Here are a few more shots of the rear area. Where is it OK to put it on jacks back here?



Thanks. ~Juliet

Wadoka

The X-brace is making things interesting. It looks like the X-brace bolts to the frame in the exact places I put my jackstands.
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Here's the front frame member. I know, I have rust on the upper left, looks like my battery is in need of help. See that four-hole bolt pattern inboard? That's what I use.
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Here's the pocket I put my stands in at the rear. It looks like your X-brace bolts over this pocket! How strong is the X-brace?
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[Modified by Matt Black, 11:21 PM 7/27/2002]

BiZ

Drive the car up onto some 2x6s. This will get you the extra lift needed for most floor jacks. Then get a hockey puck and place it on the center of the floor jack. Roll it under the car inbetween the triangles and raise the car on the pinch weld just behind the rocker panel.

Marlin in Minn

Juliet, I too drive the front wheels up on 2x6's to get the clearance to roll
the floor jack under the car. But I lift the whole front at one time by rolling
the jack under the nose of the car and lifting it under the front frame cross member. I use a piece of 2x6 on the jack bucket to distribute the load across the member, and to give some additional height.

Front jack stands are placed under the frame where it turns in just in front of where the cross brace bolts on. I don't have pictures, but once its up in the air I think you'll see what I'm talking about.

I lift the whole back end at once too. I have a 4x4 15 inches long that I lay flat on the jack bucket. I position it right under the back edge of the rear spare tire carrier. The back edge of the spare rests up against the rear frame cross member.

I place the rear jack stands under the frame just behind where the cross brace connects.

The front and rear jack stands are placed under the vertical edges of the frame, as the other people mentioned.

I bring the car up in increments, if I need to get it way up in the air. ie Raise the front end and place the jack stands. Raise the back end even higher and place the jack stands. Go back to the front and raise it up higher, etc. This way I never get the car at an extreme angle.

I've had mine up with the jack stands fully extended a couple of times, and it is very stable.

I put my Corsa's on this way and actually, I had it high enough that it was hard to reach everything laying on a creeper. I just lay pieces of 2x6 on the jack bucket to get the extra height that I need. To be able to get the jack stands in the full extended position, I think I had 2 pieces of 2x6 on the jack for the front, and 3 for the back.

Just go slowly when bringing the car up and down on the jack.


I did find some pics I took and emailed them to you Juliet....


[Modified by Marlin in Minn, 12:24 PM 7/28/2002]

Juliet

Thanks for the pictures. I'll have to put my head back under here. I had the spare out last weekend to clean up the carrier etc.... I do recall seeing some angled part of the frame on the outer edges. Do you have to lower the storage compartment when you put the 4x4 up there to lift? ~Juliet

Juliet

Thanks everyone. OK, It's raised on the jacks. Since i'm just trying to clean & buff the lower rocker panels for now, I'll skip the jackstands. We're going to get one of those mini scissor lifts (not enough room for a full sized 4 post lift). I'll have to make sure I get one with low clearance and special lift points which will go over the tripled up frame sections.

Here are some pics of where I ended up with all this:
Rear:



Front:

Marlin in Minn

Juliet, you leave the spare tire carrier in its normal position. The 15 inch 4x4 is positioned right in between the 2 hinges on the rear of the carrier. You can easily lift the rear with no trouble this way...

VetteBabe1

Juliet, you rule!!!! :D

Juliet

Thanks VetteBabe. :)

OK, forgive the denseness (must be the wine coolers combined with the buffing fumes) :D but by rear of the carrier, are you referring to the end of it in the FRONT of the car or the REAR of the car? ~Juliet

INaband

Great info I need. Now we need ramps with extra long approach, cause the rhinos still are too short. :confused:

MagikDraggin

Please excuse the intrusion, but do not place the wood block on your jack with the grain going the same direction as the metal brace you are jacking against, as this will surely split the wood in two and cause the 'vette to come crashing down onto the jack bucket.

Always place the wood grain perpendicular (crosswise) to the metal brace for maximum strength. (Voice of experience speaking here).

Karl

Juliet

Oops. Thanks for that info! VERY IMPORTANT! I goofed! :eek: On the shark I've always jacked against a wide frame section, not the little vertical thinggies on the C4 so I never heard that before. Good advice! :yesnod:

scorp508

Wow that X brace really messes things up huh? I was about to tell you how I do mine and then saw the brace covers where I use. :(