74BBcherryred

This may seem to be a stupid question but how do i jack up the car safley. When one corner is up on the floor jack isn,t that twisting the body and what if i want to razer the whole car 20 inches or so off the ground where do i start. Do i do each corner a little at a time ,and do i have the doors open and the hood open or closed . Iwant to do my trailling arms this year and a new spring and bushings at the same time . :auto:

BB wowbagger

When i put mine on stands,i lift the front end first and then the back.
Keep the doors closed... :smash: :cheers: :cheers:

tshort

You're probably going to get varying opinions on this one but I'll give you mine for what it's worth. I've always heard it's not a good idea to jack up a corvette from one corner only. In fact, even after I stressed this point to the guys at Discount Tire they forgot when letting it down and after that my driver's door doesn't close as smoothly as it did before. Anywho, I think it's best to either lift one entire side or the front or back up at once. I use the front and back method. For the front, I put a 2x4 between the jack and the lower piece of the frame that dips down between the wheels in front of the engine (sorry, don't know what it's called). Make sure you don't do it straight from jack to frame cause it will bend the plate in (ask me how I know :mad ). Then you can put your jack stands under the frame just behind the wheel wells.
For the back, I jack up from under the pumpkin and put the stands under the frame just in front of the rear wheels.

And yes, you should crack open your doors, t-tops, and hood before jacking up or you risk damaging either of them.....these things really flex.


[Modified by tshort, 2:55 PM 3/13/2003]

Van Steel

when you put it on the jack stands OPEN the door and hood. It's fiberglass and it flexes. Don't open them all the way, just one click on the latch. Corvettes have a weight ratio of 51/49. Front 51 and rear 49. If the jack stand are too close to one another it can cause it to crack.

Edzred72

I agree with tshort. Even thought all the manuals tell ya to lift one corner at a time... man, that scares me. The car rocks on the stands..and at any moment I expect to see it crash to the floor with a jack stand puncturing the oil pan or interior. I bought a 8"X8" treated landscape timber, and cut it into blocks. Some are cut to support the suspension while the car is up on stands, and two are 4" thick to sit on the floor jack pad to protect while lifting.
Best $15 I ever spent....
Eddie

JRODDVETTE

i always use the front or rear method.

74BBcherryred

Ok so i place a floor jack under the front engine crattle and raise the front high enough to put stands just behind the front wheels where the manual says to place them but in the rear i don,t no what you refer to as a pumpkin is :auto:

Stoge

pumpkin = rear end piece that houses differential gears, and connects the drive shaft to the half shafts. Your rear leaf spring is attached to the pumpkin's cover.

BB73Chris

so THAT's how mine got pushed in.....

Schmucker

I jacked the front end up, put the stands on the sway bar, jacked on the rear spring bolts and put the jack stands just inside of the rear tires. You'll probably want to drive the car onto some 2x6s so you can get the jack in far enough. Remove the spare tire carrier before you jack also. Makes it easier to get the rear up. Putting some wood on the jack can help get it up as high as you want. When you are all done give the car a good shake and try to knock it off the stands. Mine is as solid as a rock right now.

74BBcherryred

Thanks for the fast replies now i know what a pumpkin is, i will be sure to use wood on the jack also :hurray: