Desertdawg

I had to start a new topic on this one. Let's get it figured out.

Why would you roll down the windows, unlatch the T Tops, open the doors, and lift the hood, to jack up your Corvette, or lift it on a lift?????

Doesn't your vette bounce and shift all day long while you drive it? I know when I auto crossed mine, I pushed it as hard as I could, sliding left and right, braking hard enough to touch the rubber skirt on the nose. and tromping the gas till I saw blue sky out the windshield. and nothing happened to the body.

Do you have to open everything up with the C1's, C2's, C4's, C5's?????
So where did this wives tale come from??????

72GACRZR

I saw it as a tip to save the T-tops only in one of the vette mags. And I think it was referring only to the full under car lifts. Maybe because they can be higher on end than the other?

Desertdawg

Don't you drive your Corvette in and out of driveways, or up and down hills???
I still think it's BS.

JohnS_77

This is the first I heard of it. I must have had my car jacked up 100 times, and never did any of this.
Nails in the coffin?

Larry B.

Seems as a lot of shops do this.. I don't understand the logic either. I never had any problems. Someone probably jacked up a car with a rusty frame and broke a roof panel... Rumors travel fast.

PRNDL

jacking your car up is different from driving it. I don't usually open the doors before I put the vette on stands, but once on stands I cannot open the door! So, if I know I am going to need to do something inside, I open the door before jacking it up. If you look at the recommended positions for jackstands you will notice that the engine and a tremendous amount of weight is in front of the stands so there is potential for much more flex in the frame than just driving the car.

81' Corvette Guy

I have heard of ppl jacking the car up on a corner and cracking a t top...due to body flex..and these car do flex..might not be much, but they do flex. I have always popped the tops..or released them anyhow, opened the doors slightly and the hood..so has not to stress the hinge points for any undue period of time. Remember a post where one of the guys was lifting body off and "crack", can't remember if it was front or rear end...but it happened. Furthermore, these frames are 22- 30yrs old...and if you have not done a frame restoration..becareful. Just my .02 worth. Joe!

motown 71

I think its one of those things started in a shop to make people feel uninformed so's they will appear superior in knowledge and you'll spend your $$ there at that shop...after all, they know all the secrets !!!!!

GDaina

I open the hood before jacking up teh car...and opening the door while jacked up is little more difficult than on level ground. I don't bother opening the door, only the hood...only reason, to let the light shine so it's easier to see.

Avette4me

I gotta side with the dawg here. I've had mine on stands for extended periods and can open doors, shut doors, remove T tops and reinstall them. I believe that if you're getting so much flex that you cannot do all of this, you very likely should have your frame checked. I found some cracks in mine when I first got it, perhaps some others have them as well....

One thing I have done when I know she'll be getting more air time than a cessna (fxr) is to use all 6 recommended jack stand points...BTW, the shop manual points these out but says nothing about opening doors and such..

click for larger image...

Schmucker

Yeah, I can open and close the doors (although the passenger side is a little tight). I haven't popped the T-tops on it though. I don't want to risk it. When doing some of the interior work I put a 20 ton jack under the frame under the driver door and the now the passenger door opens and closes easily. I have jackstands just in front of the rear wheels and on the sway bar bushings in the front.

ddecart

I put the thing up on jacks & stands & all sorts of stuff. Open doors, close doors, hood, whatever. I'm sure other damage is possible under unusual circumstances, but unlikely.

mayberg

You guys that jack the car and put jack stands on the frame just in front of the door with no problems must own small-block coupes.

Bryan52803

Or a "no-block" coupe

Corz

hey hey hey! i resemble that statement

71coupe

If you look at the jacking directions it does not make sense IMO.
Anytime I jack my car (except for suspension work), I set the jackstands at the same locations that normally support the weight of the car - 1 in the rear under the spring, & 2 in the front, directly under the shocks. After the car is 3-pointed, I add 2 more in the rear (same location as the instructions), but they have very little weight on them (for stabilization only). I had my car jacked this way for over a year & had no problems opening the doors, hood, or tops.
BTW - this is a good way to support the car for eng & trans replacement.

I just don't trust the frame points for slippage reasons & I don't want to flex a 30+ year old frame that much.

mayberg

Hey 71coupe - when you put the jack stands under the shocks, are you talking about the "head" of the shock that is screwed to the control arm pocket? Is the shock mounting flange strong enough to support 1000 pounds?

BEBOP138

Working on my vette all last winter I had mine on jack stands--no engine,tranny,radiator,brakes,suspension ,rearend,everything. Mine stayed up on three stands--needless to say the fourth stand was in place--it was about an 8th of a inch lower than the other stand on the front --all set on the same height. When working on it one nite I hit the stand with my foot----spooky feeling when your under there with three jack stands holding your car up....This car appears to have never been in a dinger so any thoughts out there or has anybody had it happen to them------after engine and stuff put back in they rested on all fours!!!!

71coupe

Yep - right where they mount into the lower control arms. The reason I place them there is that the curved section of the shock bottom fits good into the stands. I feel it's very strong at that location. (my lower cntl arms have no rust tho) You just have to jack that car higher to compensate for the suspension to settle on the stands.

BTW_ I jack the front first then the rear.

When you jack & un-jack the rear you need to be careful though. I bring the floor jack in from the back of the car & have a small peice of 2x4 placed onto the jack pad. I position it directly under the diff. Once the car is high enough, I will go in from the side to place the stand under the fwd part of the differential or spring. [Note: before you slide under the car to set the rear stand, position a stand at the frame where on the side you are going in - never trust the 10 cent "O" rings in a floor jack]

When it's supported like this the car may be tippy so do not leave it like this without adding jacks to the frame to stabilize it...one on each side of the frame corner, just fwd of the rear tires. So you'll need 5 jackstands total.

Supporting the car this way takes time, but I think this is the best way for long term engine & trans work.