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Jackstands 101


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The owner's manual for my 1990 Loyale shows proper jackstand placement for the front as being the notch in the metal just behind the tires. It shows the same spot for proper placement of the jack.

 

So, if I have a scissors-type jack, where can I place it so that the car can be lowered onto the jackstand in the correct position?

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It's less than idel to use a scissor jack for anything but roadside tire changing. For your safely get a cheap floor jack $20-$30.

 

You can jack up both sides of the vehicle from the rear diff for the back two tires and the front crossmember for the fronts.

 

Use wheel chocks especially with scissor jacks. Once I had the front tires slip on the floor in my garage while jacking up the rear end. I was in the procces of putting the jackstands in place and as the front tires slid, the scissor jack tipped over and bam, the car just about crushed my head. If it was lowered, it would have. Don't do that!!!

 

Oh and unlike Homer Simpson, never use a wicker basket as a jack stand!!

 

 

 

Be safe, good luck

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I hate using the pinch seam (notched) for support on the jack or the stand. My seam is rusty and not trusty. I Jack somewhere inboard on the lower A arm and lower that on to the stand farther outboard on the same A arm.

 

Does that make any sense?

 

Hope it helps.

Glenn

82 SubaruHummer

01 Forester

 

 

Put you PK brake on! Block the wheels!

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Take that scissor jack and chuck it out into the neighbors yard. Get yourself at least a bottle jack ($10 or so) and in the front use the leading rod plates for either side, or to jack up the whole front use the engine cross-member right behind the skid plate. In the rear use the rear diff. Always make sure your parking brake is set, and NEVER jack on hill. As for the jack stands - in the front use the lower control arm mount at the cross-member, or one of the frame rails. In the rear use the frame rails. You can add a metal or wooden shim (1/4" thick at most) to prevent damage to the frame rails.

 

GD

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save your "pantograph jack" for precise adjustment of height, and jacking the front of a narrow front allis chalmers wd 45, or similar tractor, when any other jack won't fit, been there, done that

 

it is also acceptable to use a 6x6 on the jack, if the jack can't jack it, as I do it every day jacking spreaders

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Sizzor jacks are better than your arms for lifting the car... but thats about it. I would use one in an emergency, but not as a regular garage jack.

 

I once had a sizzor jack fold in half cause my ex-GF forgot to set the e-brake, and her blazer started to roll backwards. Good thing it happend as i was raising the car, and not while I was changing the tire... but yeah, it folded in half like a piece of paper. Trust it to lift the car, but never trust it to hold the car.

 

Subaru's can be lifted from the engine cross-member or the rear diff housing.

 

-Brian

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I'm sure jacking it up where the manual says was fine before the rust set in :) I try to use crossmembers or subframes to jack and use jack stands. Jacking on the rear diff put a lot of strain on the mounting so I dont like using it to jack the rear up. I'm sure it wont break anything but I just don't prefer doing it that way. If you must jack it up on the unibody to do some major work on stuff then use some wide flat pieces of wood as a buffer. Helps spread out the weight so you dont end up with a jack stand in your cabin and a Subaru on your leg :drunk:

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ok here I go

 

use a good floor jack if you are going to be doing any real work on cars.

never!get under a car with no jack stands or at least some wheels stacked for it to fall on. on my first job as a mechanic I was replacing a guy who had been crushed under his own car.

I use the cross member in front and rear diff. I place stands in front on the torque rod (radius rod?) mount. in the rear at the cotroll arm mount.

 

if you jack only part of the car off the ground make sure to block the wheel that is the most securely planted on the ground

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i will jack the car up by the diff or crossmember

 

my favorite places for jack STANDS would be the front framerails, and the mounting points for the rear suspension tube assembly. sometimes i will place the jackstand on the bushings for the front swaybar. i generally dont put them on the lower control or trailing arms as i like the have the suspension move freely, as if the car is in the air its usually suspension work

 

i never use the rocker panels or pinch welds as rusted models will cave in and collapse and allthat junk

 

one clever way i used a jack was a tripodial stance. it was a 2wd to 4wd conversion, jacked up the rear and had one jackstand(big cast iron screw type, many ton capacity) i put a 4x4 piece of lumber longways in the tranny tunnel, and used the stand under it. the front wheels were on the ground. the car could rock side to side as the front suspension flexed, but the car was very well balanced, and was of good use since i was swapping out the entire rear suspension assembly

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