Jacking Midyears

[Tom Miller]

I am a new owner of a BB midyear. Much talk lately about jacking these cars. I noticed a big, substantial looking frame crossmember just forward of oil pan on my '67; is that a good jacking point to lift the front end? Also, is it OK to rest the car on jack stands at the siderails of the frame for chasis work ? I had my straight axle supported that way all last winter for chassis detailing and it seemed to be fine this spring.

[Joe L.]

Re: Jacking Midyears

Tom-----


As far as the "big, substantial front crossmember" goes, you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO PLACE A JACK ON IT. In fact, if this has been done in the past, you will notice deformation of the botom of the crossmember. This applies to all 63-82 Corvettes; the front crossmember is essentially the same on all.


The side frame rails are the place for for jacks or jackstands. The ends of the SIDE rails are the best place. The exact preferred locations are specified in the Chevrolet Service Manual, a copy of which you should own if you're going to perform ANY service operations on your car.

[Jimmy G.]

Re: Jacking Midyears

I recommend you do not use the front crossmember or any other crossmember. They are not designed for verticle support but more for lateral support. The frame rails are the best place but sometimes it is hard to reach 4 good support points as it requires extra long stands. I usually try to use 6 stands, two just in front of the rear wheels, 2 in front of the cowl, and two more on the front rails. A big block gets nose heavy on 4 stands and tends to tip foreward if the stands are not foreward enough and placed correctly.