Jacking a C2/C3

[Greg L.]

No I don't mean stealing one!

Now that my frame is done I'm curious as to how you all jack them without scratching the frame? I'll need to support it some how for the assembly of the frame and that should be straight forward but there will soon be a time when I have to lift the whole thing. Any thoughts?....

Thanks

[Kurt B.]

Re: Jacking a C2/C3

My 68 is up on jack stands right now. I use a hydraulic jack with a rubber pad and place a folded bath towel over the rubber pad where it contacts the frame and then i jack it up. Once up, I place terry face towels folded in half several times over the top of the jack stands and let the frame sit on those. Have done this for many years and my frame is painted and no scratches from jacking or supporting on jack stands.
Kurt # 26406

[Curtis L.]

Jack stands??

I was under the asumption it was not good to store a car on jack stands.

[Kurt B.]

Re: Jack stands??

Curtis,
I only raise my 68 coupe temporarily when working on it and not for months or years at a time. Also, I read on this forum somewhere over the years that as long as you support at the correct points on the frame it does not do any damage. My doors open and close perfectly when on the stands so I am not seeing any flex. My frame is also in excellent condition with no rust since my car has low mileage (46,000) and has spent most of its life in a garage.
Kurt

[Terry F.]

Re: Jack stands??

Kurt,

If you have rubber A-frame bushing and they are set (A-frame bolts are tight), they can tear. They are locked in place at normal ride height and twist as the car is raised. Storing the car off the ground will shorten their life a bit. Same for trailing arms if installed and holding there own. Just my opinion and it is sort of humble. Terry

[Kurt B.]

Re: Jack stands??

Guys,
It's awful hard to remove a starter or body heat shields or do anything under the car without raising the car. I don't have the height in my garage for a lift and one can't do everything from the top, some jobs must be done from under the vehicle and jack stands are a lot safer than a regular hydraulic jack.
Kurt

[mike cobine]

Re: Jack stands?? Mountains out of molehills

I think you guys are all getting too carried away on this. First, Kurt said he did this during repairs/work, not long term storage.

Second, if you actually drove your car, you would get the same thing happening. Drive over a railroad crossing or a rise in the road, the car lifts, the bushings twist. That is what they were designed to do. They are not a lifetime item, but an expendable just like tires, shocks, etc. When you hit a dip, the car lowers, and the bushings twist also.

BTW, every time you get in the car, it lowers and the bushings twist. Are you going to quit getting in it?

Third, if you drove and took it to a dealer or garage for maintenance like oil changes, up on the lift it went. Surprise, drive-on lifts are not always used and the wheels hang down.

Fourth, watch the assembly line. There is not weight on wheels while it goes down the assembly line, until near the end when they put the tires on.

Fifth, flat tire. Yes, rare, especially if you never drive it, but how to you change a tire without twisting the bushing? At home in the garage, you lift on the a-arm, but on the road, you lift on the frame.

Sixth - New Tires? You got four hanging if you take it anywhere for tires.

Let's face it, they will twist somewhere in their lives unless you assembly the car and leave it in your garage forever, never move it, and never get in it.