front lifting points
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What are the recommended front lifting/jacking points on an 85 Carrera. The side points are obvious but I want to put the entire car on stands. I know the rear should have stands on the ends of the torsion bar but how do you raise and set up the front end. The owners manual sucks and Bentley's shows an arrow behind the front wheel like that's any help.
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If you look just in front of the lowering/raising bolt for the front torsion bar, there is the housing for the front torsion bar. That's where I place the jack stands.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Last edited by jet911; 04-08-2005 at 05:31 PM.
#4
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There are a couple of lifting points you can use (so you can use the stands). The easiest place to lift the entire front of the car is is the structural member dead center just behind the flat air conditioner cover/protector screen. It is an indentation, and you can jact there safely by using a piece of scrap wood as a jack pad. You can then lift the entire front and put your stands in. If you are putting stands on one side or corner at a time, you can lift an entire side with the factory jack point tunnel, by using an adaptor jack pad (like Pelican sells...very convenient), or you can jack up along the seams on the floor of the car...just be careful of hoses. To lift the entire rear, put the jack under the sump cover with padding (a towel or whatever) to protect it.
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There is another Pelican thread with my name on it that shows where to lift w/a 2x4 and jack stand places, etc.
Bill Verburg is also on that so search on all those terms. He posted some spacers for jack stands from JC Whitney.
Bill Verburg is also on that so search on all those terms. He posted some spacers for jack stands from JC Whitney.
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Thanks again to all. I didn't want to mangle anything and have only had the car up on ramps so far.
Some additional info..the factory jack is allright but man I wouldn't trust that thing, it leans it sways it does the jitterbug. I figured out that you could make your own jack pads by inserting either a 5/8" thick wall (schedule 40 or thicker) steel pipe or rod approx 12" long or 5/8" square stock or thick wall sq tubing in the jack points and put a wood block on the floor jack and whalla!! Actually any solid piece of steel just under 3/4" would work. For haha's I even used the handle of a 12" pipe wrench. It's worked fine and you could buy all the material (except the wrench) in home depot for like $3 to $5. Pelican sells them with a plate welded on (basically not really needed) for $16. 2002M3Drew I thought you should not jack the rear from the sump. Bentley's emphatically warns to not do so otherwise that is definitely the easiest spot.
Muchas gracias again!
Some additional info..the factory jack is allright but man I wouldn't trust that thing, it leans it sways it does the jitterbug. I figured out that you could make your own jack pads by inserting either a 5/8" thick wall (schedule 40 or thicker) steel pipe or rod approx 12" long or 5/8" square stock or thick wall sq tubing in the jack points and put a wood block on the floor jack and whalla!! Actually any solid piece of steel just under 3/4" would work. For haha's I even used the handle of a 12" pipe wrench. It's worked fine and you could buy all the material (except the wrench) in home depot for like $3 to $5. Pelican sells them with a plate welded on (basically not really needed) for $16. 2002M3Drew I thought you should not jack the rear from the sump. Bentley's emphatically warns to not do so otherwise that is definitely the easiest spot.
Muchas gracias again!
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Gotcha Bill. So many different opinions on this subject. I know how to do the front raise in one shot but the rear I am hesitant to jack on the sump. Yeah, it could work fine 99 times and then....so I'll just use 2 floor jacks with my homemade jack pads and raise each side a bit at a time. Safest way as I see it and simple enough. That snap-on lift you got there looks, well, SNAPPY. I will look into that as well, god knows how many times I'm under a car.
Thanks for your input!
Thanks for your input!
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Thousands of cars lifted using the engine by pro mechanics... but be safe - it won't hurt you to do the incremental side to side lifting. If you do use the engine:
- Pad the jack with a hockey puck, old tire carcasses, block of wood that won't split...
- Lift on the seam of the engine near the trans., not at the sump(!).
- The stress will be there for about 5 minutes while you put jack stands under.
The factory jack will kill you -- keep it for concours (or give it to an enemy) - get a 944 scissors type and use it for roadside breakdowns.
- Pad the jack with a hockey puck, old tire carcasses, block of wood that won't split...
- Lift on the seam of the engine near the trans., not at the sump(!).
- The stress will be there for about 5 minutes while you put jack stands under.
The factory jack will kill you -- keep it for concours (or give it to an enemy) - get a 944 scissors type and use it for roadside breakdowns.
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Bill, I thank you for the diag. Took a peek at those spots and have 2 ?'s. In the front at points C the A/C lines run on the drivers side and I don't see a way to set up a stand without moving the line. I have an 85 Carrera. The other question is on the rear do you use any blocks or rest the under carriage directly on the stands? Same on the fronts, any blocks?
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Don't know about the AC line but there must be room somewhere in that corner.
I use either p/u pads, rubber blocks or wood blocks between the chassis and jacks, also I have sheet of silcon sheathing just in case
I use either p/u pads, rubber blocks or wood blocks between the chassis and jacks, also I have sheet of silcon sheathing just in case
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I learned over the weekend that a cheap floor jack will not fit under the front end A-arm joint without giving it a boost first under the torsion bar. Would be nice to have a low profile jack (or a sweet snap on lift like Bill's). Maybe I just dig out a well in the garage!!!!
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Have to get those blocks. They look handy for alot of applications. Thanks again Bill and yes claw, that snap on lift is the only way to fly.
#14
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here are a few pics of where I use to put jack stands...I 1st jack the rear up using a block of wood and put it under the engine, then I put the jack stands under the rear T,bars and then jack up the front using a block of wood under the r/frnt wheel well (pic #3) and then place stands under the front t-bar covers.
BTW I use a 2 1/2 ton floor jack w/no trouble getting it under the car
BTW I use a 2 1/2 ton floor jack w/no trouble getting it under the car
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Thanks kcpsg. Lifting the front though sounds like it would be unstable by doing so on just the r/front side. I understand that the area just rear of the A/C condenser and forward of the fuel tank with a narrow piece of wood is a perfect central location. I have done this a few times recently and seems to work perfectly until the stands go in where you show.