Tony K

Okay, here is a question for the perfectionists...

When I bought my 83 way back when, it wasn't in fantastic shape, and whenever I put the car up on four jack stands I just put the front jack stands under the frame rails as the manual shows. They had plenty of indentations already, and as I did it there were more indentations, and I would occasionally "touch up" the undercoating.

When I bought the 85.5, I noticed the frame rails were in good shape, with relatively little deforming of the frame rails and scraping of the undercoating. I asked Pete "where do you put the front jack stands when you have the car on all fours?"

I think Pete said under the rearward front control arm/bushing mounts (with the two large bolts, the thing you move to adjust toe-in), but want to double check..

PETE - am I right? Is that where you put the jack stands?

I've been putting the jack stands so the two bolts that hold the bushing/control arm rest on the jack stand. I love it because the bolts are so hard that the jack stands don't even knick them, and the underside of the car remains intact. On the other hand, it always bothers me a bit that it looks like it could easily "slip off" because there is nothing fore or aft of the bolts. (so I have additional jack stands under the frame rails but not touching, "just in case", and the jack positioned as a back up, too.)

So my question here is two-part: 1) again, Pete, is what I am describing what you meant? and 2) everyone, what do you do when putting the car on jack stands to not damage the undercoating (i.e., where else could you put them other than the frame rails.) I am about to do a clutch job, and ramps are not an option, as I need some good room under there and my ramps don't make it high enough.

Thanks,

theedge

Apparently im wrong, but ive always put my jackstands under the lift arm points, the ones on the outsides of the car... I honestly cant see why they shouldnt be put there, id rather have them there then further in on the car, better stability. And if those points can hold the car up with lifts arms, jackstands should be fine. Its not like the car gets heavier as soon as you use jackstands.

Maybe its just me.

PorscheDoc

Yup, put them on the round front jacking points, not the control arms....bolts break.

Tony K

I've thought about there. The front ones are round and the rears are rectangular, butting against the rocker panel seam, right? (going from memory - correct me if I am wrong).. I might use them, but would like to use a spot that is not undercoated. I want to keep the undercoating intact. Additionally, I drive year round, and go to great lengths to keep the car appearing as if it has never been driven in winter. My hood latch and headlight bar are shiny and still have the original plating on them (normally one or two full winters does them in). I treat the underbody the same way. Yeah, too fussy for the cone air filter crowd.

Jake951

The factory manual clearly specifies the front and rear locations for jack stands. Tony, you are right that it is the frame rails in the front and I take that to include the control arm attachment point (the large bolts). I also do as you do and put the stands under the bolts because it won't dent anything. I have heard that the cups which look like lift arm points and are right behind the front wheel wheels are prone to collapsing and should not be used. In the rear there is another jack stand support point just in front of the rear wheel wheel (see manual).

Tony K

p.s., not the control arms themselves!! Impossible for the bushing mounting bolts to break when you are resting on the head and the bolt is pointing up!! read my long question more carefully!! *My whole point is to keep the undercoating intact!* OR - does anyone have a source for the original factory gray undercoating stuff?

(EDIT - response to first two replies - haven't read jake's yet)

theedge

The fronts are the two little round ones. Theyre painted, but they dont have any sort of special covering on them or anything I dont think. Using the caster blocks (the spots you were thinking of) would be ok I guess... Except that those are fairly clsoe together compared to the round spots... Less stability when the car is lifted maybe.

Zero10

I always use hockey pucks on my jack and jack stands. Keeps from marking up the bottom of the car.
Although, most jack stands will destroy hockey pucks, since they only really touch in 2 places. Mine have flat tops on them. I always use the round things, whatever they are called, when I put the car on stands. Although, sometimes I use the big bar at the back, that the trailing arms come off (Is that the torsion bar??? seems too big). But I only do that when I'm doing something where jackstands at the very back of the car will get in the way.
Been doing this for over a year now, and no marks at all.

iloveporsches

Those little round things are NOT for jacking the car or jack stands! Rich Sandor has a nice pic of where you should place jackstands and the jack.

Tony K

Okay, so I'm not the only one! As for the rear, I could never tell from the manual if they were referring to the short vertical box section just inside the rocker seam or the thick aluminum torsion bar assembly. I always use the slightly diagonal-pointing part of the torsion bar assembly in that area, as it is rock hard, thicker than anything else back there, and obviously supports the weight of the car, and the jack stand fits nicely around it. Not a knick!

Tony K

I am looking forward to seeing this!

pete944

Tony, here is Rich's photo. It's nice to see that the old girl is being taken care of.

Luis de Prat

Problem with that pic is that some of us 951 owners have the 2 stock engine protection pans.

I use the cups to briefly jack up the car and place the jack stands under the frame rails with a hockey puck, like zero10 does.

Tony K

Thanks Pete!

Okay, I've been using approximately where the "HO" and "A" in "HOIST/JACKSTAND" (rearward mounting of control arms), right on the bolts. Is that what you did, or were you using the "JACKSTAND BACKUP POINTS" (front cross member)? (or somewhere else? I remember you had an answer to my "not damage frame rails/chip undercoating" inquiry)

For the rears, I use the diagonal parts of the conrol arm assembly that are roughly parallel with the little green arrows.

Luis de Prat

I use those as well, but I don't think you'll get enough height for something like a clutch job by using those swing arm brackets as support points. The swing arm "swings" up some when you raise the car that way and doesn't give you a whole lot of clearance.

I used them to do the CVs on my 83 and there wasn't much room to swing the torque wrench.