Do it yourself. Seriously, this job is cake on the N/A. If you feel unsafe about the jacks, I do and I am even an engineer and I know they are fine. put six of them under the car.

If you pre-plan there isn't much to "figure out." The engine won't fall on you.

 

haha, yeah it probably isn't that complicated to do, I'm more worried about safety issues. Yes I'm worried the engien will fall on me......

where exactly do the jack stands go under? the haynes manual diagram isn't very clear, I want to see a picture of the jack stand under the front of the car.

also can you just jack up the front of the car or do you have to put all 4 corners on jack stands? I would prever to just put the front on stands.

the 944 is so low to the ground, I want to feel safe when I get under it.

right now when I have the car on ramps I still have jack stands under it incase the ramps fail (very unlikely) but still makes me feel more safe.

 

hope not, is that even possible? can the engine fall on you if the support fails? it's still connected to the torque tube right.....

anyways I'll try and do a little more research on this, I won't have time to do anything by april when I get out of school.

 

The shear strength of the wood you would be using is more than alright. So, unless you build something horrible it won't fall on you. And yes, it is still attached to the torque tube.

The jackstands will go on one at a time. There is a little donut on the sides of the car that are the jack points. There is a good image on here somewhere that shows them.

The front jackstand points are the frame rails in the front and the rear jackstand points are just behind the little donut jack points.

I removed my 951 engine totally by myself. If you are still in school, presumably college, find an ME friend that has a garage and do it in a weekend. Pay them in beer.

 

It would be more stable with the rear on stands as well IMO. The torsion bar housing is a very good stable jack point, And I would prefer that to wheels that roll as my rear support. You wont be so freaked out after awhile.

 

Like I said before, I like to use an extra set of two under the torsion mounts like ryan says. I know dymanics and statics and the car won't fall on you. But, I like the extra set nonetheless.

I always wanted to check one of those jack stands to see if the welds would pop before the lower pieces would fatigue and bend under compression. hmmmmmm

 

Also, be sure to check the stands if you work on it for more than a few days. My car shifted about 1.5 inches once when I was working on it in a few summers ago. It was on the stands for about 3 months while I was doing a contracting job. Check your jackstands everytime you get underneath the car.

 

I'm going to do a search to try and find some pics to see where the jack stands go.

so are you saying just putting the front on stands would not be safe?

what are the "frame rails" I assume you mean the raised part on the floor, I thought these bend if you put the weight of the car on the jackstand. mine have big dents on them from being jacked up (not by me).

I have to think about this some more. labour should cost 900-1000 and if I do it myself I'll need to buy a better floor jack (mine doesn't jack up high enough), good set of jack stands and build the engine support....

so I would probably save 600-700 at most...... I have a feeling this job won't be fun so might just get the shop to do it I can't decide right now.

 

You will see in the picture. I would put it on all fours because it is more likely to roll back which is more dangerous. Get 2 small style jackstands for the rear jackpoints behind the jackpoint, and 4 big style for the torsions and the front frame rails. The frame rails may appear a little fatigued which is fine, don't use the front donuts. They are a no-no.

You will also need a conventional jack that will extend quite a ways. Also, you will want some sort of "puck" for the jackpoints as it will quinch the lower plastic piece. Or, you can take that off while working on it, which is easy.

Found the picture

 

On the turbo that exhaust "cross-over" won't be there. Seriously, don't you have some ME friends or could make some at your school. Find the SAE team and entice them with beer and pizza.

 

I always block the rear wheels with chocks so it can't roll back.

would you have a real life picture of where the jack stands go? that picture is pretty clear but I'm not 100% sure. so the front jackstands go on the "fram rails" would this be the raised part on the floor ? I can't see anything else so I'm pretty sure this is correct. If I'm correct the frame rails seem to bend or dent inward when you put the cars weight on them
.
and the rear jack stand point is it a circle shaped area ?

I think just putting the front on jackstands and blocking the rear wheels should be fine if the jackstand is placed in the proper spot.

wouldn't you be able to use the "Pump jack" point for back up jack stands as well?

 

I will take some pictures for you saturday when I have the car up.

 

mechanic friends? I go to university, I don't have any mechanic friends. Wish I did.

I would definately provide free beer and pizza if someone who knows what they are doing could help me with this.

I kind of want to get the bearings replaced also when the oil pan comes out so this would be a pretty huge project for me if I decide to do it.

doing the timing belt and water pump was not that hard, I did it all with the car on ramps but it still took me a very long time.....

 

that would be nice, thanks.

 

The frame rails will be fine. I have 500 miles of track time after working on my pile. I still think you are better off with the rear up. It is easy once you have it in the air. Also, the car's angle will be really weird without the other jackstands, trust me. It is really only good for an oil change, and it is hard to get it high enough.