Hi, need the forums help again with lifting the car in the correct way. Want to take all 4 wheels off to refurb them and not sure of the correct procedure for lifting the car off the ground. I'm assuming it's with a trolly jack side to side, lift one side then place the axle stands in the right place on the chassis rails and then lift from the other side. Is that right and where abouts exactly should the stands be placed? Any help appreciated, thanks and best wishes for the festive season!
Correct way? Not sure! This is what I use/do.... Using a 3/8" wall 2"x4" steel channel 36" long. I place the channel under the front frame spanning the left and right frame rails. Lift the front to lowest jack stand height using a floor jack. Place jack stands under y gusset behind lower front a arm mount on main frame. Next place the channel under the rear frame spanning the frame rails where the rear a arms mount. Lift the rear to the lowest jack stand height. Place the jack stand under the frame rails where the rear a arms mount. Then I repeat the process another level higher to the limit of my jack stands. To get my initial under body clearance if I did not drive up on my 2x10 ramps first, I jack up one side at a time using a floor jack at the jack point for the standard Ferrari jack to place a 2x10 under each wheel giving me enough room to get the channel and jack under the front frame. Please be careful !!!
Agree with Wayne's procedure. That's how I did it before I got my scissor lift. You have to be very careful and go slowly after you get the first set of stands under the car, as you may find that they will tilt when you lift the rear of the car, and you definitely do NOT want to have the car fall off the jack stands. The frame rails are very stiff and strong, and will support the car, but you do need to be careful that you don't tip the stands as you jack the opposite end of the car up. Personally, I don't like working under a car that is on jack stands, but that's just me. Having the scissor lift makes it easy to get the car up in the air and secure to work under. YMMV, but as Wayne said, Please be careful!!!!
Really useful info. And thanks for the concern. Rest assured I won't be under mine whilst on stands. It's just easier to detail arches and suspension. Cheers
Just a follow up! I measured the steel box channel (.200 wall x 1.5" x 3.0" x 36") Just for added insurance I place the wheels under the rocker panels if I have removed them or I have a stacked set of 2x10's for the same reason I place under the car. Jack stands alone are never used.
I always thought a good set of jack stands were okay to work under that it was unsafe to be under a car only on a jack. Damn I guess I have been lucky these past 40 years. Is there a difference between jack stands and axle stands? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My 84 308 GTS QV has been on jack stands for the last 4 months, while I find time here and there to replace all the hoses, fuel lines, then do timing belt, brakes, etc. The first pic is how I started out, with the jack stands alongside the hydraulic jack across the large rear frame member. When I needed top move the jack bridge to the front, I raised the back a little higher, and bolted the hubs on hub stands, then put the jack stands under a front frame member. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I haven't done this yet but I thought you had to place the jack under the jack point on the side under the door. Lift one side. Both wheels off the ground. Place jack stands in their place. Lower car down onto stands. Repeat other side. This seems kinda iffy to me. The tilting is scary. Anyone ever do this? I did jack one side to get the wheels off for new tires. Did put jack stands under for safety. But have a second set of wheels/tires so never lifted the whole car. Did one side at a time. I will be watching this thread. Searched and never found anything.
First off I am no expert, but I have been using jack stands for years and had to rethink how to raise a car when I got the 308 because of the lack of easy front and rear jacking points. I've been using the method you describe without problem with 8,000 lb / pair rated jack stands that have the common c-shaped supports. Yeah, it looks a little weird jacking up one side of the car at a time, but it appears to be a safe, stable way to lift the car. Again; I am no expert. You need a floor jack with good functional rollers so that it can roll slightly to keep itself centered under the jacking point. The one safety tip I'll add is, once you've got the car up to your liking, always give it a good heavy shove side-to-side and front-to-back to confirm it's stable. Better it fall then than when you're underneath it.
I'm no expert (either) but this is my understanding too. If the axle stands have the pegs/stops in, I don't see the problem.
Axle/Jack stands are OK - AS LONG AS THEY ARE SOLID ONES with a high loading weight rating I had one of a set of pressed steel ones collapse recently (luckily not whilst under the car) - these were old and seemed to be made of 1mm thick pressed steel Buy quality and always have something as a back up under there too
Those hub stands are very cool. Never seen them before. I jack mine up by the rear center frame rail and put the stands inner the tubes in the back. Same thing in the front. My stands fit the frame tubes really well.
Thanks for all the great ideas on this! Basically seems to come down to side to side or end to end, but surprised a trolly jack will fit under the front with the back jacked up. I've a low level racing aluminum jack so maybe it will work with that, I'll give it a go but carefully, health and safety first.....
They're designed and sold by a Miata aftermarket vendor, Flyin Miata, and they offer hub plates for different bolt patterns: Flyin' Miata : Miscellaneous : Tools : FM hub stands (I have two Miatas). The hub stands are primarily intended for DIY alignments, and I will use them to check the alignment on the 308 in the future, but for now I left the casters off and just use them to hold up the car. They're expensive compared to ordinary jack stands, but versatile!
Rob, Here is my write up on the GT4, not the same but I assume similar. Chapter One / Jacking up the 308 GT4 Ferrari - FerrariChat.com
Yes , I read that a few times. Your thread is where I got my education. Thank you! Not 100% sure but the frames are very similar on GT4's and GTS's, am I right? I was concerned about the jack stand points. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rob, I only can speak for the GT4, and certainly there are allot smarter guys than me here, but these are all tubular frames and if you find a large tube frame section near the mounting parts for the wheel lower control arms you should be safe. I have been mounting mine where Gerrit in the thread suggested in the rear close to the rear mounting point of the rear arm and in the same place as in my pics for at least the last 15 years. I think the car has spent more time on jack stands than on tires! HA I put 4 smaller ones around the edges, at night in case the big one hits! HA Take your time and enjoy your car! Rob
HA! Minimal chance of the big one here in Pittsburgh. Lowering the car onto the stands is an issue for me. Can't see the frame. So, I go slowly. The crunching sounds are scary. But this ain't rocket science. The car is undoubtedly quite stiff. I just need to do it and get over it. Waaaaah!
As far as jack stands go, the man that I trust to work on my car uses jack stands suitable for a Prevost bus. And he has no qualms about climbing underneath the car. But he is currently looking for a lift to make things a little easier. There are a lot of shops going out of business and lifts are becoming available for cheap.
I would love a lift. But let's please keep on topic for those of us without lifts. But, I really, REALLY do want a lift!
I think the OP has a RHD car which is more tricky to jack because the cover plate for the pedal is exactly where you want to put the jack, at the front. My advice would be go to Costco and buy two Arcan aluminium jacks. To jack the front use one each side positioned just rear of the front arches. There is just space to fit the jack pad so it clears the aforementioned cover. To jack the rear, one jack under the cross member to the rear of the transmission in between the rear engine mounts. Axle stands/jack stands are designed to be worked under. Goes without saying t buy the best possible quality though.
I have worked under cars that were up on jack stands, and not felt that I was unsafe. But we were using heavy duty jack stands, and made sure that they were properly placed, on level floors that could support the weight, and made sure the stands were sitting on all 4 legs. As I noted above, the stands can shift when you lift the other end of the car, so you want to make sure that they are seated properly before crawling under. Also, as others have mentioned, I put the wheels under the car or otherwise set up an alternative support, just in case one of the jack stands decides to let go. Safety in redundancy, IMHO. I'm not looking to win any Darwin awards.
Good jack stands are just fine. My car has been in the air for over 4 years; just the rear end with 4 Stands under it. Buy quality and be done with it.
