yeah, so every time i jack up my car, that metal support frame keep crunching and bending. why? what is it made out of? the driver side is what's really bad, i almost pinched my fuel/brake lines when it collapsed. i dont get it.



here is a pic of the passenger side. the drive side is worse.



anyone else have this problem, or is my car "gay" (frestylefc3s' theory)

...shoulda been a poll ... i vote gay... ya know, bent = not straight = gay

humm, why dont you not use that place to support your car??

trust me, i've switched many times, wherever i go, it bends



got any better suggestions, smart guy?

yes, don't do that.



use wood to distribute the weight of the car over a larger surface area, if any of us put our car up on jack stands like that it would bend something.

Heh, I did the same thing. Live and learn.

yes, don't do that.



use wood to distribute the weight of the car over a larger surface area, if any of us put our car up on jack stands like that it would bend something. [/quote]

ah yes...i do that....no bending therefore gay = aggie car

I usually use a lift, but when I paint the cars and have them jacked up I use cinder blocks with plywood

i put the front jackstands where that rail intersects the lateral one, kinda under the front of the door. much strong there.



in the rear use the rear subrame mounts, the rear of the cars box frame is weak



mike

much strong there...strong like bull

This reminds me, I need to change the oil in my FC.. So, for the best results (no bending/damage) use plywood and cender blocks after you use the jacks to lift? Where's the best place to use the jacks for lifting?

also try not to open the doors when its on the lift or on jack stands, hard to get them to close

i like the tow hook if its just the front



mike

I believe I use the same spot freestyle is talking about to jack the car with a jack, then I support the frame as far outboard and forward and aft as I can.



For a oil change I would just jack up one side and leave it on the jack, I know you should use jack stands or some ****, but we dont always do what we are supposed to do now do we? Once you take the drain plug out lower the car gently, then jack it back up again to put the drain plug back in.



If you have a shitty jack dont try this at home.

to jack it up to change oil...i just pop up the drivers side fender area with the arrow....



since oil change is quick...and im a risky kinda guy....i just jack it up, go under with my 19mm, pop an oil pan down and let the oil drain....i get out while its draining....when its done i slide down again and close the hole up with the bolt



its pretty fast though, so i dont worry about anything falling on me

twilight zone....wat just happened with rob and i post





btw i have a 3.5 ton jack so it holds a lot more load than a 1 ton

yeah, but they roll, the jacks that is.



i'll note the "wood under the car" idea as an insulator between my jack and the frame, and between my jackstands and the frame.



the ony thing that doesn't cause bending is teh stock mazda jack in the back...



and i have tried the "stick the jack under the door" idea, but then bends up that area soem.



oh well, i'll just live with a jacked up car https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif

you jack off

lol, jack off..

try some of ur socks as insulation....i know u have high white half calf socks

not kidding, get some scrap pieces of 2x4's and such in the garage, use them between the jack / jack stands and the car, it will keep the metal intact, the wood will crumple and distort, thats the point.

Humm.. I really might try that. Since I'm trying to sell my n/a I don't need to mess anything up on it..

How about using the pinch welds? I'm not by my car right now so I'm not sure what the pinch welds look like if they are even there but they are the strongest place to lift the car. Although my 1st gen pinch welds sucked. All collapsed and ****. By the way, I'm speaking of the pinch welds under the door where the metal is pinched together. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/wacko.png

I think I know what the pinch welds are if it's the metal right up under the door.. because that's where I usually use the jacks at.

yeah, i did that and they all got bent and started crumbling too.



that's why i moved to those inner frame rails



i'll just start using 2x4's

i found out that using the the jacks from the spare tires work the best. it won't bend the metal as much as a univeral jack.

the 'pinch welds' are only a reasonable place if you are using the emergency jack which has the slot cut out in it for the material to seat inside, with the proper jack the weight of the vehicle is on the jack in 3 places, the two lands on each side of the groove and the bottom seat of the groove, and the metal cannot crumble up because it's kept straight by the groove in the jack which it seats in.



I have yet to damage a vehicle when using wood pieces between the jack & vehicle interface. Every time I can remember skipping this step some damage was done due to the tiny surface area of the jack stand or floor jack being used. When I worked at CarX we had lifts that we would put under the boxed parts that run the length of the car, but the pads on the lift have alot more surface area than your typical floor jack or jack stand, so they typically would not damage anything. Not to mention they lift the car at once relatively parallel to the ground, which keeps the weight balanced. When you lift one side of the car first and get it on jack stands, then move to the other end to jack it up, it is much heavier than the first end and all that weight will be on the jack point you select, so use something to distribute it, wood tends to work pretty well for this... as it not only distributes the weight of the car over a larger surface area of the steel, but it behaves somewhat as a damper and can adapt to inconsistent surfaces like where theres seams in welds or a lip or whatever may be protruding lower than the surrounding area.



It really upsets me when I look at a car I've purchased or am considering purchasing, or just working on a friends car and I find all sorts of crumbled up parts underneath due to using a jack with nothing to distribute the weight over a larger area.... it's kindof sad, because after it's crumbled it's a prime place for rust to start becaus the paint gets fucked up in the process.

I jack my car up by the front cross member and then put jack stands at either end of it. Then take the jack back to the rear and jack it up by the diff housing.

you need to use the strong part of the inner frame rail



mike

where is that at? the strong part?

its up front theres a part that comes in from the side and so its double thick



mike

Or buy this handy-dandy adaptor for your jack:





http://www.eastwoodco.com/itemdy01.asp?PRED=I&T1=43042



or



http://www.eastwoodco.com/itemdy01.asp?T1=...Dep_Key1=ShoToo

Wood=good. I've always got a stack of blocks laying around my garage. Gives me something to play with if I get frustrated and revert to being a two-year old. I think I first learned this from my Dad when I used to fetch him tools when I was like 6. Just use the wood. It's cheap and easy. Cheap and easy = good. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png

Not to be a safety nag or anything, but when something falls on you, it'll be faster than you.



If people only got hurt when they expected to get hurt... You know what I mean!



https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png

i like that first one a lot. that groove will fit the pinch weld perfect, just like the stock mazda jack!

That is noice! I gotta get me one!

ya part of my rail on the back of ht car is crumpled too from the previous owner... my poor car...

Anyone heard of car ramps cheap and easy and very safe!

you cant use ramps for brake jobs and suspension work.

You ever tried ramps on a lowered vehicle?