Jackstand position, yay or nay?

[Titan]

I've looked in the FSM regarding jackstand positioning, but I'm not satisfied how they have the rears setup.

Here is how I setup my fronts and rears, let me know what you think in terms of stability, safety, and kindness to the frame.

http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand3.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand4.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand1.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand2.jpg

Thanks,

Pete

[Bryants95240sx]

Thats how i always jack my car up, never hurt it.

[Chernobyl]

Best place to jack it up is by the front crossmember or the rear subframe or differential. You could potentially bend those frame rails. They arent as reinforced as you think.

[TiNMAN]

yea, thats an easy way to mess up a good frame, the differential and front crossmember are perfect. i use to set my frame on jackstands until i started hearing bad noises. ehhhhk! well, now you know, and knowing is half the battle!

[Bryants95240sx]

oh well wont do that anymore

[Titan]

Whereabouts on the differential could I setup two jackstands, the output shafts?

This is where nissan suggests it should go, but the jackstand doesnt sit well in there.

http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand6.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/fsmjackstand.jpg

This is where someone mentioned it might be a good idea to put.

http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand5.jpg

BTW, the car is currently only jacked up at the front.

Let me know what you think, thanks,

Pete

[240Driver39]

that third pic of ur frame just shows bad news dude....thats a pretty decent patch of rust on it man.. :-/

[phrozen]

you should clean ur whole frame and fix ur rust problems... take arpart the car sandblast the shit ouf of the frame and get it powder coated to prevent rust

[adey]

you should clean ur whole frame and fix ur rust problems... take arpart the car sandblast the shit ouf of the frame and get it powder coated to prevent rust
Yeah, because we alll have money falling out of our pants! That's probably ideal, but most of us can't afford that. I'd suggest sanding down the rusted areas, using some naval jelly to eat away any remainders, then spraying it with undercarriage coating. That's probably the best you can do (for now) unless you have the $$$ to get the whole car sandblasted and repainted. xp

As for jacking points -- do what the FSM suggests as much as possible... I like to jack the car up by either the differential or the tow hooks, since usually in front the tow hooks are the only thing I can reach (and even then, just barely!).

Jackstand placement for me is usually somewhere on the front subframe and then in the rear, either on the little tabs behind the "seam" (where you're supposed to put the scissor jack) or on the frame rail like you show.
Keep in mind though that the recommended scissor jack "tab" (it's really tiny) looks really sketchy... but is apparently a very rigid (read: good) place to put the jackstands if you can get them to sit safely.

Also, it's not a bad idea to leave the jack just under somewhere safe (tow hook/diff) while you're under there, in case something fails. Another common strategy is to (if you have your wheels off) slide the wheels under the car to give you some living space if the jack/jackstands fail.

have fun working on the car!

[ryan hagen]

yah the jack can fuck up frame rails fast, i colapsed one, now i gotta make a piece to replace it before anyhting bad happens

[Red]

I always jack my car up and rest it on those tabs... Of corse they are flat now... But they hold good :)

I do that front and back... (once i do my body work i'm going to weld in jack spots/ stand spots) Gud and strong ones

[twitchy]

Titan

if your worried about it stick some two by fours between the frame and the jacks

it spreads the pressure out and the 2 by 4 takes the damage if any not your frame rails. Theyre kind of flimsy

get your car oilsprayed

[ryan hagen]

mine is alot like that, i ve been thinking about cutting that bottom of the rails out and putting square tubeing in and welding it fully to stiffen it. then do all the cutting holes and welding and grinding flat etc. my cousins have body shop and pretty soon when the car comes abck out they are gonna take a look at it and advise me.....

[Titan]

Thats probably the worst part on the frame. And it's really just surface rust. No big worries. In many places I still have nice red paint on the rails. Plus I don't drive it in the winter at all, so exposure to salt and moisture is minimal.


Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm not worried about jacking it up, I'm worried about jackstand placement. Which of these is better for supporting the rear?

http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand5.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/tainted-crimson/jackstand2.jpg