I have a 62 and would like to know where do I place the floor jack both front and back to avoid damage. Better to ask then pay the price. I have seen some care underneath that look like jack damage. thanks for the advice. Joe

 

You can jack the entire rear end up by placing the jack underneath the differential with no problems. You will get some debate here but I do NOT think its a good idea to jack up the entire front by placing the jack under the steering center arm. There are credible sources that say you can do serious damage by doing this. I know of one person that made a 'saddle' that protects the steering center arm so he can jack up the entire front with no damage.

Having said that I use the area of the frame where the X members meet the side for jacking up just one side in the front or back. I place the jack on the side member at the junction of the two pieces. No damage ever. Of course, in addition, use wheel chocks and jack stands as appropriate.

 

I agree!

John

 

Thanks guys, I will definetly do that. I'm glad I asked before customizing my undercarriage by mistake. Joe

 

Here are two threads where the subject is pretty much beat to death:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...-of-c-1-a.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...ear-of-c1.html

 

The above is good info.

For the rear, place the jack under the center of the rear axle housing . I like to place a soft board, or an old cloth, such as an old towel folded in several layers, on the jack pad.

For the front, I do not care what the pros-cons are regarding placing the jack under the bracket for the center steering arm.
DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!
There have been bone fide occurances of broken/cracked steering arm brackets!!! To replace one today is quite expensive!!!!
If I need to jack up the front, I place a soft board on the jack pad and then position the jack under the front cross member BETWEEN the center steering steering arm bracket and either the left or right lower A-frame shaft. When jacked up, the car is at a slight angle, but it is still quite secure. Once jacked to the desired height, you ARE going to place jack stands under the car, RIGHT? Depending on what part of the car I plan to work on, I place the stands under each side of the frame behind the front wheels, or, under each lower A-frame.
If you need to just jack up one corner of the car, a jack under the forward area of the frame or at the rear of the frame in the area where the forward end of the leaf spring is attached. These cars have boxed frames that are quite rigid in these areas.
There have been times when it was necessary to jack up one side completely. When I do this, I place a length of 2x4 (about 2-3ft length) under the frame rail to spread the load along the frame rail as well as protect the frame rail from scratches/gouges cased by the jack pad. Whenever I let the frame down on jack stands, I always use several layers of rags (old towel), or a piece of soft wood such as a piece of 2x4 to protect the frame from the jack pad (some jack pads with tangs on them can actually put a dent in the bottom of your frame).

AGAIN, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT PLACE A FLOOR JACK UNDER THE BRACKET FOR THE CENTER STEERING ARM!

Tom Parsons

 

thanks again. Points well taken. I will follow your lead. Intuitively, watching these guys jack up there 61's front end with a floor jack in there shop didn't look right to me. That's why I always come to the forum. You guys have it down pat. Thanks Joe

 

And make dang sure nobody else jacks up your car by the center arm. Here is my car in the paint shop....they do mostly Mustangs and mid-year vettes and didn't know that much about C1s. I took the picture and 'educated' the owner and we both inspected the center arm after jacking the car down....I was lucky...no damage..

 

No mentioned. "First, place the jack on the floor"

 

This is exactly what I saw them doing. I'm glad I didn't it this way. They were suppose to be experts. Thanks Joe

 

For my C1's, I used a 10"-long 2x6 with two 4"-long pieces of 2x6 screwed to the top, with about a 1-1/2" gap between them (to span the third arm bracket), so the two pieces picked up on the bottom of the crossmember. Worked great.

 

Thanks John, I'm on my way to home depot. The 2, 2"x 6" fit one on each side between the third arm and the bracket that holds the bumper on. Then the 10"one would be screwed to that if I'm not mistaken. This will eliminate the worries of damage to the 3rd arm. I appreciate your help. Joe

 

Darn! I just got back from Lowes. Now I've got to go back.

 

Don't forget the screws!

 

It's cheaper at home depot with their corvette discount!!!!!

 

Is the corvette discount good until Christmas?

 

The answer is yes. Obama and Nancy Pelosi have extended the discount til the 1st of the year. Unfortunately they are also establishing a new corvette tax on all new corvettes to equal the new top tax rate of ooooonly 45%. A hell of a Guy and Gal. A pair that beat a full house

 

Hay John: I made the brace and it works great. There is absolutely no pressure on the third arm bracket. It doesn't even touch it. Thanks again to everyone. Joe