Can anybody recommend a floor jack that has enough reach and is low enough to get under the center of a 71 BB?

 

Whatever you get, make sure it's a quick pump. My basic 2 1/4 ton is a PIA with all that pumping with barely room for very long of a stroke. My Bro uses a Craftsman all-alum. 2 ton quick-pump and loves it.

 

Really low. Really well built. Goes on sale often. Got mine on sale for $149. Even fits under my C5.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92782

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1603168

 

Napa Carries a 2 ton quick Pump. Its around 200 Bucko's but is Very High Quality and Makes getting the car on and off Jackstands a Breeze

 

I would not recommend anything under a 3 THREE ton. I have 4 jacks in the shop and regret buying the 2 ton and the 2 1/2 ton. Both are too many pumps, not enough travel and not large enough. The have a narrow base and the hands are too short and not attached.
I like the 3 ton jacks with the long handles, large roller base and lifting range.
If you have trouble getting under the spoiler from the front put a smaller
jack under the side frame, lift a small amount so the big 3 ton floor jack clears the spoiler and you can lift off the center section.
NOthing less then a 3 ton with fixed handle.

 

I didn't know there were jacking points under the center of the car. From my info, the lifting points are on the perimeter of the frame just forward of where the doors meet the front fenders and at the corners of the frame just forward of the rear wheels where the frame kicks up and over the rear end. I place jack stands on the frame rails where the front swaybar mounts and back near where I place the jack at the rear frame section. Makes for some odd lifting as I have to do one side/corner at a time but I'm just careful to check for shifting.

Also, even after I place the jackstands, I will still place the jack at a frame point that is out of the way but there just for insurance.

I have two heavy, long-handle, 3-ton Craftsman floor jacks and four jack stands.

 

Price club often has the 3 ton heavy duty floor jacks on sale for under $100. Get a couple. You always need more then one. They include axle stands.

 

Be careful with those Harbor Freight jacks; they have a quick release valve and you can lose control of the car coming down. They sell them as racing jacks and they come down fast. Also, the pump return spring is very stiff to keep the pump arm up. If you don't remove it before pulling the jack out from under the car, it will spring up and bite your paint. If you use just half the pump tube, it is two piece, and release pressure under the car, it will come down on a verticle tube. I have the smaller unit that goes on sale for $79. The salesman at my local store warned me about the release and the car coming down. My pump return spring will be replaced with a lighter spring to eliminate this perceived hazard. These issues aside, I like the jack in general.

For jacking the front of you car you might try this: Get a pressure treated 4 X 4 post long enough to span the lower control arms just past the shock mount. I take the steel cup off the business end of my 2 ton jack and lay the 4 X 4 post on top. Removing the steel cup gives a little extra post clearance and provides a flat surface for post balance. Then slide the jack and post so it is under the control arms and raise the car with the jack in the center of the post. This keeps the springs compressed and the entire front comes up at once. There is enough room to place a 2 X 4 stub and jack stand under the the ball joint with tire clearance. I have been using this method for a long time and has always worked well. The post is only 33 inches long and easily carries the weight. This works like a poor mans Kwick Lift.

 

FYI, Sears is currently selling its long handle Craftsman 3-ton jack, 2 stands and a creeper for $99.99; PN # 50188. If you are a member of the 'Craftsman Club', it's $84.99... 15% off.

NOTE: Prices effective Apr 22-28. I recall seeing these items on-sale under another promotion for either this price or close.

 

Ted, Thanks for the info. I got one of their 33 gallon air compressors last month on sale and my wife had an additional 10% off coupon. I'll check this out since I don't have a creeper either!

 

Batman,

I did try that and searched the archives for "floor jack". There were very many results, but after looking through a few pages I decided to ask.

 

I agree that according to the service manual, theseare the official jacking points. When getting the car inspected, the mechanic (a previous C3 owner) used other jack points. I can see where previous owners have jacked in the past (I have only had the car a bit over a year). I think this might be a good topic for a new archive search or thread.

I'm with you about leaving the jack in addition to the stands. A couple weeks ago I heard on the radio that a guy was killed when his car fell on him. There's not much room under these cars!

 

I'm also in the habit if I have a tire off I will slide it under the car frame, not resting any weight on it of coarse but just leave it where if the car fell it would land on the tire and rim. Better to scratch a rim then crush me.
I also use a pair of 3 ton jacks for most jobs.

 

I subscribe to the "teach a man to fish" theory, so I put up that advice when I see a common question from a poster without many stars.

My $0.02 on floor jacks - Sam's Club has a Michelin brand jack that's wonderful. I can't remember if it's 2.5 or 3 ton capacity, though.