OK, I've heard all the horror stories, broken hatches, cracked windshields, bent frames, but what's the real, true procedure for jacking up a car.

Do I open the glass hatch? Do I leave the top bolted or unbolt it? Hood open or closed?

I have 2 floor jacks and would in most cases be jacking up two corners at once, like the entire side, or the whole front end, or rear end.

What if I was only jacking one corner?

Rick

 

I've never had a problem jacking one corner or one side top on or off.

 

I have not had problems when I leave everything shut but I would wait for other responses. I do have a crack on the targa but it was on there when I bought the car. Lifting the car on those thin rails has always made me nervous so I use a hockey puck on the jack to cushion it better and distribute the weight.

 

i have a crack on my targa as well on the 85 (just about to start a thread documenting how im going to fix it actually) but I have NEVER HAD AN ISSUE.

I dont know how anybody could have an issue really. Just get down on your belly and look under the car. I put my jack pan on an area of the frame where 3 or at least 2 of the "rails" meet. that way the weight is distributed over a larger area.

Also, grab either a puck, or wood, or something that isn't slippery, and put it on the pan of the jack. I found a semi truck mudflap in the ditch while taking a potty break on the side of the highway and i cut it in the shape of the pan and i use that on top of the pan.

I DO NOT jack where they say to jack between those lines. I find people crack the body panel trim piece when they do that.

LOOK for hoses/gas lines, get a flashlight.

It takes 10 minutes to get orientated under there on your belly using a flashflight and then you are good to go my friend.

 

I think that myth got started with the C3's and cracking T-tops. A lot of tire shops, Discount Tire does, still insists on loosening the targa bolts, popping the hood release and partially opening the doors. Can't talk them out of it...corporate policy for all Corvettes.
I have jacked up my C4 from the driver side frame, right behind the front wheel, till 3 wheels are off the ground...[balanced between the floor jack and the pass side rear wheel] and I could still open and close the door with no problem. I don't recommend doing that, but I did it just to show a guy that you could.

 

I had tires put on both my cars at Discount Tire in the past couple months, and while they didn't do anything about the top, they did leave the doors open. On the '84 they very carefully used four floor jacks and went round-robin in jacking. On the '94 they used a standard hoist. Not sure if this is corporate policy or paranoia, but I can see ONE incident in 1970 that cost them 20k to fix would have put the fear of God into them. Like after incidents with wheels falling off, Les Schwab has TWO techs go around the car independently using a torque wrench on every lug before they let you take the car.

 

Thanks guy, I feel much better about jacking her up now.

They opened the hood and rear hatch at Pepboys.

Rick

 

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if you have nothing positive to add then posting things that are not helpful and calling people names will get you vacation....

 

I have always placed a floor jack on the frame rail under the mirror. This will lift 2 wheels off the ground on one side. Place a pair of jackstands on the marked jacking points. Do the same with the other side. You'll have the car up in literally a couple of minutes. I've done this probably a thousand times, no cracks or creaks.

 

Sorry, I apologize if I offended you or anyone else. Did not mean to step on forum rules.

The post was aimed towards PLRX, not the OP. Pete is a great guy that usually always has something insightful to add. I just know he was being a wise guy and going out of his way to post links to a ton of threads about "jacking procedures" instead of just giving a simple reply that takes all of 15 seconds.

I do think I will go ahead and take that vacation though.

 

I come here for discussion and to be social. I find answers all the time when Google loops me back to this forum. However, having to wade through threads of 200 posts that mostly don't have anything constructive regarding the OP question is tiring.

Googling for 45 minutes is nothing like posting a question and getting answers that exactly relate to YOUR question, not finding 500 posts that are close, but not really what you're looking for.

Finding an answer sometimes winds up being just a plus. Community discussion is what a forum is all about. If we all just got our answer and moved on, there'd be no more answers to Google.

 

Spot on!

 

does he win a new Corvette to go with it ?

When in doubt call your local Corvette deal and ask them how they jack up the cars .....

 

No Corvette dealers near me, but I would not dare ask the local Chevrolet dealer how to lift the car. They (in their extreme stupidity) hate all things Corvette, and would probably answer "With a crusher."

 

I like that )))

 

Funny, I haven't heard any horror stories about cracked glass or damaged body panels due to improper jacking procedure. I have seen pictures of a C4 supported by 3 jack stands (right rear corner stand removed) and the frame did not appear to be flexing at all... I guess they are pretty stiff but that's just a photo. I have no first-hand experience other than jacking my car, and I have never lifted the car from a single corner only, but I don't see this would be a problem since THE JACK MOUNTING AREA IS STAMPED WITH THE WORDS "LIFT HERE ^" at the VERY end of the rail. And the factory jack can only lift a single point.

This is how I lift my car with floor jack and stands:
Place a short 2x4 on the cradle of my floor jack.
Place 2x4 under CENTER of side rail, I never noticed if it was below the mirror.
Lift one side of the car to about 1.5 feet off the ground (tires about 4-5 inches off the ground I guess).
Position jack stands as high as possible at proper locations or obvious frame points, slowly lower car onto stands while watching stand contact points and adjusting accordingly.
Same procedure lifting other side.
During the process I make sure all 4 stands are at the same height/notch.
Push/bump car firmly to be sure it's secure on the stands.
If I'm taking the wheels off, I place them under the car to protect me if the stands fail or something else happens. If I'm not taking the tires off, I keep the jack stand cradle 1/2" below the side rail of whatever side I'm crawling under... just 2nd level security beyond the jack stands supporting the weight of the car.

 

I never hears such rumors before today. I've jacked my car the same way, and was proud to see the chassis is so stiff that jacking up one side lifted the other side if I went far enough.

If a car was structurally really that weak, it doesn't seem it would make a very good sports car. And this is a very good sports car.

 

Here is the 87 vert I used to own. This is the way I would get it on and off the wheel dollies. Works great!