I did a search and looked up a few videos, but nothing really hit well with "jacking points"--so here go the newbie questions...

When I look at the marked jacking points, I see the pitch weld, but I also see the fiberglass rocker panel right on top of that pinchweld--seems like a recipe for cracking my rocker panel? I am I right in assuming a piece of steel or aluminum bar stock, allowing me to focus the lifting torque on the pinchweld, is the way to go, or am I mission something. I use a slotted hockey puck on my Miata, pinchweld right on the rocker panel as well, but the Miata has a steel body. I think the puck would still transfer torque to the rocker.

Also, who put these damn lines here--any advice to avoid these other than "use a really think piece of bar stock"...?



And secondly, when the car is up on the jack points, where is it safe to put the jack stands?

Can I move them inboard on either of these two panels (off the pinch)-- or should I stay on the pinch. My experience is those welds start to bend under prolonged load. This is all front, by the way, jackstand points on the rear seem a bit more obvious (at least to me).



If you have any pictures of your C4 up on stand s that show the jackstand point, that would be great!

The car is on ramps now, as today's task is simply to remove the TB coolant pass-through. I'm gonna just link the line off the coolant reservoir and replace the upper hose with a 95-96 one. Seems cleaner than those kits.

Thanks in advance

Ronn

 

When I lift it I normally just follow those pinch welds that are marked as jack points back far enough that it won't hit the rocker panel. Haven't had any problems so far and it's been up there for days at a time during bigger projects. The previous owner did use marked points and cracked my fiberglass. Next time it is up I'll send a picture if you have not found anything. Just make sure when doing the back you don't pinch any of the lines that run through there.

I put jack stands on those pinch welds too, I jack up the front which lifts the same side on the back high enough, then I have my jack positioned in a way I can also fit a jack stand in the front then take out the jack and do the same to the other side.

 

So stay on a pinch weld and I'm golden--got it.

Thanks!

Ronn

 

I put my jack just about under(or slightly aft of) the side mirror(which is AFT of the front labeled jacking point) and jack up one side at a time and place on stands.

 

Pinch welds are your friend. Get yourself a hockey puck and put it on your jack- it will do less (cosmetic damage) as you raise the car. Dont sweat this one too much; as long as you are on the welds you are good. Now, be careful of the plastic panel and the brake/gas lines.

 

my car lives on jackstands and I've been doing this since 1984. I can get the car up on 4 jackstands in 2 minutes.

 

Don't use a hockey puck. Just jack it up on the pinch weld, then stand it on the pinch weld. Easy.

 

Damn...that is fast. It takes me a whopping 4 minutes.

 

I practice a lot.

 

Takes me 1 min to put it off to another day.

 

As someone said above, I jack up on the pinch weld just rearward of the side mirror, just about where the metal strip is for the front seat mount. This lifts the entire side of the car evenly so you don't have to worry about twisting (not that it is that big of a deal anyways). I then put the jack stands under the car. The rear I put in a triangle area between the pinch welds. The front goes on the pinch weld but I follow the weld inboard a bit to keep it away from the rocker panels. Pic below is from when i had it up on 6 ton stands while replacing the front and rear springs.

If your jack has a flat pad, you dont' need anything. If your pad is cupped as mine is, i use a hockey puck. If i don't it will crease the pinch weld where the sides of the jack pad make contact.

 

takes about 5 minutes to get the Quick Jack off the wall and set up and the car in the air. Lifting takes 30 seconds.

Not as nice as a lift, but more convenient than a jack and stands.

I bought the slotted rubber pucks but they don't change much. So, I just use the flat rubber blocks now. It can go ~3" higher than in the pic if I add the other blocks too.

 

KyleF-- Wow, it never even crossed my mind to approach it that way!

Thanks

R

 

Interesting, i've had issues using my QJ on the pinch welds. The square blocks squish enough that the inner rail on the QJ gets wayyy to close the fiberglass body underneath. I've always been concern it will contact and crack.

 

No sure I follow. You can see in the pic I have placed their 3" Blocks directly under the lifting points. they are centered on the pinch weld, blocks are centered in the QJ frames R to L. Teh set up is with the QJ frame close to the rear tire, lift is up and back. The weight of the car compresses the blocks by about 1/4" but after I have had it up in the air a handful of time there is no indication of cracking or tearing of the block. I check them before/after each lift. Maybe you just need new blocks?

 

I'll throw this out there, since I'm not a fan of the quick lift at all:
1. Takes longer to set up and lift the car than I take w/a jack and stands -twice as long as it takes 383.
2. it's in the way; can't roll your creeper in/out of under the car between the wheels.
3. takes up space in the garage.

4. Here is the big one: For not a lot more money, you could have A REAL LIFT and do your work standing up w/uninhibited access to everything under your car.

 

This is why I always recommend against the "hockey puck" (or any facsimile thereof)....it is compliant which means that the pinch weld can depress down into it...the remaining "raised" area of it can apply force to the SMC rocker panel. I feel that a hard jacking pad is better. KISS.

 

Well... I included the time to get it out. Notice I said the lifting take 30 seconds and it has it's own locks. So no stands needed. I challenge if we both started a stop watch the second we hit the door, the time difference is probably small.
I have completed a few projects on the car using them. They have been in the way of nothing so far. I did't see them in the way of anything in the future either. What are you calming they are in the way of?
Not at all... it hangs on the wall and the pump is on the shelf. It takes up less floor space than a jack and stands setting on the floor. Especially if you have a Jack with the lifting capacity of the QJ. I also have my light floor jack hung on the wall and it in fact sticks out further from the wall than the QJ frames. Funny you talk about space and then go to #4
As for 4, sure I would love to have a real lift and yes they don't cost much more. I even mentioned it is not as nice as a real lift. Now lets talk about adding the additional cost to procure a space that fits a lift. That is going to add significant cost to many. Also, you can't take it with you in a trailer, a QJ you can. Going back to #3... if you have a two car garage, congratulations you now have a 1 car after installing this. A lift occupies a lot of garage space.

You are allowing your dislike for a product to cloud your reasoning, even claiming a fault and then point to something that violates that reasoning even more. I am not sure why you dislike them. Everything you mentioned has been an absolute non-issue.

For those who want a quick and easy way to get a car up on all 4s for work and do not have the space to install a real lift, these are great. I have had mine for a little over year. Even put a Trail Blazer up on all fors for a brake job out in the driveway since I didn't want to pull my cars out. Quick, easy, up on all fours at the push of a button - Anywhere I can get a 120V plug.

 

My blocks and pucks were made out of the same dense rubber material. The slot did nothing. Sure, it cupped around the pinch weld, but what is that doing? As you mention, you don't want to reach the rocker anyway. The cut wasn't deep enough to reach this high so, I decided they were pointless. The lift was still on the pinch weld and once the weight of the car is pressing into the material, it isn't going anywhere. I stopped using them too and just use the flat blocks. Still lifts in the same spot on the car and you get that 1/2" cut out back in lift height.

 

I have $1200 in my wallet and can access the underside of my car from 4 sides.

Look if you like 'em...great! I'm not putting you down for having them...I don't like them and am throwing the reasons, and an alternative for the OP. For ME (not for everyone), If Ihave $1200 for a quick jack...then I'll ensure that I have ~5-600 more and get a real two post lift and stop dicking around on my back. Now, if a quickjack were $400? $600?....different story. Then the value might be there. But for $1200 or whatever....get a real lift, IMO. If you like your QJ, great for you . Don't need to defend the thing to me.