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I expect this has been discussed before but my search results are turning up dry. I am curious about using a quick jack system for dropping the drivetrain. Which quick jack option is best for the c5? Did the jack go high enough or did the car need to be raised a little beyond the designed lift height? Did having the lifts at the sides of the vehicle get in the way of the work that has to be done under the vehicle? It appears to me to be the way to go. Get the car in the air quickly, set it on jack stands and block up the lifts if necessary to lift it a little higher, then do your work from a creeper between the lifts and roll the drivetrain out on one of several options for supporting that. But before I invest in the system I want to make sure it will work as well as I am imagining. Thanks in advance.
Thanks. That is a pretty helpful thread. Unfortunately it appears that the ideal quick jack option, the 5000slx, has been discontinued and the replacement, the tlx, is maybe not so suitable for the drivetrain removal from what I see?
Yes with the 5000SLX works well, but you have to use the rubber blocks or truck/SUV adapters to get the Corvette up high enough in the air to remove the torque tube due to its 21" lift. Used it a few years ago do some major work on my C5. The newer TLX model supposedly has a 24" lift height so it should actually work better, but no personal experience with the newer model.
The only posts I have seen about the TLX indicate using it perpendicular because it is too long to fit the wheelbase. I expect this is fairly easily remedied but just getting the front up on jack stands before lifting with the quickjack, but then you almost may as well just lift it onto jackstands to begin with I suppose.
I use a 7000TL model so I can also lift my truck and it goes to 24" height. The lifting points on the Vette are too narrow to use the lifting areas on the jack so I use some 1/2" steel plate on top of the quickjack frame for the four lifting points on the Vette. I haven't done any drivetrain work but it seems high enough. The picture below is only raised halfway when I did brakes a few weeks ago.
My car has been sitting on my Quick Jack since the spring for a drivetrain rebuild. I believe mine is a 7000slx. I bought that one thinking I’d lift my SUV with it, but never have. Mine is high enough to drop the drivetrain, but not high enough to swing the tailpipe and mufflers out of the way. I actually had to lower it, add some ~5” wooden blocks I made and lift it again to get them out. I might try fitting in the mufflers before the subframe during assembly.
Yes it is a pain not being able to access the car from the side. I don’t have a creeper, so if I forget a tool or something, it’s annoying to have to crawl out and crawl back under.
My car has been sitting on my Quick Jack since the spring for a drivetrain rebuild. I believe mine is a 7000slx. I bought that one thinking I’d lift my SUV with it, but never have. Mine is high enough to drop the drivetrain, but not high enough to swing the tailpipe and mufflers out of the way. I actually had to lower it, add some ~5” wooden blocks I made and lift it again to get them out. I might try fitting in the mufflers before the subframe during assembly.
Yes it is a pain not being able to access the car from the side. I don’t have a creeper, so if I forget a tool or something, it’s annoying to have to crawl out and crawl back under.
Get yourself one of these. Works great and gets my fat *** under and out of there fast and easy, since I am always forgetting a tool or something..
I have the 5000 TL and used them to lift mine to replace the trans cable end and put a tunnel plate in. I used some rubber lift blocks from Amazon, they are 3" high. If IIRC the frame rail is 27" from the ground but I cannot be sure I remember that correctly.
Per the manufacturer, it sounds like the 5000TL is the closest thing to a direct replacement for the 5000SLX
"What's the difference between the NEW TL Models vs. SLX Models?
The biggest difference between the 5000TL and BL-5000SLX is the lifting height, which has increased 3 inches. This provides ample room to perform all the common vehicle maintenance tasks and allows you the capability to perform even the most complicated repairs.
Overall dimensions have remained the same, so you'll continue to benefit from what made QuickJack so popular in the automotive community and that is it's super-low 3" lowered height. The minimum lifting point spread did change from 31.5" to 37", but this will not make a difference to the vast majority of 5000TL users."
I have the 5000 TLX model. It is slightly too long. This is what I have done and it works fine. Sorry, no pics. Use jacking puck in the rear with small rubber block, then use larger block in the front but skip the metal jacking puck. The block in the front sits about a 1/2 inch from where the puck goes. Don’t lift on the fiber glass with the front rubber blocks. Be very careful. Had the car up like this for over a week, no issues. Shops lift c5 corvettes like this with their own hockey pucks. They may not be directly over the hockey puck holes, but it’s so close, it’s not an issue.
I have the 5000 TLX model. It is slightly too long. This is what I have done and it works fine. Sorry, no pics. Use jacking puck in the rear with small rubber block, then use larger block in the front but skip the metal jacking puck. The block in the front sits about a 1/2 inch from where the puck goes. Don’t lift on the fiber glass with the front rubber blocks. Be very careful. Had the car up like this for over a week, no issues. Shops lift c5 corvettes like this with their own hockey pucks. They may not be directly over the hockey puck holes, but it’s so close, it’s not an issue.
When you say too long, that means the lift points are too far apart, not that it won't fit between the wheels correct?
When you say too long, that means the lift points are too far apart, not that it won't fit between the wheels correct?
Yes, the spread is about 1 inch to far apart, so my rubber block in the front is about 1/2 inch to 1 inch in front of the puck hole. It works, you just have to improvise.
I finally got to try out the quick jack 3500. They fit the car perfectly. The spacing between the pads is just right for the lift points on the Corvette.
I finally got to try out the quick jack 3500. They fit the car perfectly. The spacing between the pads is just right for the lift points on the Corvette.
Good to hear. I’m half tempted to buy the 3500 even though I already have the 7000SLX just because the 3500 would be so much easier to move around.
Using Quick Jacks to drop the drivetrain.
