oil change
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 421
Likes: 0
From: Euless TX
oil change
ok this guy i was talking to kinda got me wondering about this... im like wtf.... anyways he said when ever u do a oil change and u put it on ramps that u have to open the door and hatch and hood to do it... something about the weight not shifting and cracking the wheels..... and something about twisting the car??? is this dude nuts??? ive never heard of this.....ive done plenty of oil changes on other cars but i just got this puppy and i dont want any probs.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,517
Likes: 0
ok this guy i was talking to kinda got me wondering about this... im like wtf.... anyways he said when ever u do a oil change and u put it on ramps that u have to open the door and hatch and hood to do it... something about the weight not shifting and cracking the wheels..... and something about twisting the car??? is this dude nuts??? ive never heard of this.....ive done plenty of oil changes on other cars but i just got this puppy and i dont want any probs.
Probably just wants to drive by and snap a picture of you changing your oil with every door hood and compartment open on your car.. lol
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
There are all sorts of myths about Corvettes due to the plastic body. None of them are true and have never been true. I have been driving Corvettes since 1972 and have run into this quite often. The body will not crack if it is lifted without the doors, hood and hatch being opened. If the car is lifted and you open and close the door the body will not crack. The body is tough and in most cases will hold up better than a metal body car. Like they say "When it is quiet out at night you can hear metal cars rusting".
Bill
Bill
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,370
Likes: 8
From: Slave to the evil empire
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '04
Some of the older models were built on frames that weren't as rigid as the C5 and C6 frames. I seriously doubt any of those body panels cracked like he was talking but the frame would actually flex and cause body panel gaps to distort.
I had a 79 Trans Am that if you jacked up either the front or back with the doors closed the car would bend enough that you couldn't open the doors. My current 04 Coupe and the one before it, an 03 Convertible I can jack up one corner and open or close any body panel I want, it doesn't give a fraction.
I had a 79 Trans Am that if you jacked up either the front or back with the doors closed the car would bend enough that you couldn't open the doors. My current 04 Coupe and the one before it, an 03 Convertible I can jack up one corner and open or close any body panel I want, it doesn't give a fraction.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,975
Likes: 9
From: "Philly" Pennsylvania
ok this guy i was talking to kinda got me wondering about this... im like wtf.... anyways he said when ever u do a oil change and u put it on ramps that u have to open the door and hatch and hood to do it... something about the weight not shifting and cracking the wheels..... and something about twisting the car??? is this dude nuts??? ive never heard of this.....ive done plenty of oil changes on other cars but i just got this puppy and i dont want any probs.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
The C5 frame is now stiff enough that you do not need to worry about flexing. I have driven through drainage dips along the curb at an angle and the frame is so stiff, one of the rear wheels will lift off the ground.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
There's probably some minor flex in every car, but you won't realize it unless you open/close the doors while it's jacked up.
I've had four all steel tri five Chevy cars ('55-56-57) and all would flex to the point that you could not open or close the doors w/o some minor door jamb interference.
Those old square tube frames didn't have much cross bracing when original, but three of the four cars I've had were modified with additional and stronger tubular cross bracing for transmission or rear shocks...and they still did it.
The hydro forming (less welds/gussets) of the C5 frames probably eliminates the majority of it.
I've had four all steel tri five Chevy cars ('55-56-57) and all would flex to the point that you could not open or close the doors w/o some minor door jamb interference.
Those old square tube frames didn't have much cross bracing when original, but three of the four cars I've had were modified with additional and stronger tubular cross bracing for transmission or rear shocks...and they still did it.
The hydro forming (less welds/gussets) of the C5 frames probably eliminates the majority of it.
Last edited by hotwheels57; Jan 20, 2009 at 05:31 PM.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
My 69' you could see the door gaps change in the air, on the ground, the gas were PERFECT, in the air on jack stands was a different story-my 01' is straight as an arrow in the air or on the ground-that hydroformed frame and those massive front and rear cradles are pretty amazing.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 619
Likes: 2
From: Destin FL
I jack my car up in the garage using the shipping points under the rockers (typical hockey puck locations) all the time. I have to jack up one corner first, then the opposite side, just to be able to get my jack under the crossmembers. Since I only have one jack, and can only jack one corner at a time, it's ALWAYS being stressed awkwardly. On the very rare occasion, sometimes I've miscounted the notches on the jack stands and I can see that it's definitely not sitting on them evenly (readjust immediately of course), and I'm quite amazed at how rigid the car is. I've never tried to measure body panel gaps, but I've never had any problem opening or closing the doors, trunk, or hood, while jacking.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 787
Likes: 2
From: Ontario
THINK about this...."if your Aunt had b---s she'd be your Uncle!.In C3's this might have been a problem, ( verts you had to loosen the top and leave the doors on the first click, some coupes too, but that was because the frames were so soft from rust that they flexed).... But the "waterformed" frames in the late models are not a problem.............
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,464
Likes: 1,166
From: Dyer, IN
ok this guy i was talking to kinda got me wondering about this... im like wtf.... anyways he said when ever u do a oil change and u put it on ramps that u have to open the door and hatch and hood to do it... something about the weight not shifting and cracking the wheels..... and something about twisting the car??? is this dude nuts??? ive never heard of this.....ive done plenty of oil changes on other cars but i just got this puppy and i dont want any probs.
Get some more insight from him...that was funny...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,217
Likes: 5
From: Stark County Ohio
As a guy that has owned a C3 every day of my life the last 35+ years AND has done all repairs (except FRONT wheel alignment) on them, here is what I have observed –
If the C3 frame is in excellent/good condition frame flexing while jacked up is not an issue. I have jacked up these cars with my floor jack from every conceivable point over the years, and have never had an issue with the doors, etc. I have also supported them on jack stands at many different points without drama.
Now, if the C3 frame is rusty beyond a certain point, yes there will be frame flex issues, especially with a convertible.
I have logged over 400,000 (accumulative) miles driven on C3’s alone.
The C5/C6 frames (chassis) can NOT be compared to earlier Corvettes as the modern Corvette is light-years ahead of its ancestors in overall stiffness.
If the C3 frame is in excellent/good condition frame flexing while jacked up is not an issue. I have jacked up these cars with my floor jack from every conceivable point over the years, and have never had an issue with the doors, etc. I have also supported them on jack stands at many different points without drama.
Now, if the C3 frame is rusty beyond a certain point, yes there will be frame flex issues, especially with a convertible.
I have logged over 400,000 (accumulative) miles driven on C3’s alone.
The C5/C6 frames (chassis) can NOT be compared to earlier Corvettes as the modern Corvette is light-years ahead of its ancestors in overall stiffness.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,969
Likes: 202
From: Lyons Il
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Oil change
Flex in a C5 chassis? I think not. The first time I jacked my car up, at the front wheel, I noticed that the rear wheel was off the ground as well. The C5 is pretty stiff and I showed this off to whoever I could at the time.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
Likes: 249
From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The C5 is rigid to the point that when jacked up on four stands you can still open the doors as easily as if the car was on the ground. I've done this many times with no problems. It's probably more rigid than other cars I've worked on. Since the body doesn't really offer that much structural reinforcement the frame has to take the load. It's amazing how much some people don't know.
