Jacking locations?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 229
Likes: 18
Jacking locations?
Relatively new Vette owner- couldn't tell by owner manual where to put jack- I've seen oblong holes in frame rails, and the 'jack pads' that aftermarket sells- are these oblong holes where you are suppose to put the floor jack?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 886
Likes: 1
From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-14
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 229
Likes: 18
Thanks for the detailed info- but are the 'black circles' on the rockers also safe if you have a pad or are the red locations the only safe way? Also, the jack adapter is really neat- where do you get those?
SUBVETTE
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,841
Likes: 93
From: San Diego CA
The black circles are OK to jack also, but you need some jacking pucks to put in the holes at those locations which your jack pad can make contact with. Otherwise your jack pad can contact the rockers directly and crack them. Several vendors carry the pucks, I got mine from eliteengineeringusa.com.
Last edited by SUB VETTE; Oct 3, 2011 at 06:50 PM. Reason: sp
Safety Car
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 46
From: va
The black circles are OK to jack also, but you need some jacking pucks to put in the holes at those locations which your jack pad can make contact with. Otherwise your jack pad can contact the rockers directly and crack them. Several vendors carry the pucks, I got mine from eliteengineeringusa.com.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,057
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I jack at the shipping slots. As for screwing up the paint using a jack by itself the jacking pucks move around as well and can scratch the frame paint just as easily as the jack. You can also use a small piece of 2x4 that is cut to fit in the hole in the rocker and that will give more load bearing surface than the puck will and will probably protect the paint. I place my jackstands under the cross members where the so called preferred jacking points are located. Have owned C5s and C6 for 14+ years and have never used one of those cross braces. You don't need them. The direction in the shop manual tells you to make sure the jack or jackstand bridges between the front and rear of the cross member not across the cross member. The front of the front cross member is like an inverted U and you have to bridge across the inverted U which is about the width of the top of a jack stand. Same goes for the rear of the rear cross member. Some people get too **** about things and overdo what is required.
Bill
Bill
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,015
Likes: 2,709
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
I jack at the shipping slots. As for screwing up the paint using a jack by itself the jacking pucks move around as well and can scratch the frame paint just as easily as the jack. You can also use a small piece of 2x4 that is cut to fit in the hole in the rocker and that will give more load bearing surface than the puck will and will probably protect the paint. I place my jackstands under the cross members where the so called preferred jacking points are located. Have owned C5s and C6 for 14+ years and have never used one of those cross braces. You don't need them. The direction in the shop manual tells you to make sure the jack or jackstand bridges between the front and rear of the cross member not across the cross member. The front of the front cross member is like an inverted U and you have to bridge across the inverted U which is about the width of the top of a jack stand. Same goes for the rear of the rear cross member. Some people get too **** about things and overdo what is required.
Bill
Bill
First, the drawings are for a C5, so I'm suspicious already.
Next, the shaded area for approved lifting/jacking on the crossmember just in front of the oil pan does show the whole thing is acceptable if you pad the jack and span at least 2 ribs. Good.
But, the drawing for the "front-front" crossmember has the acceptable shaded area only out at the ends, not the center.
Finally, the drawing for the rear crossmember shows spanning 2 ribs only out at the end, and the shaded area is only out at the end.
In summary, my Service Manual shows it is acceptable to lift all the way across the crossmember by the oil pan, just so long as you pad the jack and span at least 2 ribs (and don't hit the pan as things flex!). But the Manual shows that the front-front crossmember, and rear crossmember, should only be lifted at the ends.
I'm not saying that simply using a padded jack in the center of any crossmember will damage the car, but GM does not approve those locations. Any damage might be difficult for most of us to detect, and pretty expensive to repair.
Last edited by Gearhead Jim; Oct 4, 2011 at 09:13 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,024
Likes: 13
From: Loveland CO to Central Coast CA
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,015
Likes: 2,709
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
See "Jack" on Bugman's website: http://www.bugmanweb.com/c6/c6index.html
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 959
Likes: 3
From: Hartford CT
I use the "bugman" center jacking points. I just use a 8" 4x4 (laying down) against the front and rear crossmember (spanning multiple ribs) and place the jack in the center. I know it does not evenly distrubute the load, the 4x4 is there to protect the crossmember. I have never had any problems. But I have had the benefit of not having to buy load distributors or special jacks.
I have searched on this extensively and found others, including bugman, who do it this way. I have yet to hear of any damage caused by using this method.
And no, I am not a GM engineer, but I do own my C6 and am willing to risk it by using this method.
I have searched on this extensively and found others, including bugman, who do it this way. I have yet to hear of any damage caused by using this method.
And no, I am not a GM engineer, but I do own my C6 and am willing to risk it by using this method.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,057
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Looking in my 2009 Service Manual pp 1-26 & 1-27:
First, the drawings are for a C5, so I'm suspicious already.
Next, the shaded area for approved lifting/jacking on the crossmember just in front of the oil pan does show the whole thing is acceptable if you pad the jack and span at least 2 ribs. Good.
But, the drawing for the "front-front" crossmember has the acceptable shaded area only out at the ends, not the center.
Finally, the drawing for the rear crossmember shows spanning 2 ribs only out at the end, and the shaded area is only out at the end.
In summary, my Service Manual shows it is acceptable to lift all the way across the crossmember by the oil pan, just so long as you pad the jack and span at least 2 ribs (and don't hit the pan as things flex!). But the Manual shows that the front-front crossmember, and rear crossmember, should only be lifted at the ends.
I'm not saying that simply using a padded jack in the center of any crossmember will damage the car, but GM does not approve those locations. Any damage might be difficult for most of us to detect, and pretty expensive to repair.
First, the drawings are for a C5, so I'm suspicious already.
Next, the shaded area for approved lifting/jacking on the crossmember just in front of the oil pan does show the whole thing is acceptable if you pad the jack and span at least 2 ribs. Good.
But, the drawing for the "front-front" crossmember has the acceptable shaded area only out at the ends, not the center.
Finally, the drawing for the rear crossmember shows spanning 2 ribs only out at the end, and the shaded area is only out at the end.
In summary, my Service Manual shows it is acceptable to lift all the way across the crossmember by the oil pan, just so long as you pad the jack and span at least 2 ribs (and don't hit the pan as things flex!). But the Manual shows that the front-front crossmember, and rear crossmember, should only be lifted at the ends.
I'm not saying that simply using a padded jack in the center of any crossmember will damage the car, but GM does not approve those locations. Any damage might be difficult for most of us to detect, and pretty expensive to repair.
The difference between the C5 and C6 cross members is minimal and doesn't require a different method of jacking the vehicle. That is why they use the info from the previous SMs. No need to change it.
Bill
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,024
Likes: 13
From: Loveland CO to Central Coast CA
Lots of ways to raise a C6. But you don't say WHY you want to jack it. That is, depending on the job, some jacking methods are overkill.
For instance, I use wood planks for an oil change:
Some folks report doing an oil change without wood planks... just angle the front wheel and you can reach the drain plug & filter (if your arms are long enough).
Or to remove just one wheel, wood planks provide extra clearance so I can use an ordinary jack -- although a low-profile jack might be worth the $$$ for the convenience.
Just be sure your jacking pad does NOT contact the easily-damaged plastic rocker panels. Jacking pucks are handy for that purpose. Lots of nice pucks out there... I got hockey pucks from amazon for $1/ea that work just fine.
For instance, I use wood planks for an oil change:
Some folks report doing an oil change without wood planks... just angle the front wheel and you can reach the drain plug & filter (if your arms are long enough).
Or to remove just one wheel, wood planks provide extra clearance so I can use an ordinary jack -- although a low-profile jack might be worth the $$$ for the convenience.
Just be sure your jacking pad does NOT contact the easily-damaged plastic rocker panels. Jacking pucks are handy for that purpose. Lots of nice pucks out there... I got hockey pucks from amazon for $1/ea that work just fine.
