How do you jack up your car?

[Okiesnake]

Being that there is not a conventional owner's manual that comes with the car, I was curious of how others jack up their cars.
Not being fortunate enough to have a lift in my garage, I am forced to jack up the car and put it on jack stands when I work on the underside of the car. Initially I used to jack up the rear of the car and then the front. However even with wheel chocks it would get a little spooky. I later found the easiest way to lift the car is to jack up one whole side of the car and then jack up the other whole side of the car. I do have to do this in two steps to get it to full height with setting the jack stands half way up because the angle is too steep to do it all at in one step. Also the car is too low to get the floor jack under the car at first. I have a small scissor jack that I first have to put under the car to raise an inch or two until I can get the floor jack under the car. It now takes me 5 minutes to put the car on jack stands.

[Tony Radford]

Okie, what you need is a nice, lightweight, collapsable-top, enclosed car trailer that doubles as a lift......more to follow.

427SC, Torch Red / white stripes
427 Windsor Stroker from Southern Automotive
Delicious example of Beauty + Power.

[Brent]

I had the same problem with my last race car that the Cobra has. No ground clearence. But thats OK:D

Anything that is easy to jack up sits way too high in the first place[8D]

The lower the better:D

Brent

[Okiesnake]

Tell us more, Tony!

[GeorgiaSnake]

Tony and I may have two options in the future.

I have two pieces of short 2x6's that place in the front then I dive the car onto them. Floor jack slide right under and I raise the car enough to get the jackstands under it and set them to the first level. Then jack up the rear as far as I can place the jackstands under the rear then move to the front and jack it up level. I have the stands under the suspension points and at the next to highest level. Pictures to follow

Randy


Unique 289 FIA
Southern Automotive 396
Team III 16's
Brilliant Silver

[clayfoushee]

G-Snake and Tony, stop teasing us with that magic trailer concept.......:)how about some details?

Trent, I jack up the whole side as you do, but I don't have any problem getting my small floor jack (2-ton from Pep Boys) under the frame rail....how low are those cars guys? I have 3 1/2" of ground clearance at the lowest point of the car (Canton oil pan).

But, I did order a damn lift. Too big of a pain and I keep finding constant reasons to get under there. Found a 7000 lbs., 4-poster on casters (on the internet) for $2300 shipping and delivery included. In addition, my wife will be able to put her car under it back in the garage occasionally [8D], and I'll be able to put 3 cars in the garage.

Clay

Unique 9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[Okiesnake]

Thats real thoughtful of you Clay, getting a lift for your wife to be able to get her car in the garage! :)

[clayfoushee]

It's just one of the small sacrifices I made for her.

Clay

Unique 9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[Brent]

Clay,
When you get your lift would you please post some pics? I am giving this alot of thought.

Thanks
Brent

[clayfoushee]

Brent,

Here's the link to the Co. from which I ordered it. I bought the SS7000 4-post model.

www.americanautomotiveequipment.com/pages/729448/index.htm

Clay

Unique 9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[Tony Radford]

The problem with a four-post lift is that you can't use it to get your car to Spring Fling, UniqueFest etc. What you need is a hybrid.....still more to follow.

427SC, Torch Red / white stripes
427 Windsor Stroker from Southern Automotive
Delicious example of Beauty + Power.

[casaleenie]

Kwiklift.... for the garage but I don't know what the hell I do if I break down on the road...

AL

[pgermond]

Probably a little late to post on the conventional floor jack since this topic has moved on to lifts (damn, wish I had room for one of those!). I jack up the front first sliding the floor jack under the car just in front of the tire... place jack stands... then the back, sliding the jack under the car in front of the rear tire and just behing the side pipe. Both are a tight fit and the throw on the jack handle is limited till it gets a little lift.


Phil

427 Roadster, #4279436
Southern Automotive FE
Toploader

Roseville (N.Cal)

[clayfoushee]

Tony, will that hybrid put it up 5+ feet in the air, so I can drive another car underneath it? I'm looking for a trailer, but want to take delivery before hell freezes over. The "details to follow" response doesn't give much to go on.....when?

Clay

Unique 9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[Tony Radford]

Clay, I've got my design essentially potted, but I won't have my prototype done until probably mid January. No, it won't raise the car beyond what a Quicklift will do. My trailer will have open access in the center (around 36 inches wide by most of the length of the car as the trailer axles can't be avoided). My principal design goals are as follows:
1. Light weight and low wind signature to allow convenient towing by smaller trucks that are typically limited to open trailer towing.
2. Reasonable features such as electric brakes with breakaway safety.
3. Rear drop stabilizers so the car can be left on the trailer without the tow vehicle being attached.
4. Open access between the tread plates for simple maintenance, cleaning of the undercarriage, drop the pan, (maybe drop the trans), shifter linkage, clutch linkage etc.
5. Easy removal of the top for conversion to open trailer and easier storage.
6. Affordable price so guys like me can afford one.
My plan is to allow a car to be driven up onto the trailer without the tow vehicle attached. This would allow the trailer to be rolled into a garage (tongue forward) and allow the car to be loaded and removed. This could be a beneficial feature for the folks up north who store their Cobras during the cold months for maintenance, upgrades etc.
Status: As I mentioned earlier, the principal design is complete. I met with the owner of the welding/fab shop and should have their cost estimates by Tuesday. All structural components are identified, tandem axles, arched aluminum ramps (for low clearance vehicles), wheels, tires, coupler, tongue jack, etc. I will build my prototype, tweak it up and use it to generate the marketing propoganda. Hell may have frozen over by then, but I don't plan to waste any time getting the first five units produced. I feel that the package will have to be priced below $5K. How much below will depend on initial demand (bulk of materials I'm willing to order at once). Workmanship will be top quality, like a Cobra owner would expect. I personally would love to have such a device. I rented an open trailer to haul my car up to SAAC in Nashville this past summer. It rained like a banshee all the way back to Atlanta from Nashville and though my Tonneau cover was stretched tighter than a drum, I still got a bit of clear coat damage from the buffeting in the wind. My little Dakota won't pull an enclosed trailer.
That's my plan.

427SC, Torch Red / white stripes
427 Windsor Stroker from Southern Automotive
Delicious example of Beauty + Power.

[eliminator]

This is where the Aluminum racing jack works well. I usually do the front first, pick up on the front end with my hands and it gives me additional clearance. I have a rubber pad on the jack but I still made a front and rear soft spacer. 5/8" plywood wrapped with terry cloth and secured with duct tape. The rear one fits across the adjustable trailing arm brace. On the jack stands I have found that a piece of heavy nylon webbing about 1 1/2" thick on top works great at protecting the frame from getting scratched up. The jacks are about 159.00 from Harbor Freight, 35# I beleive.

Eliminator

[clayfoushee]

Tony,

Thanks much for the detail, very helpful, and the design sounds very promising, as does the price. I don't think you'd have any problem selling them for that price.

I'm plotting a number of trips w/ car for the spring and summer (Unique Homecoming, if it happens, DVSF, and others), so my need would be pretty immediate. Plus, a fellow Unique owner and dealer/builder of turn-key Uniques in our area (Lee Dahmer, Sterling Replicars) has agreed to sell me one of his enclosed trailers already set up of for his Unique. I do have an F-350 Turbo Diesel, so I have the right towing vehicle. This "cobra thing" is truly a disease!

Thanks for telling us what you know now.

Clay

Unique 9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[jhaynie]

I jack up the front with the jack (one of those harbor freight alum. jacks, SAMS sells them now for just over $100.00) placed in the middle of the frame rectangular cross member. Jack stands sit under the front lower control arms below where the shocks bolt.
The rear is jacked up with the pad under the trailing arm mount (piece of 2x2 angle welded in rear of frame). Jack stands are placed under rear axles under where shock is mounted. These locations are where Alan told me to jack.

John

[Mike Geddes]

I jack up my 427 the same as Okie.
I have markers on the frame so that the jack gets located dead center to lift the front and back of one side an exact equal ammount.
Full height lift to axle stand limit takes 2 lifts on each side.
Mike

Mike Geddes

[JerryBP]

Tony, If you haven't, you might want to look at the trailers that they use to haul 4 to 6 snowmobiles in, nice & lite with a top that swings up from the rear.

Work in Progress, Unique 427-9429 400+hp 351C Tremec 3550 5spd Coal Black
by Bruce, Greg & Jerry Porter Caldwell, Ohio

[Silk]

I have a little different method for getting my car up high on jack stands. First I back up onto metal ramps, which lifts the rear about 7". Then I jack the front up to full height and set the jack stands(no problem getting a floor jack under the front frame member). Then I jack the rear up to full height and set the rear jack stands. Less than 5 minutes start to finish. Still lust for a lift, though! :(

Gary
Unique FIA 351W

[Tony Radford]

Thanks Jerry. I think I've looked at every trailer configuration ever produced (at least it seems like it). I've seen the snowmobile/atv trailer that has a fiberglass shell that pivots similar to what you describe. I've adopted the "conestoga" concept where a tarp will be fitted over a tube frame on top of the flat bed chassis. I've found that it is real difficult to balance functionality, weight and cost. This things going to be really nice.

427SC, Torch Red / white stripes
427 Windsor Stroker from Southern Automotive
Delicious example of Beauty + Power.