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Posted by: toadman Mar 3 2012, 08:07 AM

I would like to find a fairly quick way to jack up the back of my 1976 914 higher than most common floor jacks allow. I am considering using a long frame, high lift jack to lift on the center of the engine support bar.

First I would back on to a pair of car ramps. I think this would get me the clearance I need to put the jack under the support bar (from the rear of the car) and to get a little room to pump the handle. I'd jack the back of the car up and properly support it.

Has anyone tried this or have an educated guess whether or not the engine support bar can handle the load? Any other opinion on this idea?

Posted by: type47 Mar 3 2012, 09:11 AM

I know the 914 is light but I'd worry about bending the mounting bolts at the end of the bar or tearing the rubber engine mounts if some twist was applied when lifting. That said, I do lift my car by the donuts when on a shop lift at tech inspections. I don't like that too much but so far, it's been OK. I would think lifting at the trailing arm pivot would be oK as that supports the car and techs do that to 911's.

Posted by: TargaToy Mar 3 2012, 09:57 AM

Yes the bar can handle the load. My jackstands have been holding my car up for 5 years under the bar. I had little choice as my rear donuts were severely rusted and damaged and needed to be able to work around them in order to removed the welds and replace the entire triangles.

I've seen it argued that this isn't proper but in my experience, it works. I also have a jack under the tail of my transaxle which takes some stress off the middle of the body.

Posted by: GeorgeRud Mar 3 2012, 10:10 AM

Just be sure you don't have any significant rust around the attachment of the engine bar. The side shifting cars (73 on) have solid mounts at the end of the bars, so younshouldnbe OK. I'd be more concerned on an early car as the engine bar is mounted in rubber isolation pads that could tear.

I've also used a 2x4 under the firewall, but that could shift. Use common sense and be careful.

Posted by: bigkensteele Mar 3 2012, 01:41 PM

If you trust 4 40 year old 8mm nuts/bolts to support over half the weight of your car, go for it. I have done it in the past, but I don't anymore. I have never heard of anyone actually having a bad experience jacking under the bar, so take my statement with a grain of salt.

Where in Cincinnati are you?

Posted by: bigkensteele Mar 3 2012, 01:44 PM

Forgot to say - I normally jack using the donuts and put my jackstands under the round part of the trailing arms. If I need to take it higher, I jack incrementally on each side with 2x4s or something under my jack to get it higher. A low profile, high lift jack is on my short shopping list, unless I convince myself that I really need a lift.

Posted by: vsg914 Mar 3 2012, 02:14 PM

No brainer. Get the lift

Posted by: toadman Mar 3 2012, 04:51 PM

Ken, and everyone else, thanks for your responses. Please keep them coming.

From a speed and convenience standpoint, I would like to avoid having to go from side to side to incrementally raise the rear of the car higher and higher and then do it all again when it was time to lower the car.

I would like to be able to, from the rear of the car, put a long frame, high-lift jack in the center of the engine support bar, raise it really high, properly support both sides of the car, then remove the jack and get to work.

The engine support bar appears to be pretty rugged and it is firmly mounted to the unit body. I am just wondering if the weight of the entire back end of the car is too much for the support bar to carry if a jack is used in the middle of the bar or if there are other "weak links" that would make this approach unsafe or impractical.

Ken, I am in West Chester.

Posted by: mikea100 Mar 3 2012, 08:54 PM

Check out this thread
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=152800&hl=

Posted by: rgalla9146 Mar 4 2012, 08:47 AM

I've used the cast iron side shift bar for 30 years with no problem.
If the car has any real rust better check the sheet metal on the body side of the motor mounts for weakness and rust through.
Lifting the car this way is also a good indicator of longs weakness.
Before going too high check for change in rear door gaps. Opening up big time ?..... stop right there, consult wallet.
Also don't go forward under the floor pan, The floor is not strong enough forward of the bulkhead. At the centerline of the jack points you are at the tipping point of the car. It turns into a see-saw.

Posted by: rwilner Mar 4 2012, 08:54 AM

I have a 73 sideshift. I have a low profile floor jack from hf and use the engine mount bar to jack up my car...ever since I saw rory do it. I have done this 20 times at least since with no issues.

Go for it.

Posted by: toadman Mar 4 2012, 05:16 PM

RWilner, rgalla9146 and others, thanks for your replies.

I just want to make sure that everyone understands that I am talking about jacking up the entire back of the car all at once using the middle of the engine bar as the lifting point. I am not talking about going from side to side and using the engine bar to pick up the car. I have done that safely a number of times and I want to get away from that. I hope that one of our 914 engineer types, or someone that routinely jacks up the back of their car like this, will help me answer this question.

Thanks, again, everyone!

Posted by: rohar Mar 4 2012, 05:37 PM

If you've got the right equipment, you can put the ass WAY up in the air in a hurry:



Your results may vary.

Posted by: rwilner Mar 4 2012, 05:45 PM

Yep, this is exactly what I do.

Posted by: rgalla9146 Mar 4 2012, 08:03 PM

OK, maybe I wasn't clear .
I've always jacked up side shift cars on the center of the forged steel engine support.
I've never had a problem. Then put jack stands at the ends of the bar if you aren't removing the engine.
The one thing that you must watch for is that as the car goes up that the forward part of the jack cup does not lift the fan housing. Bad for motor mounts.
Also, do this to get the jack under the car.
Back the car up (or forward) onto a 1'- 2"x6" and then onto a pair (on top of each other) of 1'- 2"x 6"s This will give you 4" of clearance so you can push the jack in from the center rear.
And yes, I have a Hoffman 4 arm lift in my garage.
It's always good to know ol' school.