914 on Quickjack 7000TLX--Fail! Options

[bkrantz]

I recently got a Quickjack 7000 TLX. I need the long X model to reach the jack points on my other vehicles. But I have failed to lift the 914.

My first attempt had the Quickjacks in the "official" positions, i.e. with the lower base pivots forward. Note this is not what I consider safe for 911s and probably for 914s, since the car center of gravity can end up outside (behind) the end of the lower base.

[wonkipop]

i must admit i use the longs when i have the car on a hoist or jack stands.
to me the corner brace plates in the engine bay always seemed a bit "suss" to load up.
could bend up?

however..... got curious with question of the "donuts" reading this.
checking out these old manufacturing photos, seems to me porsche at least were using the donuts to sit the 6 body shells on cradle carts at stuttgart.
or am i not seeing this right ?????




looked at some karmann factory photos of 914 production line.
karmann did not seem to do this. overhead cradles and sled carts seemed to be a different set up for supporting the bodies during manufacture.

donuts were some kind of porsche thing for the 6s?
if they were they must have been able to support weight of car but maybe load is spread correctly by engagement with a designed fitting and the donut merely alligns it. but its not such a concentrated point load? dunno?

[SirAndy]

... dunno?

The factory always used all 4 donuts to either hang the chassis from the overhead conveyor belt or when on dollies.
They also didn't have the full weight of the fully assembled car until the very end of the production line.

Again, if you actually look at the location of the 4 donuts and you look at what's on the other side of them, you can see why jacking from them is a bad idea.

In the front, it's just the sheet metal of the front floor pan. It will buckle. Seen it many times.
In the rear, it's just the sheet metal of the small triangle. Seen those buckled many times as well.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

[wonkipop]

... dunno?

The factory always used all 4 donuts to either hang the chassis from the overhead conveyor belt or when on dollies.
They also didn't have the full weight of the fully assembled car until the very end of the production line.

Again, if you actually look at the location of the 4 donuts and you look at what's on the other side of them, you can see why jacking from them is a bad idea.

In the front, it's just the sheet metal of the front floor pan. It will buckle. Seen it many times.
In the rear, it's just the sheet metal of the small triangle. Seen those buckled many times as well.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

i agree

i have always look at that donut brace in the engine bay and go - no way.
never jacked the car up using them.
and the front ones just seemed improbably to me.
always used the longs.

----
as to assembly line.
the 6s would have had the full weight while on dollies.
they jacked the engine up into the car off the floor while it was on the dolly.
and put in the front suspension. so she was pretty much at full weight on the dolly.
porsche assembly line back then was more like a neighbourhood garage than a factory.
the donuts must be just locators and the car is actually supported either on spreader plates you can't see in the photos or rails. the donuts would there to lock the car in to stop it laterally shifting on the dolly? thats my thought.

the sleds in the karmann factory were like long rail frames that ran the length of the car while it was being assembled. i reckon it sat on the longs during that stage.
when it went on to the conveyor cradle the donuts probably just we locators but did not take any direct weight load. they would have had to have a way to lock it on to the cradle so it didn't move or shift around. especially where the conveyor turned corners or climbed up hill which it definitely did in the karmann factory.