With all this talk of our cars on jack stands, i was wondering the best spots for the stands to be placed. I usually place the front pair right back of the front wheels, in the side channel on the floor (right inside of the rocker panel). The rear set, i put underneath the engine mountaing bar. Car seems balanced (doesn't move when i'm hauling my 300 pound carcass in and out while bleeding the brakes), i just wonder if it is the best spot.

I put the rears on the engine mount bar and the fronts on the a-arms where the bearings are (the ones closer to the rear)

Me too

I don't use jackstands.


I just lift up the car with one hand, and fix what broken with the other.

Paul

Just lean it up on one side then prop it up with a couple 4X4s.
Cheers, Elliot

There is an article in the new Excellence August,on this very subject. It even has pictures.
CCLINALIFTINGEXPERIENCE

i don't have an engine mount bar...

in the back, i usually use the front trailing arm mounts and in front, the A-Arms.
unless i'm doing suspension work, in which case, that's what the donuts are for ...
in Olden Tymes when jackstands were tubular, the round support tubes (once you pulled the inserts) were perfectly sized. now that pretty much all we have to choose from are the Chinese cast-iron square ratchet versions they don't fit quite as well, but i still feel safe enough ...

in the front I am using the round support piece that goes across, under the steering rack... (is that bad?)


in the back, the engine mount bar... I Don't feel safe putting jackstands on the little donut jack points, the shapes just don't match up!

I'm glad someone asked this question, I've been curious, but never remember to ask

boxtr, can you scan that excellece article and post?

only to the extent that you may be driving around without the lower cover in place, which really ought to be there. if it's necessary to drive without it, you should replace the mounting hardware, becuase the little braces do add some structural strength.

if you remove the access cover every time you need to put the car on stands, more power to you, but that's more work than i ever had the inclinition for...

I don't have an access cover... is THAT bad?!

I was going to install and aluminum cross bar on my car and it does
not have those braces?!? Are the needed for anything other than
holding the access cover on?

they're part number 911.341.031.01 and they bolt onto the alloy crossmember.
if i were using an alloy crossmember (something which is starting to appear more likely, in the 911, than it did for a long time, for a variety of reasons ...) i'd get a pair and use them... YMMV

the access panel helps keep crap out of the master cylinder and steering rack area, and probably cleans up ithe underbody aerodynamics a bit.

Porsche didn't put any parts on a car they didn't think they had a reason (notice i didn't say 'good reason') to -- there are some issues with undertrays in the 996's - but a 914 is not a 996 ...

Is there a good place to jack the car that will raise the whole back end?

I am getting tired of jacking by the jack posts with that stupid adapter that tries to slip off the jack as soon as the car is raised a few pumps... One of these days the car is going to slip off the jack and throw the 2x4 that is on the jackpad at me. I am not looking forward to it.

I can't jack by the donuts because that is where I usually put my jackstands.

transmission - under the diff carrier.
use a good pad and make sure your transmission and engine mounts are in good shape, but if so - shouldn't be a problem ...

heres the page from the article in Excellence of the 914...if you want i can post the whole article..its got good advice on jacking the car in other areas too

that looks like it's pointing to the donuts... are there other jackstands that fit in/on the donuts? the tops of mine are sahped like a rocking horse leg (kinda flat and thin with aslight dugout...

Wayne, I use the donuts on the front. This also shows how these jack stands fit perfectly into the donuts, I got a set at Sears and another set at Walmart.

Here's a shot of them holding up the rear.

Finally, here's a shot of all four. I have had the car on these jack stands for about 6 months, I've removed the engine, transmission, front and rear suspension. The car is very stable using the jack stands this way.

mine look very similar to those, made by "cat jacks" or some such...

and they fit the same way, I guess I'm just nervous about them like that... I'm sure they are fine...

I have a little jack that fits the donuts perfectly, surrounds them and has a bolt in the middle that fits the hole... it would be nice if the jackstands did the same...

thanks for the pics!

Do a search... I doctored a pic of the underside of the car to show where the jack/lift/support points are.

N.B., you can use almost any seam or place where a bulkhead meets the floorpan, just make sure to use a large piece of wood to spread the load out.

--DD

DD,
I remember that pic. Any way you could dig it up and post it?

Here it is.

Thanks Gary

wow, thanks for the info! I just got back from the garage actually... I used rich's place for a rear jack(tranny) and the donuts for the jack stands... they both worked great !!!
so, with the pic and article and everyone's input... classic?

Rich,

Could you explain what you mean by diff carrier?

the place where the case is bigger to accommodate the differential. directly between the axle flanges. where the drain plug is, IIRC...

stay off the tunnel part at the back of the car, where the gear cluster is...

the bellhousing wouldn't be bad, but it's a little too far forward to be as useful as you'd like ...

This seems like a Classic topic to me. anyone else?

very helpful!

I know this is an old thread but how did you jack it up so you can place the stands? I can’t find a safe area to jack it up so I can set the stands there

I just replaced a floor pan that was badly mangled where I had jacked the car up at the rear of the tunnel under the firewall. I won't be doing that again but it is circled in that diagram.

I use two pieces of 2X2 with a groove on one side to fit around the pinch seam on the long. It runs between the two donuts (not on), with the jack stands cradleing the 2X2. Car is completely supported by the long.

When jacking the car up in the rear I put a floor jack in the center of the engine mount bar. (protected with a layer of cardboard, since the engine bar is powder coated) and then place the jack stands either on the donuts or the tubes on the trailing arms.

I have not had a problem doing this but I never feel real comfortable jacking on the engine bar since its only held to the body by two M8 bolts on each side. and only have it supported this way long enough to place the jack stands.

on the front I jack it at the front of the A-arms using two floor jacks and place stands either on the A-arms or front donuts.

But I do like Cabinetmakers idea of the grooved 2x2 supporting the long.

The ovals indicate where there is a box section of sorts that will support the weight. Unfortunately the flat sheet metal is prone to major denting. You don't need 4 lifting spots. It is more like 8: 4 for the floor jack and 4 for the jack stands.

Old piece of advice: do not use jack stands that have ratchet adjusting height design if you are planning on crawling under your car!

I agree and have done the same thing with the longitudinals. I also put my ratchet jackstands under the engine support bar and the steel steering support, front A-arms or the front towbar bracket. Dave Darlings recommendations and drawing are really good. I used all those areas to support the body to maintain good door gaps while repairing and stiffening the longitudinals. I do not trust the square jack stand jaws on the donuts. Only the padded Jack pad or a block of soft wood is used under the donut so that it will bite and hold. the square cast iron jack stand yokes slide off the steel donuts too easy. Jack stands should have a round centering nub to be used with the donuts, but I'm afraid to drill my cast jack stands to install such thing. I do have a pair of jack stands that actually have a hydraulic jack built into them. They make it easy to adjust the flex in the body and customize the door gaps.Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

I use these on the donuts. I like that they have the big rubber tops.

Click to view attachment

Not much help because I use a two post lift, but I use hockey pucks centered on the donuts.
Yes real hockey pucks.

If you have a MIG you could get 4 rounds at you local steel supply and mod your stands so they are like Larmo63's picture. Then use the Hockey pucks.

CSOB jack stands for long term storage. Very little chance of these tipping over.

Click to view attachment

Some one cut a small section of pipe so the donut fit the ID. He notched the pipe to fit over the top of the jack stand.Click to view attachment

This is a great idea. I think I'll use 1 1/2 or 2 inch pipe and maybe also bolt them onto the top of my modified Harbor Freight aluminum jackstands. I have already made them safer by drilling holes and adding a pin to backup the cam lock adjustment. Click to view attachment