I'm about to put my car on jack stands for the first time (clutch cable replacement) and I just wanted to check and see if anyone had any words of wisdom for me. Just jacking up the rear end of the car. Is it best to use the jacking dounuts or is there a better spot? I plan on blocking the front wheels with some cut down CMU blocks that I have laying around and probably putting some 4x4 cribbing underneath as well just incase. Click to view attachment

Be very very careful. Once they're up there, they have a tendency of never wanting to come down....

Yep, It's the only time steel has been known to cold weld. It is preceded by the owner being infected by Dirk Wright disease.

Get a decent floor jack instead of that "thing" I see next to your stands, well worth the $

I'm impressed, is that a de-humidifier I see on the left side of the garage???

yea, thats the replacement for the stock jack (only had to use the stock jack once before I could see that it was a bad idea). I was kind of thinking that that would be the weak link. One guide says to jack the car on the engine mounting bar so I can see how a floor jack might be a necessity.

You got it! I'm not sure how much good it does but I would rather any moisture that makes it into the garage condense on the coils of the dehumidifier than on the car. my Nissan that lives outside ends up with a good amount of moisture on it almost daily but it can handle it. Living in Florida you really come to love all things galvanized.

There was a recent debate about jacking under the engine bar. If it is an early car, it is definitely a bad idea as it could ruin your motor mounts. If it is a late car, you are relying on 4 M8 bolts to hold the weight of the car.

Use the donuts, and you won't need to worry about it. Put the stands under the round tube part of the trailing arms, which fits nicely into the saddle of the jack stand. I usually take each side up incrementally so as not to put too much twist on the chassis. This is where two jacks come in real handy.

One of our members had a bad experience with that ratchet style of jack stand. I prefer the type that are secured up with a metal pin that travels through the stand. Be careful. That jack looks like a good replacement for the stock jack but should be used only in an emergency road side situation. Or better yet, buy an auto club membership.
Cheers, Elliot

4x4's backup are a good idea just in case. Watch those scissor jacks there have been issues with the threads stripping and sudden collapse.

Buy a new jack first. Costco has a nice one for reasonable money. If you're going to be working on these cars, you need to get them in the air quickly and safely. I like to put the front wheels on ramps and just hold the back with the stands. I jack up the front and slip the ramps in place.

I also like to take them apart and never put them together again

+1 on ramps. Quick jobs like that it is nice to just drive up and drive off. Jack stands and 914s are a symbiotic relationship. Once they go up, they are now one entity.

Damn, I just bought these jack stands. I guess its best to ask the World first. I do have to admit that mechanics of them don't exactly inspire a lot of confidence. I have ramps too and lots of scrap 4x4s and 6x6s. My neighbor has another pair of jack stands and a floor jack so maybe I can make something work this time, but what I'm hearing here is in a perfect world I should get my own set of 4 jack stands of the pin variety and a nice floor jack. I would like to see someone thats doing a complete rebuild fab a set of race car style integrated jack stands built into the car!

maybe if I take the Hula Girl off the dash the car will be lighter.

I've had that idea for years. They should be pneumatic!

Instead of jack stands, I use 8 x 8 wood blocks about 3 feet long under the tires. You can go out, crawl under the car, and go to sleep.....

Plus use the metal donuts to jack the car.

I started reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance today, and by the time I got to page 21 I realized I was kind of a D-bag for not fixing the worn out? clutch cable in my 914. I gathered all my jack stands and jacks and some from my neighbor as well. I took the floor mats and carpet out of the drivers side and then realized that this allows for a little more clutch travel.

I tried to put it in reverse and it worked so I got out the ramps backed it onto them and blocked everything up. I got under the car and the clutch cable looked brand new. I know that it could be fraying else where but I decided to just tighten it up and see what would happen. Unblocked everything and drove off the ramps. Everything felt pretty good.

Time to go for a short test drive. WOW! It drove like a totally different car. I think that the clutch may have been poorly adjusted for the whole year that I've owned the car. Before I thought that the car was just a 40 year old car with a driver that was relatively new to the manual trans game. It shifts great now. I'm sure this might not come as a surprise to some of the more experienced 914 drivers but if your 914s clutch action just doesn't seem very great, you owe it to yourself and your car to make sure its adjusted right... its pretty easy and makes a big difference. With out a good base line for how these cars are suppose to feel, I think I tend to assume that if its working its working right. Not so in this case. Its very possible the this whole theory will fall apart tomorrow on the Sunday drive I'm looking forward to taking but right now I'm pretty happy about it.

Hey ezbngreen914,

Wow, you ask for help and get SLIMED....I guess you now know that 914ners are a Tough Audience!

Here's my honest input: Buy a Harbor Freight floor jack for $59 - 20% discount with coupon in all the magazines. While there, buy 2 more of the 6-ton jack stands. As a 914 owner, there is NO DOUBT that you will need them again...often.

Then make or buy a jacking pad that inserts into the jack point on each side of the car. When you jack up, the whole side of the car comes up. Place the jact stands under the under-chassis BUMPS and then go to the other side.

With the whole car off the ground you can easily service the clutch cable, oil changes, valve adjustment and trans.

Enjoy,
Terry