front cross member ok for floor jack?

[boonie]

would it be adviseable to place my floor jack underneath my front cross member to raise my C4 inorder to place jack stands underneath the car? or how you go about raising your vette
thanks boonie

[Lee74C3]

I'm not positive on a C4. If C2 or C3... NO, NO, NO.

Your owner's manual should have jacking locations.

[Ken]

Originally posted by boonie
would it be adviseable to place my floor jack underneath my front cross member to raise my C4 inorder to place jack stands underneath the car? or how you go about raising your vette
thanks boonie

Once again, yes, it's ok to lift it by the crossmember. To ease the insertion of the floor jack, because the car sits so low, first drive it up on a piece of 3/4" or 1" plywood that you place in front of each front tire, or buy a pair of Rhino ramps from your local Pep Boys for around $30. The ramps always come in very handy.

[8388]

When I use a floor jack, I like to place a 2x4 on the pad of the jack. The 2x4 is soft enough not to mark up or ding up the cross member, and long enough about 10" to support the weight more evenly under the crossmember. But to do this with a jack like mine I have to first drive the car up on some ramps I built by using 2- 2x6s sandwich together with 45 degree cuts on the front in order to make driving up on them easy.

[Ken]

I purchased a "soft" pad for my floor jack. It replaces the steel saddle with a rubber-faced piece. And I also made my own version of the "Jack-A-Vette" for a total cost of zilch! My mechanic has a welder.

_ken

[Thanatos69]

I saw someone that had used a hockey puck bolted to the saddle of his floor jack. This removed any 'metal on metal' concern and also it will conform to the jack points a bit better, less likely to slip. How are the Rhino ramps? I've been considering getting a pair and I was curious about the airdam catching on them.

[Thumper]

You're NOT supposed to lift a C3 by the front crossmember? Why is that? I've been lifting the front of mine by the front crossmember in order to put jack stands under it for many years. Hasn't hurt it at all. At least not that I'm aware of. Is the concern not to scratch the crossmember? I always lift by the recommended jacking points if I'm just changing a tire.

[wx briefer]

I use the crossmember after driving up on the 2 X 10's as others have stated here. I also use some shelf lining rubber placed under the boards to keep them from sliding as the tires push against them on the way up.

[Ken]

Originally posted by Thanatos69
How are the Rhino ramps? I've been considering getting a pair and I was curious about the airdam catching on them.

You can't go wrong for only a twenty dollar outlay. Use something like wx does under his boards, or as I did - pound a couple of nails into the ground in front of the ramps, to prevent the ramps from slipping. A 1" piece of plywood will get you high enough when you drive up on them that the spoiler won't hit the ramps; it will hit otherwise.

_ken