Topic: Using a Floor Jack to Lift My Mustang

[68GTFastback]

I want to use a floor jack w/round plate to jack the front of my 68 big block, so that both wheels/ tires can be removed. What is the safest way to do this? Car has power steering.

[midlife]

My advice is to use two quality jackstands instead of the floor jack.  I suspect you want to use the floor jack to raise the car enough for jackstands.  If so, I use the frame rails forward of the tire area and the jack stands go on the frame rail just behind the firewall (or vice-versa if you can get your floor jack far enough inside).
Never, ever, work with just a floor jack.

[Brian Conway]

Use the floor jack to get the car up in the air.  I use the engine crossmember for this purpose.  Then as Midlife instructed use the jack stands at the strut braces (pictured) or the frame rails/torque box.  Loosen the lug nuts before the front tires are entirely off the ground.  Brian

[67gtasanjose]

It is VERY EASY to damage your frame rails, easier than you might think. Find a SAFE way to USE WOOD BLOCKS to prevent damage. FWIW, I would NEVER (again) jack a Classic Mustang the ways I did for years and years, not since I had to repair this damage and much more like this on the front frame rails and areas forwards of the rear leaf springs, all of the places that I USED to use regularly before owning a Car Lift. Apparently, every time I jacked the car, I must have done more damage...and for the most part, I never realized just how much!

Use the floor jack to get the car up in the air.  I use the engine crossmember for this purpose.  ...

Personally, I would not do this (anymore, like I used to) either...but it is a way to raise the car!

[Bob Gaines]

I should not assume everyone knows this so I am offering some more input on the subject.  You need to have some kind of buffer between the metal cup/head of the jack and the metal underside of the car regardless of if wood , rubber , carpet etc. . This is most important on a car you car about . There are countless different rubber product accessories for your jack to keep it from marring the metal surface under your car.

[lancelot66]

There a comment on this forum a while back about using hockey pucks. I haven't tried this yet, as I've always used cut blocks of 2 x 4's or 2 x 6's. May have to make a run and try the pucks, especially since I've had to crawl around under the car lately...

[Brian Conway]

I use 8x8 metal plates w/ a piece of cardboard as a buffer.  Brian

[Bob Gaines]

There a comment on this forum a while back about using hockey pucks. I haven't tried this yet, as I've always used cut blocks of 2 x 4's or 2 x 6's. May have to make a run and try the pucks, especially since I've had to crawl around under the car lately...

I think the hockey puck observation was not to a actual hockey puck but a similar looking device made out of Delrin plastic or other equally hard plastic material that has a slit across the middle so as to fit the pinch weld section of the rocker securely as a lifting point in the same way (although more securely ) the factory jack is supposed to lift the car. They look like a typical hockey puck although I didn't check for official puck dimensions. I haven't used mine yet but am confident they will perform as advertised.

[OldGuy]

I definitely would NOT position the jack stands under the frame near the firewall (reply #1)! With the weight of a big block cantilevering out in front of the jack stands you would essentially have MOST of the weight of the car rocking on the jack stands crushing the frame rails in the process. Position the jacks stands as Brian suggested (reply #2). He has the right idea.

Frank

[Josep]

I use 8x8 metal plates w/ a piece of cardboard as a buffer.  Brian

+1 on that but I use directly wood chunks between the jack stands and the car.


Josep

[J_Speegle]

+1 on that but I use directly wood chunks between the jack stands and the car.

I've purchased the soft rubber (hockey puck) for my floor jack that fits into the round metal saddle and the similar product for the jack stands. Have used wood blocks or carpet scrapes on wood blocks in decades past