Safely Jacking and Supporting Your BRZ/FR-S
 

http://www.grimmspeed.com/content/im...iy/figure1.jpg

Tips:

Procedure:

1. Gather your floor jack, four jackstands, and a piece of wood as shown above.

2. First, you will want to make sure that your floor jack can lift the vehicle high enough to allow the vehicle to rest its pinch welds safely on your jackstands.

3. Start by placing wheel chocks behind the rear wheels, then make sure that the parking brake is fully engaged.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/content/im...iy/figure2.jpg

4. Next, locate the factory jacking points on the pinch welds located on both sides of the car. These are the places where you would use to jack up the car if you were using the OEM scissor jack supplied with the car. They are identifiable by having small notches taken out of the metal on the pinch weld on either side of the jacking point. The front point is located on the pinch weld just after the front wheel, and the rear point is located just before the rear wheel on the pinch weld. Grab your four jackstands and place one next to each of these points.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/content/im...iy/figure3.jpg

5. Locate the front jacking point. It is between the front plastic underguard and the front aluminum undertray.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/content/im...iy/figure4.jpg

6. Hold your board lengthwise on the jacking point. This helps to distribute the force evenly (and to prevent dents and scratches on your painted metal surface). Next, move your floor jack into place under the piece of wood. Alternatively, you can leave the piece of wood on the jack, and move the jack into place, but be very careful when lining up the wood to the jacking point as you don't want to damage the nearby plastic or aluminum pieces.
7. Slowly, begin to raise the vehicle and continue until the front wheels lift off of the ground. If you are the least bit unsure of your jacking point, lower the vehicle and check for any sort of bending or damage on the surface of the jacking point. Slowly lift the vehicle until it is high enough to slip the jack stands under the pinch weld at the factory jacking points.

8. Different jackstands have different designs for its "saddle," or the piece that the car will come into contact with. For this write up, we've used two different, albeit common designs, neither of which is ideal. The ideal jackstand would have the same slotted metal top that the OEM scissor jack has to hug the pinchweld, but such a jackstand is rare in the average garage. Chances are that one of these designs is exactly what you'll be using, and they work just fine so long as you take care. The idea is to place the pinch weld in the very center of the saddle on the jackstand. The goal is to NOT bend your pinch weld. They are fairly resilient, but you will be very disappointed if you don't take the precautions to prevent damage to this area.

9. Place the jackstands so the saddle is perfectly centered on the pinch weld, and so that it sits in the factory jacking area between the two notches cut out behind the front tire. SLOWLY lower the car until the pinch welds have almost contacted the saddle of the jackstand. Make any final position adjustments, and slowly lower the car all the way onto the saddle.


10. Move your jack to the rear of the car, and locate the differential, this is the rear jack point. Here, you can choose to either use, or not use the piece of wood depending on the shape of the cup on your floor jack. Assuming that you use the piece of wood to distribute the force on the differential, follow the same steps for positioning as you did for jacking up the front. When you are positive you have the jack and piece of wood in the correct place, slowly begin to lift the vehicle until you can slide the jackstands under the rear factory jacking points on the pinch weld.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/content/im...iy/figure7.jpg

11. Place the jackstands so the saddle is perfectly centered on the pinch weld, and so that it sits in the factory jacking area between the two notches cut out in front of the rear tire. SLOWLY lower the car until the pinch welds have almost contacted the saddle of the jackstand. Make any final position adjustments, and slowly lower the car all the way onto the saddle.

12. To lower the car, follow the same basic steps, but in reverse. Start with the rear, raise the car by the differential, remove the jackstands, and slowly lower the vehicle to the ground. Replace the wheel chocks behind the rear wheels. Remove the jack, and bring it up front to the front jacking point. Raise the car up, remove the jackstands, and slowly lower the car the rest of the way on to the ground.

Good to know. Do you have an recommendations for a good but cheap jack and jack stands?

I'm going to take this much more serious since I know an acquaintance on another forum that unfortunately died while under his car. I usually would put something solid/sturdy as a last ditch precaution if jack stands failed

No joke. It's too easy to forget that jacking and supporting your car properly is, without question, the most important part of anything you're doing under your car.

As far as recommendations, it's pretty easy to get a good set of jackstands pretty cheap. Craftsman, Harbor Freight, etc all make decent jackstands. I've used a variety of jacks and they all have pros and cons. Some of the lighter, low-profile ones seem a little bit unstable to me, but a lot of people have been using them for years. I like the big, heavy jacks. Harder to move around, but they always feel nice and solid.

Matt

Harbor Freight is good for stuff you're only going to use occasionally.

Very nice write-up. Too often I see guys putting their car on jack stands not knowing that their cars have specific spots for both the jack AND the jack stands. In the past, I've put my truck up on 2 jack stands to replace some bushings and only chucked the rear tires. Is it safer to put the vehicle up on 4 instead of 2?

Just to add, here are the official diagrams from the repair manual on where to position the jacks & supports on the chassis: download.

also, download the shop manual (download) and see pages 29-32.

Depends on what kind of work you're doing. As long as the vehicle is stable, I'd feel fine being under it with only 2 stands. If you've got the extra 2 stands, it won't hurt to spend another 5 minutes and put the car on them.

Like what Vivid said, just put all 4 on. I would also throw a wheel under the car just in case the jack stands fail. I would usually use 4 jack stands, put 1-2 wheels under the car, and keep the jack under the car as well. Lets just say the car did fall onto the wheel, that sucks you scratched it up but at least it's not your body

EDIT: nm, jumped the gun before reading Hanakuso's post and duplicated it. Wheels under the car can save your life and limb.

Thanks for this posting! I have a BendPak lift and kept looking around for suitable lift points. The pinch weld lifting points as shown sure look wimpy! I use hockey pucks with my lift to protect the paint and metal.

Got to pull my Porsche off the lift and get the BRZ in the air soon for a mandatory peek at the underside.

The pinch welds are the proper points for a lift. I've had mine on the lift a bit and no they haven't bent so far. Nor should they :)

What BMW said. I will get hockey pucks and cut them to fit the pinch weld, as well as fit inside the jack stand. The fit is a little more snug, and absorbs movement from working under the car.

Probably not a bad idea.. my buddies lift has thing pads on it already that the car sits on. My jackstands don't and I've never had a problem with any car moving on either setup, but anything that can make it more secure definately can't be a bad thing!

I do the same thing at home, but my jack has a pretty deep 'pocket', so the puck stays in there at all times. Good tip!

- Matt

Added to the DIY Directory:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7365

Get one of these:
http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?...umber=35-70000

Allows you to safely jack half of the car at once. I used it on my Miata and tested it on my FR-S last night. Works like a charm.

Oh shit..... I've been using a wooden block with a channel cut into it..... Functional, but this looks much more pro.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

The Harbor Freight 3 Ton jackstands have a notch deep enough to clear the pinch welds (they're actually orange and white):

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-h...nds-38846.html

Does anyone know where is the best placement for a jack to lift your engine once your motor mount bolts are loose? (Installing a downpipe but need a inch more clearance for fit where the overpipe once was)

I've always used polyurethane pads on my jack and jack stands. They protect the paint from chipping (rust), prevent the jack/jack-stands from bending/denting jack points, and help secure the car even better, as there is more friction than just the metal-to-metal contact points.

You can get some from summit racing: http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...e%20jack&dds=1

Does anyone recommend against using flattop jack stands with the pinch welds?
http://sector111.com/track/highly-re...jacks-pair.cfm

I'm thinking about going with a 2 pairs of these.


These look good too, but super expensive
http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/

Too expensive you can get aluminum jack stands at Harbor Freight. They also sell jack stand pads. I wouldn't get the flat ones even though you can probably find a spot for them under the car.

As for jack pads, I've had one of these for years, works great. Of course a hockey pick works too but this gives a little more lift.

http://protechproducts.com/index.php...&product_id=57

Can anyone confirm whether any of the Harbor Freight jacks will be able to slide under the front of the car, reach the front-middle jack point, and get the car up high enough to slide jack stands in on the sides?

Some other jack to recommend instead? I can confirm that this puny craftsman one doesn't cut it heh: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-2-1-4...1&blockType=G1

I ended up getting this jack from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68051.html

Because the front jack point is back a bit, the raised part of the jack gets much too close to the front bumper for my liking. Especially if the car is lowered, I can't imagine this jack will work. Hrmmmm...maybe this one would have been a better option:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

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UPDATE: OK I exchanged my jack for this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

I can confirm that the new jack works great with no clearance issues whatsoever.

This makes me even happier to have a buddy with a lift at his house.

Stupid question, but I am having a hard time finding the front lift point. How far back is it (or maybe the FRS is different underneath?)?

I don't have enough clearance to get a good look and my jack doesn't seem to slide very far underneath before it runs out of room for height.

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to make sure I am getting this right.

The jack point is pretty far back...most jacks won't be able to reach it. Initially I tried a little craftsman trolley jack which had no shot. Then I tried this jack from Harbor Freight, but it did NOT really clear the front lip: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68051.html

Here's the part of the jack that got super close and basically touched the lip, and this is a fairly low profile jack:

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...mage_12369.jpg

I exchanged that jack with this one and it clears the lip and it goes back far enough to reach the jack point with no issues:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...mage_12360.jpg

The only issue is that it's a heavy monster, but it works!

Thanks for the heads up...I actually have a coupon for harbor freight here.

Is there any other way to safely lift the front of the car without having to go buy a new jack?

Drive up on some wood boards to give your jack a little more clearance?

Yeah I was going say if you have ramps you can just drive up the ramps and then jack it up otherwise just put down a couple 2x4s.

4x4's would be perfect...thanks for the idea. all I really need is another inch or so of clearance.

I just picked up the Harbor Freight one this weekend. It is awesome! I had to do a spring install on my car. My cheapo jack could reach under the car to jack it up at non lowered height, BUT it could not jack the car up high enough to put jack stands under the side rails. The Harbor Freight jack one will jack the car up to almost 2 feet high and still slide in and out from the front of the car after it has been lowered. I also use a hockey puck in the center of the jack. The jack was well worth the money and less expensive than a lot of other jacks out there. Oh, and it is heavy!

Which springs did you go with? Thoughts so far? :offtopic:

So as to not take it off topic... here is the link to my response.. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...280#post433280

During the install with this jack (Harbor Freight 2ton low profile), I think I still had an inch or more room from the lowest part of the body/panels in the front. So it should come in handy for those with coilovers. As stated before, I used a hockey puck on the jack to gain extra grip and as not to scratch up the underside with metal on metal contact. Plus the hockey puck is solid rubber, so it will conform/give slightly to the surfaces. I have another hockey puck and I may cut a slit in it so that I may jack the car up under the rails without scratching off the underside paint. Plus I'm going to get jack stand rubber caps. I already ordered touch up paint to repair the paint scratched off from my jack stands. I posted this on another thread, but here is the car up on stands. Anyways, the jack is nice and quick. It even has a foot pump as well. I like it.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u.../FR-S/052x.jpg

What I would recommend, just to be extra safe, I would take the wheels off and place them half under the car. If the car falls due to various reasons, there is something there to stop it. I would rather end up with a broken wheel than a broken sternum/ribs or maybe seriously injured!
Just saying!

these are on sale at the moment for $16 per pair with this code: 84409788. pretty good deal.

Guy would this jack and stands work?

http://www.harborfreight.com/low-pro...eel-68049.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-h...nds-38846.html

I want to install my perrin catback exhaust. Rather then pay a shop, this would be a good learning experience. Also to install the exhaust I should only need to jack up the rear correct?

yep that would be good. those jack stands are great, i used them for my install. see if that coupon code i posted above still works for those jack stands, saves a good amount of money. and yea that jack would work fine, but you'd have to have the rear jacked up pretty high to be able to install a catback i'd imagine. my exhaust was axleback so i didn't have any issues. not sure if you'll have trouble though.

I have the same problem as @Phaedrus29 with jack not reaching before hitting the front lip.

I ordered this one in http://tradecatalogues.repco.co.nz/i...?itemId=301123 and it is pretty low profile but the higher bit towards the handle hits the front lip before it reaches the jacking point. Luckily I tested before buying. It was NZ$160.

I can get one of these in NZ but is NZ$600. Might have to find somewhere that will ship to New Zealand but before I do has anyone used one of these that can confirm it reaches the front jacking point before hitting the front lip?
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-647580-Heavy-3-Ton-Profile/dp/B003ULXFD0"]Powerbuilt 647580 Heavy Duty 3-Ton Low Profile Floor Jack : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame]

@GrimmSpeed if I can't get a trolley jack to fit under the front can I use the scissor jack one side and put on a jack stand and then do the other or will this put too much strain on the scissor jack? I know this is not ideal but neither is $600 for a jack!


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@Phaedrus29 I have lowered 15mm and have the TRD front lip that extends a little more than stock. Do you think the Harborfreight 68050 jack you decided on would still fit under easily enough? I see Harborfreight will ship internationally so would be great to know thanks.


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