Jacking rails for a Twin?
 

Coming from the Mustang world, jacking rails are a very common addition to the unibodies of those cars, usually in conjunction with subframe connectors. Having had my BRZ up on jackstands frequently since getting it, I noticed that the metal at the jacking points of the body is folding over just a little bit. For a car that sees floor jacks as often as these do, I would think it makes sense. Is there any reason not to? It sure would be nice to stick a jack under the frame below the door and jack the side up front and rear without hurting anything. I would think any good race shop would be able to make something very simple and stitch weld the whole thing in less than an hour. Or even better, come up with a bolt on solution...


So my question is, have any of you added, or seen added, jacking rails to a Twin?


(The pics are of Steeda rails for a Mustang and a Focus ST, in case you are unfamiliar)

That's an interesting idea. I also wanted to avoid bending my pinch welds. I just got ESCO jack stands. Seemed like the simplest solution. They have a huge, flat rubber pad that is big enough that they don't damage the pinch welds at all.

https://www.northerntool.com/images/..._2000x2000.jpg

Huh, never heard of these but is a cool idea. Idk where we would be able to connect them without drilling through the frame, which might be worse?

I put a length of 2x4 between the jack and the bottom of the rail before jacking. Wood deforms before bending steel rail.

Just use the proper tools and you will be fine. No need to add anything like a Ford.

Great question, I'd love to have some jacking rails added on the sides. My jack-stands have a cup that works well with our pinch welds, but I would like to be able to use something like a quickjack very easily and specific jacking rails would make that easier.

My pinch welds are bent.:paddle::paddle:

I use these:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...sheepy/fgd.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...heepy/p2-3.jpg


This thread is pretty helpful too:

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10111


I don't jack my car up from the sides though, only the front or rear.

Jacking the car up from the side should really only be done in emergency situations like a flat tire or such.

The twins (and most cars) are really only designed to be lifted from the front or rear..

Lifting from the side can cause damage to your pinch welds, and will twist and tweak the chassis.

Just cut a groove in a hockey puck

Do you have a link for those stands?

yup!

Jackstand

Jackpad

They are pretty reasonably priced, but shipping is a killer.. :/

I just tell myself its a small price to pay to keep my pinch welds in good shape :bonk:

Jacking rails for a Twin?
 

Thanks!

Hmmm. Did you have to make a new account for Amazon Japan ?

Edit: turns out yes, Amazon US accounts cannot login to Amazon Japan.

Yeah I had to make a new one too. Seems kind of silly. You'd think one amazon account would work for everything :/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapphireho (Post 3087808) Just use the proper tools and you will be fine. No need to add anything like a Ford.

There's always one...
I could jack my Mustangs up from the side jacking points without ever causing any damage to the pinch welds, so Ford is a step ahead of Subaru there. The jacking rails are so you can lift both tires from the side instead of just one at a time, and so the exact spot matters less if you happen to be on a track and doing this quickly and frequently..


According to Subaru, the car is designed to be jacked from the jacking points, which include the four specific spots on the pinch welds. Subaru didn't do a very good job of reinforcing those areas though.

Lifting your car from the side will definitely not "tweak the chassis". Where did you get that from? It can damage the pinch welds, though, hence the jacking rails, hockey pucks, 2x4s, etc.

Nevertheless, I have been jacking the car up only from the front and rear, also per the manual, but it's the jackstands that are causing damage to the pinch welds. I don't know about you, but I'm not getting under the car without jackstands, so the front/rear jacking does not solve the problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daskaman (Post 3087832) Just cut a groove in a hockey puck

I use one of those plastic pucks things with a groove in it, or a piece of wood, when I jack from the sides but I usually jack front or rear and place jackstands on the sides. Hockey pucks and 2x4's do not work with jackstands.

Wow, some people really love their pinch welds being in pristine condition.
It's a jack point. It will be fine. It's engineered to be jacked up and supported by that points.
There is zero need for a hockey puck and an over priced jack stand. Actually zero need for a hockey puck. Any over priced jack stand would have the groove built in.
For fucks sake any harbor fright jack stand has the grooves already.

But...if your that kind of people that worries about pinch welds I really recommend having some one else work on your car. You silly cats.

Yes you can jack from these points, but they are designed to all be lifted at the same time, like a shop lift.

Doing this definitely puts stress on the chassis and suspension, even if just a little, plus its unsafe:

http://www.davidparis.org/coupe/IMG_3582m.jpg

"Three wheeling" your car like this is not good and really should only be done to change your flat.

The owners manual says to jack from the front or rear axle, which wont let the chassis flex in a way it wasn't supposed to.


Either way! I try and encourage people NOT to do this.


Your statement makes no sense man. If i'm worried about damaging something on my car, why WOULDN'T i do it myself? IF I do it myself then I can do it the way I want and not have to worry about something else fucking up my pinch welds.

I come from the 240sx world, and 100% of those cars have the most flat and fucked up and rusted frame rails and pinch welds from people not giving a shit and just jacking the car where ever. I'd rather keep my brz in the best shape I can :)

Ah, well to be fair your posts came off like "I'm afraid jacking up and damaging the precious pinch welds"
Yes I agree with you on lifting the car by the front and rear center jack points.
Lifting the car by each corner at a time is just retarded.
But meh, I never had the need to use hockey pucks.

If you look at the oem jack, it has a groove for the pinch weld. The notches in the pinch show you where to place the jack, while the actual load is on the flat underside of the car.

My hockey pucks emulate the groove.top of the oem jack, while the notch in my jack stands straddles the pinch.

its all fun and games until you have exposed/scratched metal that corrodes with salt caked roads, I take any precautions I can

Hell my pinch welds were totaled at 5K miles. First 6 months of ownership car on jacks over a dozen times.

That's nice that you think that. But in reality that groove is out there because the oem jack was made so it can be used in any surface and not kick out from you.
For example if your on the side of gravel road where it has a slope to it. That's just the extra protection Subaru/Toyota thought of. In case you where ever in that situation.

Now in a perfect level concrete floor like a garage floor, it doesn't really matter. But who am I? What do I know. What ever floats your boat. :popcorn:

Dunno, why not tell us? How many cars have you designed?

Thank you!!! This is the main reason to trying to preserve my undercarriage

The same amount you have. :cheers:
It just might be due to my google-fu is better than yours?

We live in California dude. :slap:

I swap tires and brakes at the track lifting on the front pinch weld and lifting one side front and rear tire off the ground. Then i dont put it on jack stands, but i place them there in case the jack fails.

I guess my car will break in half and i should be dead soon.

Really? my list is fairly long.

I think your troll-fu is much better than your engineering-fu.

:D

Not all of us do. Here in Florida shit rusts when you breathe on it. I'm trying to keep the underside of my car as painted and coated as possible.

:lol:

Which really can be easily avoided.


The point is, I do plan on keeping this car forever. I would rather take a little more time/caution with how I work on it.


Seems silly all the flak we're getting for wanting to preserve our cars the best we can!

Trolls enjoy giving flak.

Keep lifting your car correctly :thumbup:

How I imagine everyone in this thread who's hating:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8cb5929c98.jpg


:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

You really come across as a jackass.

I make tons of little wood pinch rail blocks out of pieces of 2x2. Just figure out the required groove and run it on the table saw. There must be twenty VW-specific ones in my garage all over the floor. Time to make some Subie ones.

Or just get some rubber blocks from Amazon?

My big VW actually has little frame inserts. Anything like this for Subaru? I would imagine the WRXs have them.... :iono:

https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/111005_x800.jpg

Is there any other place you can put the jack stands?

I am happy to make a piece of timber with a groove in it for the jack itself but would rather the jack stand support elsewhere as my stands do not have a groove in them.

Cheers in advance

Jay

You could put them underneath the frame rails..but iirc ours are covered up by the plastic body panels.


Best place is oem pinch weld spot (this is where any shop will be jacking up your car from too if its on a lift)


Hell, you could even take a rag of some kind and put it between your jack stand and pinch weld to help protect its paint from getting scratched and scuffed. But if your jack stands are just the standard kind of u shaped ones without a large contact area, you still run the risk of bending the pinch weld.



Best option would be some kind of jack stand pad made for pinch welds. They really are a good investment.

Doesn't matter you can still use those jack stands on the pinch welds with zero problems. Well they may get a bit bent but will support your car safely.

It all depends how much of an anal silly boy you are when it comes metal on metal contact.

And your courage level, in regards to being under the car, when the pinch folds over, and you are wondering it the weight shift and movement will knock the jackstand out. :)

Do it right, and live to do it another day.

And when they do fold over they will still be supported by a jack stand and be up right. Zero worries........ unless your working under your car on a up hill/down hill on lose gravel while gale force winds are blowing to one side and there are earthquakes happening every minute and the whole car is rusted out, then yes that would be the only time to worry.

Sorry but your whole idea about pinch welds are just silly. Even from the engineering view of it you are afraid of nothing.

I personally seen pinch welds fold over and they never could throw a jack stand out. Unless you intentionally place the jack on its edge.

There is only less then an inch of travel if the pinch weld folds. Now think about worst case scenario, car is on four jacks stands at the pinch points one of the folds over, only one side has barely any movement. 3 corners are perfectly planted.

The only way your idea would be true is if the pinch welds are over 6" long. But they are not. Stop with the imaginary safety hazard. Better yet I encourage you and all the silly pinch weld scaredy cats to cut off their pinch welds. And grind them flat. You'll have a nice flat surface to jack the car. Although I don't recommend you change a flat tire on the side of the road that could be risky as to the angle and lose gravel/rocks one commonly finds on the side of the road.

I just want to point something out.

Your and you're are two different words. Use it properly.

Please carry on with the jack point debate.

Speaking of engineering, I'm still waiting for that list of cars you have done engineering work on.