Entire Car on Axle Stands?

[Broadsword]

I have been concentrating on the rear of the car and am close now to dropping the diff & rear axles having removed the suspension.

The car is currently sitting on axle stands at the rear, positioned at the jacking points.

How safe is it to then jack the front of the car up in a similar manner to do the same work on the front?

The thought of the car falling is sickening, but given the load is directly downwards on the current rear stands it should not move laterally, should it?

I fellow died in Canberra recently after his car fell on him.

Very sad way to lose a life, but as someone suggested at least he passed doing what he enjoyed.

I am not quite ready to go just yet, so if someone has had their car on four stands I would love to know.

Thank you.

[seabeelt]

When I was working on the 78, now long gone, I had it on jack stands. I used some wood to help spread the load on the frame a little further. I just wouldn't really crank on rusted bolts that could jar the car from the stands without another person around to assist.
R/

[aj81spider]

I regularly have mine up on 4 jack stands. I'm always nervous and careful, but I've never had a problem. I'm not sure why 4 would be any worse than two.

I've had it on the jack points (and it sounds like you will have to), but usually I put the stands under the axle in the back and under the A-arm (the shock mount) in the front.

[WYSpider]

I've put the front on jack stands before and I prefer to slide car ramps under the wheels.

[narfire]

Do you have access to some blocks of wood? I'll back mine up with stacked 6 X 6's when I used jack stands.
I'm lucky now that the property I recently purchased for the saw mill had a hoist in one of the bays...

[Exit98]

When I had mine all up to do the trans/clutch with the stands under the suspension, not the jacking points, I made a point of trying to rock the car from the front and back bumper and was glad that there was no movement at all. I also make a habit of leaving the jack under the front crossmember or the diff with light pressure as a back up when working under the car.

If I were using the jacking points of the body and had all four wheels off I'd be extra careful. Setting the stands on a square piece of plywood allows for any unevenness on the garage floor. I also put pieces of wood between the stand contact points and the body to spread the load a little.

[RRoller123]

I store mine on the stands but placed at the suspension points, not the jack points. I agree that I would be uncomfortable with all 4 on the jack points only. I always keep the pump jack either under the cross member or diff for extra safety for sure.

[81SPIDERMATT]

mine on all 4 jack points was quite solid ..pushed and shoved on the car and did not move a bit .. floor jack was used near me when under car tourqeing on stubborn bolts ..but that was for someone else's comfort .... and 50/50 mix of acetone and atf sprayed on those stubborn bolts made quick work of them.. for me anyway

tore apart and rebuilt front end steering components ... brake work on all four corners and panhard rod replacement... as well as front seals timing belt water pump new radiator ... sport springs ... all done with four jack stands at the jacking points without worry

I would go back to each jack stand after all four are up and lift the car at that one stand and make sure that it is sitting nice and true ..... after jacking up the front you may notice that the back stands have a little lean to them ... just check again all four points after car is up

[azruss]

when you are doing suspension work, it is difficult to use those as jack points. I have a set of homemade fiberglass reinforced plywood ramps for 90% of the work. When i did my front suspension and my rear sway bar, it did it all on jack stands at the jack points of the car. The important thing is to make sure the stands locate properly so they dont end up with a side load. If I have to do some serious pushing or pulling, i will slide wheels and tires under the car to give me an escape space. As others, if i question the stability of the car, i will rock the car back and forth to test the waters. I always use the ramps when pulling the tranny.

[Broadsword]

Thank you all for your replies.
I have removed the rear end and want to do the same with the front, so keeping to the jacking points seems the best way of keeping the suspension etc clear to work on and remove.
I have a lot of timber lying around under the house, so I may look at spreading the load as much as I can.
With the rear on stands and the front wheels chocked, the car seems remarkably stable.
I assume it would take a substantial lateral force to rock the car off the axle stands?
I will see how I go.
Again, thank you for your great replies.

[amawds]

Mine was up on the pinch welds for a while. I'm a mechanic by trade, and that's the go to place to toss jack stands on a unibody. I've never once had a worry about stability.

[georgeramos]

What are the pinch welds? I'm in the first phase of a sport coupe resto and am starting from the suspension

[DanD]

What are the pinch welds? I'm in the first phase of a sport coupe resto and am starting from the suspension

If you are not removing the front cross member, jack the car up from the cross member and put your jack stands under it. Alternatively, put the jack stands under the the front base of the sills, where all three pieces of the sill are welded together with pinch welds. Take the pressure off of your jack, and rock the car to test for stability. If the car is secure, roll you floor jack to the back of the car, and jack the car from the center of the differential. Put a pad on the jack. A block of wood is fine.

Once you get the back of the car up, put your jack stands under the rear of the sills. Lower the car, and test for stability.

[georgeramos]

Thanks Dan

[Broadsword]

Well it has taken some time as I ended up doing a bit more on the rear end than first planned, but yesterday I lifted the front and now the car is on four stands.
It is very stable.
I think it would have to take a lot of force to rock the car off them.