Jacking / Jack stands up car technique - I don't like my current way - help pls

[onosqv]

Ok guys, well, after installing my coilover/swaybar setup, it seems jacking up the feels a lot more dangerous (or it could just be pyschological). Problems are occurring w/ lifting/lowering procedure & placement of jack stands - 89 240sx coupe.

Here's what I do:

1) jack up the front a little on the driver's side at the front tow hook (to make space for the other jack for step 2 - car is lowered)

2) jack up the driver side the rest of the way at the "spare tire" jack up point which is f'ed up on all 4 corners

*** Car starts lifting on 2 wheels, not super bad.. yet

3) put in shorter jack stand (of the 4 I have - 2 diff sets) on the frame tube closer to the inside of the car.

4) Repeat for passenger side

*** Now it starts gettin a little hairy

5) Start at rear passenger side, once I start lifting up, it seems the car decides it wants to be all 4 wheels in the air and starts teetering on the driver side stand and the jack - doesn't feel safe at all for me at this point

*** Also note that the frame tubing has parts of it "giving way" and doesn't seem like the most secure place to put the jack stands. Is there a better place to put these stands?

I'll finish jacking up the car, but there must be a better way where your car doesn't float/wiggle/dangles all over the place.

It gets even worse when removing the jack stands.

Anyone have a better method/way/placement?

[matt4pl]

um, once u have the front up, jack it up by the diff in the rear, place jacks either under the rear suspension next to the diff or under the frame rails or w/e

[onosqv]

ha, didn't think about that, haha. Thanks!

Where do you mean under the rear suspension near the diff? One of the subframe places I'm guessing?

[matt4pl]

yup, i dont have pics avaialbe to show, sorry, but you'll see it, its where the subframe is bolted to the chassis

[240marcuSX]

theres a place on either side near the rear lower arms, i put my stands there when i need the rear lifted which is seldom.

[fallingspeaker]

I have one of those mini sux jacks and I have a hard time getting the front up. Is it unadvisable to use a block of wood between the jack and the front suspension member thing to lift the front up? I can't get it high enough to put on stands (at lowest setting) cause the stupid small jack is stupid

Part of the problem is that my car port is kind of broken up asphalt. So instead of the jack itself sliding under the car (on its litlte wheels) as its raised... the jack sits there and the car basically slides off the jack head.

I also live about 46 stairs up a hill so carrying a 50lb jack is kinda undesired right now.

Aside from buying a standard sized jack, is there a way to work with what I have?

Thanks for your help!

[180fan]

you can put the spare tire jack there to lift the front just enough to get a real jack in there. I'm using a 3 ton jack with the car low enough that it doesn't clear. If you're looking for stability when the car is in the air, you can use ramps to hold the car up if you're not doing work behind the wheels. If you are doing work there, you can put the jackstands at the front frame rails or on that nub in the back that the FSM specifies. I don't really feel to safe with the nub on the back either, so I've gone so far as to lower the car on the jack stands and have the jack just touching the diff as well. The front's I've never really had much of a stability issue. But for the jacks I use on the front, I'm using 6 ton jack stands.