I am going to do some work on the front suspension on my car and I am wondering is there is a preferred location to put jack stands to hold up the front? Since I am working on the suspension I need to leave that area clear. On my other car if you put them in the wrong place you bend something.

 

Put them along the rear crossmember of the subframe. I assume you will jack on the subframe attachment plates.

I have also jacked along the front crossmember of the subframe using a 2X4 to spread the load. This leaves both subframe attachment plates accessible to jack stands.

I'm always very careful with jack and jack stand placement for both structural integrity and safety (car doesn't slip off stand).

Is your other car of Asian origin?

 

I used to put jack stands on the L & R sides of the subframe and I still had enough room to dissect the front suspension.

I would, however, place something soft (a 2x4 piece of wood or heavy cloth) on the lifting pad of the floor jack so as not to apply excessive stress on the subframe. I then install the jack stands and shake the car to make sure it's stable.

Others may have different opinions so you would have to decide which method would be most suitable.

JPN

 

One thing I hate about the pre P2 cars, the stupid jacking point.

Lovely way to damage subframe mounts putting a jackstand in the wrong place.

 

VTBricked- My other car is an 83 Mecerdes diesel and it has what looks like a frame under it but it is thin metal and has been bent once already at the tire store. It does have support pads near each wheel but I always use a 2x4 to spread the load.
When I jack up any of my cars I use the factory jack and jack points then put a support under the car in the best place I can find so I was hoping this car would have something designed into it where you would put the stands even if I add a 2x4 to spread the load.

 

I love those old Mercedes diesels, especially the turbo diesel 300D.

You must have a thing for inline 5 cylinder engines!

 

Good question, please be careful. I know a guy that had a car and jack stands and it fell off, sent him into a coma for a while. I'm a little afraid to but anything between the jack stand and any part under the car that may cause a slip. If you shake it good enough it may be ok. Make sure you block any wheels that will be on the ground.

 

Good point. Also keep the shifter in "P" or 1st gear + apply parking brakes fully.

JPN

 

My Mercedes is an 83 300SD and I redid all the front end on that but I always try to do one side at a time so I have 3 wheels on the ground and only one in the air.

 

Has anyone made an adapter for the floor jack to pick up the factory jack points? That would be the cat's meow! And since I have like a fleet of Volvos, I should do it as a permanent mod to a floor jack.

 

That would be a good thing to have. I wounder if you could have a half piece of pipe welded to a pipe cap the right size to fit over you floor jack to do this?

 

yeah, same here. Never been a problem.

 

Yeah but I'm a sucker for gadgets like a fitting that would go on a jack for this.