i've been through different kinds of floor jacks and none seem to fit under the crossmember, i know that thats the solid lifting point, is it ok to jack the car on the a-arms as an alternative, or is there a different brand jack other than crastsman that works for third gens better?

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1991 Chevy Camaro Z28
350ci, 5.7L TPI
too many mods to list

 

I use an MVP superlift floor jack. Its just a little cheap one but it works. I'm not sure if it would fit under the crossmember while the car is one the ground, but what I have is like about a 1 to 1 1/2 board that is 2 foot long with another board that is the same thickness about a foot long or so nailed together, with the second piece at the end. That way you have an extra 2 to 3 inches to work with. Its not much but on those cars it helps. Another trick is to turn the jack sideways to that the lever to pump it up is directly between the tire and fender. Not much room there but it also will work. Hope that helps you out a little.

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350 TPI
Flowmaster Cat-Back exhaust
Performance Chip (am trying to find out which one)
Modified MAF
Smog equipment removed

 

You can use the control arms, that's OK.

Welcome to cars that sit low to the ground!

You might want to get a couple of blocks of wood, 12" 2x8s work great; drive the car up onto them before you try to put the jack under it, that should give you enough clearance.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

how would you like to have own a vehicle so low, that when you get a flat tire, you're screwed cuz the jack wont even come near to fitting under the car....that was the scenario on my daily driver S-10 before i gave in and bought some airbags for it. Last year i had 8 flat tires [i think a demon follows me around and puts nails under my tires] in 2000, which really really sucked

 

recommendation...
when you go to jack it up...
get another person and either of you lift on one fender/wheel well and the other slide the jack.
it should be enough lift.

 

I had to lift on the fenders too until I got fully welded subframe connectors. Now I can just use the SFCs for lift points.

 

Dude, try lowering your car! I had to slide one in through the wheelwell and jack on the control arm mount until the car lifts enough to get another jack under the control arm. I finally got around to using some 2x10s and driving the front wheels up onto them. That lifts the car up enough to get a jack under the crossmember with no problems.

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The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

Yeah, I haven't been able to use ramps since I lowered mine... Someday I'll have to cave in and get ramp extensions...

 

I now have a tear in my front spoiler of my car ... damn the ramps!

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91 3.1 RS.
T-Tops
12" tube in the trunk
16" ROH Rims (Need Center Caps) ROH Rims
Firehawks all Around

 

Ramps are tough, but a single 2x10 will not cause any problems, and will give you enough clearance to get a jack under the cross member.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

I had the same problem you are having, and what's even worse is trying to work on your back with the car only a foot off the ground. My solution was to buy an EAGLE SS7000 4 post lift, now the car is 6 feet in the air and I can work like a human being. Yes you can use the a-arm, but I would only use it to lift the car high enough to get a jack under the crossmember. Do'nt forget to use jack stands.