Hey guys - I'm trying to jack up my car with the factory jack but I cant seem to find that great of a spot. It says use the car's manual, but I dont have that, and the only spot that the jack looks like it would fit is on the fender shim, but then it would bend the fender in. Can somebody please tell me where to place it? Thanks

 

I'd love to know too. I have the owners manual and the GM service manual; all say to put the jack somewhere there. They say there's a notch for the jack. I'll be damned if I see -any- notch under the car!!

I usually go after a frame point that's somewhere that I won't dent the frame "in", and then I keep my body/legs/hands AWAY from underneath the car!!

 

The factory jack, that's the scissor jack that comes with the car. There are little plates under the car, near the tires, right on the edge. That's where you jack it up by. Unfortunately, mine are bent, some goober put a lift on those spots I think, most likely the tire shop when I got new tires. Fortunately, I have sub frame connectors, and there's a weld there, so I can use my scissor jack if absolutely necessary.

I think some cars had plates with 2 bolts on either side, and others had a reinforced "split". My 91 has the 2 bolts thing with a plate inbetween, and I think my 87 had the "split". I can't quite recall, as I've never used it on my 87. I had a flat out in the boonies once on my 91, and had to use it.

 

The writers of the manual on jacking locations and the engineers
did not work together on this Subject. Those jacking locations are still a mystery to me. I use the SFC's on my car.

 

i used the "jacking location" descibed in the manual, and guess what? bent the damn fender out...grrrrr now i just use the sub frame under the car

 

its bending the fender in, ive done that on both sides now

 

lol, well, use the scissor jack only for changing your tire, cause it's useless for anything else. Get a good floor jack if you need to work on your car.

 

There are tabs... maybe even bent up already that run along the pinch weld. You do NOT want to lift by the fender bolt, that is not strong enough. Look a bit further back but in the same general position. Take a look at this pick, there will me another one towards the front of the car.

From what I understand the jack uses that tab to be located only. The weight of the car is supported by metal on the inside and outside of the tab. This is what I have noticed on other cars, I've always used a regular floor jack on my third gen. At different locations.

 

For the fronts I use my a arms and for the rear I just jack it where the rear end housing is.

 

slowTA, thanks for the picture!! And I'm mad to say that there's absolutely nothing like that underneath anywhere on my car. (sigh) I'll take a closer look though now that you gave me a general area... maybe the tabs got snapped off? And does the rear of the car really get lifted by the rocker panel?

 

My other 3 are all bent. So it is definately possible that yours are too. I looked for mine in the front since I don't have a pic... and I couldn't find them. But I am positive that they can't be the tabs that hold the fender on. You may have to do some serious looking if they are bent. I didn't recognize my other rear because it was so flatened.

From what I can see the weight of the car is either supported by the rocker panel, or the tab itself. I can only assume that it is the rocker panel since I can't see that tab holding the car up.

 

ok first q is are you trying to jack the front or rear