Ok, I know this has been asked before. But I have some questions. I’m swapping out my rear end. But I need to know where to put jack stands on the rear. I read where the LCA’s mount to. So I would take out the LCA first, then put the jack stands where they mount to? I’ve had had bad luck in the past and ended up denting the hell out of the bottom. Are those mounting brackets sturdy enough to support the car and jack stands for a long period of time?

 

That is correct. Put them under the thick flat thing just in front (like about 1") of the LCA bolts. Yes it is plenty strong enough to support the car's weight. You can support the car there before you remove the bolts.

I STONGLY suggest putting the front up on stands as well, so that the car is stable, and more nearly level. A good place on the front is under the spring pockets of the front CAs or under the part of the K-member where the front bolts for the CAs go through it.

 

I gave up already lol. I had just installed new shocks and springs a few months ago. The damn bottom nut for the shock just keeps spinning and won’t loosen. They’re Bilstein shocks. With this car, it just seems like nothing can just go smooth the way it’s supposed to.

 

Wizz wheel it and get a new one. Maybe a can of the copper anti-seize at the same time.

Life is too short to put up with crap like that.

 

Yeah man, I’m just going to cut it off. And pick up a lock nut from Ace Hardware. There’s one right next door to me lol

 

Jack stands (at least the kind I've owned) have angled perches that don't spread load on flat surfaces under the car. My experience is a jack stand will eventually deform any of the sub-frame components under the car. My car has spent a LOT of time on jack stands over the years and the underside shows it. It don't bother me. But if it bothers you then be forewarned.

 

Be careful of the pinch weld on these cars. 99% of these cars have the pinch weld folded over and or beat up. Quick is correct about jack stands messing up the bottoms of these cars. The control arms are a great place to help even out the load of a jack stand. Better yet, get some subframe connectors and you'll have the best surface for jack stands.

 

Thanks for all the input guys! Yeah I can tell by the pinch welds on mine. Some areas are all folded over! A lot of areas you can see where someone tried jacking up the car and totally messing it up! But yes, by far the only place I feel safe is right there by the LCA. I had the weight of the car sitting on it. And it held up great. But then like I said, I couldn’t get the nut of the shock. And I don’t own an angle grinder or any type of electrical saw. So I couldn’t cut it off.
I’m going by a buddy tomorrow to get it cut off. It amazes me all the weak points on the bottom of these cars!

 

SFCS are truly the best. You get all the benefits of a tighter, better handling car plus you can jack up the whole side of the car along the SFCS if you want.

 

This will be my next upgrade. Anybody know how much a shop usually charges to weld them in?

 

Alot depends on the part of the country you are in. I am in SoFlo and it cost me $100 a few years back. I went to a muffler shop that used a drive on lift and they taped and painted over the welds when finished.

 

I've only sought one quote here in metro-Detroit, and it was $250, with me removing all the carpet and trim.

 

You have to remove the carpet and trim to get them welded in??’

 

Yes. Well you don't HAVE to, but unless you want your carpet and trim to be on fire....

 

Well, the floor pan has a chance of getting pretty warm in the areas they are welding. You don't want any nasty surprises.

I've seen people just remove the edge trim and seats, and "lift" the carpet up in the air...prop it up with an old coffee can or something....then when the floor is cool, put it back down. But heck, if I've already got the trim and seats out, why not just pull it? It's a great excuse to access and deal with any floor issues, look for a build sheet, and really thoroughly scrub the carpet. But that's just me.

If I left it for them to do, I'd have to pay them for their time, and trust them to do it carefully. This was a race shop, and I didn't get the feeling they sweated a lot over breaking 30+ year old plastic trim in cruisers and show cars. That may not have been a fair assessment, but I've already had two "good" shops damage the car in the 6 years I've owned it. I simply have run out of "trust" where the T/A is concerned.

 

The shop that did mine did not remove my seats or carpet. He did a "stitch" type weld so he said it would not over heat the floor. There were no burns or any issues when he finished. I will admit I was a little concerned but the shop owner (a friend of a friend) assured me there would be no issue and he was right. I used the Alston style so there was 4 points of contact to be welded.

 

Haha!! I didn’t even think about that. Really had me a good laugh.

 

You know you’re absolutely right! I hate when someone else works on my car. I feel like they don’t take their time. And don’t care if something breaks. I try to do as much as I can, that I know I can do. But something like welding I’ll leave to the pros.

 

Yes, I was going to hire out the welding. But I'll take care of the prep, and finishing over those welds when I get the car home.

 

How do you stop the welds from rusting? Do you spray some undercoating on it? Or paint over it?

 

Best bet would be to clean them up real good and epoxy prime then paint.

 

That was my plan.