I and my mechanic/friend are going to install new exhaust (Magnaflow)
Now to be 100% sure..where are the best lift-points for one of those 4-armed car-lifts? A picture would be really nice

 

Front, under the "frame" (about 12" or so inboard of the pinch weld) at the front-most spot where it's parallel to the ground, just in front of those big holes you can see in the pic; rear, under the "bracket" feature where the control arm bolts to the chassis

 

Thanks is this correct?
[IMG]D:\Users\Hasseman\Desktop[/IMG]

 

Yes sir, those would be the ones.

 

Thanks for helping!

 

I thought the cars suspension had to be under load. = drive on 4 post.
A 4-armed car-lift is called a 2 Post.

 

Probably does not require

I could be wrong, but seems unnecessary

 

For an exhaust install, the only reason I see to load the suspension is to ensure the pipe(s) clear the rear axle where they go over it. Assuming you're routing it that way that is.

 

 

True,
The Muffler shop I took mine to have it welded had to bend the intermediate pipe at the axle to clear it. Nice that they have a Mandrel bending machine .Does not sound like much but makes a lot of difference.
They have four bays and all are drive on four post lifts.

 

Exhaust is awesome! Now will add Alston subframe connectors, which will use those rear liftingpoints...So need to find new rear lifting points. Can I lift at the points marked in red color? The black outlines show how the sfc:s mount. Note, I dont have the sfc:s shown in the pictures, just the Alston ones.

Thanks

 

Don't use the red.

Doesn't matter if there are SFCs at the green places. Use them anyway.

 

If you lift at those red points you'll send your jack through the floor.

Once you install SFC's the SFC's become your jack points, they'll hold.

 

That surprises me you guys are saying not to use the red points, on another thread I've seen people recommend that spot. I've never tried it myself and always just use the subframe but it still contradicts what I've read on this forum

 

ive used the area marked in red for years .. never had a problem ..

 

I think Sofa & Redleader need to re-read the OP's last post. He said he is going to be installing the SFC's, not asking where to lift the car after they are installed. To answer the question, everything I have read on here says to have the car lifted under the suspension is the best way to lift it for SFC install. That means a drive-on lift or jackstands. A 2 post lift(4 arm lift) can't safely be positioned under the front control arms to achieve this.

 

Re-read it, and he's asking if he can use the points marked in red as suitable lift points. To which our answers of 'no' still apply.

I agree, the suspension points are where it needs to be lifted at to install SFC's.

 

Could be; my reading comprehension skillz aren't very good. So help me understand the meaning of this question; his very last one, that both I and RedLeader answered.

I guess that's a little ambiguous... maybe he does seem to be asking where to install SFCs?

Incidentally I had my SFCs installed on a race car jig. All this crap about "suspension loaded" and all that, is WRONG; what you REALLY want, is to be double damn sure the car is STRAIGHT at the moment of truth.

 

Delete....

 

Your statement of "Doesn't matter if there are SFCs at the green places, use them anyway" is what I was referring to. He's asking where to lift the car from to install SFCs, so there wouldn't be any at the green places yet when he goes to lift the car. And he couldnt "use those spots anyway" because then he wouldn't be able to install the SFCs since the lift pads would be in the way of the U-shaped mounting bracket on that end of the SFCs that wraps around that part of the subframe. That is all I was referring to.

I agree the car needs to be as straight as possible when installing SFCs, however most people on this site don't have access to a frame jig or an alignment rack. So the best most if us can do is to get the car sitting level and as straight as possible, which is easiest to do when the jackstands are under the suspension and everything is on a level floor. Or by using a drive-on type lift. Using a 2post lift will allow the front and rear of the car to sag, which will become permanent when the SFCs are welded in.

 

This is how far a frame can be out of "true" on a 2 post lift.
Sorry but I've been dyeing to post that.
Buy the way, I hate them and will no longer put my car on one.

 

Yes, thats what I meant to ask. I cant install the sfc:s if I lift the car on the same points. The pads on the four arms can be turned to adjust height individually. So if I can just adjust them to be horizontal front/left-to-right and rear/left to right, should be ok right? I was going to use one of those long bubble-things , dont know the word in English.....

 

No, not really. If you look at the underside of the front control arms, you'll see there is no flat spot to put the lift arm under. You might be able to put the arm in the bottom of the front spring pockets, but I wouldn't trust it enough to walk under it. Then there is the fact that most lift arms have flat pads and the rear axle is a round tube. There is nothing to keep the axle from rolling or slipping off the lift pad.

And I'm guessing you're referring to a "bubble level" to check for horizontal?

 

So from what im reading in this thread, this may be not a good product to use?
(although instead of the rubber blocks that come with the unit, I think you could use slotted blocks and jack on the pinch welds?)

 

I would never put a lift, jack, jack stand, etc under the pinch welds of a car. ESPECIALLY if you live in an area where cars rust easily. I've seen too many cases of bent pinch welds, or the floor being punched out due to weakness from rust. The only exception would be the crappy scissors jack that comes with the spare tire, because that is the only place they are made to fit under the car on most cars. Even then I don't trust them. Now, if you have perimeter-style SFCs installed, you might be able to get away with that lift if you can get it under the SFCs. I still don't think I would trust it though.

Also, I don't see anything in that pic to keep the lift from collapsing from side-to-side.

 

^^yup.

The side to side movement is actually what would scare me the most. Looks like a scissor jacks older and equally as less stable brother.

 

I found these rubber hockey puck pinch "adaptors" if thats what you want to call them. They fit perfectly on the rear. On the front not so much because the exhaust is in the way.
The rubber seems to be absorbing much of the metal, so they welds are still straight (the car has been on the lift for a few days now).
I still dont trust it enough and use jackstands as backups instead.

 

The quickjack is working great

 

I can tell you this much, when using a "2 post" lift (the one with arms).
If the man doing the lifting does no get on his belly with a flash light to place the arms under the car in the proper positions, he's doing it "Wrong".

I took my car to a mechanic that had a reputation as being a "Chevy Guy" and he tried to give the car back to me with a large crack in the side skirting just behind the "IROC" badge.

I pointed it out to him, then took it to a muffler shop and put it on a drive on lift. (4 post).
Took photos of the newly crushed under carriage at the pinch welds.

He paid to have the crack fixed but the damage was done at the crush points.

Its gotten to the point that I take my wheels in to the tire shop I like here.
Not the car......

 

A similar situation with my car apparently. There are 2 places on the pinch welds that are bent... they are towards the center of the car, both passenger and driver. Whoever lifted it in the past didnt even use the spots designated for jacking. They just did it right in the middle (in the area under the center point of the door).