I'm planning to swap a T5 into my 1989 Camaro. I'll be doing it in my garage and I don'd have a lift.

I have a set of 4 nice 3 ton jack stands but the max height on those is 16.75" inches. Is it true that the 700R4 is 20 inches high? I'm think I will need to invest in a set of 6 ton jack stands that go up to 23.75" to get enough clearance to get the 700R4 out from under the car. Would that be high enough?

I'd probably need to use a block of wood on top of my floor jack just to get the car up that high.

Even then, I'm thinking I may have to dump the unit off of the trans jack onto the floor in order to get it out.

Thoughts?

 

you can always block up the jack stands on solid wide pieces of wood but do this as safely as possible, don't use cheap wood that is barely the width of the jack stand. not sure how big your trans jack is but you'll probably have to take it off the jack and then slide it out from under the car. when I did my trans I used average height jack stands and I was able to slide the trans out on the ground with about an inch to spare.

 

Thanks for the reply. Did you have to put your jack stands on blocks ?

 

 

I've never seen a car transmission so big that it couldn't be dragged out from under a car sitting on a normal set of automotive duty jackstands . Now yes indeed the transmission jack may make it too high , if so lower it down , pull the jack out from under the transmission , letting it land on some old thick blankets , and then drag it out from under there using the blanket to drag it out with .

PS , if you use a new blanket make damned sure it ends up in the garbage so the Mrs. wont find it ....

 

Thanks for the replies.

I'm thinking I will jack from under the center of the K member in the front and under the center of the differential in the rear.

But, where is the best place to locate the jack stands? I've put them under the rear axle tubes in the past and that worked out OK but I was only lifting the rear of the car. There appears to be four recesses on the bottom of the rocker panels. Would that be a good place for the jack stands. It works that way on my other vehicles. I don't want to cause any damage to the car when I put it on the jack stands.

 

on the frame

 

NO!NO!!NO!!!!!

WHATEVER you do, NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT the rocker panels. Not least because, the transmission needs to go RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE of that general area to slide out.

For the rear, the "feature" of the frame right where the front end of the control arms bolts to it.

For the front, the control arm right under the front thru-bolt, right next to (like, ½" from) the frame.

The transmission is tallest at the very front. The rest is at least 4" less tall. It will come out eeeeeezyest if you make the bell housing part come through the wheel well.

 

Definitely not there, unless you want that sheet metal to bend.
Here is a better idea:




DON'T DO THIS!

 

Wow, some people don't value their life very much...

 

I put the back stands where Sofa described but I put the front stands on the frame lined up with the front of the doors, his location would be better because they were kinda in the way sometimes but it was definitely do-able.

the pinch welds on these cars just crumple and bend your fender up whenever they're jacked up on, if you even look at them the wrong way they start bending right before your very eyes.

 

Thanks everyone !