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Where to place jackstands?

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TexasSprite

TexasSprite

Jedi Hopeful
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I've collected all the parts I need to spend the weekend working on brakes and front suspension of my Bugeye. However, It looks like I'm already scratching my head over step one, which is getting the car onto jackstands. I don't want to put a big dent in the underside of the car with my floor jack, so my first qustion is just how do you get the Sprite up on jackstands? Do you jack up one side with the jack positioned under the jack hole, place two jackstands, lower the floor jack, then go around to the other side and jack it up and place the other two stands? Or do you jack up the front then the rear. If you do that where is the best place to position the floorjack? No matter how one gets the car in the air, where exactly is the safest and least damaging place to set the stands.
 
I normally use several jacks but I put the front stands on the frame members that has the sway bar mounts on it, in the rear I put them under the front spring bracket.

IMG_3370.jpg
 
I normally go for two under the rear axle. Spring pans in the front. For front suspension work I've place two jack stands at tne bottom of the firewall but be aware, if positioned there and the rear axle has jack stands under it and the engine is in the car, you will quickly discover a Spridgets balance point. Don't ask me how I know. In that case the floor jack placed under the front of the car provided a measure of safety so I could get under the car, do what needed to be done to work on the clutch slave and get back out again.

Decide what you really need to get at it. Keep wheels on the ground if you can. These cars do not weigh much at all and you can hurt yourself easily with applications of too much torque and musclepower.
 
I just did that with the jackstands under the front of the leaf spring connection point - worked great. I kept my huge jack under the pumpkin just for a little added safety but the weight was on the stands. Left the wheel right where I needed it for working on the rear brakes.
 
Thanks for the tips. I ended up using stands on the rear spring pans and on the frame rails just forward of the A-arm attachment point. With the big floor jack in place for insurance, it all seems pretty sturdy with room enough to get at everything.

The front suspension resisted coming off the car, of course. I have rebult A-arms (with kingpins already attached) to put on the Sprite, but have to move the steering arm, hubs, and spring seat over to the new A-arm. One bolt on the steering arm had the corners rounded off already, so I couldn't budge it until I could get the stub axle clamped in a vice. With lots of applied heat and some pop-a-vein-in-your-forehead effort, it finally let go with a loud Ping. Who knew working on old cars could be such good aerobic exercise? Tomorrow, I'll see if I can get it all back together.
 
I will say, with plenty of experience on my Sprite (and a Landcruiser I had 10 years ago) that you'll really enjoy owning an air compressor and a good impact wrench if you don't already have one. Boy, do they make those stubborn bolts come off easy.

Of course, if they're already rounded off...
 
If it is a nut there is a tool called a nut breaker, actualy cuts the nut off with out damageing the bolt or stud.

Some times it is a real saver, cheep too.
 
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