Sunday, March 24, 2013

Putting your 1965/66 Mustang on jackstands

A question that seems to come up occasionally is where are the best spots on the car to place jackstands so that the car will not A) fall on the owner and, B) not be damaged by it's own weight. The best location at the rear of the car is the rear axle housing. Lift the rear of the car by putting the jack under the middle part of the rear axle housing and then place two jackstands on the tube part of the axle housing on the inboard side of the shackle plates that hold the leaf springs onto the axles. 
The best location at the front of the car is not so obvious. The strongest spot for the jackstand is on the frame rail, right behind where the torque box is on a convertible. The coupes and fastbacks don't have the torque box on the 65/66 cars, but, the location for the jackstand is the there. Here is that area, boxed in red, on a convertible.



If you intend to lift the entire car up on jackstands, do the front first, one side at a time, and then do the back. If you raise the back of the car first, and then start lifting one side of the car on the front, this will also lift the car off of one of the jackstands in the back, causing the car to slide off the jackstands and land pretty much on it's side. Not such a good thing to have happen. When you are taking the car off of the jackstands, lower the back first, then do the front one side at a time.


Most folks have enough sense to figure out that they shouldn't try to put a car on jackstands in their yard, or  any other place that is dirt or grass. It is not immediately obvious that  you also shouldn't do this on asphalt. Do NOT place your car on jackstands on an asphalt surface, like the one you find on many parking lots and streets. The feet of the jackstand will pierce the asphalt, slowly sink in for a little bit, and then drop the car on you. Don't be 'That Guy' that people tell the story of.