Really basic question:
Does anyone have any clever way of using a floor jack with the 350Z? Driving on thick boards before jacking? Where are good location points for floor stands?

 

Not sure why this is in the racing forum, but oh' well. Jack under the front jack points and put jack stands under the rails that are ~ 6 inches in from the jack pionts. There are no rear jack points, so I have jacked the rear up from under the rear spring aluminum suspension piece. Then I put jack stands under the rear jack points. You should make or order some pieces that have a notch cut out for the rail that runs down the side where the jack points are. I have a piece of structural metal in the shape of a U that I put on top of my jack stands to border the rail as not to crush it. I have ordered 4 nylon pieces made for this purpose that I found in JCWhitney for the future.

 

Thanks for the info and suggestions. I have used the small jack which comes with the car but I certainly prefer using the floor jack at home. Part of the problem is the car is too low to get the floor jack under the car. I'll play around with it today.

 

I bought a low profile racing jack. It goes down to 3 1/2 inches. It was ~$200 from harbor freight tools. Check out their website. I would get one if you plan on doing a fair amount of work yourself. Oh, it is a 3 ton jack as well.

 

Is this what you got?



I've got stands that look like this:



You think the blocks you are getting will fit that kind of top?

Thanks.

 

Yes and Yes.

 

mannish, are you one of the guys I met at the petite le mans last year? I think one was futuredead and doug.

 

Nope, wasn't me.

Thanks for the info, though. I may have to order 4 of those blocks.

 

I think that I have it figured out. I also resorted to driving up on a stack of boards to gain the clearance. I did find the 'trolley blocks' at JCWhitney.com. Part # 81ZX3278A
Not having seen them, I guess one for the jack only. The jack stands probably don't need them.

Thanks for the help. Funny on every other car I just plow ahead and work on 'em, but with this car there is so much plastic on the lower half, and I can imagine breaking pieces off just by jacking it up. The underside is quite impressive with cast aluminum, wind fairing, etc.

 

The attached image may help (if i actually get it attached!)

 

A picture is worth more than words. Thanks very much. Where did you find this. (I hope that it isn't something I overlooked in the owners manual I read the manual..I really did)

 

Shop manual, I'm assuming.

I mainly end up jacking up my car to do oil changes. That center jack point up front won't be good for that

 

Why wouldn't the center jack point be good? I use the center jack point on my car right now for oil changes it fits perfectly in the craftsman 3 ton jack that my neighbor has.

 

Are you going in from the front? I figured it would be a pain removing the shield. I've normally jacked my old car up, put a stand under one side where I'm working, then changed the oil with the car on the jack, but supported also by the jackstand.

I've not really looked under this car that much to see what my new procedure will be.

 

These are the questions I had when I originally asked the question at the beginning of this thread. I was almost embarassed to ask such a simple question. I have done all the work and upgrades on my 510 for a couple of years. I can easily get the floor jack under the 510 and there is lots of room and places to put the jack stands. Everything seems easy and convenient.
The 350 ground clearance is too low to get the jack under the car. I see others at autocrosses have made small wooden ramps to get a jack under their car, and I started doing this. It's a hassle to get wooden ramps on both ends of the car so that I can work on it while it is supported securely by four jack stands. I'm afraid that I will crack the plastic.
I would be very careful getting under the car if one side or one corner is only supported by the floor jack. For safety I was taught to really push on the car when it is on jack stands to ensure that it is stable. The 510 was stiff enough that often one jack stand did not bear any weight--ground was somewhat uneven I guess.
I do hope to do most of the work on the 350-maintenance and upgrades myself.

 

On my other car you can change oil with only one wheel off the ground. I wasn't saying I'd do the Z that way. The one stand was plenty, and the jack stayed in out of convenience.

In fact, if you arms were long enough, you could do it with NO wheels off the ground, since the oil filter was reached through the passenger side wheel well. I just liked to have a bit more room.

 

MannishBoy: As you can tell I'm a real amateur when it comes to working on cars, and there are few opportunities to learn the details from the experts. I blundered through my 510 with the help of my kids and a 510 racer/shop owner, and I feel more confident with that car. Small questions that seem too simple to ask keep coming up...like getting the car up on jack stands. Keep posting on your observations, frustrations etc while working on your car. Thanks,

 

I couldn't find those adaptors that go on top of the jack stands or jack at JCWhitney. Does anyone have a link to this item at JC?

 

I haven't bought them yet but this what they're talking about:

http://jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stor...&storeId=10101

 

I use a 1x4 on the jack pad and jack about sideways from the shifter, picks the whole side of the car up. Be careful where you place the jack pad as you can easily puncture the floor pan