Right. I need to do some work on Kitty the Jag (Replace front wishbone bushes - £150 if I do it, £900 if Jaguar do it ) The work requires dismantling the suspension, so I need the wheels off - So ramps are a no go. Which means axle / jack stands are the only option. The problem is placing them correctly - not an issue on the Gooster, as it has chassis / frame rails. The Jag, on the other hand, is a monocoque like most modern cars. I can place stands at the jacking points, but I don't want to damage the underside of the car or any pinch / spot welds under there. Any suggestions? I've seen some people use ice hockey pucks attached to the axle stands with a grove cut in them to accomodate the weld seams, but I'd like some other options / opinions before I hoist nearly two tons of Coventry's finest up in the air... How have you supported a car without front wheels in the past? Over the top, unsafe and / or Redneck solutions need not apply.
Strap a pair of jetengines to the front wingmirrors and point them skywards. Oh wait. Do you know anyone who might have access to a car-lift? That would seem to be the easy solution.
Jack points, engine cross member. Just for gods sake work on the side of the car not under it if at all possible - even though axle stands can be safe things do happen, you don't want a sudden hug from your car!
also with the stands, put the wheels under the car, should it fall with you are under the car, would stop car from crushing your head
What ^^ said. My parents had a caravan. When it went into storage by dad removed the wheels and jacked it up on prop stands, during this process the caravan fell off the jack (stupid git forgot the trolly jack and was using a bottle jack) with the main axle / cross member crushing his ribs on one side. He's still not perfect mabey 3-4 yrs later but he's alive, GOO, don't be a dick like he was.
Jackpoints or engine crossmember, it's what the former are for after all. If you are particularly paranoid about damaging weld seams, the hockey-puck thing seems like a good idea. I've used hacked-up rubber doorstops in the past.
To protect jacking points I just use a couple of bits of soft wood - gives a bit of cushioning to the underside. My jacking points have a worrying lip on them to slot the jack onto, very easy to crush and end up with a nasty rusty bit.
In soviet Russia we turn car on side. In all seriousness, one side at a time mate, axle stands aren't the best on modern cars but they're safer than leaving it on a jack. I would also chuck a mofo amount of ballast in the boot of the car to shift a load of weight backwards, meaning less downward force at the pressure point on the chassis.
I'd love to see the maths to show how much weight you would need when the pivot is so close to the rear!
one man sat in the boot is enough to reduce the loading at the front jacking point, You sir haven't jacked a car enough. With 4 friends it was possible to change a wheel without a jack as they lifted the jack with the car! lol!
Thanks chaps. I won't be leaving it on a jack whilst I work - hence the stands. And with the weather suddently getting a lot colder, It doesn't look like I'll be doing it any time soon.
Suspension bushes are such a ballache, I've got to attempt a polybush session on mine sometime soon but it's such a fiddle I haven't plucked up the courage.
Yep - I know. It's obviously a ball-ache for Jaguar as well, as the reason it's so expensive is they change the whole wishbone & control arm, rather than the bushes! Obviously jag techs don't know how to press out bushes... I can replace all of the lower wishbone / contol arm bushes for £150 if I take the arms & bushes to a friendly independant, or I may just bite the bullet and buy my own press (I've seen decent 10 ton jobs for £150 - so I'd still be 'saving' £600 if I go that route)
Problem with buying a press is that although it's nice to have tools it probably won't get used so often. With the Pug bushes they don't really need pressing out, they can be manhandled instead, but it's still hard work. £900 seems a bit steep, I suppose it's a good premium for 'em. They'll send off the arms and wishbones somewhere and recondition them so they can flog them back to you later!
I'm with you on that one, I've got to check my turbocontrolvalve and it's hoses, but I stopped after meddling about in the sleet for ten minutes
Goo, how much would it be at a smaller garage? Might be worth it for them to take on the annoying stuff.
Dunno - I tried ringing the only independant Jag specialist near me (in Milton Keynes) to get a quote, stating exactly what needed to be done (I got a report from the Jag Dealer in Northampton during Kitty's last service), and didn't get a straight answer. He just kept saying, "I need to see it to estimate it" - well, no, not really... Just give me a ballpark. It's suspension work. Bushes. You must have done it before... But no. I'll be sourcing the bushes myself, as they're available online from JustJags, so they only thing I need to know is how long it'll take, and what they charge per hour.
what jag is it? If its an X-type then you must already know its pretty much a Ford mondeo, so any ford specialist could do the work.
