How do I get it down?

[maxman]

Hey All,

So it's time to think about getting the 911 out for the spring. It's almost here!

To save my brand new tires from flat spots, I put the car up on stands over the winter. I've received feedback that this is rather unnecessary. Well, be that as it may, I need to get the car off of the jack stands.

Getting it up there did not go well. I did not have a jack pad at the time, so I used the factory jack. I raised the left side high with the factory jack, then slid a stand under the nub of the rear torsion bar and under the mount on the foremost end of the front torsion bar. I set the car on those two stand and moved the factory jack to the right. About half way into the lifting, it tipped over the rear jack stand on the left side. Thankfully, it didn't throw the stand at the fender and nothing was damaged. After rethinking it a bit, I decided that once the rear tire left the ground, there was nothing keeping it from wanting to roll forward and to the right. So, after putting the jack stand back on the left, I once again raised the right, this time with the front-right wheel chalked. I also did some of the lifting in the front with a small floor jack on the torsion bar mount. This time it worked and I got the right-side stands under.

As I'm sure you're thinking by now, my ways were pretty idiotic.

Would you be so kind as to chime in on how to get it down safely?

I've got a jack pad on the way and I have a small floor jack, only a little better than this one:


This is how it sits now: Rear stand on on torsion bar nubs, front stands on forward torsion bar mounts.

How should I do this?

Thank You,

~Max

[steely]

Use the pad when you get it and do left /right in bits gradually lowering the stands in steps (repeat).
The pad will allow you to do the F and R simultaneously.
Don't lift to high or the opposite side may not like it when it's on stands.
on edit: in fact, as you lift in this configuration, check the opposite side stand to make sure they aren't leaning.

[Drisump]

On my cheapie floor jack the size of the cup is too small to accommodate the pad, so security is a little compromised, I have to place a sturdy wooden block between. You might want to check that out before starting the lowering procedure.....since you may not have a block, or blocks, handy. Cheers BTW, my stands fully lowered give the 911 the correct working height....guess I'm going to have to buy 911 sized stands, hopefully maxman doesn't have largish stands.

[CCM911]

Why don't you just lift the rear under the engine and remove the stands from the rear. Then, you can jack the front, using the bar that protects the front air conditioning condensor and remove the front stands. I have used this method successfully for over ten years with no damage to my vehicle.

[Winter]

Originally Posted by CCM911

Why don't you just lift the rear under the engine and remove the stands from the rear. Then, you can jack the front, using the bar that protects the front air conditioning condensor and remove the front stands. I have used this method successfully for over ten years with no damage to my vehicle.

+1

Do the rear, then the front. Side to side can be funky. Please be careful. we'd hate to hear about a mishap to your car or yourself.

[Flat Six]

+1 on the above; rear then front.

Originally Posted by Drisump

On my cheapie floor jack the size of the cup is too small to accommodate the pad, so security is a little compromised, I have to place a sturdy wooden block between. You might want to check that out before starting the lowering procedure.....since you may not have a block, or blocks, handy. Cheers BTW, my stands fully lowered give the 911 the correct working height....guess I'm going to have to buy 911 sized stands, hopefully maxman doesn't have largish stands.

Rather than source wooden blocks (which aren't secure enough to avoid slippage, IMHO), buy a couple of hockey pucks. They're durable, very firm, provide some cushion, fit into the 'cup' of nearly all floor jacks, and they're cheap.

HTH

[Stan Gillis]

I agree with CCM911 instructions. Been using this method for 23 years, with no issues. At present, my car is on stands, waiting to replace the CV bolts and washers.

Good luck and be careful.

Stan

[tratza]

According to the ad if its been up for more than 4 hours you may need to see a Doc.

[Wil Ferch]

You can lower each "side" a small amount, by re-indexing the jack stands as you go....incrementally....not all at once. Use the circular-pad jack support that plugs into the side of the car, and your existing, roller-type floor jack. Easy.

[maxman]

I like the back-then-front idea.

Where do I place the jack in the front?

I assume in the rear I use the oil sump?

~Max

[aigel]

Turn the jack pad by 90 degrees and it will fit nicely into the cup of the small jack. Take it down in a couple of steps.

G

[Drisump]

Originally Posted by Flat Six

+1 on the above; rear then front.


Rather than source wooden blocks (which aren't secure enough to avoid slippage, IMHO), buy a couple of hockey pucks. They're durable, very firm, provide some cushion, fit into the 'cup' of nearly all floor jacks, and they're cheap.

HTH

No hockey pucks around here....LOL, thanks for the tip.

[CCM911]

Originally Posted by maxman

I like the back-then-front idea.

Where do I place the jack in the front?

I assume in the rear I use the oil sump?

~Max

You are correct. Use the sump, but be sure to use a wood block or a hockey puck. In addition to possible damage, the coefficient of friction for metal-to-metal is an accident waiting to happen.

Up front, look under the valance. You will see a bar that protects the front A/C condensor. Position the jack in the center, being sure that the jack saddle clears the bodywork. Mine drops right into the grooves on my Crafts-Man 3 Ton floor jack.

[tcar]

Just turn the jack pad upside down. Round, flat metal disk facing up.

The small cup on the floor jack can engage on the square 'bottom' of the jack pad.

Easy. Won't slip.

No wood, no pucks...

[Drisump]

Originally Posted by tcar

Just turn the jack pad upside down. Round, flat metal disk facing up.

The small cup on the floor jack can engage on the square 'bottom' of the jack pad.

Easy. Won't slip.

No wood, no pucks...

Thinking outside the box.....good stuff

[FrinkFrog]

+1 on CCM911, Winter, Flat Six and Stan.

I do mine rear-to-front, never side-to-side. I use a 6X6 piece of 1/2" plywood under the sump. No problems. Having a good floor jack makes this easier too.

[Mitch Leland]

Originally Posted by FrinkFrog

+1 on CCM911, Winter, Flat Six and Stan.

I do mine rear-to-front, never side-to-side. I use a 6X6 piece of 1/2" plywood under the sump. No problems. Having a good floor jack makes this easier too.

As a point of interest do you raise the rear first? With the stock Turbo front spoiler and rubber damn wouldn't that narrow the space to insert the floor jack if you raiser the rear first?

What do you jack on in the front, if you use the A/C condenser protection bar I would think you would get into the condenser shield? You can jack under the "A" arm, but that puts the body into a slight torsional twist. Does anyone think that's a problem for a short time?

[Joe Bob]

Take the wheels off, keep it low, stack em under cover. Next time you won't have this problem.

[FrinkFrog]

I jack the rear first, then the front. I have used the A arm locations, or just to the rear of this on the body point where front lift pads usually sit. I have to distribute the pressure placed on that area by using a couple of plywood shims. The car is so stiff, jacking one side lifts both sides so I can place both jack stands underneath the torsion bar mount. I'll consider using a floor jack on both sides simultaneously if the consensus comes in that the torsional twist resulting from jacking just the one side is detrimental to the car. I've never used the A/C condenser protection bar.