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Safe Jacking of Your 356
Or, How to Stop Worrying and Lift Your Car
By Tom Farnam and Barry Lee Brisco
(With thanks to Ken Daugherty, Ron LaDow, Ray Knight, Dick Weiss, and Bruce Baker for review and comments)
Knowing the safe way to jack up your 356 is essential to preventing damage to your body, not to mention protecting your valuable car! Here are some tips based on the collective experience of several veteran 356 owners.
- First Block Your Wheels
Before you raise your car, block the wheels for safety, even if you are only jacking up one side and you have the emergency brake on. What if it suddenly pops off because you didn't quite fully engage it? Blocking the wheels only takes a moment.
- Do Not Use The Original Jack And Jack Points!
If you have an original 356 jack, by all means keep it correctly stowed in the trunk for car shows if that's your thing, but avoid using it, even in an emergency. Call for a tow instead if you have no other safe alternative. Original jacks were notoriously unstable, and after 40-plus years the jack points are rarely as solid as when they were new (the original jack only fits the two jack points at either side of the car below the doors).
Few things are more heartrending than jacking up your beloved 356 with a vintage jack and then watching it start to move and slowly rip off the jack point while the top of it digs into the door. Even on a car you know and truly believe is "solid" why take the risk?
- Use Jack Stands!
Old-timers (like TCF) swear by jack stands that have a locking removable pin, but that type is hard to find these days. (As an old timer, TCF carries a pair of pin-type stands on any extended road trip, with the tops inverted they don't take much room and can be invaluable.) In any case, don't buy rock-bottom cheap jack stands, spend a few extra bucks and get good ones with a broad base and a load rating at least half the weight of a 356 (which varies from 1,800 to 2,200 lbs.). Bigger stands can be useful for other vehicles, but be sure they will hold the car at least 17" above the floor.
If you are going to use jack stands on any surface other than concrete, consider getting flat bottom stands or welding a flat bottom on them. Most stands will sink into asphalt driveways, not to mention gravel or dirt. Or you can use a wooden load spreader under the stands.
- Use Backups For Safety!
When working under your car, two sources of support are always a good idea. In addition to the jack stands, leave the jack under the vehicle in a raised position. Yes, it will be in your way, but so would that casket if the car falls on you. Just ask Dr. Ray Knight about crushed chest injuries. Or you could follow Ken Daugherty's practice and keep the spare tire or an extra wheel or two stacked up under there. (Another approach would be to have your scissors jack firmly in position near your floor jack). Just be safe so you can enjoy the car another day.
- Carry A Modern Jack For Roadside Repairs
A nice jack to carry in the car is a Porsche 944 scissors jack. It's very light and compact and works extremely well. However, the jack was designed with a protrusion on the top that fit into a special location on the 944 chassis. You can't use it on your 356 unless you adapt a piece of material to serve as an interface between the jack and your car (or grind off the bump). This is easy to do and it has the advantage of giving you a "load spreader": use a short length of 2x4 and chisel out a hole to fit the jack protrusion, or get creative and modify a hockey puck as shown in this example. Bill Strickland suggests used paint buffing pads for padding, available in paint shop garbage cans...for free.
An alternative jack style is almost any scissors jack with a flat top and the broadest possible base. Have seen one from a "HonDatToy" which was modified by welding a couple of rods on the top with a gap just wide enough to go on each side of a vertical 356 chassis seam. Nice addition, making it usable on more locations, but not a necessity. Some like "bottle" type hydraulic jacks, which are certainly compact, but they typically have a small contact point and a small base, so are not especially stable.
- Floor Jacks Are Ideal For Garage Use
A good quality floor jack need not be expensive. Harborfreight.com sells easy to use aluminum floor jacks for under $100. Some like to carry these "racing jacks" for extended travel, and they can be very handy. If you aren't concerned about the "light weight" unit for home use, Sears or your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Supplier) will sell you a steel one with a pair of jack stands for even less. Get one of at least 1 1/2 ton capacity, more if you are going to use it for your SUV or other heavy vehicles. Lift height of at least 17 inches (more is better) will make it easier for some of us to get larger waist lines under the car. You won't want to keep one in your trunk, but they can be excellent for changing oil or working on the car in your garage.
Want to go the deluxe route? Take a look at the AC Hydraulic units on the Pelican Parts web site. Very low profile, very high lift, bring cubic dollars.
- Do Not Use The Original Jack And Jack Points!
Lifting The Rear of Your 356
To raise the rear of the car, center the jack saddle under the transmission hoop. If the saddle is bare metal pad it with something soft (a rag, old carpet scrap, wood block shaped to fit the saddle and the hoop, or buy a round rubber jack pad at your FLAPS). Although some 356ers raise the car from the engine sump plate, that puts tremendous strain on the engine mounts and is not recommended. The trans hoop is very strong and is the safest location for raising the rear of the car from a single point.
Need more clearance for your jack? Use a couple of wood blocks under the rear wheels.
Jack stands can be placed on the torsion bar ends (outboard on all but C/SC) which should be one of the strongest points on the car. Do NOT work on a lifted car without jack stands, and you really should have a secondary support if possible (leave the jack in place, for example) as discussed below. Wood, cinder or concrete blocks or bricks may be ok under the red-neck peek-m-up, but don't risk your life with them.
Alternatively, Dick Weiss says: "Do not put jack stands under the torsion bar ends—the rubber bushings are usually already crushed from age/wear. You can't do that on the Cs due to their shorter bars anyway—no ends showing. Put the stands under the outer retaining cover plate's edge—this is a strong point."
Lifting The Front Of Your 356
Ray Knight tells us that on pre-A versions of the 356, you will want to put a 2x4 across the width of the car under the flat bottom of the battery box. Lift from the center and support with jack stands on the ends of the 2x4. Ron LaDow uses the same approach on the back of the battery box on T-6 bodies.
Dick Weiss warns to check your diaganol members for rust and structural integrity before using them as a jacking point. He places his jack stands under the sway bar brackets, with wood blocks to prevent metal-to-metal contact.
The best way to lift the front of most 356 models is to position the jack saddle where the two diagonal members meet the vertical bulkhead at the front of the passenger compartment (could also be considered a "K" member). However, unless you have a very expensive jack, there will be barely enough clearance to get the jack and a load spreader under there. Simple solution — roll the front wheels onto a couple of 2x10 boards. That will give you enough clearance. Now, block the rear wheels. Bring your jack in at an angle from the side and spread the load with a piece of wood: you can use a one foot square of ¸ inch or thicker plywood or a 2x4 load spreader. If you use a 2x4 it should be long enough so that it extends the width of the chassis at that point.
Lift until the front of the car is high enough to put two jack stands near each end of the 2x4, or under the sway bar mounts (pad the tops of the stands as needed) or the frame rails. Carefully lower the floor jack so the car settles on the front stands. Be sure the assembly is stable enough to stay up on the stands when you try to rock it before you roll under there. And use a backup for safety (see below for details on that issue.)
Ron LaDow offers custom-made bolt-on aluminum front and rear jacking points that protect the front sway bar and rear torsion bar plate.
Changing A Tire On The Road Or At Home
The factory understood the stresses involved in trying to jack up only one wheel of these cars. Avoid doing so unless you have an absolute emergency situation. (Open cars have enough chassis flex that trying to jack a single corner can crack windshields – ask Mike Robbins.)
If your longitudinals are in excellent condition, and you carry a couple of wood blocks (1x4x12 will work), put one on top of the saddle of your modern jack at about the same fore and aft location as the jacking points. (The second one might be needed under the jack if you are working on soft ground.) Lift the whole side of the vehicle (don't forget to "break" the lug nuts first.) If you are traveling prepared, one or both of those wood blocks will be slotted (partial saw cut) to fit around the vertical seam at the inside of the longitudinal member. Do not attempt to lift most cars by using the horizontal surface of the longitudinals, nor a "saddle adapter" in the jack points. The saddle adapter can be used if you are very sure the jack points are solid, and will of course lift that entire side of the car, not just one wheel.
The longitudinals were not designed for the single point load of a floor jack when new, let alone rusty. And if you use an unprotected floor jack on the bottom of the jack point, you will crush it. (Chances are good your car already shows this damage.)
Emergency One Wheel Lift
For the Rear:
For the Front:
Getting All 4 Wheels In The Air
If you don't really need to put all four wheels in the air, don't. The car is much more stable two wheels on the ground. And even if you have all four wheels in the air, leaving two tires in place is one more safety margin against a stand or jack slipping.
OK, you need all four wheels up for some reason. With the front wheels blocked, use your floor jack under the trans hoop to lift the rear of the car just enough to put jack stands under the torsion bar tubes at each side of the car. Pad the top of the jack stand with something soft to avoid damaging your pristine 356 underbody (closed cell foam glued to the saddle of the stand. Now slowly release the floor jack so the car settles onto the jack stands, allowing for the slight arc the car body makes as it is raised and lowered by the floor jack (they don't lift the car straight up and down!). Be patient, put the jack stands under at a low setting the first time, then lift the front, come back and lift the rear a bit, and so forth. More stable than a full lift.
Now move to the front of the car and position the jack saddle where the two diagonal members meet the vertical bulkhead at the front of the passenger compartment. Could also be considered a "K" member. Bring your jack in at an angle from the side and spread the load with a piece of wood. (Could be a 1 foot square of ¸ inch plywood or a 2x4 load spreader.) If using a 2x4 it should be long enough so that it extends the width of the chassis at that point. While you are lifting, keep pressure on the handle of the jack, maybe wiggle a little, so the jack doesn't pull the rear stands off sideways! Remember, as the jack raises, SOMETHING has to roll! Lift until the front of the car is level with the rear and position two more jack stands near each end of the 2x4.
Carefully lower the floor jack so the car settles on the front stands. Some prefer to put the front stands on the frame members which run the length of the front end (the square section) to get a bit wider stance on the stands. Possibly the strongest location is the sway bar mounts, with a suitable pad to avoid crushing the mount. Any of the three choices mentioned should work, just be sure the whole thing is stable enough to stay up on the stands when you try to rock it before you roll under there. And use a backup for safety (see below for details on that issue.)
Ray Knight tells us that on pre-A versions of the 356, you will want to put a 2x4 across the width of the car under the flat bottom of the battery box. Lift from the center and support with jack stands on the ends of the 2x4. Ron LaDow uses the same approach on the back of the battery box on T-6 bodies.
Take Your Time
Life is short, but if you get in a hurry when jacking up your car it might get much shorter (or more expensive). Don't get in a hurry and be tempted by "just for this little job we'll leave out the stands". Your life is at risk, not to mention that fine car.
Technical advice given on
these pages is provided free and without warranty. The user of
information presented on these pages assumes all responsibility
and liability in its use. We're not lawyers, we're car folk,
just sharing our experience. Be careful, use your head, have
fun. Questions or comments, please email to Barry Lee Brisco, Website Technical Editor,
Published 4/30/05 by John Audette, Last update on 05/31/07 by Barry Lee Brisco
Use your modern jack under the outer chassis vertical seam below the rear torsion bar plate, with suitable padding (e.g., a wooden block with a slot to fit around the vertical) to avoid crushing the vertical seam. Cut a slot in a piece of 2x6 or 1x4 to fit over the seam, and if you are feeling creative and want assurance it won't slip, cut a ring or slots on other side to fit your jack's saddle. This location is easy to reach, and uses what should be one of the strongest chassis points.
The junction of the closing panel and longitudinal, at the inner edge of the longitudinal, is a strong point, but again will need padding to avoid crushing the vertical edge.
