Lifting Car With Front Cross Member

[jkskinsfan 19]

Is it "SAFE" to lift a '69 Fastback using the Front Cross Member?

[pile_53574 0]

If your talking about the one under the radiator, don't use it, you will bend it up into the radiator. the one under the motor is a more solid place to jack up

[Big Secz 26]

I always use the cross support under the motor.

[Pakrat 1,043]

The first time I saw that suggestion for the one udnder the radiator in the manual I cringed at the thought but I did use it when my engine was out of the car just didn't have the nerve with all the weight on it.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Pakrat

[PaleRider 12]

do it everytime I jack up the front (cross member under motor). With engine in - no issues.

[69StangRestomod 11]

i would think without an engine, and if you put a 2x4 block or something to spread the load out you;d be alright...I always go up just behind the torque boxes...

[MikeStang 247]

You can use the front Xmember under the motor, but i dont like to simply because its Round and if you put it on a jack and bump the car it has more of a chance to shift/move. not to mention you gotta be pretty centered to lift the car evenly...Just spend a little more time and jack it up on the frame rail behind the torque box and put jack stands under it, its much more safe.....I used to just jack up cars with no stands and such, till i was working on my Trans am one day and had a jack under the rear end and had the tire off working on the brakes....I went to stand up and was not thinking, and grabbed the inside of the rear quarter to help myself up, when i did the car came off the jack and i went down with it...when everything stopped moving i was on the ground with my legs spread just wide enough so the rear brake assy was sitting between my legs at my knees...it was then that i realised how important propper lifting was, and i have been doing this for a while but it took an act of stupidity to wake me up....thank god i was not hurt.

Mike

[Fordrevhead 29]

I told a friend who didnt know anything about Mustangs that if he jacked one from the crossmember and it didnt seem safe or the towers flexed to walk away. It's fine. Someone mentioned the fact that it was round and I would also add that the straight section at the bottom might only be 8-10". If you are on cement and the car is level and you center the jack, then add jack stands of course, I cant see it ever being a problem.

 

On the other hand, I NEVER jack behind the torque boxes. I jack right on the torque box/front rail/floor support area with a hardwood block between because the three all overlap there. The floor support behind the torque box (other than being welded to the floor) is cantilvered back from the front rail and torque box. The engine load is cantilevered in the opposite direction! Not good. If you have weld in subframe connectors it would be fine.

 

Now if you are looking at a rust bucket parts car all bets are off. Once I had to block a car at the torque boxes and let the suspension hang so I could then push the towers apart because I had the motor mounts all unbolted and I was lifting the car with the engine hoist! The front rails and towers were rolling and caving in on the motor mounts! ... and it ran by the way.

[kennygunit 10]

So your saying NOT to lift it where the strut bar area is going together twords the front of the car?

[Fordrevhead 29]

So your saying NOT to lift it where the strut bar area is going together twords the front of the car?

 

From the bottom of the radiator support!?? No way! No one was was talking about that :confused:.... but NO...please NO!

[stangs-R-me 120]

I've been lifting my '69 (and a '67 Fairlane) since the early 80's with a custom lift plate I made from 3) 2x4's x30" long ... see pics below.

 

As long as your car's chassis and rad-support is solid/not questionable, I think it is a safe way to lift the front of these cars.

 

At times I used to even put the jack stands at the ends of this lift plate/support rather than crawling under the car (depending on what I was working on).

 

Doug

[coz 108]

Hey JK,

 

Agree with the guys saying jack from the torque boxes. I watched a guy jack up his 69 from the crossmember under the radiator. Bent it up, popped a weld and cracked the radiator. he stated he did it that way all the time.

 

Basically it's a bitch to jack up the front of our cars. Even from the torque box there is a lot of flexing going on and when you get one jack under it and move to the other side there's more shifting going on. Whenever possible I drive my car up on ramps and jack up the back to get the car off the ground. No help though if you want to get to wheels/brakes/suspension.

 

I've tried the cross member under the engine but IMO it's too round and too far back for me to feel comfortable.

 

Too each his own but I would not do what Stangs-R-me is doing... Lots of weight and stress on the end point and welds....

Edited February 25, 2011 by coz

[stangs-R-me 120]

Here's 2 more pics (thought I had them attached in last post) of my custom lift support.

 

Doug

[jkskinsfan 19]

Thanks for all of the input everyone. Just looking for an easy way to get the car up to change the oil. Going to give it a try using the Cross Member under the motor. Of course I would put stands near the torque boxes before getting under it. Thanks again.

[DRASTiK 22]

Here's how I raise mine :shifty:

[jkskinsfan 19]

Am I the only one who hates people with Lifts? :laugh:

[jholmes217 65]

Am I the only one who hates people with Lifts? :laugh:

 

No, I'm right there with you! I would have sooo much more done already if I had a lift.

[LoneWolf2U 136]

:nono:... Don't be haters... This is where I store mine. :rockon:

[tony 63C 14]

Doug, thanks for the pics of your custom lift support. I'll make one this weekend.

 

And to briefly digress:

>>> 1979 Fairmont Futura w/ '85 HO 5.0L, built AOD, FMS 3.27 T-Lok, Quad Shks, 10-Hole <<<

 

Must have been a nice ride. I used to own a 79 Futura and have always had a soft spot for these.

 

Cheers,

T.

[stangs-R-me 120]

Doug, thanks for the pics of your custom lift support. I'll make one this weekend.

 

And to briefly digress:

 

>>> 1979 Fairmont Futura w/ '85 HO 5.0L, built AOD, FMS 3.27 T-Lok, Quad Shks, 10-Hole <<<

 

Must have been a nice ride. I used to own a 79 Futura and have always had a soft spot for these.

 

Cheers,

T.

 

Me too ... when ever I see one at a show I got to go and check it out. Every once in a while (not recently though) I'd see one in a magazine all done up with a Big Block under the hood and I'd be drooling !!

 

My Futura was a real sleeper ... it was a solid car but powder blue / blue int w/ 200 I6/C4 when I got it in '89. Swapped in the 5.0L & AOD, & 8.8 T-Lok and everthing else new mechanically, and made it my DD but never got around to finishing the outside. Also converted it to floor shift, added SVO Leather seats & console, GT dash with FMS 140 Speedo & REAL autometer gauges in place of the idiot gauges. I even had plans to doctor in the matching rear SVO fold down seat re-doing the whole interior in grey making it all look factory stock but never got that far. 5 years of DD duty & 150k on the Odometer in the early 90's and she was ready for retirement ... I replaced it with my 1st brand new car which was a 1994 V6 5-Spd. Mustang.

 

I've really got to get some of my old negatives converted over to digital so I can post pics of the old toys !!

 

Doug