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Safe place to support car ... long term 

 

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 Post subject: Safe place to support car ... long term
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:59 pm 
Oompa Loompa
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All,

Just wondering if anyone is able to give me some tips on the best place to support the front of my NL long term. For a number of reasons, I'm going to put my car in storage for about 6 - 9 months per year. Trouble is, I don't want to damage anything in the process of this.

My first concern is "flat spots" on the tyres, and one thing that's got me really worried is flat spotting my bearings / spindles. The main concern here is the front end ... being a Fairlane by Tickford, it's got speciallised spindles/uprights (EL GT Style), which are no longer available. So I'm sure it would be a whole world of pain to try and get replacements if I damage them!

So, plan is to jack up the front end and sit it on jack (axle) stands. Question is ... where is a safe place to put the jack stands? I was thinking of putting them under the large knuckle section of the lower control arm, nearest the disc, where the sway bar connects onto it. Does that sound ok? I'd only jack it up enough so that the tyres are 1cm off the ground.

Any ideas greatly appreciated ... I'm sure there are other people out there that are paranoid like me ... maybe ... :roll:

Last edited by shanek on Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:16 am 
Getting Side Ways
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think u r a little to paranoid it shouldn't hurt anything just leaving it parked...

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:37 am 
Oompa Loompa
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Tezza Bear wrote:
think u r a little to paranoid it shouldn't hurt anything just leaving it parked...


Hmm ... maybe, but I can think of at least 5 cars (mostly older cars) whose owners put them up on blocks for the winter. So, surely there must be some justification in doing so?
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:39 am 
Getting Side Ways
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sit the stands under the Xmember or the rails.

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:28 am 
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Tezza Bear wrote:
sit the stands under the Xmember or the rails.

That's what i'd do. Keep them up near the engine, for long term storage don't put them behind the front wheels, or at least not much.

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:15 am 
Getting Side Ways
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My suggestion for long term storage:-
Four stands at the reinforced pads on the frame rails and two under the axles, blocks of wood under the 'k' frame and front lower control arms.
The first four and the 'k'frame block take the weight, the others are for extra measure to lift the suspension up from full droop.
Cheers,
Mac

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:56 am 
Getting Side Ways
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Also block up the air intake and exhaust with a rag or something to stop bugs/mice etc making a home in your car.

 

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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:09 pm 
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fnp wrote:
Also block up the air intake and exhaust with a rag or something to stop bugs/mice etc making a home in your car.


That's really mean. Being a OCD type of person myself I can understand what this poor lad is going thru.
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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:00 am 
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Your car is how old? its sat on the wheels/suspention all that time how is it going to wreck the bearings and spidles?
imagine the force aplied to the bearing/spindles when your hit a pothole or are going down a driveway onto the road with your car at an angle and all the weight is on two opposing wheels? or doing a corner a 120 drifting.
i think your abit paranoid.
the only real thing you need to worry about is the tyres going flat. my car sat on its wheels for 4 months and yeah the tyres had flatspots but after driving it up the road (like 400m) they where fine again. Centrifugal force can be your friend :).
But if you are going to do it put the stands under the diff and the knuckles on the lower control arms like you said. This will be the closest thing to having the car supported by its wheels hence will be good for your chassis.

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:12 am 
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I'd be more worried about the bushes.

These items are torqued up on the cars own weight, having a car suspended would more than likely kill the bushes (unless they're polyurethanes all round).

Tyre's are cheap compared to duco, and mechanicals.

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:58 am 
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verewolf wrote:
fnp wrote:
Also block up the air intake and exhaust with a rag or something to stop bugs/mice etc making a home in your car.


That's really mean. Being a OCD type of person myself I can understand what this poor lad is going thru.


I don't quite get your meaning.. I was being completely serious about the rags. Obviously you remove them before starting the car again.

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:19 am 
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Whilst im not sure Id be terribly worried about the bearings, I get the tyre flat spot thing. NRMA used to do car storage, and theyd do this for you. last I read of it was many years ago though.
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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:12 pm 
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Tyre flat spots are the only possible issue you may have.
I have seen this on cars that only see the road once or twice a year.
Your best bet is a second set of wheels with crappy tyres (dont matter if they flat spot bue to belt movement).
I would not leave it on stands myself.

 

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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:55 pm 
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Leave it as it is and get a (trustworthy) friend to drive it a few k's once a week or so. Problem solved
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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:00 pm 
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Tezza Bear wrote:
sit the stands under the Xmember or the rails.


or the chassis rails under neath the sills and put the rears under neath the axle..

 

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