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YOUR RESEARCHJack stands needed to replace drop links?
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Install on both sides in the front
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I have new drop links installed on both sides in the front.
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I built a set years ago that I use when doing under car maintenance because at the time I had a gravel driveway..
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I built a set years ago that I use when doing under car maintenance because at the time I had a gravel driveway..
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Suggestion
For the 996, I just use 2 boards for oil changes.(and the lip of my driveway)
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I�ve got a new set of front drop links ready to go on my 996, but I don�t have any jack stands (yet). It looks like you don�t have to get under the car to get at the drop links. Are jack stands necessary or can I just jack it up like I�m changing wheels?
You
could
do it without stands, but is it worth the risk?
Anyway, it will be easier to get everything aligned if both sides of the car are raised, otherwise you�ll be fighting the bar as it tries to keep the suspension level.
I hadn�t thought about the fact that the sway bar will be torqued if one wheel is on the ground.
I know the suspension arms need to be torqued with the wheels in the right spot but hadn�t heard that about the sway bar drop links. Is it possible to change the drop links with the wheels on the ground?
No. But you do want to have both sides at equal loading (or unloading). The anti roll bar should be free to move up or down at the link attachment points when both ends are disconnected. This will allow for installation of the new drop links without the introduction of unwanted loading.
However, the wheels need to be off the car to access the drop links. It is therefore advised that the vehicle be supported safely. Jack stands are the most common choice for this support.
Thanks for that clarification. This is my first foray into suspension work.
I have a narrow one car garage and a sloped driveway, which makes jack stands a tricky proposition. I normally can rent a lift at Gearhead Workspace in Chicago, but they�re not currently open. I�m just trying to figure out if I can pull off this job at home.
What if you use the slope of your driveway to your advantage? Back the car into your garage and leave the front on the slope. Raise the front of the car so you can get the wheels off and access the drop links. Yes - you still need to support the car with jack stands or something similar. You could even place 2x6s (or something like that) on the wheels you remove and then slowly drop the car on to them for support. Not ideal, but it should work.
Since you don't have jack stands, just push the wheel/rim that you took off the car under the car. If the hydraulic jack fails, you will have the rim under the car to save your bacon. Might even want to put some wood between the bottom of the car and the rim to minimize the distance.
I like your solutioneering. However my driveway slopes down toward the garage, rather than the normal configuration. It�s an odd setup, so I took pictures.
As you can see, Driveway slopes down at 6 deg angle. Garage leaves about 18� on either side of the car (assuming I clear the junk out.) I can bring the front of the car out onto the first couple of feet of driveway, which levels out. However, that slopes laterally towards the drain on the right at a 2 deg angle.
I can also park across the end of the driveway, as my BMW is here. That�s where I change my wheels. But it slopes to the left toward another drain at a 3 deg angle.
I�m not sure if 2 or 3 degrees of lateral angle is close enough to level for jack stands. I�m nervous to try it.
A few degrees here and there will not make a difference when tightening down any suspension part. What you want to avoid is tightening it when the suspension is completely unloaded.
My concern here is the tilt of the ground when using jack stands to work on the suspension. I don�t want the car to slide off the stands and crush valuable bits of the car or my body.
I don�t mind purchasing jack stands if I can use them safely.
I wouldn't worry about 2 or 3 degrees.
But the slope of your driveway near the street would be
WAY
too great for me to use Jack stands there.
If it were me, I'd see if there was someone who would lend me their driveway to work in.
I've done it before for people.
I normally loan them whatever tools they need too.
I would do it now if I were asked, even with COVID-19, but I'd just unlock the toolboxes and let them have free reign.
Of course I would only do that for people I knew and trusted.
If that's not an option, find a school parking lot somewhere and take all your tools with you.
"It broke down and luckily I have my tools" would be an easy excuse if someone questions you.
Guerra mechanic-ing could be the latest thing!
Ramps look like a nice stable way to get some height, but don�t help for suspension work where you have to remove the wheels.
I may get some ramps for oil changes, but they won�t be Rhino ramps. Amazon has a bunch of reviews where people have posted photos of how they cracked and collapsed. Yikes.
Ordered a set of Esco jack stands tonight. Going to try this on the level garage pad. I think the wheels will be somewhat clear of the garage when the jack stands are just inside.
if that doesn�t work, I�ll take the whole setup to my brother�s garage in the burbs.
I built my own ramps out of 2x12s.
Since they bolt together, I can choose my height.
I've had lots of cars up on them for oil changes.
For the 996, I just use 2 boards for oil changes.(and the lip of my driveway)
I have a small 2 car garage that I park the 996 in.
With tool boxes, AC machine, battery charger, laptop workstation, engine stand, and mandatory trashbins, I can only park one car in the garage.
I complain about how much room there is to work, but I have a lot more room than you have.
I can see how it would be near impossible to work in such a cramped place.
Luckily the garage is flat so I can use jackstands.
I had been thinking about getting some new jack stands recently, but now I'm going to get a QuickJack instead.
A QuickJack might make working in your garage easier. (I imagine it's hard to just jack up a car in the space you have)
I'm sort of in the middle of a side project to make adapters for the Essco jack stands to support the hubs with the wheels off. They will use three of the wheel bolt holes with two using a standard lug bolt and one an extended bolt.
I bought some 1" round stock and a piece of steel plate from the bargain/scrap bin at my local metal supply and it will be based on the stock Essco adjustable section.
These drawings are kind of crude and not to scale but I think you can get the idea I'm after.
Sadly there are a lot of counterfeit inferior parts sold on amazon and little that can be done about it. I�ve had real rhino ramps about 20 years and they are amazing for s lot of things.
Wow, those are really cool! However at $360.00 shipped, they're a little pricey for how little use they would get. So far I'm in for $12.97 with my version.
I know I'm seeming like a tight *** (i'm not) but they're a little too pricey too. They DID influence how I made my lift bar though.
Build a set of 24" long x12" wide blocks out of sections of 2x12, just start stacking nailing glueing till you get the desired height.
Use a good jack to lift the car then slide them in under the tires.. You can also use deck screws to
hold down a block of wood front and rear of the tire to prevent rolling if you like..
I built a set years ago that I use when doing under car maintenance because at the time I had a gravel driveway..
I started this with a simple question and it went in another direction. I�m not even mad. Ya�ll are posting some cool stuff. Some day I�ll have a garage big enough for all these crazy tools.
So after a couple of trials, I figured out how to get my 996 on jack stands in my little garage. I have new drop links installed on both sides in the front. Score one for urban home mechanics!
It was a bit of a struggle. The jack I borrowed couldn�t get quite high enough to clear the jack stands. So I made a trip to Harbor Freight and bought one with a higher lift.
It was nerve wracking watching the car teeter on that first stand as I lowered the rear. I get why people hate doing this. I�m super glad I bought the Esco jack stands with the flat rubber pads. They were super stable, and I�m confident I can do this again. Which is good, because the bushings on my coffin arms are in scary shape.
I followed the general procedure outlined here and elsewhere. I started jacking up one rear jackpoint until I could fit the jack stand under the front jack point on that same side.
The part that seems sketchy is when you are lowering that first rear jack point and the car only has one tire on the ground. It went fine for me, but it seems kind of unnatural.
