HOW TO : Jack up your Puma.

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Frank

Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2013
Messages
996
Location
East Sussex


I'll keep this short, as the diagram above should be self explanatory, otherwise I haven't done a very good job. Right click the image, select 'Save As..' or whatever and you can keep a print in the glovebox.

I'm reckoning you already know what a trolley jack and axle stand looks like and can figure out what a flat top axle stand must look like? If not, try a Google search or settle back and relax to this vid from Eric - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OyzbGDn6xg

There are other jacking/support points around that can be used, but they need extra care to use, like checking for corrosion first or very careful positioning or the possibility of damaging something, etc. so this guide concentrates on just the known good strong points that do not require special care/precautions. That said, do feel free to suggest other support points on this thread.


Frank :)


Finally, my thanks to whoever did the original diagram above which, although I've since altered it a fair bit, did make doing this a lot easier.
 
i safely used these points :) but i am here to ask if it's actually safe?
 

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mihalyn90 said:
[post]358827[/post] i safely used these points :) but i am here to ask if it's actually safe?
I seem to recall that those 'green areas' are safe enough, but can deform the floorpan. Barry is the one to ask and I know he's intending to do some photos to go in conjunction with the diagram, so that things are even clearer.

I know that bit I wrote about always having at least 2 supports in place before going under a motor is pretty obvious, but I had a hydraulic jack fail on me only a few months back. Not as dramatic as it sounds - I had the rear offside up and had the jack and axle stand under it. Anyway, I had done 95% of the work I wanted to and had come in for a tea break. Went back out, bugger me, jack down at it's lowest position and a puddle of fluid on the floor!

Because of the axle stand, it was a non-event and I just hurled the rear wheel back on, tried the jack (saved hunting around for my bottle jack) and it still had enough to lift the weight off the axle stand, whipped that away and released the jack down and all fine. The jack was put in the bin 5 minutes later, but I kept the tubes for it, as they make useful extensions for breaker bars, etc.

Luckily, I had no more planned lifts, so come the New Year I'll get myself another jack and throw in a couple of new axle stands for good measure. No great rush, still have the bottle jack or just take the car to the garage, if something unexpected came up.

This forum really did need this jacking guide though. Damn silly that guys here gaily throw advice around relating to brakes and steering (both of which can kill you if you get it wrong) and yet come over all coy about this subject and we didn't have a clear, definitive, guide on something as basic as this.
 
Hi Guys
The green circles are the areas that had been deformed on Christian and James FRPs so I wouldn't use them and it's just so easy to use the bolt off the crossmember anyway.
Barry
 
With these cars now getting old its even a danger changing your wheel with the ford jack i changed a front tyre last year with the jack and im sure there was some slight compression of the sill afterwards,will have to buy a trolly jack soon.
 
why won't you repair actually the sill instead of putting yourself to even more rusty danger?
 
Ordered myself a new jack today - http://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/trolley-jacks/tjl2-2-tonne-low-profile-trolley-jack


tjl2_2_4.jpg



I don't know if that's a real sale price or they have permanent sale, but that seemed like a good spec. jack for the price to me.

With VAT that's under 30 quid and the ones around £20 were simply awful and poorly made, so no big decision needed there. :)
 
tuonokid said:
[post]360095[/post] Looks to go nice and low that one, perfect for going under a lowered Puma.
Barry
Hi Barry,

Yeah, my last one was low profile and it comes in useful, especially if it doesn't affect total rise height (the above one is 359mm)

Anyway, thought I'd post the link in case it was useful to others and saves them some time. Took a while to find that one - I never realised just how many jack makers and jacks there are out there!

Incidentally, I realised ages later that these were the same people I got my tailgate gas struts from.
 
Hi Nick
I might have to buy one as well as I have to jack up the front of mine with a scissor jack before I can get my trolley jack in which is a right pain.
Barry
 
Been meaning to get some photos up for a few weeks now, got my chance today.
Here's a photo of the safe jacking and axle stand point at the front of the car (please note the axle stand is flat topped)

 
Hi
About to start some winter projects soon and this guide is really useful.
However where do you place the axle stands if you wish to remove the rear beam for refinishing?
Thanks in advance.
 
Hi Ian
It depends on the condition of your Puma, if it's pretty rotten there's nowhere else to jack it from at the rear. Mine was in reasonably good condition underneath so I used the chassis rail just to the rear of the floorpan bulkhead. To find this area just look where your beam mounts (the bracket with four bolts). From this go forward on the car and you will see a clip holding the handbrake cable and in front of this just before the chassis rail goes into the bulkhead is a flat area, perfect for a flat-topped axle stand. This rail is thicker gauge than the rest of the underneath metal but still relies on the outer sill and membrane sill to give it strength so if the bottom of your sills are rusty it's risky. When I took off the beam on mine I used this area but I also put piers of bricks underneath the sills so if anything went wrong the car would fall on the bricks rather than my head.
Barry
 
If your exhaust is off, I put a thick fence post across the two boot floor chassis legs, left to right (the ones the towing eye goes into) and put the axle stands there leaving the beam free to access.

Once the beam was out, I put the axle stands back where the beam would sit - assuming all the work in that area was complete
 

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