gregh Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 I didn't build my Westfield but want to get it raised up to have a tinker over winter and also to swop all 4 wheels. I assume 4 axle stands will hold the car safely? Is there any where special to put them so I don't knacker the chassis? Lastly any tips on best place to purchase said items? thanks in advance, greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Green Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Hi Gregh Always, but always use axle stands! I had a bad experience when I was an apprentice mechanic. I place my axle stands on the chassis between the front wishbone mountings at the front and on the Escort axle banjo at the rear. If you have IRS, I guess the nearest chassis member at then rear will do the job but for Christ sake, make sure the vehicle sits on the stands without any "rocking". If you cannot place stands at the rear, consider using a treated plank of 4x4 under the car floor pan and support with the stands on the "outside" the tub as there is not a great deal of weight at the back. As for stands, I guess Halfords have a reasonable selection. I hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianm Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Machine Mart for axle stands. No bad deal.But cheap Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richd Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 halfords - Nice colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted October 6, 2002 Author Share Posted October 6, 2002 and is it ok to leave the car up on them for extended time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 yes you can leave them on stands for a while, as long as the weather is crap, otherwise it is a crying shame...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Greg, Yep, mine has been on them for a couple of months, no problem. It's worth using some wood twixt stand and chassis to soften the blow, spread the load, etc. Oh and be careful when getting the car up/down - do it a bit at a time at each end, if you are going high on axle stands, to reduce any chance of it getting a big angle and falling off. Tedious but better than dropping your car. Moom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilux Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Gonna strip/rebuild mine this winter. Having bought mine already built, I know this is an obvious question, Where are the preferred jacking points so as to change tyres or put on stands or do you all strip em and lift em PS: recommended mousse tyre fillers please??? as I dont want a spare wheel anymore Carry a can or fill the tyres? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu999 Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Carry the can, or get a repair kit. IMO do not fill your tyres with 'self-seal', if you get a puncture culminating from tyre damage, you need to know about it. For instance, if the tyre has picked up a tear in the sidewall, the magic repair will duly do what it says on the tin, and automatically seal itself. Fine and dandy until you charge into a corner on the limit, and the repair (and the tyre) lets go..... At least 'with the can' you can check the damage first, and you can drive at a sensible speed to your destination fully aware of the damage to the tyre or phone the breakdown truck if it is too bad. Self-seal works well on my mountain bike though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenwolf Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 Where are the preferred jacking points so as to change tyres or put on stands or do you all strip em and lift em I jack the front up from underneath the second cross member from the front (at it's centre) and then use two axle stands (with wooden blocks to act as protective pillows) one on each side just to the rear of the same cross member. For the rear, I place the jack under the centre of the cross member at the base of the rear of the cockpit (i.e, the one just behind the seats) and again using wooden pillows as protection, I put an axle stand either side right on the corner of the main bottom rail and it's join with the same cross member. This results in a very stable platform and is how I finished the car after I had lowered it off the build stands when it was time to fit the engine. When jacking the car, I always use a wooden block on the jack mount for protection - fussy or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slippy Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I have done a search but was wondering if anyone could post some pics up of their car on axle stands Cheers Quickly edited my spelling before Blatters gets here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slippy Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Cheers mate where do you place them in ref to the axle etc ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Roughly as per Steppenwolf's post. The front stands are under the join between second cross member and side members with a piece of 2"x1" between stands and chassis. Back stands are under the corners of the floorpan where it appears under the wheelarch - I used a short length (about 6") of 2"x1" hardwood diagonally across the corners so there is not chance of undue pressure on the ally panel. These bits of wood are 6" long so the stands are close to the corners. Mine's IRS but not sure if that makes any difference. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomy Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 PAH...i spit on zis axle sstarnd sssread! Ok, so there is no real need for me to post this picture but it is by far the best thing i ever got for my car.At a lower height, you can just wheel it around or push it side to side with all the wheels off of the car for example.Not very helpful i know but what the hell, i get excited when i use it : p I use the axle stands (Halfords) now and again if leaving the car off the ground overnight though.I did use some cut off pieces of a rubber mat to rest on the axle stands and thus protect the chassis. That was until i looked underneath and realsied it was pretty pointless trying to protect it at this stage of its life If it was pristine and new it would be a different story though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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