Jacking up your Z HOW-TO
by flynnibus @ www.350zmotoring.com
Disclaimer: 350ZMotoring or the author are not responsible
for any misinformation in this document or any damage that may occur
to
your vehicle from following this document. Consult your service manual
for specific Nissan recommended instructions.
Introduction
Jacking up your Z is an important part of many DIY projects for
your Z. The process is simple, but a few pointers will help save
some time monkeying around. Hopefully this document will help.
Tools Needed
Stock Scissor Jack or floor jack - Need a floor jack with
minimum heigh of 5.5" or less with a stock height Z
4 Jack Stands
Something to block the wheels with
Start
Start by making sure your car is positioned on a hard, flat
surface, with enough space along the sides of the car to operate
your jack. Nissan recommends jack points in the owners manual.
The ones easiest to use for garage work are the two along the
side skirts, one behind the front wheel, the second in front of
the rear wheel. The points can be identified by the indentations
in the rail that runs the lengh of the underside.
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Front Lift Point
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Rear Lift Point
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The first trick is positioning your jack so you can lift the car,
and still get the jack stand where you want it. You'll need another
lift point to put the jack under and still have space to put the
stand under. I have a sears floor jack and stands, and here are
some photos to help give ideas on how to position the jack so
your stands will fit.
I position mine so that the jack stands
will be positioned under the Nissan lift points, and the jack
itself closer to the wheel. The next trick is the rail may be
taller then your jack's head. For my jacks, rather then let the
whole weight of the car rest on one spot, I position the jack
stands so the site right behind the rail.
Before you jack up the
car, block the opposite wheel with a brick or a 2x4 to prevent
the car from rolling. So if you are starting with the driver's
front, block behind the rear passenger wheel. Position the jack
as shown in the photos below, lift the car up high enough to do
your work. If lifting to take the tires off, make sure to have
the tire clear the ground completely (even an 1" below the tire)
or you'll have a hard time putting the tires back on.
Once you
see how high the car needs to be up, adjust your jack stands to
the proper height. Make sure you set all of them to the same
height. Now lift the car higher so the stand will fit under the
car, and position as shown below. The front lift point has a pad
on the inside of the rail, position the jack stand under that.
Once in position, SLOWLY lower the car onto the
stand.
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Note how the jack is on an angle because as the jack
lifts, it moves and this allows the jack to be as close as
possible to the lift point
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Here is the setup up close
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Never work on the car with the car just on a jack, as it can be
unstable. Once you have the first corner up, move to the rear
corner on same side and repeat the process to lift the car,
positioning the jack and stand as shown below.
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Note how the jack is on an angle because as the jack
lifts, it moves and this allows the jack to be as close as
possible to the lift point
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Here is the setup up close
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Once one side is up, you can work on the car one side as a time,
but if you can its better to lift up all four corners if you are
working on both sides of the car. Repeat the same process on the
opposite side.
Lowering the Car
To lower the car, work in reverse
of the lift process. When removing the stands, position the jack
to lift the car high enough to remove the stand, and then SLOWLY
lower the car. It's the top priority to lower the car in a
controlled fashion. If anything happens, stop lowering the car!
and check out the issue. Its critical to move the car up and down slowly
otherwise you may seriously damage your car.
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