General Axle stands

[dk500]

Hi need to get under my 500 and remove greasy under seal that was applied only last year - unsightly and I don't think the guy applied correctly !
I have a trolley jack and axle stands, any advice on where best to place the stands - leaf springs, rear arms Etc ?
Thanks
Darryl

 

[Franko500]

That depends on the condition of your floor. There are actually jacking points on the vehicle. But if your floor is corroded you could end up with a lot more damage than desired.
Alternatively you could support the vehicle under the leaf spring - near the 2 mounting points & under the rear trailing arms.

 

[stevehg]

I would think the chassis mounting brackets for the front leaf spring would be a good stable point up front, and the chassis mounts for the rear trailing arms at the rear.

If you don't have any, decorating sheet is a good cheap way to contain the mess...

Also be careful of using heat to remove as a number of underseals and wax treatments are highly flammable.

cheers, Steve

 

[Vitesse]

That depends on the condition of your floor. There are actually jacking points on the vehicle. But if your floor is corroded you could end up with a lot more damage than desired.
Alternatively you could support the vehicle under the leaf spring - near the 2 mounting points & under the rear trailing arms.

That's exactly where I jack it Sean. I use the bolt in the centre as the jacking point and then put the axle stands under the two mounting points either side.

On the rear I put a piece of wood on the jack and put it underneath one of the trailing arms near to the centre, so that it gives you plenty of room either side to get the stands underneath. Then I put pieces of wood on the top of the stands to prevent them doing any damage to the trailing arms and position the stands as near to the wheels as I can get them.

 

[fiat500]

I try to avoid directly sitting the car on axle-stands. I feel that the very narrow track makes it a little unsafe and I have a reluctance to use the jacking points after a bad experience in the past.

I use Tony's techniques to jack the car and then put the stand a gnat's whisker under the front spring mountings or the rear arms whilst the trolley jack is snagged under the spring bolt or the rear shocker mounting and the car is jacked the absolute minimum amount

I also do only one corner at a time, which does make things hard work at times.