Jacking and Supporting a B5 in the front

[esee135]

I've been jacking my A4 using the stock jack, and I just made a kick ass unibody jack (two moon shape autobody dolleys welded back to back with a 1/2" space between, onto a jack adapter, cost me $17!!!) so I don't crush my pinch welds.

Problem is, when I was using the factory jack on the front pinch welds, I had lots of room to put my jack stand near by, beside the jack just behind the pinch weld. Now with my 3.5ton floor jack, I can't get the stand in because the jack is too wide. I read people are placing jacks on the sub frame connector in the front, is this safe, and should I be putting a wood softener/hockey puck between the jack stand and the sub frame connector?

I know about using the lower control arm, but I'm doing suspension work, so it won't work in this case.

[biketsai]

I place mine on these 2 metal mount looking things.

[Nebone]

Place the jacks under the rear subframe bolts. I usually put a piece of wood between the jack and that subframe point.

[esee135]

Place the jacks under the rear subframe bolts. I usually put a piece of wood between the jack and that subframe point.

kind of like in this picture?

http://www.fastaudi.net/a4/library/mini/oilchange1.jpg

[biketsai]

kind of like in this picture?

http://www.fastaudi.net/a4/library/mini/oilchange1.jpg

i believe so.

[mike-2ptzero]

I just slide my jack in a little further so they go under the sub frame bolts, then once it is up in the air I just put my jack stands where you put the OEM jack.

[esee135]

I just slide my jack in a little further so they go under the sub frame bolts, then once it is up in the air I just put my jack stands where you put the OEM jack.

This might be a simple question, but which jack cup do you have? Deep dish, shallow dish, square steel, rubber padded steel? I've got a ~5" cup, great for jacking the differential on my 1/2 ton, not so great on the A4. Also got the flat square cup, which is what I think I'll be using for the sub frame location you mentioned.

I'm just itching to use my custom hammer dolley unibody jack that I made last night :)

[mike-2ptzero]

This might be a simple question, but which jack cup do you have? Deep dish, shallow dish, square steel, rubber padded steel? I've got a ~5" cup, great for jacking the differential on my 1/2 ton, not so great on the A4. Also got the flat square cup, which is what I think I'll be using for the sub frame location you mentioned.

I'm just itching to use my custom hammer dolley unibody jack that I made last night :)

I use a low profile aluminum jack that I ordered from Summit last year.

Looks just like this but in full scale.

[esee135]

Nice one with the miniature pic.

I was thinking instead of using a block of wood, I could make one of these for my jack...say ~3.5" round stock, 1" thick, with 1/2" deep bore to receive a hockey puck....replaceable lifting surface....I have the inventor/drawing plans if anyone wants, maybe I'll make it next week on the mini-lathe.

[Nebone]

Looks like a jack plate and a hockey puck in it.

[onemoremile]

http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=833




I've been using one of these for years and it has held up fine. It gets used for the pinch welds but when I need to lift the whole front or rear I use a 2x4 with anti-slip toolbox liner stapled around it and go under the front subframe or rear diff. These cars really should have had six jacking points like my old saab 9000 did.

My normal procedure for getting the car more than a foot off the ground in 5 minutes:
Drive the front onto Rhino ramps.
Jack the rear diff as high as it will go and insert SUV jack stands.
Do the same for the front and slide out the ramps.