I don't know about jacking the car using those "rails" but I have lowered the car after it has beeen jacked onto the rails without problem.
Probably best to use the above info for complete safty reasons.

 

Those "rails" are the frame rails. The rails themselves won't bend, but the "pinch weld" may, especially if you don't distribute the contact point of the jack as widely as possible. The only harm from using a "non-blessed" jack point, along the frame rail, is possibly bending the pinch weld, but that is only a cosmetic issue.

I've been jacking from the middle of the frame rail for a couple of years, many times a year (hell, many times a day sometimes), without bending the pinch weld.

As to whether it is safe for jack stands, of course it is. Again, you may bend the pinch weld, but if you put the jack stands in the "approved" points (which are reinforced), you shouldn't have a problem.

I have the car on jack stands in two minutes this way, without worrying about it rolling away, and without having to deal with a jack that weighs more than my wife.

 

124Spider,

I'm a little confused. I thought the "pinch-welds" were the welds/seams that run along the outer edge of the undercarriage, exactly where the OEM manuals say to place the jacks. They are visible to me in the above pics. The blue jackstand and the blue floor jack are resting on that "pinch-weld." The OEM jack that comes with the car has a slot in it for this "pinch weld" to rest in.

Are we talking about the same thing?

By "rails" under the car, I meant two front-to-back rails that are inboard on each side of the undercarriage, and covered in the usual anti-rust coating, like the rest of the undercarraige.

Hope that's clear.

Marrk

 

The pinch weld is on the bottom of the frame rail. The frame rail won't bend with the weight of the car; the pinch weld may. The reason there are only tow "approved" spots in the pinch weld to put a jack or jack stand is because those two places look like they're reinforced.

I don't care. It's far too much trouble, as often as I have to have the car on 4 jack stands, to do it any way other than to jack up each side from the center of the frame rail/pinch weld, and put the jack stands on each "approved" place.

I don't know whether the rail you're talking about is part of the frame or not. I wouldn't use them for supporting the car, but YMMV.

 

Have you tried using the OEM jack? A 30mm socket fits on the end and with a Dewalt cordless you can have half the car up in 5 seconds. It is the lowest profile, lightest weight, and least expensive option

 

Wow that's a good idea...

It doesn't overheat the jack in any way cranking it up that quickly, when it was designed to go up nice and slow?

 

I use it on the slower of the three speeds and it works like a charm. There is lube on the screw already, so heat does not build up as fast as it would with a dry screw.

Add to the list above, 4) The OEM jack is mechanical, so no messy hydraulics to leaks or break on you

 

My Harbor Freight one works fine and I am lowered. If it isn't, I have a block of wood I could drive up on. It weight A LOT less than 120 lbs. It's more like 25 lbs.

This is it
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=91039

 

Uber jack on sale again at $195. Free shipping.
http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAct...&utm_medium=CMP

 

thanks again to zzyzxroad. my tooltopia/omega jack arrived last week, very nice jack but it is heavy. however, it's not that much heavier than my 95# NAPA jack or my 90# Costco jack.