GM W-body jacking points / stand location on very rusted car?

[Elixer]

Looking at the bottom of this GM W-body car, was going to use a jack stand at the "V" location (as specified in manual), however, the amount of rust at that location is just amazing. There is no way that point would support the weight of the car with either a floor jack or a jack stand.

Now, I always thought these are supposed to be reinforced, and coated so they wouldn't rust that badly, all the pinch welds are rusted as well.
I found this diagram on the W-body cars

point 1 is solid, point 2 is where the work needs to be done, points 3 & 4 are rusted to hell and back and colored it rust red. 😉
The green colored frame is not rusted, however, I was told a long time ago you shouldn't put jack stands there, it could bend the frame.
So, where are you supposed to jack up the car now & place the jack stands at?

 

[pcgeek11]

I would say that if position #1 is strong enough to lift the entire front of the car then a Jack Stand to either side of it should work quite well.

 

[boomerang]

Floor jack positions are 1 and 6. Without seeing a picture I'll bet the pinch weld areas would be fine with being on a jackstand, There are several layers of substantial metal there. It's where the factory supplied jack goes for changing a tire. Rust is one thing, flaking chunks that are falling off or that could be pried off easily are another. But I am not seeing what you see so...

It's been a long time since I've been under a W body but my recollection is that the advice on the green areas must be heeded. I recall them being just light weight metal that would never support the weight of the car.

Based on the area you need to work and if the pinch weld area are too rotted your only choice I believe is ramps.

If you have a car that is too rotted from rust that you can't use the factory supplied jack to change a tire, IMO the car should be taken off the road. It's important to know that you are not just endangering yourself you are endangering others and most importantly to understand that the world contains these people called 'lawyers'.

 

[Elixer]

The jack points are indeed weak, I can poke around with a screwdriver in that area, and what was once metal falls off. I "volunteered" to help this guy and do some front end work.
Ramps aren't really an option, need to take the wheels off the front.

I also agree that I would hesitate to be driving this thing, but, nothing I can really do about that, just tell them, fix what needs to be fixed, and move along. I believe he said he has had the car for 20 years or something, and it does look great everywhere else, interior is like factory new, rest of the body besides the rocker panels are new looking as well.
He is also only driving it less than 5 miles/week.

 

[RLGL]

They don't last forever. I know of several people who have taken their vehicles to a dealer for repairs that were told the vehicle was not to be driven due to corrosion. Needles to say no repairs were made.. If you are that uncomfortable back out and explain why.

 

[BStorm]

The factory jack points are crap, period. I have an '05 Grand Prix and those are the only rusty parts on the car. Even a non-rusted one started to curl when I used the factory jack to swap a tire. I have found the subframe on the front works well (use a ramp for clearance if needed) and the trailing arm mounts for the rear tires. I won't use the factory spots again.

 

[T2urtle]

I would lift at 1 and 6, place stands on the green.

I go for the green area if the pinch welds are junk/bent/ crumbling. Thats just me.

 

[mindless1]

It depends on what you are working on. When it didn't get in the way I used to jack up a rusted out old unibody GM on the lower control arms. Position the jack so there is enough space to still get the jack stand in next to it.

If you're not working on wheels/suspension, you might just use ramps instead.