Another Jacking and Safety Question

Another newbie wanting to do it right and safely...When putting the car on jackstands - positioned on the rails underneath - how do you do that?

Assuming the stands give 18" - 24" lift, is it OK to do the front or back all in one go and then raise the other end or should you lift the back say 1/2 way do the front all the way and then finish raising the back?

Second question: When wanting to put the car up on stands, are there any differences/preference to putting the car up on the rails or using the back axles and frontend?

Thanks!

If you're raising it 18-24 inches you're fine doing it all in one go. Just jack up one end, drop it carefully on the stands, then drag the jack around to the other end and raise it, dropping it too carefully onto the stands.

As far as wher3e to but the stands, that is really a function of what you need access to. For example, if you're working on say the fuel pump, you can put the stands on the axle tube, but if you want to work on say the brakes, putting the stands on the axle tube will load the weight of the car onto the suspension and mean the tire is higher in the wheelwell and therefore harder to access. In that case you'd want the stands on the sills/rails.

Just make sure the jackstands don't block access to whatever you need to reach.

If there's any kind of grade involved either jack it up by the front with the handbrake on first or chock the front wheels to jack first from the rear.

Cheers,
Newt

I have always worked around tractors and heavy farm machinery. Lots of sturdy wooden blocks are always a safe bet. You can get a chunk of 6/6 or 6/4 cheapo PT lumber at Home Depot or Lowes, and get them to cut it up into 12 inch sections. Works great on the frame rails, or as a back up for the jack stands. Also good for chocking wheels.
Good luck. David