Ozzy Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 I need to move my axle stands from the normal position you place them, to get to that area. Is it ok to place them under the DD tube about 2ft apart ? I don't want to risk any damage. Still Shaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Hasn't anybody got any advice please??????? Still Shaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alias Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Ozzy, I think it depends on what work you are doing etc. Could you put the rear wheels back on the car and raise the car using a ramp (or some breeze blocks with chocks?) If it's temporary work and you don't need to get underneath the car, you could jack up the central bush. As a final measure, you could try and spread the load out along areas of the chassis using 5 or 6 axle stands (borrow them off your friends) Personally I would not recommend supporting the car on the DD tube - it's not meant to be a load bearing part and they have been known to crack. (Am quite happy to be corrected by somone with greater knowledge of the build and stresses on DD tubes) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1400 Supersport with 6 gears and clamshell wings Edited by - RobF on 17 Jan 2005 14:25:08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Surely the whole weight of the rear of the car is put through the DD tube via the springs when the car is simply standing on its wheels, yes they have been known to crack, but that's when driving IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 To answer the original question - yes, it's fine to stick them under the De-Dion - in fact, that's the standard method of supporting the car (just inboard of the wheels)... I've only ever placed the stands at the extreme edges of the rearmost chassis tube when I had to drop the diff. The only problem I can see with what you are proposing is that the stands are very close together - can you not get them just inboard of the wheels? As a safety precaution, what I do when using stands with the wheels off is to place the wheels underneath the car below the seats (as far back as possible. Project Scope-Creep is underway... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team Shaun_E Posted January 17, 2005 Support Team Share Posted January 17, 2005 What task are you trying to do. The only thing I can think of is that you are removing the A-Frame. In that case I don't think you can support the car on the de-dion as it will move as soon as you remove the bolts - the de-dion will try to rotate although the damper bolts will try to resist that motion. My suggestion is to get a length of wood - fence post or similar as it needs to be pretty stiff and run that underneath the chassis as far back as you can - support the wood with your axle stands but make sure that the wood is firmly positioned on them. For my rebuild I made a couple of dollies out of 4" square fence post and some castors and these worked fine. You can actually remove the A-Frame bolts with the axle stands in place - it's just a bit awkward. Edited to say - all this assumes that your normal position for axle stands is where the front of the A-Frame bolts to the chassis. Yellow SL #32 Edited by - Shaun_E on 17 Jan 2005 16:06:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 When I dropped the diff, I held it up like this here (click the image for full-size) Apply something soft to the face of the cups on the stands, though - I scraped a bit of powdercoat off because the stands don't fully match the contour of the chassis plates (not an issue when supporting the DD) Project Scope-Creep is underway... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normans_Ghost Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 I use to bits of wood on top of the stands and place them under the outer chassis rail (where the side skin wraps under) in front of the A frame brackets. Norman Verona, 1989 BDR 220bhp, Mem No 2166, the full story here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 Thanks for the replys Guy's. The reason why I need to put the stands elsewhere, is I've noticed a few spots of the dreaded rust around the A frame mounts, so I'm rubbing it back ready for the POR 15. Actually, while I'm here, another question. Has anyone ever painted the base of the fuel tank, or would this peel eventually and look naff. Should I just polish it instead, so it's nice and shiny? Still Shaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Dunno guv - my tank is covered by a sheet of ali honeycomb. Don't rub back too much for POR15 - it likes a rusty surface - unless there is any loose material... Project Scope-Creep is underway... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatcat Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Yes, you can definitely rest the weight of the car on the DD tube (assuming it's not been weakened by rust or abuse). I know this because the assembly guide tells you to do exactly this before final tightening of the rear suspension bolts: Section 6, Para 52: "Place the axle stands under the De-Dion tube such that the weight of the car is taken up through the spring damper units. Ensure that all the suspension securing bolts are tightened as detailed in Table 2." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazerBrain Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I used a wire brush to remove the loose rust before painting with POR-15. I still need to paint the tiny bits that were "hidden" above the axle stands though ☹️ My plan was to just use a trolley jack as I wouldn't need to be under the car to reach these points. cheers, Darren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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