I just went and bought a really clean t2, and the main reason I bought it was there was no rust on the body. even the undercoat is intact. well I get it home and go to jack it up, and the rail BENDS when I put pressure on it. ITS RUSTED! what can i do??? does that mean the frame is rusted? for now the only thing i can think of to do is spray the frame rails with this anti-rust primer I have from napa and put a 2by4 untop of the jack when I need to lift my car. but there has to be some kind of permanent, or semi-permanent solution, right?

 

You're not supposed to be jacking the car by the subchassis rails...


-Ted

 

LOL!!! Yeah man... RETed is right... you aren't supposed to jack in that spot.... On almost ANY car...

http://www.rotorwiki.com/index.php/FC_Jack_Safety

 

After I purchased my '89TII new, I was at the dealership and the mechanic had told me a fellow brought a '87 in and had tried to lift the car by the sub chassis rail. Before he realized what he'd done, as the tire never left the ground, he buckled the driver's floor board as the rail gave way because it couldn't support the weight.

 

Huh.. did they atleast pay for the damage? Its their obligation

 

yeah when i bought my car i didnt relize it at first but the guy had jacked it up on the rail and buckled the floorboard

 

well, its not like i haven't jacked a car up before... and when I looked at the Haynes I got just to double check, it said that I was using the right jack points..
are the jack points on an fc not where they are on other cars?

 

i usually jack it on the pinch welds

 

are you sure we aren't talking about the same place? and do you guys have a rusty frame that doesn't bend? or am I just losing my mind here...

 

http://www.rotorwiki.com/index.php/FC_Jack_Safety

I'll just keep posting it until people stop talking.

 

omg I <3 u micaheli
the haynes manual led me astray!
thanks for straightening me out!

 

Hehe. Yay!

 

I have a rusty frame under my FC as well, and I'm kinda curious about this too. How serious is this? I've tapped on it with a ball peen hammer and it sounds solid (and by solid I mean the hammer didnt go through the metal heh), but it's definitely rusty. What should be done about this?

 

If it's just surface rust, then clean it up and paint it with a GOOD rust paint (ie. POR-15). If it has actually rusted through it may need to be repaired. Post pictures.

 

I did that too. I got away without buckling the floorboard, but considered that nice round spot that looked prime for jacking. But I did buckle the rail, but that is where the owner's manual directed me, but now I think it is for the spare tire jack that comes with the car.

 

it doesn't make much difference with the slotted tire jack. it still puts a lot of pressure on one point, which i know from experience like almost every other fc owner who has tried jacking their car up from there...lol.