FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
RonW
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by RonW »

wkohler wrote:*This is not an FAQ about how to teach your E28 life lessons or putting money away to secure it's future.*
Apostrophe Man says: That should be "its future."
tsmall07
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Post by tsmall07 »

You're running out of time to have them pictures done before next Christmas... :)
davintosh
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Post by davintosh »

tsmall07 wrote:You're running out of time to have them pictures done before next Christmas... :)
:deadhorse:

Surely someone somewhere has an e28 that's up on jackstands right now & could go snap some photos... Someone? Anyone? Kohler? ;)
Coldswede
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Post by Coldswede »

Okay I'll post some wheel stands I built and use for suspension work or long term elevation of the car. I dislike leaving a car on jack stands for long periods of time.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S24 ... 0_1470.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S4o ... 0_1471.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S24 ... 0_1469.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S24 ... 0_1468.JPG

If you build some of these: Good, tight woodworking is a plus and use real screws not drywall screws.
1st 5er
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Post by 1st 5er »

Coldswede wrote:Okay I'll post some wheel stands I built and use for suspension work or long term elevation of the car. I dislike leaving a car on jack stands for long periods of time.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S24 ... 0_1470.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S4o ... 0_1471.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S24 ... 0_1469.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_fjSXXnAS-ng/S9S24 ... 0_1468.JPG

If you build some of these: Good, tight woodworking is a plus and use real screws not drywall screws.
I noticed you liked these too...
Image
...as do I.
jwhiii
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Post by jwhiii »

I've had the front of my car sitting on the frame rails on a stack of lumber for two weeks now: 2 joined pressure treated 4x6's sitting on top of a cedar 2 x 12. There are no indications of stress on the lumber. Cold Swede mentioned he didn't like leaving his car up on jack stands for any length of time. Is my situation different with larger contact points (frame rails are sitting on about 12 inches of lumber). Am I stressing something here?

Also in this thread, someone linked to the oldBMW.com site that suggests jacking by the differential and placing jack stands under the rear axle carrier. Now that all my parts for my brake job are ready, I'm getting ready to lift the rear for a few weeks. (I want to attack some rust issues while I'm at it, and I tend to have only weekends to get to things) So is this recommendation bogus? If so, perhaps we should have the OP delete the post.
WilNJ
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Post by WilNJ »

Coldswede wrote:Okay I'll post some wheel stands I built and use for suspension work or long term elevation of the car. I dislike leaving a car on jack stands for long periods of time.
Image
Image
Image
Image

If you build some of these: Good, tight woodworking is a plus and use real screws not drywall screws.
Fixed
Ken H.
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Post by Ken H. »

Image
Can't afford to have one in your garage? Too bad. . . . sux2bU
Tammer in Philly
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Post by Tammer in Philly »

Ken H. wrote:Image
Can't afford to have one in your garage? Too bad. . . . sux2bU
You have absolutely no class.
davintosh
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Post by davintosh »

:pics!: (can't believe nobody has posted that before!)

Back to the top, where it belongs. :rofl:
1st 5er
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Post by 1st 5er »

davintosh wrote::pics!: (can't believe nobody has posted that before!)

Back to the top, where it belongs. :rofl:
Tammer in Philly wrote:You have absolutely no class.
:laugh: :laugh:
e24mpwr
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by e24mpwr »

Apologies for bumping a very old thread, but the wheel stands pictured here are very interesting to me. I *hate* jackstands, and don't' really like the process of getting my M635 up there, either.

Anyone using something like the ones pictured above? I'd probably use heavier 4x4 wood and add something that acted as a chock, but it seems like this would be a good way to get the car up, too - no placement issues, designed for the weight, no frame/undercarriage damage/marking, easier/more natural to move up and down when jacking the car up, etc.

Thoughts? Designs? I tend to over-build things. This would definitely be one of those times. Ideally I'd like 18" under the wheels...
86GT635
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by 86GT635 »

e24mpwr wrote:Apologies for bumping a very old thread, but the wheel stands pictured here are very interesting to me. I *hate* jackstands, and don't' really like the process of getting my M635 up there, either.

Anyone using something like the ones pictured above? I'd probably use heavier 4x4 wood and add something that acted as a chock, but it seems like this would be a good way to get the car up, too - no placement issues, designed for the weight, no frame/undercarriage damage/marking, easier/more natural to move up and down when jacking the car up, etc.

Thoughts? Designs? I tend to over-build things. This would definitely be one of those times. Ideally I'd like 18" under the wheels...
Dad had some about 15 years ago he made with some 2x4s when he did a transmission swap on a audi. I think that was the only time they were used. They were probably 12"cubed and weighed maybe 30lbs each. They were stacked like a jenga.

I don't know about 18" though, that seems awfully high to raise the car with a jack. Find out how high you can get the bottoms of your tires off the ground first.

Unrelated, but I watched a video on Japanese carpentry a couple weeks ago that was really interesting. When they build stuff out of wood, they position it in the same orientation as the way the tree would grow naturally. Anything vertical is cut from the tree vertically and table tops are cut horizontally. It seems wasteful in practice but pretty nonetheless. https://youtu.be/rMtSc2MJLcw
BimmerDan
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by BimmerDan »

Has anyone tried these
Image

It looks like the later BMW's had a different style jack points and I'm not sure the shape would be ok to use on the e28?
Shawn D.
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by Shawn D. »

BimmerDan wrote:Has anyone tried these
Image

It looks like the later BMW's had a different style jack points and I'm not sure the shape would be ok to use on the e28?
No, these are not "ok" to use. There is no corresponding mating point on the chassis for these to fit into.
davintosh
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by davintosh »

Shawn D. wrote:
BimmerDan wrote:Has anyone tried these
Image

It looks like the later BMW's had a different style jack points and I'm not sure the shape would be ok to use on the e28?
No, these are not "ok" to use. There is no corresponding mating point on the chassis for these to fit into.
Rod Paine modified a ProTech pad to better fit the jack points on the e28. I keep a few old hockey pucks around the garage for use with the floor jack, and always meant to hack up one or two in a similar manner to Rod's, but never got around to it. Still seems to me to be a good idea.

http://www.mye28.com/tech/rods_pages/id14.html#protech

Image
John in VA
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by John in VA »

davintosh wrote:Rod Paine modified a ProTech pad to better fit the jack points on the e28. I keep a few old hockey pucks around the garage for use with the floor jack, and always meant to hack up one or two in a similar manner to Rod's, but never got around to it. Still seems to me to be a good idea.
Even slicker was the aluminum blocks that he had cast to fit the jack points. He was kind enough to pass one on to me.

Image
Machtig
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by Machtig »

How I do it. YMMV
Image
BRRV
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by BRRV »

I've got the ESCO jack stands, and am experimenting with a jack pad from https://www.reverselogic.us/

This is a pad that fits into the lift bracket 'hard point' on the rocker panels and is sized to fit atop the 4 /14" rubber base of the ESCOs. Its the MV52-30-28 shown on https://www.reverselogic.us/bmw_jack_pad.html

I've been using pucks, but as Rod P. points out, they don't fit exactly and can run the danger of damage to the pinch weld area, especially using the traditional half-moon 'saddle' on traditional Craftsmen/HF jack stands. I'll update this after I've gotten a chance to use these (I have a transmission to pull)..

(For better or for worse, I'll also post pictures so the cognoscenti can rip them to shreds as necessary, and this will take the pressure off Chris)
N44RP
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by N44RP »

Can the jackstands be placed anywhere along the rocker panel rather than the jacking points on the car?
I see that the jacking points have a particular rectangular fitting that they accept which my jackstand is not shaped for.
Trying to change a few suspension bits (control arms) so I need the wheels off.
BRRV
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by BRRV »

Those particular jack points, intended for the use of the factory jack, are allegedly reinforced, unlike the pinch welds on the E28. I haven't used the E30 style jack pads mentioned, so I can't comment on whether or not they would work on an E28. I have used the jack pads I linked to, for extensive periods up in the air, and they work well, but ONLY with a flat bottom jack stand base (they will slip off a floor jack without a grippy pad, and I prefer using a wood block on the frame rails or subframe with a floor jack anyway) and only in the jack stand supports built into the rocker panel. It's my understanding that lifting from the pinch weld alone on an E28 isn't recommended; maybe LeiseyJr has specifically used those E30 models and can comment. I'd probably not use them on my car, I don't need any (more) damage!
e24mpwr
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by e24mpwr »

Bumping an old thread (again) - I eventually decided I was getting old, am doing enough work on the family cars and wanted to mitigate risk enough that I bought myself this for my 50th birthday (in 2019):
Image

I've been really happy with the QuickJack. It's not exactly cheap, and I do wish it was a few inches taller (there's a newer version now that is), but boy do I like it so much more than freakin' jack stands and the process associated with those.
BRRV
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by BRRV »

Yep, Quick Jack… my next garage upgrade! 👍🏻

(I did a transmission service on the ZF in the E38 and tore a meniscus - a Quick Jack is no longer optional!)

I’m getting the newer one that offers the pads that bump up the raised height, they’ll work on both the E28/38.
e24mpwr
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Re: FAQ?: How to properly raise and support your E28

Post by e24mpwr »

BRRV wrote: Apr 09, 2022 8:43 PM Yep, Quick Jack… my next garage upgrade! 👍🏻

(I did a transmission service on the ZF in the E38 and tore a meniscus - a Quick Jack is no longer optional!)

I’m getting the newer one that offers the pads that bump up the raised height, they’ll work on both the E28/38.
Yeah - the newer ones are 3" higher than my 5000SLX, and I *think* the truck adapters might work to add another couple inches. With the blocks double-stacked, my old one isn't too bad. At some point I'll see about the truck adapters. I (probably) can't justify the new one - I guess if someone would give me something close to a grand for my current one I'd have to think about it. The best-case extra 3.5" would be nice (just under 5.5" more than I'm currently working with), but what I've got works pretty well...
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