<VV> was Cylinder head temp thermister/now jacking points

[Chris & Bill Strickland]

>Never, never ever use the ... differential as a jacking point to  
>raise the car. That's how you can destroy your engine and transmission mounts in  
>short order. 
>
I know that his has been the convential wisdom, repeated many times, 
especially since these mounts started failing because they got old.  But 
I guess I'm just a heretic at heart, so here goes --

This information is not accurate, at least according to the guys that 
designed the 1964 rear supension.  I have never heard anyone reccomend 
removing the rear leaf spring from a 1964 suspension because it holds 
the car up by applying pressure to the differential housing, the same 
sort of pressure you apply with a floor jack, only worse, because it is 
dynamic, just beating those mounts to smithereens -- never heard of 
anyone reccomending don't buy a 64, the mounts will fail because it has 
a spring lifting on the differential.  Generally, it is the other way 
around, with  folks adding the spring and other parts to non-64's -- 
never heard anyone say don't do that 'cause it'll break the mounts!

So how come it is verboten to do it with a floor jack, but okay with the 
leaf spring, which is there *all* the time, not just when the car is 
jacked up?

The mounts fail because they get old and worn out, not because someone 
used a floor jack under the differential.  Maybe that is when they 
broke, but that is only the sooner part of 'sooner or later'.  They were 
already failing, that's why they broke.

I do not believe the shop manual says not to lift the car with a floor 
jack under the differential. It does say the shaded areas (Fig. 1-18 
Corvair lifting point diagram.) indicate the areas reccomend for hoist 
contact when lifting the car with a drive on hoist. This is the same 
book that says, in bold type, "NOTE: Vehicle must be raised on a hoist 
for completion of [enigine] removal operation."  How many of you can't 
pull a Corvair drivetrain because you don't have a "hoist"?  Book says 
you have to have one, just like it says these are the "lifting points".

Also, the shop manual (and the trunk sticker) identifies  where to use 
the supplied road service jack, "eight inches toward the center of the 
vehicle from the body door opening".  So, if you are using a floor jack, 
do you put it in the same place or do you use the "lifting points"?  
Decisions, decisions! 

How about a little common sense?  Don't put it under the oil pan because 
the pan is a tinny piece of sheet metal and you'll bend it and at the 
best it will start leaking oil.  Don't put it under the pinch weld 
because it will mash them flat.  If you use the rear "lifting points", 
be sure to use a spacer to save the pinch welds.  Use a pad on your 
floor jack to avoid steel on steel slippage -- real commecial floor 
jacks have a saddle about the same size as a used 7" lamb's wool buffing 
pad.  I have a hard time not laughing at those "floor jacks" with those 
ittsy bitsy teensey weensey saddles, but I guess they make plastic 
saddle pads for those, too (with yellow polka dots?).

Bill Strickland