So I'm going to start changing my own oil and doing other things that require the front end of my car to be jacked up. Would a Craftsman jack set like this one HERE be all that I'd need? Or do I need something else?

Also, I imagine that I'd jack the front end up from the very front? Where exactly should the jack be placed?

And then, when it'* up high enough, I imagine the jackstands go on either side of the vehicle, behind the front wheels, where the normal car jack would be placed?

Or maybe I'm just totally wrong? Help!

Thanks!

Don't jack the car from up front under any circumstances. Refer to your owner'* manual for jack points. If it'* not there, your spare tire cover should have a diagram showing where. Be careful to pick your jackstands carefully. Some won't go low enough to get them under your car. (that page won't load for me)

Just use a big beefy suspension point. There are plenty in the front because its a FWD car. Can't miss it.

Well, since the page won't load for you guys, I'll explain what it is. It'* just a 3.5 ton hydraulic jack and two 3.5 ton jackstands.

So if I jack it up at the normal jack point (behind a front wheel), how do I get the jackstand there? I mean, the jackstand won't be exactly on the proper jack point because that'* where the jack is currently lifting. Does it matter if the jackstand is just a few inches off of the jack point?

Unless what Hector is suggesting is a work-around for this? Apparently there are other suspension points where I can put the jackstands...not just the typical two points behind the front wheels? Are they mentioned somewhere or would I just have to know what they look like so I could recognize them by sight?

:?

Thanks!

Earth dweller.....I jack mine up from the suspension point just forward of the jack point. Just to the inside rear of the A-arm. Then I put my jackstands at the jack point. If you get too big of a jack, you won't be able to do this. My floor jack is narrow. Makes it easy. Jack comes in from behind the front wheel. Like I said, make sure your stands will go low enough. Those sound pretty big by the description. Probably way overkill for your Bonneville.

Gotcha! I'm understanding now, thanks. I don't have jackstands yet, I was just using those as an example. But yeah, I'll make sure they'll fit underneath. The jack is pretty low, so I don't think there would be any problem there. I think the jackstands I looked at advertised a 13" minimum height, though.

If you want to jack AND stand it from behind the wheel, the WIDTH of the jack will be critical. Go through the motions with a ruler or tape measure. Use an imaginary jack. Your neighbors will think you're a fruitcake, but you'll end up better off.

A fruitcake, eh? haha.

Nah, I don't want to do both....just lift a side up with the jack, plop in the stand to keep it up, then lift up the other side, and plop a stand under there to keep it up. The jack is just to lift, not to keep it up.

Your jack points are about 12" behind the front wheels. Go ahead and jack the car up at those points and put the jack stand immediately ahead of the jack before you let it down. Be careful how you orient the jack stand so it will accept the load totally and is not rocking or wobbling on any part of the body.

This is a visual example, not for the weak hearted:



As you can see, the car is supported adequately.
Jay

I have that Sears set just in 3 ton. It works perfectly fine. I used it when we needed to change out the rear brake shoes. It fit in the front too in testing.