Lifting a car with air bags

[zzvyb6]

I would just jack up each corner, fix the tire and air it up, fill in the hole and set it back down, When all 4 are back in position, tow it away. You have to lift the car a lot because of suspension travel. Doing one corner at a time is the least effort if you can get to the control arms at the front and the axle at the rear.

A decent front loader and a nylon strap would make yhis job very easy.

 

[CurlyDave]

As these guys found out, that is not a factory tow point. It is a tie-down point for shipping.

Good dealers take them off before delivery...

 

[sparc]

some good feedback, thanks. the car is a fiero, i left that out somehow in my original post.

the thing is sitting right down on the frame all around. I will take a pic next time I am over there.
he's in no hurry to move it, which is how it ended up in this condition anyway.

airing up the tires will not do it. i was worried that digging around it to try to get ramps in place might wake it worse.
i have no idea whaundersideersode of a fiero looks like and what could be damaganythingnthing. anyonemorew moer about
them or have some photos of the underside.

don't know that we are overly cautious, i have just been bouncing some ideas around in my head of what might work. i think I could pull it out with the tractor or my pickup if it came to that, but there are limited attachmenaccessibleccessable and sturdy enough for that kind of rigging.

i think my idea with the forks is the easiest. just pick up one side and put a plank under both wheels, then go to the other side and do it again. the car is now up on its wheels and can be rolled away and on to the trailer. I think my little Bobcat can lift one side at a time, anyone know what a fiero weighs?

never mind i just found it online.


Wheelbase 2,373 mm (93.4 in)

Length
1984–1986: 4,072 mm (160.3 in)
1987–1988: 4,144 mm (163.1 in)
1987–1988 GT: 4,193 mm (165.1 in)

Width
1984–1986: 1,750 mm (68.9 in)
1987–1988: 1,753 mm (69.0 in)

Height
1,191 mm (46.9 in)

Curb weight
1,176 to 1,265 kg (2,590 to 2,790 lb)


I also found there can be an issue with the cooling lines if the car is improperly lifted (below from wikipedia)

A second problem has become common since more Fieros are being serviced by auto repair shops that do not know their design very well. The underbody coolant tubes are positioned in a manner that a casual glance underneath the car may not suggest their fragility. As a result, many of them have been crushed by shop lifts, resulting in a near complete lack of engine cooling. The age of the car suggests that even General Motors dealerships may now be unaware of the proper jacking methods.

 

[tcartwri]

If it has been sitting on the ground for that long there will be very little left of the frame anyways.

 

[sparc]

If it has been sitting on the ground for that long there will be very little left of the frame anyways.

i know but can't convince the owner of that.

 

[ray66v]

I don't know what your "idea with the forks" is, but if it is to lift the entire side by the rocker panel, you will damage the car for sure that way.

The underside of a Fiero is similar to any unibody car. Since most of the understructure is sheet metal, there are limited areas that can be used for jacking.

These are the recommended Fiero jacking points, others can be used to some extent, by someone with experience.

 

[ray66v]

As these guys found out, that is not a factory tow point. It is a tie-down point for shipping.

Good dealers take them off before delivery...

Not all are removable. Sometimes manufacturers weld them into the structure.

These boys seemed to have no knowledge of basic physics. i.e., things being pulled, move in a straight line.

Correct me if I am wrong Dave, wasn't that from Newton? :apple:

 

[sparc]

I don't know what your "idea with the forks" is, but if it is to lift the entire side by the rocker panel, you will damage the car for sure that way.

The underside of a Fiero is similar to any unibody car. Since most of the understructure is sheet metal, there are limited areas that can be used for jacking.

These are the recommended Fiero jacking points, others can be used to some extent, by someone with experience.

well my idea was to lift with the forks under the rocker panel but now seeing the diagram with lifting points and your comments i see that is not a good choice. I could narrow up the forks then straddle a tire, that would let me lift that corner. Plenty of time to figure it out, doesn't have to happen soon, no time pressure.

 

[sparc]

I would just jack up each corner, fix the tire and air it up, fill in the hole and set it back down, When all 4 are back in position, tow it away. You have to lift the car a lot because of suspension travel. Doing one corner at a time is the least effort if you can get to the control arms at the front and the axle at the rear.

A decent front loader and a nylon strap would make yhis job very easy.

Yes it might if we had one.

 

[bcp]

I could narrow up the forks then straddle a tire, that would let me lift that corner.

That sounds best.

Long ago someone sold a bracket that attached under a lug nut so a stuck off-road vehicle could be jacked up from the side. I couldn't find a photo. One end went under a lug nut, then up against the bead area of the wheel, then out to make a jacking point, if i remember correctly.

Bruce