lifting the cobra

[xm15]

Is it true that you should open the doors and trunk when jacking up the car? Thanks

[Dwight]

maybe the doors
some Cobra flex in the middle (door area)

On a four post lift, no
two post lift, no
but jacking up the front or rear with a floor jack, I would say yes


but I have jacked up a lot of Cobras and never opened the doors. I have not seen a problem.

I do know they can flex

IMHO
Dwight

[Tommy]

It may depend on the manufacturer (assuming you're speaking of a replica rather than an original). My Everett-Morrison has a very rigid frame and stout body. I see no signs of flex when jacking a corner.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Tommy

It may depend on the manufacturer (assuming you're speaking of a replica rather than an original). My Everett-Morrison has a very rigid frame and stout body. I see no signs of flex when jacking a corner.

I agree with Tommy - but if your body has very close body panel fit with minimal gaps (like 3/32 inch or less) it might be a good idea to open the door when lifting one corner.

I have several floor lifts and a couple of old cars - I've developed a habit of never lifting one corner of a car. I always use 2 jacks to lift either one side (jack front and rear) or the entire front or back (jack on both sides of car). Some cars you can get a jack under the differential and lift the entire rear with that. This may be an over-precaution on some newer cars and a lot of reproduction Cobras have very stiff frames - but it can't hurt to take some extra care.

[1795]

I suppose that it might matter based on manufacturer and frame. With the ERA I have never opened the doors prior to jacking and have not noticed any problem with flexing. I have jacked just the front of the car on several occasions, i.e., when i change the oil, and have opened the doors while the front is up and did not notice any pinching or change in function.

You could experiment and open the doors prior to jacking up the front, stretch some masking tape across the door opening and see if it dips when the car is jacked. This might be a sign of flexing if you stretched the tape tight and it was well secured on both ends.

[patrickt]

Jack the front wheel up and the rear wheel should come off the ground. Like this: Can Your Cobra Do this? If it doesn't, then opening the door might be a good idea, but using two jacks is probably better.

[xm15]

ok, thank you all for the responses