jack sills rusted, how to fix?

**tcman49** · 10-04-2015

I went to use my jack on the car this morning so I could remove the wheels to clean the inside of the rims and spiffy up the painted brake calibers that would be better exposed, however it appears the underside sills where the jack needs to sit have become really rusty and unstable to the point where the jack will not work.

Question 1. Can I put the jack on another part of the underside of the car and not do damage to something?

Question 2. If the answer to question one above is no, would it be feasible to bring the car to a shop and have them beef up the underside sills so I can once again use my jack to the lift the car?

notes:

the car is a 2001 grand prix gtp, the first 12 years it was used in the midwest winters, now it is garage keep in florida.

the jack is a 2 1/4 ton hydraulic type

Terry

**Turbocharged400sbc** · 10-04-2015

just inboard in the rear is the 3 bolt mounting bracket for the rear trailing arms, this is a decent substitute.

if your not too low the middle of the rear subframe is accessibe fromt he back letting you jackup both sides at once

**Fivefingerdeathpunch** · 10-04-2015

Either jack the front up by the subframe or slide the jack in far enough to hit the unibody sections and jack it up from there.

The pinch welds are known to rust even with salt water rust. Really you'd have to remove the rust and weld in new metal and remake the sections but without knowing how bad the rust is, it's hard to say how involved it might be.

**idrivejunk** · 10-04-2015

#1: Yes. Center of the front bar of the subframe (front). On the rear there is a spot in the center where safe to use a jack. Its obvious when you look under the car but positioning the jack should be done carefully as with the front. Ask for a pic if you have trouble finding these jack points.

2# If considering repairs, ask about rocker panel repair / replacement. Expense will vary depending on the degree and extent of corrosion.