Can I lift the car on the sills?

[Pond]

I want to raise one side of my Z3 at a time and put it on axle stands under the jacking points.
The question is....are the (structural) sills strong enough to jack the car from? I will spread the load with a piece of timber on the jack between the jacking pads, so all the weight isn't in one spot.
Obviously, I don't want to crush, or deform, the sills. I have a jack that is plenty strong enough, just not sure if the sills are.

I tried doing a search but there was nothing obvious.

 

[Duncodin]

There's a tools thread on the forum where we discussed car lifts etc. Somebody posted photos where they were lifting the car with one of those little tilting lifts that just go on the centre of the sill not actually on the jacking points.

So I suppose they're just doing what you're looking to do.

 

[John_B]

I want to raise one side of my Z3 at a time and put it on axle stands under the jacking points.
The question is....are the (structural) sills strong enough to jack the car from? I will spread the load with a piece of timber on the jack between the jacking pads, so all the weight isn't in one spot.
Obviously, I don't want to crush, or deform, the sills. I have a jack that is plenty strong enough, just not sure if the sills are.

I tried doing a search but there was nothing obvious.

I lift mine all the time using that exact method if I want to use the jacking points for axle stands. Not had any issues

i suppose I should start lifting with the jacking points and put the axle stands somewhere else like the chassis rails, I'm just worried I'll pick the wrong spot

 

[Pond]

I'm just worried I'll pick the wrong spot

That is the exact reason why I want to do it this way. I don't trust myself to find the 'right' places on the diff, or the gearbox without it either slipping off or me damaging something.
If the car slips off the axle stands on one side or the other while doing the opposite side, it will just fall back down on it's wheels and will be the opposite side to where I am.

 

[John_B]

That is the exact reason why I want to do it this way. I don't trust myself to find the 'right' places on the diff, or the gearbox without it either slipping off or me damaging something.
If the car slips off the axle stands on one side or the other while doing the opposite side, it will just fall back down on it's wheels and will be the opposite side to where I am.

Unless you're on perfectly level ground, don't be surprised if it doesn't actually sit on 4 axle stands. I totally shat myself the first time I put it on 4 and saw it was hovering half an inch over one of them very alarming, but also very normal apparently! I shoved a wedge of wood under the hovering jacking point just to stop any chance of it rocking