Big Red

Ok this is going to sound like a total n00bler question but Ive only ever worked on my two FWD Focus and my Brother in Law's 4WD Ram so I have no experience working on a rear wheel drive car and I wanted to ask this before I kill my car:

Can I jack up just the rear end of the car? Im worried that since there is no parking brake or transmission on the front wheels to hold them steady that if I jack up the rear end the front wheels will roll forward and the car will fall down. I have splash guards coming in the mail and when I get em I wanna just jack up the rear end, take the wheels off and slap those suckers into the wheel well, or am I going to have to jack it up from the side, one side at a time? Also, what is a good place to put the jack on this car? any particularly good spot or just throw it on any open piece of frame I find? Ive only had the car like 3 weeks now and I havent gotten a chance to go under it yet thanks to crappy weather! [:@]

Eventually I want to try my hand at installing an aftermarket exhaust, I helped my bro in law do his on his truck, so I think I will be able to do my own, as well as a CAI, I probably wont be able to get it tuned cause I dont know of any performance shops around here but I should still see a good performance increase with those mods without a tune right? Anyways Im looking forward to making my Stang into a little DIY project, I just wish it wasnt also my daily driver in case I mess something up lol, I was told that mustang are very easy to work on for beginners, I hope this is true.

zanemoseley

Exhaust is fairly easy, takes more patience than skill. I'm pretty sure the CAI is easy also. Just put some blocks on the front tires and use jack stands and you should be fine.

Tres Wright

With ANY car you should chock the wheels before jacking it up. You should never depend on the tranny or emergency brake to "hold" the car while it's being jacked up.

If you're using the factory jack, read the owner's manual and place the jack exactly where described. If you're using a floor jack, it's best to place it under the axle or frame rail.

BTW, do not ever get under a car that is being held up with a jack. If you plan on working underneath it, you need to place jackstands under the frame rails or axle. Either that or drive it up onto ramps, but personally I find ramps a little risky to get the car onto.

Big Red

ah yeah thanks, I forgot about putting the blocks in front of the wheels, duh! Yeah I have jackstands in my shed to hold it up cause I HATE ramps [:@] Haha one time in my first Focus when I was going to do an oil change I drove her up onto the ramps and then went right over the ramps lol, had to jack it up to get them out. Anyways good info, Thanks a lot, keep it comin if you got input!

351PONY

+1 Couldn't have said it any better. BTW, the exhaust is a piece of cake. Just take your time and it'll be fine.

lmmmmm

you dont need to jack up the car to put on splash guards.

Big Red

I havent recived them, but I was under the impression that they had to be drilled in, and I figured Id have to take the wheel off to get a drill in there. Ill post pics and stuff when theyre done.

topless05GT

You don't need to remove the wheels, but it sure is easier... there's not a lot of room for a screwdriver, I wanted to make sure the screws were tight so I removed the wheel first.