resistance is futile! some day you'll be
doing the rear, like this....

just make sure your wood is on the flat spot
of the pumpkin and not touching the diff cover











[IMG]local://upfiles/37808/A7C3955DC4B14DF3AED1732B6E848BA0.jpg[/IMG]

 

I disagree. The diff housing is more than strong enough and can hold the weight of the back of the car. Just be careful to not get the jack on the diff cover (which is very possible and easy) and you can jack it up place your jack stands either on the axle or the frame rails and you are set. Have you been under the car and seen how thick the steel is for that housing?

 

That is exactly what I do...I know the housing is definitely strong enough just not the diff cover obviously. Of course any manual will state that it is not strong enough though it is so there is not any unnecessary warranty work or law suits against Ford if you do use the rear diff housing and something gowrong! A Little common sense goes a long way. I read that in the manual as well on the 06 GT but TacoBill and I agree it is possible and many area mechanics I know agree as well. Just be careful!!!!!!!! Right?!

 

The factory gear housing is made from cast iron, the axle tubes are steel. The cast iron gear housing is not designed to support the cars weight. It can crack where the axle tubesThat is why Ford says don't use it as a lift point.

 

yep, that's the key right there.....just do it
carefully and it works just fine

 

Great- I will still risk it for the minute or so it takes to get the car in the air and jack stands in place. Oh but doesn't the manual state it is okay to use jack stands on the axle? So if the weight of the rear is on the steel of the axle couldn't that cause a crack in the housing where the axle enters the housing on each side? The housing just might crack in a different spot....isn't that possible? Just thinking things out. J

 

No, liftingon the axle close to the spring istotally different than lifting on the differential with regard to stress to the housing. When lifting on the axle, the moment is in close proximity to the weightfrom the vehicle (from the spring), hence, a short moment arm. This results in all the lifting stress or torque being placed on the axle withnegligible forces being applied to the axle housing. However, when you lift at the differential housing, both axles are lifted (double the weight) and the maximum moment arm is achieved in both directions(from thedifferential toboth springs). This results in the maximum possible lifting torque being placed on the differential housing (weight of vehicle times the distance to the springs). You can ignore the warnings from Ford if you like, but itdoes not appear to be simply a general CYA statement. In the rear suspension section of the Mustang Workshop manual, this same warning to never lift the vehicle by the differential housing is repeated a total of six different times. Believe what you will, I just posted this info because not everyone has access to a copy of the factory manual and I thoughtthey ought to know about the warnings from Ford since the advice was put forth here to lift at the differential housing.

 

https://mustangforums.com/upfiles/37...2B6E848BA0.jpg

Just wait until that pumpkin slides off to the
side of your pieceof wood and you now have
your jack on yur sway bar or worse your
trunk. Some poeple can never be told anything.
They think outside the box. Its all in the leverage.
Jack a tube under the spring, all the weight is transfered
straight up. Jack the pumpkin and all that stress it being
transfered almost 90 degrees to the side over a distance
of almost 2 feet each way. Crack that pumpkin?
The tubes press fit into the pumpkin?? No welding??