Jacking rail question

[skinnyb]

I went with the Steeda rails. I didn't trim the seam sealer as I didn't have a huge excess anywhere. They have been very helpful for me, I have a staggered setup so I don't rotate my tires but I do jack up and pull off the wheels on occasion to clean them really well (ususally at least twice a year) and the jacking rails makes picking up the entire side at once very easy. Much easier to clean the wheel wells, suspension components, brakes and such so much easier.

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[19gtaz]

I would like to share some thoughts after having installed the Steeda "full size, low profile" jacking rails on my M1, hoping it might be useful for those, like me, who think they might need jacking rails. (So this is not necessarily your case, @21M5033, but I thought I might use your generous topic name for this and for the benefit of future generations ).

The original scissor jack from Ford (we no longer get with our cars, but which can be had by other means), is designed to fit on the pinch weld - literally. It cannot (safely) interface a flat surface which the jacking rails have. So, if you decide to use this one, the jacking rails will not help, and may even get in the way.

The Steeda jacking rails (this may differ for the other brands), while being advertised as "full size" are pretty short (to accommodate other Steeda parts). I made a thread about it and about how to actually put a car with the rails on the jack stands here https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/how-to-set-the-jack-stands.190305/
(do not mind the discussion about the controversial jack stands placement).

The consequence was that whenever I needed to lift the car for some serious work, either by putting it on jack stands (which were properly set on a hard flat surface), or by using a four point "industrial" jack, I was always setting the support on jack points specified by Ford - the subframe in the front and the pinch weld close to the rear wheel well in the back. Never on jacking rails. It gave (at least visually) better front/back stability and in case of jack stands also got out of the way when doing something in the center of the underbody (e.g. swapping the shifter).

So I guess it all depends on the use cases and the tools you have. In my case it turned out that I actually have no use for them.

Coming to your question: I did remove the sealing foam before the installation, because otherwise the rails will not sit flat - I used a chisel for that. Then inspired by @WD Pro post somewhere here, treated the shaved part with something like Waxoyl to (hopefully) prevent a corrosion. Considering however some posts I saw here about the Steeda rails being rusty as hell, I would expect them to become a liability far sooner than a corroded chassis.

I too found the original jack does not fit anymore after installing Steeda jacking rails. I just made a steel cap to fit the top of the jack. I tilted the top of the cap if you will at IIRC approximately 7 degrees to match the angle on the rails. I don't have the car with me or I would post a picture but it's essentially a box that sits on top the jack. Works great.

 

[SideShowB0b]

I think mild steel rails should be classed as sacrificial protection for the pinch welds, and be treated as such with regards to periodic maintenance

+1 on this ^

Was on a road trip and not paying attention when pulling in to a potholed parking lot, bashed the underside of car on the concrete sidewalk transition. Scuffed the jacking rail a little; didn’t touch the pinch welds at all. Worth the cost of the rails right there.

Mine are Steeda low profile rails. Didnt have any issue with seam sealer. My car didnt come with a jack. Using a floor jack and jack stands is stress-free now that i can put those anywhere on the jacking rails.

 

[v guy]

I installed BMR rails.

I removed the offending amount of seam sealer worm, with a chisel.
Bolting the rails over the cushy worm, will eventually cause the sealer worm to go flat, if not on the first jack up. Mechanical integrity is the issue.

Do it right.

 

[eemcclain]

Selling my Steeda rails if anyone is interested. Brand new in the box. Located in Texas.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

For those that have installed Jacking rails, did you remove the factory seam sealer near the front bolts or just leave it? I really don’t want to remove the factory seam sealer but still want a flush fit. Thanks.

Removed it. I wanted to maximize added stiffens to chassis. The sealer is flexible plus it prevented the rails from being solidly up against the body the full length.

Just took a minute.

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