Underneath, Carefully: Jacking and Supporting a Series 1 or 2 E-Type

The cardboard template was a good idea until it wasn't. I had cut it to sit across the sill seam, reasoning that a wide, soft pad would spread the load. Then the trolley jack came up, the cardboard folded, and a two-inch section of seam closed like a book. No rust, no drama, just a quiet crease that took an afternoon with a hammer and dolly to make presentable. The lesson was cheap enough, but I would rather you didn't pay it too.

The E-Type is an awkward thing to lift. It is long, low, and heavy in the middle, with a bonnet that hangs over the front wheels like a drawn curtain. A standard garage jack barely fits under the nose, and the obvious-looking bits underneath are often the ones you must leave alone. What follows is the routine I use on my own Series 1, and it applies to Series 2 cars with only minor differences. It is not a substitute for your own eyes and a sensible pair of axle stands, but it should keep you away from the expensive mistakes.

The front: crossmember, not radiator

Roll the jack under the front of the car and you will see the lower radiator support and a pressed steel crossmember beneath the engine. The crossmember is the one you want. It is the sturdy bridge between the front frames, and it will take the weight of the front end without complaint. Position the jack saddle centrally, or just off-centre if you are lifting one side at a time, and use a rubber pad or a block of softwood to protect the paint and spread the load.

Do not jack under the radiator itself, the bonnet catch panel, or the thin valance below the grille. Those panels are cosmetic and delicate, and they will fold long before the car leaves the ground. On a Series 1, watch the bonnet clearance as the nose rises; the front edge can swing closer to the floor than you expect if the car is already low at the rear.

A low-profile trolley jack is worth its keep here. Mine is a 2.5-tonne Halfords own-brand job that slides under with a couple of millimetres to spare. If your jack is taller, run the front wheels onto a pair of short planks first, then slide the jack in. Never use the radiator or the bonnet as a lever point to get the jack under — that is how cracks start.

The rear: the IRS cradle, full stop

At the back, the temptation is to shove the jack under the differential. Resist it. The diff is a heavy lump, but it hangs from the cage, and the cage is what you want to lift. Look for the pressed steel cradle that carries the independent rear suspension, just ahead of the diff. A block of wood across the cradle spreads the load nicely, and the whole rear end will come up square.

Do not jack under the boot floor, the spare wheel well, or the rear valance. They are not load-bearing in the way you need, and a jack saddle can dent them before you have even taken the weight. If you are lifting one rear corner, keep the jack under the cradle arm rather than the trailing arm or the shock absorber mount. The trailing arms are strong in tension but not designed for a point load.

Sill seams and other no-go zones

The sill seam is the long lip that runs under the door, and it is the single most common place where an E-Type gets quietly ruined. It looks like a jacking point because it is a seam, and seams are what jacking points often are on modern cars. On the E-Type, that lip is a folded joint with very little strength in bending. A trolley jack saddle will crush it, and once it is crushed the door shut lines can move and the rust traps get worse.

Use the sill seam for nothing. Not for a jack, not for an axle stand, not for a quick prop while you reach for a spanner. The same goes for the floor pans, the chassis legs where they meet the bulkhead, and the front lower wishbone mounts. If you are unsure whether a point is structural, put the jack down and look it up. A minute with a manual is cheaper than a week with a welder.

Stands, ramps and the single-garage shuffle

A trolley jack is a lifting tool, not a supporting tool. Once the car is up, it goes onto axle stands. For the front, I put stands under the crossmember with a wooden pad, or under the front frame legs where they are strongest. For the rear, stands go under the IRS cradle, again with a pad. Make sure the stand saddles sit flat and the car cannot slide sideways. Give the car a firm shove before you go underneath; if it rocks, start again.

Ramps are useful for an oil change or a quick inspection, but the E-Type's nose is so low that most plastic ramps will not clear the front valance. Extension ramps help, but you still need someone watching. I use ramps at the rear only when I am working on the exhaust or the handbrake, and I chock the front wheels every time.

Going high enough for a gearbox oil change

The gearbox drain plug on a Series 1 or 2 is not hard to reach once the car is up, but you need height and level ground. I raise the front on the crossmember, put stands under the front frame legs, then raise the rear on the IRS cradle and put stands under the cradle arms. The car ends up roughly level, which matters because you want the old oil to drain fully. A set of wheel chocks behind the rear wheels is non-negotiable, even with the handbrake on.

Before you go under, check that the stands are not sitting on the sill seams or the floor pans. Check that the jack is still in place as a backup, but do not rely on it. Check that the drain plug is accessible with your socket and that you have a tray that will fit under the gearbox. On a low car, a shallow washing-up bowl is often better than a deep oil pan.

The five-minute checklist

• Ground is flat, solid, and not wet.
• Jack saddle is under the front crossmember or the rear IRS cradle, with a pad.
• Sill seams, floor pans and wishbone mounts are clear.
• Axle stands are under structural points, saddles flat, car stable.
• Wheels are chocked, handbrake on, and the jack is still in place as a backup.
• You have looked twice and shoved the car once.

None of this is glamorous, and none of it will make your E-Type go faster. But a bent seam is a memory you carry every time you open the door, and a collapsed jack is worse than that. Take the extra two minutes. The car has waited sixty years; it can wait while you get the pad straight.