jacking point holes - MOT requirement?

[SilverSaloon]

hi

as some may already know i'm restoring my 1985 107 SL.

i've done quite a bit of repair to the sills. unfortunatly, the jacking tube isnt the best.

at the moment i've created the jack point hole and welded the tube on etc and all looks OEM but i wouldnt completely trust the jack point tube to hold the car so i'd use a trolly jack further back.

i was thinking of just covering up the jack point hole and not having one - at the moment its there but i wouldnt want to use it.

can anyone confirm whether this is OK for the MOT etc...?

thanks

derek

 

[nick mercedes]

hi

as some may already know i'm restoring my 1985 107 SL.

i've done quite a bit of repair to the sills. unfortunatly, the jacking tube isnt the best.

at the moment i've created the jack point hole and welded the tube on etc and all looks OEM but i wouldnt completely trust the jack point tube to hold the car so i'd use a trolly jack further back.

i was thinking of just covering up the jack point hole and not having one - at the moment its there but i wouldnt want to use it.

can anyone confirm whether this is OK for the MOT etc...?

thanks

derek

You can buy repair section jacking points from MB?

Might look a bit strange without the holes.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i dont think the jack "poles" can be bought seperately - they are part of the inner sill panel.

i guess just a bit of standard steel piping of the correct size slid over the top of the existing jack point would be good to give it some support - i might try that

 

[KillerHERTZ]

When I fitted the facelift side skirts to my old W202, I prised off the jacking point dome thinking it was needed in order to fit the skirt.

I never got around to re-fitting it & for 2 years I drove the car around with just a hole in the metal chassis and no support.

It got through 2x MOTs like this.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i think i'll weld in a new piece of steel pipe to replace the existing jackport.

 

[Druk]

I would be surprised if the actual tube was weak, it's made from 4mm steel. More likely the reinforcing ring around the outside end is rusted out. ??

You can see from this the thickness and how there is a large hole in the outer sill through which the tube is poked then an outer ring is welded over. This probably to allow for inaccuracies during assembly.

 

[SilverSaloon]

no its rusted through - what happened was that i drilled a reasonable hole where the jack point was and then welded the new sill panel in place. then i expanded the hole until it was the right size/position to the jack "pole". unfortunatly during this process my cutting tool poked through the top of the pole!!

i havnt welded in the new end panel yet so still have access to the pole. i will probably either cut it off and put a new pole in (steel pipe) or just leave as it is (so it looks ok) and just not use the jack there....

pic:

 

[Druk]

OMG

 

[stevesey]

MGB jacking points rust badly, and there is only one each side in the middle of the sill. When replacing the entire sills I cut the old ones off with what was left of the sills and never put them back - passed about 8 years worth of MOTs like that, so I assume it's not mandatory to have a jacking point.

I used the carry a small trolley jack in the car for emergencies, so I could jack up on the from x-member or the axle if I needed to.

 

[stevesey]

OMG

Loads of metal there

 

[Druk]

Loads of metal there

Oxidisation would be a compliment.

 

[Druk]

and! you need to be careful welding in that area cos of the fuse box and electrics just behind.

 

[SilverSaloon]

OMG

you aint seen nothing yet that jackpoint has been used several times though when i removed the wheels before the restoration started. its now supported on axle stands

nothing my trusty JB-Weld cant fix

i decided to weld a pipe around the existing jack point - everything looks OEM and the hole for the jack is still there and could be used if really needed.... although i will be carrying a trolly jack in the boot for use.

most of the rusted metal here is now cut away/grounded back. I will be putting a large plate across the whole area after patching up the small holes that have exposed the interior by the pedals. Then POR-15 the lot and then underseal.

cheers!!

derek