Where to put jack stands at the rear?

Recommend you lift the car at the rear from the center of the suspension sub frame using a hydraulic floor jack. Then use sections of 2 x 4 lumber, min. 12" lengthwise, on top of the jack stands to support the stamped, spot welded sheet metal along the area of the notches for the tire jack. Tire jack is only for roadside emergencies. Wise of you to ask first, before bending the sheet metal flanges in those areas and popping loose a few spot welds (as I did) before learning this method.

I was just thinking if your suggestion would work for me, and came up with the following questions.

1). How wide is the saddle of your jack stands? Mine is kind of narrow, about 3 inches wide. 2). Is it difficult to lower the car on the 12" lumber, which itself can hardly stand on the jack stand? Do I need to do some cutting on the lumber so it fits the stand and the sheet metal better? Is there an adaptor I can buy, which will be easier and safer? 3). Can anyone with the factory service manual tell what it recommends?

Thanks.

Same here. Except that's the long way - suscpect the width is somewhat shorter. I put the longer face of the top of the jack stand in line with the length of the car (under the 2x4).

Actually, once the weight is on there, it stabilizes. Of course, you want to get it centered visually before lowering. On mine, the metal edge atcually imprinted a groove in the lumber. Some have suggested cutting a groove, but seems that would be prone to splitting under load.

The factory service manual shows lifting points including the rear subframe but that's about it.

Recently finished a fair bit of work under the car, on the exhaust system, engine, transmission and timing belt area. Was up on this arrangement for several days with no problem. In my case I use the jack to lift the front, place jack stands on the front sub frame, then lift the rear, set the jack stands and lower the hydraulic floor jack, but leave some of the load on the floor jack so I've actually got three points of support back there.

If someone has a better method I could change, but this one is a vast improvement over unaided jack stands in the rear, originally suggested by a master diagnostic tech with many years more experience than I.

p.s. For the rear I use some quite old sheet metal jack stands so the top is sheet metal with a small rectangular section and the corners turned up slightly. The car weighs around 3,000 lbs. with roughly 60/40 distribution, so there's around 600 lbs. per side in back. Not an overwhelming amount. In front I have the jack stands where the center section is cast, with notches in the vertical section, and a lever you lift to secure it in place. The sheet metal stands I use in back have a metal pin that slides through the tube frame, so yours may be different, but the principle of using a 2x4 to spread the load over the metal edge should still work. These are personal opinions without recourse. You decide. All I can say is has worked well for me.