So I started looking at these after seeing all these posts/threads on it, but all the seller sites say “except convertible”. Are there vert specific pads I’m not finding or are they just not needed, and why?

My dealer scrapped a wheel doing the free oil change. They rotated the tires as well. They tried to weasel out of that too but eventually the service manager acquiesced begrudgingly. I told him I’m not trying to anything to get for free that isn’t my fault and if they take care of me I’ll be back. I also held the survey over their heads - GM districts take those seriously so if you get a survey don’t complete it if you notice something wrong after getting the car back until your dealer takes care of the issue to your satisfaction.

If you give them a bad review on the survey managers can be scolded or worse. So give them an opportunity to do right by you. And then, if they still don’t even after you’ve told them you haven’t completed the survey yet, rip ‘em good on it.

However, if they do take care of the situation, make sure to give them a good review.

I have the ZL1 Addons vert specific Lift Pads.

https://zl1addons.com/collections/ca...nt=32532898753

I would not recommend lifting on the aluminum shear plate in your first photo.


Instead if you're lifting with a 2 post lift, you can lift from the point of the steel body where the two holes are. I would only use that point when putting it on the lift.


Also, if you're doing work where the shear plate must come off, this makes it easier as well :)

Yes I have lifted from both points...either is fine. If you are removing the aluminum plate then you have to use the part of the frame with 2 holes. It is however easier to get the lift pads lined up on the spot I suggested which is why I did. Either way it doesn't hurt the aluminum brace.

So, I went to a collision center that we use. Really nice people.

I'm getting my fenders fixed but, since they were compromised, they will flare again when lifted again. The lift blocks are doing nothing. They aren't stable enough. If there was a wider platform for better stability, then it won't happen but, they don't make them that way. I would have to find someone to make them.
What a terrible lift build on Chevy's part.

Are you saying that if lifted correctly by the pinch welds that your fenders will now bend as though the car were being lifted incorrectly? How is that possible? Sincere question.

Yes. Because the flimsy metal has been weakened.
I don't know how thick you guyses pinch welds are but mine are really thin and I don't know how it doesn't crumple under the pressure of the car when lifted there.

Karma, I agree with your statement, that these arent designed all that robust for lifting purposes. Boy the days of shoving a car jack under the vehicle and easily finding some strong areas to lift it by... are gone. I have gone to three different dealerships for service over the years for my camaros. All three had no clue how to properly lift a gen5, or a gen6 car. If not stopped and instructed by me, they would have done damage to the cars without a doubt.

I'm confused, pics of underside of your car and the damage would be nice. If the lift blocks are pushed all the way up against the floor of the car when they are installed, then they are 1000x more stable then the pinch welds themselves. There is no way they can fold the welds over if installed correctly unless they are coming through the floor of the vehicle.

I'm not trying to be argumentative so please bear with me as I try to piece this together so I can understand it.

Please tell me where I am mistaken:

As I understand it (for the front), lifting by the area under the fenders, which is forward of the front pinch welds, is what causes the fenders to bow out.

I grabbed KingLT1's image and tweaked part of it to illustrate my thinking.

If what is under the fender sheet metal in the "bad lift area" is weak, so bends, thus bowing the fenders, how does that make it so that the pinch weld area is no longer strong?

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...-LvwzRv7-L.png

Yeah, this. My lift pads 'bottom out' on the floor/frame above the rail, it's not just supported by the frame rail itself. Picture below is right after I installed them. The flat tops of the jack pads on the top 'frame' are what stabilizes the lift pad.

https://i.postimg.cc/FscsShqg/jackpad.jpg

Yes, that is what it should be if you have the proper lift pads and they are installed correctly. The pinch weld itself isn't really supporting any weight; it is simply holding the lift pads in place.

Does anyone know what the difference is between the convertible and the sedan as far as pinch welds? You can get bolt on for the sedan for under $50 but if you have a convertible it looks like ZL1 Add Ons is the only company that makes them for the verts and costs $94.