In John Muirs Compleat idiot book he recommends not to jack the car up when doing valve adjustment...is there a reason for this? It would be much easier if I could sit the car up on jack stands while i do this work.

only reason is to make an easy job harder jack it up i have been doing with a jack (because it's lowered) happy dubbin

i think its mostly because he doesnt want you to work under a car thats supported by a jack

i thought that was the case. best to check though. Whats the best point for a jack stand on rear end of a super beetle?

i always jack up the side im working on

mainly cos without it my car to friggin low to even swing a spanner but also it stops alot of the oil running out if that head is uphill

i put an axle stand under the torsion bar tube
i hate to think how many times ive been under a bug and none have dropped on me yet

John Muir was a skinny guy

so that why he didnt want jack the car up LOL

hes dead now

i usually toss my spare under the side so even if falls only half of me will be dead

I always found a pair of drive on ramps worked good - much safer than working under a car on a jack.