Is it OK to place some lumber below the shock mount brackets on the axle to raise the wheels off the ground for several months? I need to do some work on the chassis etc and need to crawl under it. I don't want to use the frame areas for support in case I need to look at the mounts.

If it was me, I would only trust being under a 2-ton car only using jack stands.

Why not remove the rear sway bar and fully support the rear of the car from the axle tubes.

Wow, that sounds like a great idea..thanks a lot.

2nd question: (with anti sway bar removed)
Is it ok to lift the rear axle with a jack pad placed under the differential or is it better to lift near the ends of the axle tubes?

I've had no issues lifting my car with a floor jack under the differential. There is enough room for half the jack pad to fit under the differential without removing the sway bar.

True, you can lift the rear up from under the differential without removing the sway bars, but if you're going to use jack stands under the axle tubes and not the frame, then you would be better off simply removing the rear sway bar so the jack stands sit nicely under the axle tubes and not the sway bar stressing the end links.

It only takes about 10 minutes, on a bad day, to remove the rear sway bar.

Thanks for the advice and giving me something to work with.

I usually put them between the shocks and the backing plate.

I suggest making some of these cribbing blocks. I trust these more than jack stands. You can have these under the front of the car, and if you need to remove the wheels, rear end, etc in the rear, then support that by the frame.

These blocks are extremely stable. And you can see how much higher than my ramps they are.

Joe87 - That looks sturdy and safe