1969912 0 #1 October 16, 2009 Sketchiest, scariest car accessory ever developed. I hated those things. For those who haven't used one: Old American cars had big steel bumpers, and the jacks that came with the cars used the front or rear bumper as a lift point. The jack consisted of a ~6"x6" stamped steel base into which was inserted a ~36" vertical member with a series of slots in it. Another piece with a ratcheting mechanism slipped over the vert. tube and had a little cradle that fit under the bumper. Once this contraption was in place under the bumper, the wheel nut wrench was used to cycle the ratcheting mechanism to lift the car by the bumper. Each motion of the jack mechanism would raise the car by 3/8" or so. By the time the tire was high enough to remove, the bumper was nearly 3 feet above the ground supported by this swaying, flimsy-assed assembly. Pic: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=61614.0;attach=110430;image "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonstark 8 #2 October 16, 2009 They were fine until you started putting them on top of logs or bricks or cinder blocks to get just a little higher. THAT was sketchy! jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mutumbo 0 #3 October 16, 2009 QuoteSketchiest, scariest car accessory ever developed. I hated those things. For those who haven't used one: Old American cars had big steel bumpers, and the jacks that came with the cars used the front or rear bumper as a lift point. The jack consisted of a ~6"x6" stamped steel base into which was inserted a ~36" vertical member with a series of slots in it. Another piece with a ratcheting mechanism slipped over the vert. tube and had a little cradle that fit under the bumper. Once this contraption was in place under the bumper, the wheel nut wrench was used to cycle the ratcheting mechanism to lift the car by the bumper. Each motion of the jack mechanism would raise the car by 3/8" or so. By the time the tire was high enough to remove, the bumper was nearly 3 feet above the ground supported by this swaying, flimsy-assed assembly. Pic: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=61614.0;attach=110430;image its called a ratchet lever jack. yeah they are still popular on jeeps and other off road things. they work great so long as you use a second type of stabilization such as bricks, jack the car up, then block it then remove jack. . .Thanatos340(on landing rounds)-- Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #4 October 16, 2009 Quote They were fine until you started putting them on top of logs or bricks or cinder blocks to get just a little higher. THAT was sketchy! jon Been there "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidB 0 #5 October 16, 2009 OMG! That's a jack for a 67-69 Barracuda. That damn thing's worth north of $100! And they're hard to find! I know... When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #6 October 16, 2009 You have my official permission to change your sig line. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's couldn't operate a bumper jack we were doomed . . ." -NickDG NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #7 October 16, 2009 Quote You have my official permission to change your sig line. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's couldn't operate a bumper jack we were doomed . . ." -NickDG NickD "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeNReN 0 #8 October 16, 2009 I love those!!! I remember being able to give the lever stub a kick when set to down and watch it go the "safer" and later version relied on a slot in the bumper for the jack head to hook into.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pontiacgtp00 0 #9 October 16, 2009 Had to use one to change a flat on my 74 plymouth valiant, that was interesting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #10 October 16, 2009 And then there was the guy who would work under a car supported by a bumper jack. Old coworker of mine had a Chevy fall on him right after he got the transmission out. He rolled with it and survived in the tunnel where the tranny had been. Damn, the $hit we survived when we were young. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #11 October 16, 2009 I loved that too . . . click click click click click click click click click down and done . . . People today are a bunch of winders. NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #12 October 16, 2009 I have an interesting story of learning from when I used to have a very large truck in college. I was in the parking garage on campus, using a hi-lift jack to get the rear of the truck up so I could replace the axle blocks. The truck fell off the jack (at least I wasn't under it). Well, a tow-truck, winch, hydraulic lift (on the tow-truck), a $20 tip and a case of beer for the driver we had the truck sitting on the axle again with the U-bolts re-attached. That was an interesting night. Sort of like the time I rebuilt the Weber Progressive carb on my '73 SuperBeetle in that same parking garage, after I had adjusted the valves and had performed an oil change. The parking security HATED me. --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
porpoishead 8 #13 October 16, 2009 Clickety click click click clack......fucking A!!! Doood funniest shit ever....when we were like 18ish (in the midst of being really stoned no less) one of my buds donald was jacking up a LTD with one of those gigs...dude starts letting off the tire iron all you hear is... click click clickety clack ((((PING)))) aaaahhhh fuuuck my tooth....mother fucker runs in the house looking like mike tyson with a gap between his front teeth.... By this point were almost fucking wasted from laughing so hard...we finally try to go inside and console the poor fella...(More like bust his ass some more right..) We get inside and he's on the phone with some dentist and all we hear is.."hey do you guys do emegency capping" BWAHAAHHHAA!!! Round 2 is in full swing at this point...we start going at him with, he might wanna call a brutha in the hood for an emergency capping....what the fuck could possibly be so emergency about a chipped fucking tooth...LOL we rolled to the dentist in a big ass entourage and donald got his toof capped all emergency like and all that day.... No doubt, almost died fucking laughing that day.....those jacks rock..best shit ever... I'm about to call that dude up and ask him who does emergency capping BWAHAAAHHHAAAAA!!!if you want a friend feed any animal Perry Farrell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mutumbo 0 #14 October 16, 2009 HAHAHAHAHAHAH Thanatos340(on landing rounds)-- Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #15 October 16, 2009 Yeah, the tire-iron-in-the-teeth thing was always a possibility. One time we got a mid-70's Chevy pickup stuck with a 2-foot tree stump between the front of the front tire and the wheelwell. All we had was a bumperjack. The ground was soft, and after about a million iterations of jacking the thing up, lowering it, and stuffing crap under the jack base, we got it high enough to just gas it in reverse with the jack as high as it could go. There's probably still a column of twigs, pebbles, and beer cans compressed to black hole density where the jack was. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #16 October 16, 2009 Bumper jacks were great for getting out of being stuck in the mud. Put a bunch of logs down, then jack it up and push the car forward off the jack. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GaryRay 0 #17 October 16, 2009 never heard of them but next time i'll fly camera for you :PJewBag. www.jewbag.wordpress.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #18 October 16, 2009 Quote People today are a bunch of whinders. NickD A little closer to what we meant? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GaryRay 0 #19 October 16, 2009 Quote Quote People today are a bunch of whinders. NickD A little closer to what we meant? is that english?JewBag. www.jewbag.wordpress.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
porpoishead 8 #20 October 16, 2009 Hell yeah....those were the for real 100% bonifide " drive it off the jack " jacks Been there a ass load of times...laghing my sack off remebering The high-lift on my jeep is similar to the old schools ...never had any quality entertainment with that one yet ever...the 35's I have on there now will still pull without any air pres. Got bead lockers..LOLif you want a friend feed any animal Perry Farrell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #21 October 16, 2009 Well, yeah, kind of . . . . You know, whiners + winders = whinders Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GaryRay 0 #22 October 16, 2009 Quote Well, yeah, kind of . . . . You know, whiners + winders = whinders wow john, you so smart....JewBag. www.jewbag.wordpress.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #23 October 16, 2009 yep, I smarterer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #24 October 16, 2009 Getting stuck story: We were ~20 miles from San Luis Obispo in a Datsun 510 set up for fire roads and such. We ended up at tthe bottom of a very rocky canyon trail (made it down OK) and couldn't climb back out because even with IRS, one rear wheel would get air and just spin with the open diff. It was winter and starting to get dark and a bit cold. We tried alternately adjusting rear brakes on the wheel which was off the ground to try to crawl over the rocks, but it got to the point that cranking the brake adjuster as tight as we could wouldn't stop the wheel from spinning. We were getting kind of desperate (and had classes at Cal Poly the next morning.) So what we ended up doing was fill the trunk with rocks. Not just a few - it easily took 400 lb of rocks to fill the trunk 3/4 full. We just nailed the gas and hammered our way out The car didn't even complain about it. The next weekend we had a welded locker. Then there was the time we broke a steering tie rod and patched itwith a 1/4" socket extension hose-clamped across the broken tie rod to get home.... "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
porpoishead 8 #25 October 16, 2009 LMAO!! @ 400lbs of rocks....nothing like off-road entertainment.... I'm in the process of rebuilding a rear axle for my jeep now...after some rock/mud extravaganza on the miss river bank, on the way back to the house check valve I had venting the diff out got stuck..I was turning about 3K in 5th when the bitch blew the fuck up...caught on fire I had no idea what the fuck went down pulled over got the fire out...pinion gear was hanging out the cover...had to beat the hell out of all the twisted metal to gut it out and drive home with the front axle pulling....lost a detroit locker and some kick ass 4.88 gears..but made it to the house Need to get me one of those atlas transfer cases so I can front wheel drive on demand...LOLif you want a friend feed any animal Perry Farrell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
