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Will you use an original bumper jack?
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BrianD
Posted 2019-09-02 11:58 PM (#586952)
Subject: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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My '59 Windsor has a flat. So I opened the trunk and the original jack was still there. I decided to go old school and change a tire like I was on the side of the road in the old days. So for kicks and grins got it working again..the jack was really in bad shape. Only the ground was flat and didn't have to worry about it falling over. It worked like a champ but if I had really nice chrome I'm thinking a 1/8th rubber shim glued to the metal would work perfectly. Would you use your original jack?? Inquiring mind is curious




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BrianD
Posted 2019-09-03 12:22 AM (#586953 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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Kinda like the wide wheel look..maybe a set of baby moons?
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ronbo97
Posted 2019-09-03 10:13 AM (#586966 - in reply to #586953)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?


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No. They scratch and damage the bumper. Use floor jack or call AAA.

BTW, you're taking a serious risk using the jack on a dirt surface. Easy to tip when trying to get the lug nuts off, especially using a cross wrench. Only use it on a hard surface, like concrete or asphalt.

Ron

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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2019-09-03 10:33 AM (#586967 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I'm with Ronbo. I have the original bamper jack in my Forward Look car, and it works, more or less, but I wouldn't use it to change a tire. The damage to the bumper that it might cause if the jack slipped isn't worth it. I use a bottle jack when I'm on the road and a floor jack when I'm in my shop. 

Edit: Nice looking 59 Chrysler by the way. I can tell it's spent most of its life in Calfornia. No observed rust at the usual places on 59s.



Edited by 58 DESOTOS RULE 2019-09-03 11:03 AM
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Powerflite
Posted 2019-09-03 10:56 AM (#586969 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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The original jack is dead weight, useful for car show judges and that's about it. I get a scissors jack from a late model mini-van. They are easy to store and work really well. It can help to attach at block to the top to adjust the height to the frame better.
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BrianD
Posted 2019-09-03 12:03 PM (#586975 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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Location: Orland Ca
I too use the scissor jack. Great for fitting under my cars that have lower ground clearance. There is no way I would use this on a car today, especially one with fresh or nice chrome...I just did this for my own amusement as its been probably 35 years since I last did it.

P.S. The ground under the hay that the jack is on is Northern CA hard packed clay dirt....you use a jack hammer if you want to dig in the summer and in the winter can dig it with a plastic spoon.
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57burb
Posted 2019-09-03 12:07 PM (#586976 - in reply to #586969)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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Good lord, hell no.

Think about this. You're lifting a 4500lb car by its bumper. That bumper is pretty substantial, but it's not designed for THAT. The bumper can distort or even bend without warning while lifting the car, so it's dangerous to be anywhere near the car while it is being lifted by a bumper jack. They are also notoriously unstable with only the small plate on the ground - especially on dirt or an uneven surface.

Go to a junkyard and look at all the old cars with chrome bumpers; more often than not, the bumper will be slightly buckled and tweaked "up" between the bumper bracket and the end of the bumper, with a corresponding bend at the bottom where a bumper jack was used to lift the car.

A modern jack is cheap and much more sturdy than those old bumper jacks, and you won't damage the bumper lifting the car. Take a look at how much it costs to have a bumper straightened and rechromed, or just find a good replacement, and you'll toss that bumper jack in the trash where it belongs.



(Bumper_FrontLower6.jpg)



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Viper Guy
Posted 2019-09-05 9:50 AM (#587092 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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Yeah, I use my bumper jack all the time stored in the trunk for show purposes only. But I would never consider using it to jack up the car. I like the idea of a scissor jack or use my insurance if stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire.
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miquelonbrad
Posted 2019-09-05 10:19 AM (#587096 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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It's been probably 30 years since I used a bumper jack...but not because I don't trust them. It seems that with "good" roads today (subjective, depending on who you ask) and modern steel belted radial tires, no one gets flats like they used to. My Dad says that when he first started driving in the 60's, flats were a monthly occurrence.
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57chizler
Posted 2019-09-05 12:07 PM (#587106 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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My '56 Plaza has a front frame clip swap and the bumper mounts aren't as robust as original so a bumper jack is out of the question. If I ever get a flat I'll call AAA.
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imopar380
Posted 2019-09-06 12:20 AM (#587136 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I've always used a scissors or bottle jack to lift my car up. I keep a bottle jack in the trunk behind the spare tire. I'd never use a bumper jack again unless there was no alternative.
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Polara61_383
Posted 2019-09-06 12:53 PM (#587155 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I've used mine a couple of times and it never scratched the bumper or tipped over.
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local2Ed
Posted 2019-09-06 6:37 PM (#587181 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?


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I had a rear tire blow out this spring, belt shifted , I got off the highway and was nursing it home on the back roads when it blew out at 25mph.
I wished I had a bumper jack. I had a small floor jack and a small bottle jack. Floor jack and bottle jack were too tall to get under frame on the side of car to raise it, but both too short with what I had to try to raise it up from the back bumper or rear frame. The floor jack would only fit under the rear axle tube if I removed the saddle from the floor jack which I really didn't like that idea.
The only place I could raise it was if I put the bottle jack about mid-way between the rear axle and the rear mounting point of the leaf spring under the leaf spring. I raised it very carefully a couple inches until I could get the floor jack under the frame on side of the car then finished raising it the rest of the way and put a jack stand under the axle.

Removing it with a fully inflated tire was no problem.

This thread just reminded me I need to locate a correct bumper jack.
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PlymouthFury
Posted 2019-09-23 10:17 PM (#587890 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I’ve used bumper jacks countless times on many types of surfaces and conditions. Never dented or bent the bumper and never had a car fall over. They work perfectly fine. People got some kinda misconception that bumper jacks are notoriously dangerous... when used as designed they are fine. Would you get under a car using a bumper jack? No. But they can be used to change a tire without worry if the jack is in good condition.

You’ll also find that many small floor jacks won’t fit under the car when the tire is flat or be able to raise it high enough to actually change the tire. Be sure to test it out.



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57chizler
Posted 2019-09-24 3:44 PM (#587910 - in reply to #587890)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I recently got one of these, haven't had a chance to try it yet:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Ton-Automotive-Electric-Scissor-Car-Jack-...
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firedome
Posted 2019-09-25 9:41 AM (#587929 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I'd use it if necessary under the right conditions: perfectly flat pavement, and the wheels blocked. Bumpers then were designed for using the jacks on them, used properly it shouldn't result in any damage except perhaps scratching. But why even use one unless you had no alternatives.

As to flats in the '60s, I started driving in the mid '60s and flats on the old bias 8.00 x 14s on my '63 Ford wagon were certainly not unheard of, maybe every couple of years, more so than occur now perhaps, and I can recall certain models of General tires being a problem then, but flats were still relatively rare, it wasn't the 1920s!

Edited by firedome 2019-09-25 9:43 AM
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plymouth
Posted 2019-09-26 10:35 AM (#587972 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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Yes, I have used mine on the Imperial. The only time I've had a flat, the small hydraulic jack wouldn't fit under the car. Luckily I still had the bumper jack. Ten minutes later, I was back on the road.
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-10-22 11:29 PM (#589144 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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I haven't driven my 56 Dodge in several days (too rainy). I had to check something in the trunk this afternoon (car is in my 12 x 20 1942 era garage) and I looked at the car and wondered why it was so low. (??!!)

Ha. Flat on the right rear (on the side where I generally don't leave much if any room to do anything (there is 16" deep bunker shelving on that side). Hmm... got out the bumper jack and put some padding between the bumper contact hook and the bumper and started jacking (after loosening the nuts of course).

I jacked it until I was almost near to the very top of the jack tubing and was then able to get the flattened tire/wheel out (Freaking nail in the tread). However, to put the spare on, I had to first wiggle the spare into rough place in the wheel well - only to discover that the center of the axel was about 2" too low. So I put a hydraulic trolley jack under axle just where the spring is attached to the axel. Jacked it up until I could get the wheel on to the studs on the drum etc.

I think that if I only had the bumper jack, I would need two pieces of 2 x 8 wood under the jack base to accomplish the same wheel change task.

BTW, the wheel studs are 1/2" x 20 (fine thread) RH thread on the right side. I had to tap one of the wheel nuts that had been damaged by somebody in the life of this 63 year old car. No biggy just annoying.

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56D500boy
Posted 2019-10-25 7:17 PM (#589272 - in reply to #589144)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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56D500boy - 2019-10-22 8:29 PM
I think that if I only had the bumper jack, I would need two pieces of 2 x 8 wood under the jack base to accomplish the same wheel change task.


Okay. I got the damaged tire back yesterday but was too lazy to try to put it on in the garage. Got the car out of there today (it stopped raining) and tried with just the bumper jack and two pieces of 2 x 8 x 12" lumber under the jack base. In theory, I thought it would work.

I loosened the nuts first, obviously and then started jacking.

I got most of the way there and decided that things were going well so I took the nuts completely off and continued jacking to try to get the tire OFF the ground.

As I got the jack to the very top of the jack post, the car started to shift to the side I was working on. (Yikes!) Moved maybe 3" (more?) leaving the post at a bad angle. So I put the nuts back on and tightened them (with a 3/4" socket and rachet so not fully torqued.)

Set up again and repeated the same failure. The car shifted to the side I was working on. Another 3+" to that side (so a total of 6+" over from where I started).

Rather than try it again, I got the trolley jack out. I also put a jack stand under the frame (ahead of the rear wheel). I then put the trolley jack under the axle (at the spring perch) and jacked it enough so the (spare) wheel got off the ground. Then I removed the spare wheel and found that I couldn't get the repaired wheel and tire back on the drum without first letting the axle down. With the axle down, I could get the tire up into the wheel well. Then I jacked the axle up to the point that I could get the wheel onto the studs.

Some of this might be because of the tire size that I am running 235/75/15 (in a very fat configuration for some reason - much fatter than the same size tire on the spare (stock) wheel).

Regardless, it was/is a very messy process. I don't plan on carrying a trolley jack in the car, so rear tire changing needs a new solution for me.





Edited by 56D500boy 2019-10-25 7:19 PM
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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2019-10-25 9:27 PM (#589283 - in reply to #587096)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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miquelonbrad - 2019-09-05 9:19 AM It's been probably 30 years since I used a bumper jack...but not because I don't trust them. It seems that with "good" roads today (subjective, depending on who you ask) and modern steel belted radial tires, no one gets flats like they used to. My Dad says that when he first started driving in the 60's, flats were a monthly occurrence.

I started driving in the 1960s when bias ply tires were the norm on domestic cars. I never had blow outs on a monthly basis; in fact, I can only recall one flat I had in those years, and that was on my 1963 Dodge Dart with the 13 inch wheels. To be fair about it though, the tire was pretty worn. Don't know what tires your father was using back in the day, but they certainly couldn't have been very good ones if he was having a blow out every month. Or maybe he was traveling on gravel roads a lot. 

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56D500boy
Posted 2019-10-27 10:48 PM (#589386 - in reply to #589272)
Subject: RE: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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56D500boy - 2019-10-25 4:17 PM

Regardless, it was/is a very messy process. I don't plan on carrying a trolley jack in the car, so rear tire changing needs a new solution for me.



While I was out in the garage swapping driveshafts on my 56 Dodge, I took the opportunity to test the use of a trolley jack and a bottle jack to get the car high enough to change a rear tire.

With the trolley jack and two pieces of 2 x 4 between the jack face and the frame and the jacking point just where the frame kicks up to clear the rear axle, I was able to get the car high enough that I got the rear tire off the ground. It also appeared that I had enough clearance between the tire and the fender to tilt the bottom of the tire out first and then pull the wheel and tire out of the wheel well.

The bottle jack that I have is cheap (Chinese "Power Fist"). Probably similar to something from Harbor Freight. Single stage (one piston). Even with the piston fully retracted there was no room to get any wood either under the bottle jack base or between the jack face and the frame of the car. So with that, and the piston fully extended, it was not high enough to get the tire off the ground = FAIL.

Speaking of FAIL, I forgot to measure the height of the frame from the garage floor when I had the car on the trolley jack. That would be useful to know when shopping for a new jack.

So:

a) My bumper jack is very unsafe
b) I will need to carry a trolley jack or a two-stage bottle jack in the trunk.

This might be a possibility - goes to 18 3/8" (but minimum is 8 5/8")



Photos from today:



Edited by 56D500boy 2019-10-27 10:53 PM




(TrolleyJackOn56DodgeWithCopCarWheelsAnd235_75_15Tires.jpg)



(BottleJackOn56DodgeWithCopCarWheelsAnd235_75_15Tires.jpg)



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Attachments TrolleyJackOn56DodgeWithCopCarWheelsAnd235_75_15Tires.jpg (119KB - 216 downloads)
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Powerflite
Posted 2019-10-27 11:44 PM (#589391 - in reply to #586952)
Subject: Re: Will you use an original bumper jack?



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Take my original advice and get a scissors jack from a newer mini van. They are strong enough to handle the weight and they move a long distance, and they are cheap and light.
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