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#1
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps
working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. |
#2
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
mm wrote:
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. Yes, Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground. Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... |
#3
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
mm wrote:
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I'd say through the 60's in my neck of the woods. I did know a guy who didn't trust jacks so he used a come-along and a 6" branch on an oak tree as a lift. He'd jack a Cadillac front end up high enough to change oil easily. They don't make bumpers like *that* anymore. Candy asses might put a chunk of firewood under the bumper as a safety-- and if they were feeling exceptionally nervous, maybe even chock the wheels. Lucky we were all pretty much invincible--- 'cept for the ones that weren't. Jim |
#4
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 3:05*am, mm wrote:
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. *There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. *Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. I had a '66 Chev Impala...I used ramps (and still do). That was before "spin-on" oil filters. There was a filter "cartridge" inside a heavy gauge steel cylinder with a big MF'n bolt thru it. (No, I don't have the Chev anymore...I have an "old man's" Buick) |
#5
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
That's before or about the time cars had seat belts, so,
probably was done that way. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "mm" wrote in message ... OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. |
#6
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
Now days you need a computer to fix cars.
-- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Fat-Dumb and Happy" wrote in message ... Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... |
#7
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 7:04*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote: Now a days you need a computer to fix cars. Yes, and you can hold it in your hand (OBD-II). |
#8
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 7:04*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote: Now days you need a computer to fix cars. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus *www.lds.org . "Fat-Dumb and Happy" wrote in ... *Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... Actually, the computer is in the car and the OBD reads the codes. Amen! |
#9
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
mm wrote:
I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. Back when I was a kid I had a Mazda 808. Neat car. I used the scissor jack to lift up the back end, then proceeded to crawl under the car for some maintenance. Fortunately the tires were still on the car when the jack slipped, and I was laying flat on my back. The car fell and compressed my chest a few inches before the suspension drove it back up again. I ended up with a few hairline fractures to my ribs, and a lot of damage to the connective tissue between my ribs and sternum, which made breathing extremely painful for a few weeks, but I was otherwise alright. The thing was that I knew better, and used the jack because "it was just for a minute". You can bet that I always use jackstands now, no matter what I'm doing (and I use a better jack, too). Jon |
#10
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 3:05*am, mm wrote:
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. *There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. *Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. A lot of folks did work under cars supported by those things. A few aren't here anymore. They were even dangerous for changing tires, especially on the rear (with rear wheel drive cars - nearly all of them then). That is when I learned to: - jack the car up with lug nuts already loosened, and the spare on the ground between ground and frame, - pull the flat off and quickly swap it with the spare, - install the spare, then pull the flat out from under the car and lower. That way if the car fell it wouldn't go all the way to the ground and you could still get a jack under the bumper. Otherwise you were pretty well screwed. I still do that today with the better socket or screw jacks. RonB |
#11
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 04:05:03 -0400, mm
wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. Jack stands and wooden blocks have been around forever. Good stands were more expensive than now, but there was more wood around. I didn't trust the first "affordable" sheet metal stands, so used wood blocks until I bought good stands. Like what happened to you, just about everybody had a car slip off a jack. Probably more then than now, since tires weren't as good and there were more roads where you had a soft shoulder for the jack base. It was just as stupid to be under a car on a jack then as it is now. First thing I did when I pulled a flat tire on the road was slip the flat under the hub. That way if the car/truck slips off the jack you have room to reposition the jack. Did the same last time I changed a tire on the road. But that was probably 20 years ago. Even a good hydraulic floor jack can leak down or suffer a failure. |
#12
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. Yes, Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground. Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... Before the scissor jacks, about the only advancement was a slit in the bumper where the jack inserted, making it only a LITTLE safer. I always carried a bottle jack and a small floor jack, as many times you needed a combo of jacks. And now, if you have a flat, and the ground is uneven, you can't even get one of those scissor jacks under the car. And it takes a gorilla to turn some of those. I have stopped to help a few motorists, and when I pull out that floor jack and zip zip zip, I believe I have sold a few floor jacks for companies. As on trailers, sometimes they're so low that a little floor jack is all you can get under there. Steve |
#13
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote in
: mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. I used jack stands(screw type) in 1968,when I worked on my 64 Triumph Herald. but I had a scissors jack for that lightweight car. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. The real problem was when you didn't do a full downstroke on the jack handle and the ratchet didn't catch(or it was worn) and the thing would ratchet back down with the jack handle flipping back and forth as it went down. Scary,and hazardous. Yes, Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground. Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... of course,that is when cars had real bumpers. Can't use the bumper jacks on today's cars. I use a hydraulic jack for my cars. it's much easier (and safer,IMO) than the scissors jack that comes with most imports. -- Jim Yanik jyanik at localnet dot com |
#14
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 3:05 am, mm wrote:
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. Dude, where do you live that you get such good TV programming? Or what is the name of the company. I'd buy. This stuff they got on today sucks bigtime. Steve |
#15
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 7:29*am, Bob Villa wrote:
On May 21, 7:04*am, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: Now days you need a computer to fix cars. Actually, the computer is in the car and the OBD reads the codes. Amen! But sometimes it does take a computer to fix a car. The digital dash panel in my explorer died, disabling the entire vehicle because that's where the security circuits reside. The instrument cluster was replaced and the shop used a laptop to reprogram all default vehicle values, including the odometer reading based on last oil change. Red |
#16
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
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#17
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 05:27:44 -0700 (PDT), Bob Villa
wrote: On May 21, 7:04*am, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: Now a days you need a computer to fix cars. Yes, and you can hold it in your hand (OBD-II). That's true. I knew the sheet metal was thinner than before, but it's twice as thinner. Just trying to break ice in the crack between the hood and part of the body that surrounds the grill, I put tiny indentations in my car with my own hand, and it didn't even hurt. I only see them when the light is just right, but I couldn't have dented my '65 or '67 Pontiac without breaking my bones. |
#18
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
In article ,
mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. I was up in the middle a couple of days ago, and while ripping through the channels saw a few minutes of that same Patty Duke episode. Back in the 80's, I was driving through downtown LA, and came across one of those HUGE 70's vintage Ford station wagons. It was in a red zone, about 2' out from the curb on a narrow street, and right next to a busy intersection. The back was up way high on a bumper jack, and undulating around while some guy was up under there... like possibly reaching up in area in front of the fuel tank. Oh, and did I mention the two kids playing in the back? Scared the hell of me, still sends chills up my spine just thinking about it. Erik |
#19
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 12:01*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. *There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. *Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. *Yes, *Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. *A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground. Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. * Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... Before the scissor jacks, about the only advancement was a slit in the bumper where the jack inserted, making it only a LITTLE safer. *I always carried a bottle jack and a small floor jack, as many times you needed a combo of jacks. *And now, if you have a flat, and the ground is uneven, you can't even get one of those scissor jacks under the car. *And it takes a gorilla to turn some of those. I have stopped to help a few motorists, and when I pull out that floor jack and zip zip zip, I believe I have sold a few floor jacks for companies. *As on trailers, sometimes they're so low that a little floor jack is all you can get under there. Steve I just saw a car the other day with the slit in the bumper. I didn't catch the year/make/model as I was too busy asking my son "What do you think that little slit is for". (He had no clue.) The summer cars are beginning to hit the roads now that spring is finally here. |
#20
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 7:35*am, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. *There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I'd say through the 60's in my neck of the woods. * * I did *know a guy who didn't trust jacks so he used a come-along and a 6" branch on an oak tree as a lift. * * He'd jack a Cadillac front end up high enough to change oil easily. * * * They don't make bumpers like *that* anymore. Candy asses might put a chunk of firewood under the bumper as a safety-- and if they were feeling exceptionally nervous, maybe even chock the wheels. Lucky we were all pretty much invincible--- 'cept for the ones that weren't. Jim "I did know a guy who didn't trust jacks so he used a come-along and a 6" branch on an oak tree as a lift." I once slid a '65 Dodge Coronet into a fire hydrant, bending the door pillar in far enough that it was touching the driver's seat. I was in the Coast Guard at the time, so I took it over to the docks, borrowed a come-along and hooked it up to a 50,000 lb buoy sinker. I started cranking the come-along and the car started leaning over, so I jammed a big block of wood under the frame. A few more cranks and the pillar straightened right out, making the doors operable again. Of course, that didn't do anything for the large hole that the hydrant punched into the rear door panel. :-( |
#21
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 13:40:09 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote: I just saw a car the other day with the slit in the bumper. I didn't catch the year/make/model as I was too busy asking my son "What do you think that little slit is for". (He had no clue.) LOL. I didnt' know the ones that fit the slit were safer. I thought about it, but hadn't reached a conclusion. But I sort of didnt' like them, becusae it meant the jack in my car would only fit a bumper with a slit, instead any bumper (any bumper at the time.) I actually tought the scissors jack wasn't an advance but a sacrifice to the fact that cars no longer had bumpers that could be lifted, without cutting their vinyl cover. That second car I had that fell off the jack was on a scissors jack, and I don't think I was even on a hill, but I leaned against the rear bumper iirc and the car fell off the jack. What was good is that the jack wasn't stuck in place after that. Anyhow, everyone, when did safety stands become popular, for pros who weren't using a lift, and then for amateurs??? The summer cars are beginning to hit the roads now that spring is finally here. |
#22
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 11:07:20 -0500, Jim Yanik
wrote: Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote in : mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. I used jack stands(screw type) in 1968,when I worked on my 64 Triumph Herald. but I had a scissors jack for that lightweight car. Ah, an answer to my question. Anyone notice them before then? Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. The real problem was when you didn't do a full downstroke on the jack handle and the ratchet didn't catch(or it was worn) and the thing would ratchet back down with the jack handle flipping back and forth as it went down. Scary,and hazardous. Yes, if it did that without my encouragement, it woudl be scary. I only had that happen when I wanted it to. I felt cool and very skilled that with one stroke, I could get the car to go all the way down. I kept my hand near the handle, though, just out of caution. I think I could have stopped it. Yes, Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground. Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... of course,that is when cars had real bumpers. Can't use the bumper jacks on today's cars. I use a hydraulic jack for my cars. it's much easier (and safer,IMO) than the scissors jack that comes with most imports. The advantage of the scissors jack is the hole that mades with the "bump" under the frame. Do bottle jacks have anything like that? Or is it even an advantage? Soetimes it's a pain trying to get the two parts to match up, and I'm not really sure what good that does. |
#23
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 13:50:57 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote: On May 21, 7:35*am, Jim Elbrecht wrote: mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. *There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I'd say through the 60's in my neck of the woods. * * I did *know a guy who didn't trust jacks so he used a come-along and a 6" branch on an oak tree as a lift. * * He'd jack a Cadillac front end up high enough to change oil easily. * * * They don't make bumpers like *that* anymore. Candy asses might put a chunk of firewood under the bumper as a safety-- and if they were feeling exceptionally nervous, maybe even chock the wheels. Yesh, that's what I sort of thought. Lucky we were all pretty much invincible Yeah. In those days I didn't work under the car much and when I did, I parked one or two wheels on the curb. At least the curb doesn't fall over. --- 'cept for the ones that weren't. Jim "I did know a guy who didn't trust jacks so he used a come-along and a 6" branch on an oak tree as a lift." I once slid a '65 Dodge Coronet into a fire hydrant, bending the door pillar in far enough that it was touching the driver's seat. I was in the Coast Guard at the time, so I took it over to the docks, borrowed a come-along and hooked it up to a 50,000 lb buoy sinker. I started cranking the come-along and the car started leaning over, so I jammed a big block of wood under the frame. A few more cranks and the pillar straightened right out, making the doors operable again. Of course, that didn't do anything for the large hole that the hydrant punched into the rear door panel. :-( I can't beat that story, but when I worked road construction part of the summer, I had a '50 Olds with both an X-frame and a box frame (an [] frame) and it seemed invincible. People parked in the man-made valley where the Interstate was being built. To go to lunch, I could either back up and turn around in a small space or plunce over an 8 foot pile of dirt, like a quarterback jumping over the linebackers from both sides, to make a touchdown. Of course being the manly man I am, I chose the second. I got a running start and drove up the hill, and in a second or two the car stopped moving. I got out and all four wheels were off the ground, off the dirt pile. I had to go to the guy who drove the cherrypicker and ask him for help. He did, after lunch. It took him a couple minutes, and because of the great frame, there was no damage to the car. |
#24
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
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#25
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
Steve B wrote the following:
On May 21, 3:05 am, mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. Dude, where do you live that you get such good TV programming? Or what is the name of the company. I'd buy. This stuff they got on today sucks bigtime. Steve He's got a 1960s B&W TV and it only gets the 60s shows. -- Bill In Hamptonburgh, NY In the original Orange County. Est. 1683 To email, remove the double zeroes after @ |
#26
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
My 1974 Dodge Dart was the first year of electronic
ignition. Won't run when wet, or when ballast resistor blows for no reason. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "The Daring Dufas" wrote in message ... Back on the farm I had a Yale chain hoist and an A frame which I would use to lift each end of my Dodge Dart and set it on columns made of concrete block. With a six foot column at each corner of the little car, I could walk under it and do what ever repairs I needed to do. I was never killed at any time. ^_^ TDD |
#27
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
Beer in radiator, braze a tap to the bottom of heater cores.
-- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. wrote in message news As long as you were able to change the tubes and the air in the AM radio, grease the muffler, and change the oil in the tires, you succeeded with minimal expense and trouble. Knowing all I do about farming, when you did this work, would you ride on a cow or ride on a bull when you went under the car? I know you had to ride something under the car to reach the tire valve stems? By the way, even today, people tend to neglect changing the air in their car radios. You've probably heard the expression "On The Air", well, this is the air you got to change. If you leave that old air in the radio, the radio stations all start sounding alike, because you're listening to all the old air, and if that air pressure builds up, your radio will blow up. Exploding car radios is the number one cause of auto crashes, because when one of them blows, it will shear the driveshaft. Last but not least, and this has nothing to do with this topic, but when you go under the car, be sure to always inspect the wingnut that attaches the steering wheel to the driver. Some wingnuts are for Democrats, and others are for Republicans. Make sure you have the correct one for your chosen party. Personally, I chose the beer party, so I had to soak my wingnut in beer before reinstalling it, and while I was at it, I removed the crack from my engine crackcase, and filled it with beer. I also filled the windshield washer bottle with beer in case I needed a quick drink on my way to the bar. The hard part was always getting my mouth against the windshield while depressing the washer button, and doing 85mph on the freeway, without getting hit in the face with the windshield wiper. |
#28
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On 5/21/2011 8:53 AM, Jon Danniken wrote:
mm wrote: I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. Back when I was a kid I had a Mazda 808. Neat car. I used the scissor jack to lift up the back end, then proceeded to crawl under the car for some maintenance. Fortunately the tires were still on the car when the jack slipped, and I was laying flat on my back. The car fell and compressed my chest a few inches before the suspension drove it back up again. I ended up with a few hairline fractures to my ribs, and a lot of damage to the connective tissue between my ribs and sternum, which made breathing extremely painful for a few weeks, but I was otherwise alright. The thing was that I knew better, and used the jack because "it was just for a minute". You can bet that I always use jackstands now, no matter what I'm doing (and I use a better jack, too). Jon Chuckle. That is how you transition from Young and Immortal, to Wise Old Fart- one scary or expensive lesson at a time. Glad you had no permanent damage. I remember changing an engine mount once, and only felt stupid afterward when my brother pointed out to me that if the jack I was juggling the engine on (Back when oil pans were strong, and a piece of plywood underneath was plenty to lift the engine) had leaked down, I could easily have lost a hand. He was right, of course- I should have stared at the setup long enough to figure out how to wedge the engine with the timbers and planks that were sitting right there. I'm too fat to fit under modern cars, and (for now) have enough cashflow so I don't have to, so it really isn't an issue for me any more. But if I ever do get crazy like that again, I'll buy decent jackstands, along with the floor jack to replace the one from long ago that seems to have grown legs somehow. No idea when or how that happened.... -- aem sends.... |
#29
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
"Steve B" wrote in message
... On May 21, 3:05 am, mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. Dude, where do you live that you get such good TV programming? Or what is the name of the company. I'd buy. This stuff they got on today sucks bigtime. Steve In the Maryland area, ION TV has Patty Duke, the Original Outer Limits, Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt and loads of old stuff. It's free, off-the-air HD TV. They also show all sorts of old movies from the 60's and 70's that aren't available from Netflix (never made it to DVD). Better looking HD than Comcast's hyper-compressed cable service. -- Bobby G. |
#30
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
In article ,
"Stormin Mormon" wrote: My 1974 Dodge Dart was the first year of electronic ignition. Won't run when wet, or when ballast resistor blows for no reason. I used to carry 2 or 3 of those ballast resistors around in the car, and didn't even own a Chrysler product. Made a lot of brownie points with them. Erik |
#31
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 11:07:20 -0500, Jim Yanik
wrote: Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote in : mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. I used jack stands(screw type) in 1968,when I worked on my 64 Triumph Herald. but I had a scissors jack for that lightweight car. Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. The real problem was when you didn't do a full downstroke on the jack handle and the ratchet didn't catch(or it was worn) and the thing would ratchet back down with the jack handle flipping back and forth as it went down. Scary,and hazardous. Yes, Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground. Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... of course,that is when cars had real bumpers. Can't use the bumper jacks on today's cars. I use a hydraulic jack for my cars. it's much easier (and safer,IMO) than the scissors jack that comes with most imports. Including the ones from Detroit, Kansas City, etc. |
#32
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 17:45:15 -0400, mm
wrote: On Sat, 21 May 2011 13:40:09 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote: I just saw a car the other day with the slit in the bumper. I didn't catch the year/make/model as I was too busy asking my son "What do you think that little slit is for". (He had no clue.) LOL. I didnt' know the ones that fit the slit were safer. I thought about it, but hadn't reached a conclusion. But I sort of didnt' like them, becusae it meant the jack in my car would only fit a bumper with a slit, instead any bumper (any bumper at the time.) I actually tought the scissors jack wasn't an advance but a sacrifice to the fact that cars no longer had bumpers that could be lifted, without cutting their vinyl cover. That second car I had that fell off the jack was on a scissors jack, and I don't think I was even on a hill, but I leaned against the rear bumper iirc and the car fell off the jack. What was good is that the jack wasn't stuck in place after that. Anyhow, everyone, when did safety stands become popular, for pros who weren't using a lift, and then for amateurs??? The summer cars are beginning to hit the roads now that spring is finally here. Well, I started as an apprentice mechanic in 1968 and I wouldn't have deampt of crawling under a car without jack stands (or a reasonable facsimle there-of). I'd never trust a bumper jack, with the possible exception of a "tripod" - or the garage type bumper jack or "end lift" that had safety stops and a tip-proof frame. Even with the bumper end lift I USUALLY used stands if I was going underneath.. Did a lot of work under axle end-lifts too - but ONLY with the safety catches engaged. |
#33
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On 5/21/2011 4:45 PM, mm wrote:
.... Anyhow, everyone, when did safety stands become popular, for pros who weren't using a lift,... In about the year after the invention...a "pro" wouldn't be one for long else't... -- |
#34
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 19:00:43 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote: My 1974 Dodge Dart was the first year of electronic ignition. Won't run when wet, or when ballast resistor blows for no reason. Mine always ran when wet - I'd hose it down with the carwash to show people that a slant six mopar COULD run when wet. Always had a spare resistor in the glove-box untill I "got smart" and mounted a spare on the fire-wall. |
#35
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 5:50*pm, mm wrote:
On Sat, 21 May 2011 11:07:20 -0500, Jim Yanik wrote: Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote in : mm wrote: OT Watching a Patty Duke epiode from 1966, another teenager keeps working under his car with nothing holding it up afaict but bumper jack. *There scenes like that. I know I didn't have safety stands until 1970 or maybe much later, but I also didn't lie under the car when it was jacked up. I used jack stands(screw type) in 1968,when I worked on my 64 Triumph Herald. but I had a scissors jack for that lightweight car. Ah, an answer to my question. *Anyone notice them before then? Was this sort of standard in 1956, for teenagers, amateurs, even pros? I've had my car fall off the bumper jack twice, once when it was on a hill, I was only changing a tire and I didn't put anything under the car, only my arms in the wheel well for a few seconds. *Once I had to borrow a jack from another guy on the street, to get my jack out, and then I used both jacks. The real problem was when you didn't do a full downstroke on the jack handle and the ratchet didn't catch(or it was worn) and the thing would ratchet back down with the jack handle flipping back and forth as it went down. Scary,and hazardous. Yes, if it did that without my encouragement, it woudl be scary. I only had that happen when I wanted it to. *I felt cool and very skilled that with one stroke, I could get the car to go all the way down. *I kept my hand near the handle, though, just out of caution. *I think I could have stopped it. * Yes, *Bumper jacks were the most common way to lift a car and probably the only way for most shade tree mechanics. *A lot of brake shoes were changed using nothing but bumper jacks to get the wheel off the ground.. * Most people were a lot skinnier back in those days, I could usually take a drive shaft out with having to raise the vehicle. * Oh the good old days, a piece of cardboard to lay on and a hand full of tools and you could fix a lot of things on the old cars.... of course,that is when cars had real bumpers. Can't use the bumper jacks on today's cars. I use a hydraulic jack for my cars. it's much easier (and safer,IMO) than the scissors jack that comes with most imports. The advantage of the scissors jack is the hole that mades with the "bump" under the frame. *Do bottle jacks have anything like that? Or is it even an advantage? *Soetimes it's a pain trying to get the two parts to match up, and I'm not really sure what good that does. I'd jack the car up and put a couple of concrete blocks under for safety, jacking the car down to rest firmly on the blocks before scooting under. I prefer the bumper jacks to the current system but I guess bumpers aren't strong enough to take the weight anymore. These days I use ramps or a hydraulic jack. |
#36
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On May 21, 8:53*pm, wrote:
On Sat, 21 May 2011 19:00:43 -0400, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: My 1974 Dodge Dart was the first year of electronic ignition. Won't run when wet, or when ballast resistor blows for no reason. *Mine always ran when wet - I'd hose it down with the carwash to show people that a slant six mopar COULD run when wet. Always had a spare resistor in the glove-box untill I "got smart" and mounted a spare on the fire-wall. Don't even let me get started about the finicky nature of AMC models and their cobbeled together parts from any and all manufacturers. The things they would do when it rained/got hot/got cold/dried out/you name it! ........ "I need a starter for a 66 Ambassador." "What month was it built?" "What *month*? I don't know..." "Go take the starter off and we'll see if we can match the bolt pattern. They used 3 different starters that year." ........ "The wipers on my 68 Javelin stop working." "Check the fuel pump." "The car runs fine...I said the wipers don't work." "Check the fuel pump. There's a vacuum booster pump bolted to the top of the fuel pump that powers the wipers. They can leak." ...... BTDT |
#37
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On 5/21/2011 9:29 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
(snip) ....... "The wipers on my 68 Javelin stop working." "Check the fuel pump." "The car runs fine...I said the wipers don't work." "Check the fuel pump. There's a vacuum booster pump bolted to the top of the fuel pump that powers the wipers. They can leak." Okay, so Javelins were really 1959 Ramblers under the skin. But you gotta admit, that first year Javelin sure was pretty. I did a real double take going through a 73? or so Hornet hatch at a dealership- the load floor cover over the spare tire was painted plywood- the company was so broke by then they couldn't even afford tooling for a simple almost-flat ridged metal panel. -- aem sends.... |
#38
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 18:24:47 -0700 (PDT), Pavel314
wrote: Message-ID: Concrete blocks are "dicey" and cinder blocks a no-no. If using concrete blocks, put a board on top so no edge of the frame or suspension nicks the blosk. A cinder block can disintegrate with little provocation and no warning. |
#39
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 18:29:48 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote: On May 21, 8:53Â*pm, wrote: On Sat, 21 May 2011 19:00:43 -0400, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: My 1974 Dodge Dart was the first year of electronic ignition. Won't run when wet, or when ballast resistor blows for no reason. Â*Mine always ran when wet - I'd hose it down with the carwash to show people that a slant six mopar COULD run when wet. Always had a spare resistor in the glove-box untill I "got smart" and mounted a spare on the fire-wall. Don't even let me get started about the finicky nature of AMC models and their cobbeled together parts from any and all manufacturers. The things they would do when it rained/got hot/got cold/dried out/you name it! ....... "I need a starter for a 66 Ambassador." "What month was it built?" "What *month*? I don't know..." "Go take the starter off and we'll see if we can match the bolt pattern. They used 3 different starters that year." Hey, it was NOT that bad. They either used prestolite or delco - and they were extremely reliable. ....... "The wipers on my 68 Javelin stop working." "Check the fuel pump." "The car runs fine...I said the wipers don't work." "Check the fuel pump. There's a vacuum booster pump bolted to the top of the fuel pump that powers the wipers. They can leak." . ..... And that was a heck of a lot better than general motors' use of manifold vacuum only up untill 1957. If it was raining and you were pulling a long uphill grade --- Good Luck!!!! BTDT |
#40
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OT Did people only use bumper jacks?
On Sat, 21 May 2011 22:42:31 -0400, aemeijers
wrote: On 5/21/2011 9:29 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: (snip) ....... "The wipers on my 68 Javelin stop working." "Check the fuel pump." "The car runs fine...I said the wipers don't work." "Check the fuel pump. There's a vacuum booster pump bolted to the top of the fuel pump that powers the wipers. They can leak." Okay, so Javelins were really 1959 Ramblers under the skin. But you gotta admit, that first year Javelin sure was pretty. I did a real double take going through a 73? or so Hornet hatch at a dealership- the load floor cover over the spare tire was painted plywood- the company was so broke by then they couldn't even afford tooling for a simple almost-flat ridged metal panel. And that plywood deck did NOT rattle, and was very stout - you never saw one dented or damaged. Why use steel???? It was protected from the elements and was not required to be air-tight like floor-boards, or to stand up to exhaust heat etc. And the Javelin was MUCH different than a '57 Rambler. It was a '68, more or less. The 232 and 258 sixes were pretty good little engines - and the 290, 304,360 engines were better than the 287, 290, and 327 Nash engines of previous generations -- and they were not BAD engines. |
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