1948 Studebaker Commander Convertible... Correct Jack ?

[Wowabunga]

Hello 1948 Studebaker owners... I saw a nice 48 Convertible at a car show that had this same jack in the trunk. 

 

1)  Is this correct for the 48 Studebaker ?  All cars or just the Commander ?

 

2) Did the Studebaker engineers bump their heads... this thing looks 1000x more dangerous than playing with knives...!  Anyone ever try to use this jack... any misfortunes ?

Edited November 14, 2019 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[STUDE48]

I used the jack once on my 1948 champion, be sure to have a set of chocks for the wheels in the trunk, and if you have an overdrive to lock out the plantery gears so the engine will help hold the car as well. It is best to use a shop style bumper jack, or a rack if available. Must lift the car fairly high to get the tire past the fender and the brake drum in the rear

[studeq]

Prior to performing routine maintenance on your Studebaker be sure to read your owner' manual!

 

Incidentally my collection includes file copies of every original owner's manual issued by Studebaker from the Electrics thru 1966, though I believe I am missing the original 1910 2-speed Flanders manual.

[Wowabunga]

21 minutes ago, studeq said:

Prior to performing routine maintenance on your Studebaker be sure to read your owner' manual!

 

 

Looks like the Studebaker Art Department was drinking again...!  The base on figure 2 doesn't match with the base on figure 3.  Luckily I have "half a hard drive" full of reference photos and your jack/base illustrated in figure 2 matches a jack in my reference files for the 1948 Studebaker.

 

On the other hand I have 4 different jacks for the 1948 Studebaker in my reference files... and would like to narrow that number down.  The photo below is the trunk from a 1948 Studebaker Commander Convertible that was being shown at the Hershey Swap car show.  The jack  pictured in my original post matches this trunk photo.  I acquired the jack from a jack vendor who was told it was a Studebaker jack.

 

Please sound off Studebaker owners if you have this jack in your trunk... thank you.

 

 

[STUDE48]

Yours is a correct jack 

[STUDE48]

Yes I Do have this jack in my 48 champ

[Wowabunga]

1 hour ago, STUDE48 said:

Yes I Do have this jack in my 48 champ

 

Any nightmare stories of trying to use this jack on your car to change a tire ???  It just looks really dangerous with it being on a 45 degree slope.  Studeq's instructions graphic talks about "Placing nub of jack into the hole on the bumper".  So I assume the nub on my jack shares the same purpose.

 

And a big thank you for confirming that I have one of the correct jacks for 1948.

[8E45E]

6 hours ago, Wowabunga said:

 

Any nightmare stories of trying to use this jack on your car to change a tire ??? 

Not sure if yours is a nicely restored show car or not, but I would be tempted to buy a small hydraulic jack and a stand for tire repairs.  They are inexpensive, don't take up a lot of room, and best of all, don't mark up the chrome or dent the bumper like a factory jack does.

 

Craig

[(S)]

Good info and good advice about not using  OE  car jacks.     From the pics I found out I have a few to get rid of. 

[Wowabunga]

2 hours ago, (S) said:

Good info and good advice about not using  OE  car jacks.     From the pics I found out I have a few to get rid of. 

 

Oh my don't toss the jacks... Many owners like to have the original jack for show points.  1948 Studebaker jacks can be hard to find.

[fh4ever]

I am sure anyone here old enough will remember having to use the "bumper jack".   Although I never experienced the Studebaker jack, I did occasionally have to use non Studebaker bumper jacks of similar design.   It can work adequate on hard level ground with E brakes on and wheels chocked.  But try to use it on the soft sloped road shoulder  next to a ditch and its short comings are realized.   First, a block of wood was mandatory to prevent sinking in the soft soil and added stability.  Then, place the jack vertically straight under the bumper only to have it leaning profusely by the time the tire leaves the ground.  More often than not, the car would slide forward or sideways from the leaning jack worsening the situation.  Recognizing the unsafe situation, you lower the car and start over by leaning the jack something other than vertical ...anticipating the jack will be halfway straight by the time the tire leaves the ground.   I don't recall our non -Studebaker cars having notches in the bumper for the jack to sit in, and that perhaps is why they tend to slide against the hard chrome bumper.    I do know my use of them have resulted in the car falling more than once.    I also recall the pinched fingers when trying to operate the small lever for up or down.   There were always several of these around from various makes and models....(a car would be junked but the jack would remain).    They would sometimes be used for other non-automotive lifting....and they eventually all disappeared.   

    

[(S)]

I'd love to 'lighten ' the load.  Most of these are right in the 1948- 1960 era.  All are from Studebaker cars, with the odd brand x here and there.   Two of those wire baskets weight about as much as an engine! 

 

The parts books  show some, but then they 'repeat' a shape of the hole and it throws me off.  Trying to ID jack bases is difficult but these above pics probably ID'd 2 of them!  Thank you.

[Wowabunga]

12 hours ago, fh4ever said:

I am sure anyone here old enough will remember having to use the "bumper jack".   Although I never experienced the Studebaker jack, I did occasionally have to use non Studebaker bumper jacks of similar design.   It can work adequate on hard level ground with E brakes on and wheels chocked.  But try to use it on the soft sloped road shoulder  next to a ditch and its short comings are realized.   First, a block of wood was mandatory to prevent sinking in the soft soil and added stability.  Then, place the jack vertically straight under the bumper only to have it leaning profusely by the time the tire leaves the ground.  More often than not, the car would slide forward or sideways from the leaning jack worsening the situation.  Recognizing the unsafe situation, you lower the car and start over by leaning the jack something other than vertical ...anticipating the jack will be halfway straight by the time the tire leaves the ground. 

 

That was a wonderful recollection of how I felt the first time I used a bumper jack on my 65 Rambler Wagon...!  An A+ effort...!!!

 

Let me add that folks in snowy climates have used bumper jacks to get unstuck.  Jack up car out of snow/ditch, lean forward... repeat.  LOL.

Edited November 17, 2019 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[fh4ever]

you are correct, I forgot about the snowy climates...if the car was stuck in the snow, we would jack the car up to put the tire chains on.   And with the snow, the ground was already wet and soft, and probably not level since you were stuck!