1938 Buick Century- How to Secure on a Flat Bed/Tire change w/o original jack...

[philipj]

A few weeks ago I was able to finally replace all the tires with new radials that look like the old bias ply tires...:)  Yet, once the tow arrived, the challenge was how to secure the car without damage to any steering or suspension components...

 

The photos ilustrate the point, but is there a better way to do this? Another problem arises if you have to change a tire without the original jack... If you're fortunate to be home when this happens, you can use a regular floor jack, but you need at least a good piece of wood not to do any damage to the frame... Without it, you can actually see the frame bend inwards as you lift the car... It is a very heavy car, and the frame is not as rugged as you may think near the rear tires, in my case...

 

Can anyone reccoment what type of jack to carry and where/how to lift the car without the original jack to avoid any damage?

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by philipj (see edit history)

[JFranklin]

I usually use a bottle jack under the axle or front spring, not the frame.

[avgwarhawk]

I have a small floor jack in the trunk.  

[EmTee]

Likewise, I jack mine with a floor jack adding a block of wood (short piece of 2x4) under the lower control arm below the front spring.  I usually jack the rear directly under the differential.  I have a scissor jack saved from my junked '89 Chevy C1500 that I plan to bring with me on tours (along with a few 4x4 blocks).

[Mark Shaw]

8 minutes ago, EmTee said:

I have a scissor jack saved from my junked '89 Chevy C1500 that I plan to bring with me on tours (along with a few 4x4 blocks).

That's what I do too.  I bought a couple os scissor jacks on Amazon to carry in two of my Buicks.  Be sure to buy the ones with a hex drive so you can use a socket wrench or a cordless drill/driver.

The original jack is down right dangerous.  

Edited June 25, 2022 by Mark Shaw (see edit history)

[5219]

The jacks that came with GM cars of that time were all terrible. If they were designing them to damage the vehicles and injure customers, they couldn't have done a better job. I have the original jack for my 1940 LaSalle. I keep it in my basement, far away from the car, so I will never even be tempted to try to use it. The LaSalle carries a heavy duty scissors jack that I kept from a 1970 Cadillac hearse that I once owned.

Find yourself a good scissors jack that will lift your car up high enough to change a tire and carry it with you.

[kgreen]

With regard to tying the car down for trailer transport, it is best to attach straps as close to the wheel as possible to secure the wheel from moving unless you have opportunity to tie the wheel itself onto the trailer.  The desired outcome allows the body to bounce during the ride.  The result from attempting to tie the car body will permit the tie down strap to loosen during extreme downward movement of the body, then snapping the strap tight as the car recovers in an upward movement.  The location that you used to attach the cable to the body to pull the car onto the trailer is a good location for a tie down strap.  I see that you had the front wheels tied directly to the trailer; that is optimum.  For the rear attachment I go as far outboard on the axle shaft as possible then attach the left side axle strap to the right rear side of the trailer.  The left side axle strap goes to the right side of the trailer.  As for strap placement on the axle, I look for a place where the strap can be captured to prevent it from drifting back towards the center of the axle.  I also lookout for brake lines, shock attachment and sway bar attachment, usually using the spring as the capture for the strap at the axle.  

 

As for changing a tire on the side of the road, the scissor jack is a great option providing you have a solid, level surface on which to place the jack. If the surface or the car isn't level, the jack may rotate out from under the car causing injury.  I'm always wary of third party services helping with a tire change.  If AAA or other, I would watch them like a hawk to keep them from attempting to jack at the running board, the rocker or less than stiff frame locations as noted above.

[EmTee]

11 minutes ago, kgreen said:

If the surface or the car isn't level, the jack may rotate out from under the car causing injury. 

That's why I also carry a few 2x4 and 4x4 blocks that can be used to chock wheels and under the jack if needed.

[philipj]

Thank you for the advise regarding a modern jack, I will look for something similar to a Chevy C 1500... Very interesting commentary regarding original jacks, here I was going to try to find one, since they seem so easy to use from the shop manual... I understand they were fitted to the bumpers only...

 

What was the main problem with them? Very surprised they were never revised, say, 40, 41, 42, etc...

 

As for tying the car down, thank you for the pointers and advise... My biggest worry always being brake lines and tie rods... You won't believe what I have seen people try to do while strapping down an antique vehicle... You do have to tell them exactly what to do...

[EmTee]

OEM bumper jacks remained scary well into the 1970s...  It wasn't until the 80s when scissor jacks with specific jack points under the car began replacing bumper jacks.