will 68 jack work on 69 car?

[Guest]

I am new to oldsmobile restoration. Just bought a 69 cutlass. It has no bumper jack. I found one from a 68 cutlass. Will that jack work on the 69? I assume they have an attachment to fit the bumper. Maybe someone can explain what an original 69 jack looks like and how it operatates to raise the car. Thanks.

[Grimm]

I'm just getting into this myself, so I'm no expert. I don't know, but I would assume a '68 jack would work, but it depends on the jack. From what I've seen, there are two types of jacks, at least for the '68. They are a tall skinny thing, with either a hook type attachement or a cradle. Some bumpers have a small hole on either side of the car where the hook would go in the hole. But if you don't have those holes, like my car, you would need the cradle one where it goes under the bumper to "cradle" it.

On a side note, has anyone used these jacks much? My car didn't have a jack, or spare for that matter, so I need to find one. But I look at those jacks, and they don't look too stable. I'm thinking of finding a more recent, shorter jack where it would just go under the side of the car and jack it up by the frame. Any advice here?

[rocketraider]

Grimm, you've got the right idea. Either a late model side jack or a small hydraulic in its own plastic case are the only way to go for safety if you have to change a tire or go under the car on the road. Detail the bumper jack and leave it in the trunk!

The parts book shows same p/n for 1968-69 F85 jack hook, so yes, I'd say the 68 jack will work fine. There's a lot of 8 GM jack hooks on ebay right now, search 74 olds* and it should come up. Maybe a hook for your car in it.