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Racing Jack

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roscoe

roscoe

Jedi Knight
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I'm sure everyone has seen the old Bonneville or race movies where they jack the front end of a big Healey with a large U-shaped lever arrangement that allows one skinny Englishman to raise both front tires off the ground by pushing down on bar using only their body weight. It's not something you can put in the boot, but for me would be handy in the shop. Does anyone have a good picture of one of these, or know what frame or suspension points it picks up? Does it have a name?
 
roscoe said:
I'm sure everyone has seen the old Bonneville or race movies where they jack the front end of a big Healey with a large U-shaped lever arrangement that allows one skinny Englishman to raise both front tires off the ground by pushing down on bar using only their body weight. It's not something you can put in the boot, but for me would be handy in the shop. Does anyone have a good picture of one of these, or know what frame or suspension points it picks up? Does it have a name?
Click to expand...

I think they're called a quick-lift jack, or something like that. There were two fittings/brackets/hooks/sockets attached to the frame where the horizontal bar of the jack fit, and then the length of the jack uprights constituted a lever capable of moving much weight for little effort.

They're pretty simple items, but you do need the hook-fittings attached to the frame to make them work.

Maybe some of the 100S owners here can correct me on the details. I'd be surprised if there wasn't something like it available, maybe even from Harbor Freight!, but there have to be a couple of sockets, so to speak, attached to the frame for it to work.
 
The BG quick jack is the same principle, i.e. a BAL ( big ass lever), that does the work. Here is the link to a video that shows the unit I'm researching being used. There isnt quite enough detail. It makes an appearance about 30 seconds into this video. I'm sure I could coble something together but why reinvent the wheel when unnecessary?

 
Looks like it has small wheels and perhaps just picks up the crossmember. I wonder if it works for the rears as well.
 
There's really nothing special about the Quick-Lifts or similar products and the one shown on the B-G site has a large pad that is used without any brackets on the vehicle and can be used under a diff or, in the case of a Healey or other cars with a ladder-type frame, it would work at C/L on either the front or rear cross-members.

As pointed out they're simply big levers and the force needed increases with the weight of the car and decreases with the length of the arm. Once it goes over-center the weight of the car would keep the lever arm on the ground but one would have to be very foolish to get under the car without stands being put in place and the jack then removed so that the car be lowered upon them.
 
I could build a house with the 2x4 and 4x4 lumber I have for blocking up various vehicles and farm equipment while working on them. I use that stuff to back up the jack stands. However, getting to the point where the Healey is far enough off the ground using floor jacks and/or bottle jacks so that the real support can be placed has led to some moments of anxiety. I'm afraid if I were to purchase a real lift I'd end up using it once a year.
 
Yah, but having a real lift sure is nice when you do need it. (full disclosure, racing a Big Healey...... I need it all the time (y))
 

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Thank you Reid. That shows all I need. It will be on my list after I finish my luggage rack and my side curtains. Dougie, your shop is nicer than my living room.....perhaps a bit cleaner too!
 
Quick jacks are only good for light weight race cars, at the track, when tire changing must be done in a hurry.
They take up a lot of space in the shop. You will rarely use or try to use it. You need a lot of space at the front or rear of the car when you try and lever that big arm down as you try and lift the car. Because the floor to front crossmember distance on the Healey is quite small, and the wieght is fairly high, you need a very long bar to leverage the QJ into the up position. Not all quick jacks are the same dimensionally or in structural strength. A relatively small, lightweight, quick jack will not lift a Healey front end.
 
I don't quote Archimedes often but leverage is an awesome aspect of physics, almost too good to be true. “Give me a firm place to stand and a large enough lever and I can move the Earth.” I have lots of room in my shop. I used to hangar my airplane in it with tthe Healey under the wing. Sold the airplane to make more Healey space.
 
What Richard says is true whether one is using a simple lever-style jack such as the Swivel Jack #153 or one that uses a parallelogram such as the Quick-Lifts #'s 154-157 and they are intended to be used at a track only to gain enough height to remove a wheel, etc. In order to raise a car high enough to permit one's getting under it with or without a creeper a conventional jack and jackstands would be necessary.
 
BTW Harbor Freight's 3-ton low profile jacks fit easily under our cars and are long enough to avoid the handle's hitting bodywork, etc.
 
I also have a Harbor Freight low profile jack. I put a heavy foam pipe insulator on the handle and a 12-inch by 4-inch, 1/4-inch, thick removable piece of steel that slips easily under the front cross member (it has a 1-inch high edge on one side). To lift the rear on the pumpkin, I place a hockey puck with a hole for the drain plug into the platform of the jack. I also glued a puck onto the underside of the steel plate to help stabilize and center it onto the platform of the jack.
 
Some years ago I purchased a custom saddle which receives either the front or rear crossmembers. I cannot now remember who was the vendor but I know he has since passed. I'm surprised that none of the other AH vendors have copied this as it is a very handy item and prevents dents andd scratches which most standard saddles inflict.
 
Michael Oritt said:
Some years ago I purchased a custom saddle which receives either the front or rear crossmembers. I cannot now remember who was the vendor but I know he has since passed. I'm surprised that none of the other AH vendors have copied this as it is a very handy item and prevents dents andd scratches which most standard saddles inflict.
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I assume the saddle is a bright yellow. Lynn Cline - Classic Collectibles Co. - Hudson Ohio.
 
BobHaskell said:
I assume the saddle is a bright yellow. Lynn Cline - Classic Collectibles Co. - Hudson Ohio.
Click to expand...
Bob--

Yes, that's it. It's nicely welded, powder-coated and the interior lined with a hard rubber liner to keep from scratching the paint.
 
In Roscoe's film clip, it was interesting to see the sparkplugs being torqued. I couldn't make out who was operating the torque wrench but didn't Roger Menadue claim that he'd never used a torque wrench in his life?

My soon to be wife bought me this AC Hydraulics jack for my birthday in December 2001 (I don't think it was actually received until early in January '02) and it has lifted some of the lowest sportscars you'd ever hope to get under, to the highest level you'd ever need!
With its foot lever, you can bring it up to the chassis quick, and then lift with the hand lever once it's under load.
It has an accessory oversize molded rubber puck that covers the saddle and is retained by a nipple into the saddle's hole.
It's not cheap, but at twenty-two (22) years of active service, and still counting, you cannot fault its quality (it replaced a Hein-Werner jack that didn't last me a full 10 yrs).

As seen below, you DO have to be mindful of clearance at the opposite end of the car being lifted; in the case of my Healey with so little front overhang, it's the rear of the car that could touch the ground.

This M Coupe is limited how high you can lift the rear by the front bumper, the jack hadn't reached its maximum height.

IMG_4853-me.jpg


tec_003.jpg


BUT, for working in the shop, I have to agree with Dougie; NOTHING beats a 2-post lift! ;)

IMG_0422-me.jpg
 
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