I decided I don't want to go bending anything prematurely putting a jack in the wrong place. That being said, what would be the best points for jacking up a '51 Ford Victoria, especially the rear? The rear differential is too far underneath the car for my hydraulic jack to reach. I was wondering about the rear crossmember and distributing weight with a 2 x 4 of sufficient length. Please stop me before I break something if that's a no-go!
Hey @OldManBritton95 . Just for the hell of it, can you post up a picture of the type of jack that you have, that supposedly wont reach the differential housing, and when you post the picture, hit the button that says full image. I am curious, just to see what kind of jack you are trying to use. Thanks from Dennis.
Here is the jack I am using. The image is a little too large since my phone takes those nice, high resolution pictures by default. Sorry about that. I should have mentioned, for context, that the car has been lowered in the back a few inches by a previous owner. That's the biggest part shutting me down I think, but if the frame crossmember in the rear is stout enough, I wanted to try and lift both rear wheels to keep from twisting the frame too much.
In 1950s if I was working on that car, and most others, and wanted both wheels off the ground, the hydraulic bumper jack was my friend. Never bent a bumper or anything. Ben
What I've been doing lately just for safety let's use the floor jack to go up just far enough so that you feel you're putting stress on the rear crossmember and then use two bottle jacks on the corners and Jack them alternately to get it up where you want and then stick jack stands next to the bottle jacks and let it down.. I usually leave the bottle Jack's in place Please pardon the voice recognition.. it ain't perfect but it's pretty dang good..
Not sure what your jack handle looks like, but I stick a bar in the end of mine if it won't clear the bumper. Works really well on pickup trucks.
If the rear (bumper, etc.) is too low to get enough swing on the jack handle to get even a fraction of an inch of raise, these are a couple of 'tricks' you can try. The first one is a pair of 2 x 6 hunks about a foot long-ish. Lay those on the shop floor right in front of the rear tires and drive up on them. That usually gives you just enough swing to get 'er started up. The second thing that has worked for me is to roll the car with the tail end out of the shop/garage door with the tires not quite off the slab but close. The driveway is usually an inch or more lower than the slab. (In my case, the driveway has a slight slope so I have even more jack-handle clearance.) A third 'trick' is to jack up the bumper about 2 more inches and wedge enough blocks of 2 x 4 to just hold the bumper in the slightly raised position. Then reposition the floor jack under the diff. Again, you should have enough swing with the jack handle. Approach the task as "I can't raise the car so what can I raise so I can raise the car".
https://www.walmart.com/ip/VIVOHOME-Car-Service-Ramps-Low-Profile-Plastic-6-Ton-Race-Truck-Ramps-for-Oil-Changes-Wheels-Lift-Maintenance-Pack-of-4/793759200?athcpid=793759200&athpgid=AthenaItempage&athcgid=null&athznid=utic&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=MKIcHcdEiG4axN-G5Wo3FdHhzSBaQc8xpDHD&athancid=2260338632&athena=true&athbdg=L1400
These are all awesome ideas, guys. I figure I could pick this doggone thing up any which way now if I wanted to with everything I've been recommended. I'm going to have a buddy come over and help me out too when I get to working on it. Having a spotter and just another hand is invaluable. Thanks again!
Hey @OldManBritton95 Just a heads up for you to remember. When you are out on the road, always be prepared for when the inevitable flat tire happens! Be smart and have a few pieces of 2"x6" pieces of wood and a couple of pieces of 4" x4", trust me on this, you won't regret having the pieces of wood, along with 2 small bottle jacks, in your trunk! Flat tires always happen in the strangest places, and depending on where it happens, you don't always have the option of a smooth, flat, dry, hard concrete surface to deal with it! There is no shame in possessing a current, up to date AAA RV PLUS membership card in your wallet as well! Probably the most important element to be aware of is this. Metal on metal slides, so having a few small cut pieces of 1/4" plywood, about 4" square, enough to cover the top of the bottle jack, where it contacts the jacking point on the frame, gives the ram in the jack, something to bite into as the wood pressed against the frame does the same thing! Ask me how I know! Now go out there and enjoy that 51 Ford Victoria! You're welcome from Dennis.
With my back injury, I usually drive the car up on ramps and then use a floor jack to raise it more. The rear is a bit easier, but the tip to nail some 2 x 6 lumber together is smart. Taper one end like a ramp and that'll work.
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