I'm working on our son's '65 Ranch Wagon fixing some minor fender bender damage that happened in their driveway. I have a scissor lift, but it's in the back of the shop, I don't want to get my tractor out to move it, and I don't want to work on it where the lift is, so I dug out the trusty Blackhawk bumper lift. Man, I wish I had another one of these things, they're the bomb. I kinda forgot how convenient they are. For "on topic" cars on the H.A.M.B, they work great. I will say I can't lift the roadster with it, but for a quick job, and ease of moving the thing around, what worked 60 years ago still gets the job done.
They are the bomb alright. I had a body man lift a car too high for the pads on the jack to connect properly. It shot out, knocked him down and dropped the car about 3 foot. I know the problem was that he didn't set it up properly, but watching that made me leery of these jacks.
You can't fix stupid, but you can fix a car on these. YouTube is chock full of vids of cars falling off all kinds of lifts because the operator didn't pay attention to how they positioned the car. It ain't just these...
Truck shop where I was leased to had a huge one, it could pick up the rear of a flatbed trailer like it was nothing. Seen them use it on a few trucks, too, on rear brake jobs.
I used them a lot when I worked in gas stations back in the '70s. Luv 'em! Occasionally, you see one listed on CL or FB marketplace.
Been a long time since I was around one of those...auto shop in the late 70s, then at the transmission shop in the early 80s. I guess with the advent of plastic bumpers, their usefulness in a shop waned.
In '66 I worked in a tire shop after school and Saturdays, we had an air bumper jack like yours. It amazes me how well engineered bumper brackets were, to pickup the front of a 4500 pound car and not bend.
I love old tools/equipment of all kinds......I'm at work or else I would be posting **** tons of pics. I have my Grandfathers bumper jack, a 1928 Southbend, 40s Weaver press, 1952 Yates American disc sander, old *** hand tools, just wish I had more.
I see more of them being dug out of dusty back corners of shops and put up for sale now that I had seen for years. They aren't any good for anything that didn't come with solid steel bumpers though.
Well, right, but the stuff all of us are working on/building have bumpers. Unless we take them off...
Several within 100 miles of me ranging from $150 Several listed within 100 miles of me ranging from $150 to $350 with a few of the really big ones (14,000 # rating) around $1,500.
I have two of them and they are great for working on frames as well as interiors of cars. You put one at each end of the project and lift it to a comfortable waist height.Makes fitting components to frames a lot easier and saves the ole back cramps for some other project. I made some extended jack stands that I can put under the frame if I want it to stay there for an extended time period or provide additional room for installing the gas tank or front suspension. They are great for working in driveways and store easily when done. If you have a "special" car like an old 32 Ford, you can always make adapters to mount on the jack so it works for them too.
I thought about that for lifting the roadster. It has no bumper(s), just a "V" spreader at the front, the rear rails are bobbed so it'd be a front only lift, but that'd be enough. It would be pretty easy to, and handy, since the car is WAY too low to get on my scissor lift.
I have 2 of those bumper lifts from Napa setting in the corner. I would gladly sell them to another member if there is anyone close to southwest Vt that could use them.
Depending on your car, you may be able to lift under the axles. Just make brackets that fit the shape of each axle. A box cut/notch out under the front and a half circle for the rear.
When I was an apprentice mechanic, boss Red Mayfield had one, pneumatic. I used it every day. Brakes, transmission removal, exhaust work. Up in front, place tall car stands under 'A pillars under frame. Now raise rear and set the safety locks. On a creeper, I had to reach high for the work, but NEVER had the car belly touching mine!
I p***ed on one at a local auction in a former school bus garage a couple of weeks ago, along with two ancient hydraulic floor jacks. I decided that, although they might clean up nicely, they just plain take too much space.
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