Changing tire.

56sedandelivery

56sedandelivery

Well-known member
Biggest hassle I find with my 56 is changing the rear tires. You have to jack up the body to do so. As I really do not like bumper jacks is there any other way to change a tire?
 
I carry a scissor jack for that reason. There are jacks with all kinds of arrangements at the area that contacts the car and the handle length. Some are suitable and some not. The parts that contacts the frame might have to be modified to contact your frame safely.
 
My '55 Courier sits up a little higher in the rear due to the increased arch in the rear leaf springs so I can just put a bottle-jack under the spring where it intersects with the rear axle. I only raise the tire high enough to get the rubber off the ground. BUT I am using the OEM 710x15 tires which are vary narrow.
My '55 sedan is a different story. Although the rear of the car is raised to it's factory height with the use of overload springs on the rear shocks, a bottle-jack alone will not facilitate removal of the wider modern tires. I also need to use a bumper jack and raise the rear as high as the bumper jack will go to remove a rear tire.
 
I've never felt comfortable using that bumper jack as it seems you need to raise the car/jack awfully high to get the tire off the surface, and it seems so flimsy and vulnerable. I use the scissor jack, or if at home, the hydraulic. I don't use a block of wood.
 
56sedandelivery said:
Do you need some kind of spacer or will the jack itself raise it high enough? I am thinking a couple of 2x10 under the jack.
Click to expand...

Depends on the jack and the way the car is built. I would try to find a jack with a lot of extension. The 2x is not a bad idea, especially on soft ground.
 
The rev stores have some nice jack pads, stackable, and easy to store. I’ve used them on the rv’s for soft ground and low spots. If you're on the shoulder they make a safe inexpensive option to get the scissors jack close. I’ve got them in the car, way easier than 2x10’s.
 
I agree with those that think bumper jacks are dangerous. My uncle had a bumper jack slip and the bumper slid down his thigh and ripped out his knee cap......
 
The only way I can get the radial tires off of the rear of my '54 wagon is to disconnect the shock absorber to drop the axle and wheel low enough. Yep, it's a hassle. Can't remember exactly how or where I jack the car up, as it's something I don't do unless absolutely necessary. Some of the other ideas sound good, I mean using the frame jack with a solid wood pad.
 
none of the above is going to fix your problem.you can get a shock that is longer i had a set on my last 56 you could put just about and size on.they were on the car when i got it so cant give you any more info.
 
I too carry a small hydraulic jack in the trunk. But for home use you might want to think about an old bumper jack. I got this one for $20. I have two and found them on Craigslist. Refurbished it and it is great. They have a built in spring loaded lock pin, as the car is being raised. When I broke an axle shaft it was the only thing to have, not to mention brake jobs on the rear axle of the car. Just add a few jack stands in the appropriate locations and you are good to go. As you can see, I do not lift the car by the bumper, but rather the frame, behind the spring mounts and to the side of the exhaust pipe. Just a thought.

Actually I have never used the factory jack for this car.
 

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Merc, I grew up with one of those jacks, did most of my work with it in my younger days. Quick, stable and safe. But we always used jack stands under the frame just in case.
 
I remember back in the 60s & 70s a lot of shops had the big pneumatic bumper lift jacks. They work on cross beam to catch the bumper in two locations like the one above. Sadly, they started to disappear when bumpers turned into plastic and no longer able to support the car. All the shops use the whole car lift set ups now but they make working under the car a lot easier. A person can just about chuck the creeper if you have one of those jobs.
 
My 54 Vicky and 55 sedan both had problems with the right side. I carried a cheapy roll around floor jack, plywood to sit it on, and a bottle jack to jack the axle down when the body was up. This with two inch lowering blocks and re-arched springs. I also had to remove the R/S shock nuts. I carried an old rug to lay on, but never needed it out on the road. This with 2:25x15 radials on six inch wide wheels with stock 4 1/4 back space.
 
Man, that reminds me, when we were kids, when we got a flat, which was often on those tires we rode on, we would jack up the bumper jack as high as it could possibly go, change the tire, and leave the bumper jack up, then all of us getting in the car, and then just driving away. The best seat in the car was in the back so you could see how far the bumper jack would fly out. Great fun, wrecking all that old stuff. Wish I could do it again.
 
i used to lay under them changing starters what have you.never used a block or anything and everybody was the same.
 
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