F-body bumper jack confusion
 

My '71 is missing the bumper jack assembly and is also missing the little bracket that is welded to the trunk floor that holds the jack. I have seen a number of jacks for sale on ebay and elsewhere that claim they are for my car but the lengths vary anywhere from 34" to 36". I found one jack that is out of a '70 that is the 34" and one that is supposedly out of a '72 (it was grey in color and date-coded 1K) that was 35 3/8".

Am I wrong in assuming that there should be only one correct length for the '70-'73 since it has to fit into the brackets?

Was there a change in length at some point (eg 70s are different than 71s, etc)?

Does anyone have their original jack that they could measure? Does this jack fit tightly in the brackets or is there 1/2 inch or more of play?

I ran into the same problem. I had a 71 and couldn't find the correct length jack. The later models were too short.

I recently purchased a 72 T/A that was missing the jack. I just purchased an original out of a 72 bird that the owner didn't need. Here is the length..34 1/4 installed there is about 1 inch between the end of the jack and the end of the bracket. There is some movement back and forth but it doesn't come out of the brackets.

Hope it helps

Thanks TAJohn. So, the jacks were the same 70-73 then? What color is the jack you bought? I thought they were supposed to be blue, but I have seen grey ones as well.

I second with TAJOHN. I bought a new one for my '73 from Classic Industries and it was too long, the base and jack were black and the post was gray phosphate. I cut it and had it replated gold to match the original (at least I think it was the original it's hard to say what may have transpired after 30+ years). The original had about an inch of play in the brackets and mine was light blue. I know for 73, there is some contention that the base and jack were either black or light blue. I thought the older ones were light blue and assumed they started switching the colors around '73 but, I'm not an authority on the earlier years. Since mine could be light blue or black, I left my new one black.

good thread. i've seen the differences also, here's what bothers me, here are two jacks on ebay now, one says 71 gto\firebird, the other says 72 gto\firebird. i would think that the 70-73 mechanisms would have the same design, i think the first pick is more correct, though i don't believe it is correct.

does anyone have a pic of a correct one readily available ?

Both the base and the jack are blue on the one that I purchased.

Thanks TAJohn,

David,

I actually emailed the guy on that first jack. I believe he listed it as 71 GTO/LeMans/Firebird or something like that. He said it was 36 1/2" long, so, obviously that stick is not correct for our cars. I would believe the mechanisms are the same, however, I have also heard that the hook may be slightly different for A-body vs F-body.

I wonder if GM had more than one supplier for jacks. I have seen two jacks that are supposedly original to their cars (both 71s) where the stick is a solid piece of iron with cross-section shaped like a "Y". One jack was date coded 0H (August 1970), the other 0K (November 1970). One was 34 1/2 inches and the other about 35 inches.

I picked up a jack from a 71 lemans, it's cross-section is a T ( I hope it's the correct length). I was told that in 71 GM used a T cross-section and that the T cross-section was only used 1 or 2 years. Can anyone else confirm this?

what are you referring to when you say "t cross section" ?

Sorry, I used to be a draftsmen. If you look at the end of the jack, the newer jacks are a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The jack I am referring to looks like a "T". I'll try to post a pic tonight after I get home.

Here's the pics. I guess Den is right, it's more of a Y than a T. I believe this to be the original GM color.
I need to prep and paint this by spring. Here comes winter.

Does anyone know which years the Y style jack was used, and is this the correct color?

Here is an original "Y" style from an early build '71 Firebird. The car had been sitting behind a shed since 1980. Date code is 0H and the length is 34 1/2"

Last pic is of a jack I got out of the salvage yard. They had a big stack of GM bumper jacks and I drove my car down there and found one that fit. Its the more common "trapezoid" style. When I get out to where my car is stored for the winter I'll have to check the date code and length.

Thanks for the responses. Helps to know what I am looking for regarding the jack mechanism and stick. Now, what about the base and handle for other than the Y style jack. I have seen bases that look different, some seem squarer, other more rectangular, some with curved in sided, others with straight sides. Same with the handle, some have the wrench part curve 90 degrees and go out 4 or 5 inches, others don't curve as much, and some others the wrench ends go out only an inch or two beyond the curve (to the wrench head). I think the later handle description is correct based on my factor jack sticker. Does anyone pictures of their bases and handles that they know are correct for their cars?

scott, could you also incl. a pic of the jacking mechanism as well. thanks - tim

David,

Looking at the jack mechanisms in the two pictures you posted above, I now don't think either is correct for '70-'73 Firebird. The first one is very close but the angle of the pin to the surface of the round rubber bumper is larger than on the Firebird ones I have seen. The Firebird ones are more of a V in that area. The second one is not correct. I saw one like that on Ebay and the guy said it was date coded 7J10 and was for a first gen. I should check my '68 when I get home.

this has been good...so have you/we come up with a definitive decision here?

sounds like the "Y" style is correct for ealry 71's, not sure for all 71's and i think the mechanism is more like the 1st pic im my original post though as i & 68bird point out, that is probably not correct itself, just similar, which i like to hear. i've seen jacks like my 2nd pic identified as f-bird & i have not seen anyone confirm that it is.

Here is what I can verify so far. I have seen an original firebird jack dated 0G (July 1970) that was the trapazoid tube style, 34+ inches long. Dens71TA's Y style jack is dated coded 0H (one month later). Another Y style jack I know of that was original to their 71TA was date coded 0K (October 70) and the car was built in January. The jack on Ebay (first pic that David posted) is also dated 0K but is the trapazoid style. However, the mechanism is different than the firebird ones I have seen. This may be an A-body only jack. All of the firebird jacks I can verify are 34 - 35 inches long.

Scott, what is the date code on your Y-style jack?

I would guess that the very earliest 71s used up what was left over from the 70s. Then the Y-style was used for a while. At some point, a switch back to the trapazoid style occurred, but when??

Did GM actually make the jacks? Could there have been more than one supplier? Did the strike have any affect on this at all? Now lets complicate the picture even more and talk about what Norwood did versus what Van Nuys did.

This is a great post and further reinforces my belief that you can't know "everything" when it comes to these cars.
My 04A Norwood built '71 TA came with a "T" or "Y" style jack that, up to now, I have always assumed was wrong! This post motivated me to look for the date code. It is date coded "1C" (March '71) and based on the above I now believe it to be the OEM part!
Now I just have to figure our what to do with the 2 extra "trapezoid" style jacks that I have and no longer need! BTW, where are the date codes on the "trapezoid" style?

68bird400ho, in answer to your post,
-Did GM actually make the jacks?
Probably not. This is very likely a purchased part
-Could there have been more than one supplier?
Almost a certainty
-Did the strike have any affect on this at all?
Probably not. In all likelihood there were 2 or 3 (or more) suppliers of these mechanisms for the entire US auto industry. The switching of styles was probably a result of negotiating better terms ($), or capacity limitations of a given supplier.
-Now lets complicate the picture even more and talk about what Norwood did versus what Van Nuys did.
Can't give a firsthand answer, as my Van Nuys car came with the original spare, but no jack! The Van Nuys picture gets particularly messy since the plant also made Chevy A-cars. It is very possible that a misbuild could occur if the Chevelle used a different jack of nearly the same length.

Giles,

Thanks for the info. So now we have a 1C dated Y style jack.

On the trapazoid style jacks, If there is a date code it is usually stamped pretty clearly on one of the rivets.

Also sent you a PM

Here is the pic. The date code is 9 H so this would probably be for a 70. I was told by Next Generation (they restored my car) that it is correct in appearance for 71. It also measures 34 1/2 inches.