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MG MGA - Everyday Jack for the car.

The King Dick jacks cost too much and I wouldn't want to use it on the side of the road in the mud. What kind of less expensive available Jack do you use for your car that works.
A small scissor jack or maybe dual hydraulic seem to be the lowest priced that have the 4-5" lowered height, and lift that may be required.
What works? I will appreciate your advice. My 1500 hits the roads next month, after 15 years. (I hope!!)
Jim Ferguson

I purchased a small scissor jack from a parts supply store and it is all that I carry. Small and compact. I've not had to use it as yet but I'm confident that it will do the job. Cost about $15.

Mike
1960 MGA
1973 MGB
Michael Hosier

Jim,

I use a scissor jack from a junyard Toyota. It has a slot in it that just fits the weld joint and lifts the car up just enough. Fits nicely in the trunk, too.

Tom
Tom Baker

Tom,

What weld joint do you place the jack under?
MGA's are not supposed to be jacked under the body or chassis.
They should be jacked as shown in the factory supplied Driver's Handbook, under a rear leaf spring or the pan for the front coil spring.
MGA bodies and chassis are prone to distortion if jacked.

Mick
Mick Anderson

Mick,

Sorry I wasn't clear. I have been using the frame at either side close to the wheels without any problems. I think at that point it's a double welded layer of 16 guage and seems to take the abuse. I always use a jack stand when I can in the appropriate locations. I agree that under the leaf springs is appropriate. Maybe I should give that a try. But under the front spring pan seems more dangerous than using the frame.

Tom
Tom Baker

I've carried a scissors jack in my MGA since 1963 and while only used in anger about three times, it works well. I made a clamp arrangement to fit it at the lower left side of boot.
I've carried a small bottle jack in my BGT since 1985. Never had to use it (yet) and it sits at the left front of spare wheel.
In both cars, I lift them for wheel changes, etc. using the jack under the spring pan or under the leaf spring at axle.
Fraser Cooper

Tom,

You bring up some interesting points here. When I got my first MGA I also did not like the idea of placing the jack under the coil spring pan.
However, I decided to look at the engineering aspects of using the spring pan.
(a) A load of 53% of the weight of the car is entirely supported by the spring pans.
(b) As the wheel deflects over road bumps a spring pan is subjected to a load of 480 lbs for every inch of deflection.
(c) there is a position on the spring pan, just outboard of the spring base, where the jack fits. It cannot slip off the pan.
(a) and (b) indicate the very high strength of the spring pans.
Even if you jack the car at a relatively strong point on the chassis this load is passed along the chassis to the wheel at the other end and across the chassis to the wheel on the other side.
Also, if you jack up a spring one inch the car goes up one inch. Not like modern cars when you jack the body one foot the car goes up one inch. The same applies to the MGA, the extra distance that you have to lift the body/chassis the greater is the possibility of body/chassis distortion.

Mick
Mick Anderson

Jim

Interesting question. I actually carry the supposedly better MGA 1600 MkII jack in my 1600.
Just a week ago the left front tyre went down totally flat over night in the garage. My trolley jack wouldn't go under the front cross member, so naturally, "let's get out the jack designed for the job".
Do you know the MGA jack would not go under the front suspension with that flat tyre!!?? Thought jacks were for use on the road when we have punctures...
Perhaps a scissor jack isn't such a bad idea!

Pete
Pete Tipping

Pete,

On my first day at work with an old mechanic he said to turn the wheel around so the flat side of the tyre was at the top!!

Mick
Mick Anderson

Pete

I had much the same a year back. I then put the correct jack under the cross member and could not lift the front high enough to raise the wheel off the ground. It was only later that I realised the jack was double lift and I had only used half its height!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Hi Jim, A scissor jack is my choice - small hydraulic bottle jack I have will not fit when the tyre is deflated - make sure you choose the best quality that is available though - not the cheap Eastern manufacture ones which appear to be made of cheese- Cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

A couple years ago I purchased a roadside emergency kit: one of those bags with flares, jumper cables, etc. The kit has a small hydraulic trolly jack (floor jack). It looks just like the bigger floor jacks used in most shops but its about 12" long and only about 3" high at the pad. Its much more stable than a scissors jack and much lower than a bottle jack.

Bill
Bill Boorse

I also have a small version of the bigger shop hydraulic floor jacks -- it works well, and even has a small plastic carrying case to put it in. It was pretty inexpensive (less than $20) and will lift the car high enough to get a wheel off.

Someone borrowed my big jack a couple of years ago and didn't return it before he moved, so the little one has been standing in, and works pretty well.
AJ Mail

Mick
Thanks for the tip, but I think that stuff only works in Aussie mate!

Steve
The lift isn't the problem. I have what I understand to be the "1600 MkII" jack. This is the type where a 3/8" rod is inserted in the jack and swung sideways using a reversible ratchet idea. However, the twin threaded sections are both too long for the jack's cast base height. When fully lowered the jack's theoretical height is 5", but then the threaded section protrudes an inch out beyond the base.
If the threads were shorter it might go under the front suspension or cross member, on a flat surface, when (Aussies note) the flat-part-of-the-tyre-is-at-the-bottom.
Can't be right though - can it...?

Pete
Pete Tipping

Jim,

as so often in the past I followed the recommendations of Barney Gaylord. His suggestion is a small diamond jack made of aluminum.

I bought a jack from the MAZDA Miata on eBay. Cheap, very small, very leightweighted, perfect.

The link to Barney's site:
http://www.mgaguru.com/mgtech/travel/tp102.htm

Robert
Robert Mueller

Here's a picture of the diamond jack in use: http://www.mgaguru.com/tales/pics/stlax_1.jpg
This is really easy to use (as long as your MGA frame is not rusted out to the point of being a road hazzard). Bu sure your hand brake works and is engaged so the car can't roll away.
Barney Gaylord

Do any of you originality guys have more exact details on the MGA jacks? For example, is the later Shelley jack an LJ225 or LJ250 etc. Clausager does not go into this level of detail.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve, go to <www.britishtool.com> and click on the link to ORIGINAL TOOLS. There are a number of pictures of various Shelly jacks, but not much history on the variations.
George
G Goeppner

This thread was discussed between 21/04/2006 and 27/04/2006

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