FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Hi Team

Been looking for an original jack for the ute. I came across two versions supposedly off Holdens of the era. Can anyone tell me which one is the right one; or are they both incorrect?


(https://i.postimg.cc/T5TV7J1R/Jack-1.png) ($2)

(https://i.postimg.cc/sGKgmjF6/Jack-2.png) ($2)

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

The original ute jack was a screw type bottle jack, not hydraulic

I agree. Two stage screw I believe, though the later three stage seem virtually identical and stronger. Passenger cars tended to have the scissor jacks with ratcheting lever handle. The commercial bodies were minus the  B-pillar jacking bracket and used the 2 stage screw bottle jack.

The second old hydraulic jack is quite familiar though.


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Thanks guys, screw type it is then. Will start searching!

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

Jolls ...this is the jack you should look for its out of my FE Ute
Cheers Gary
(https://i.postimg.cc/fSjrQD8V/IMG-7643.jpg) ($2)

Jolls,

Check this out.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/corio/other-parts-accessories/-holden-jack-/1319916544 ($2)

Plenty of these jacks at swap meets, half that price, or less.


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Thansk for the head up!

Thanks Gary - that is gold. I knowexacrly what I am after now. Cheers

It is indeed gold. Well, orange, anyway. ;D

Jolls ..different types here , you can just see it on the Ebay one ,the original had the fitting right under the screw on the base line so you can put the square head of the handle in there to position the jack under the car and then pull it out when finished  .if you go for one like the orange one from WA should come with pair of knee pads ..

Those old screw jacks if damaged , ie vehicle fell off jack , say a FE ute loaded with cases of beer and buckets of ice and buckets of prawns ..or used on a Kenworth ..just try before you buy ..now serious ..if the internal casting for the thread has been bent out of alignment , you cant get at it , and on full extesion looks to be leaning , not square to body ..when you go to use with a load as you wind up , cause things dont fall over when not extended , you will hit a tight spot and have to turn into Superman to wind the bugger ..if at all ..guess what taught me to swear ? ..Vern ..

I have a very funny picture in my mind Vern. I will definitey check. I don't know how many of these things I've turfed over the years and now I want one. Mrs Jolls gets the shits when I "hoard" things. I guess this is another time when I can tell her if only I kept it for another ten years or so!

Cheers

Jolls

Jack has been sorted, young fella picked one up in town this morning.
Found the correct decal on ePAy

It works well; however, the paint is completely gone and so I don't have anything to match the paint to.

I know it's being anal and the colour of the paint won't make the jack work any better; however, if I'm going to get some paint I may as well try to match it as best I can.

Is there a particular paint code for the shade of "orange"?

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

That could be a later HQ commercial jack

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Is there a code stamped bottom or side?

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I won't be able to pick it up until tomorrow when I head into town to get a wheel alignment for our truck. It is a two stage jack and appears to be correct from the pictures; however, I wasn't able to look it over closely and the owner had no idea. Son 3 ensured that it worked and was not bent/threads not damaged in any way. Will let you know tomorrow.

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

There are no numbers on the jack at all. Under the grime I was able to identify some orange paint so it appears to be the correct jack. It is really grubby on the exterior but in good working order. Need to see how it cleans up to see if I can use it as a means to match the paint.

Cheers
Jolls

   I've seen them in grey like the motor ??
        But that could be fb or ek.
        Brad.

May be corrected here but the orange jack as shown above is fx- fj as it has no bracket for lining up.  AL.

Hi Al,

Thanks, if that is the case I lucked in then because the one I picked up has the bracket. I didn't even think to look at that detail.

(https://i.postimg.cc/LhwcH7qj/Ute-Jack-Unrestored.jpg) ($2)

Haven't got to doing the restoration yet fortunatley. Can anyone provide a definitve answer on the colour (grey or orange) and the lining up bracket none or one?

Restoring it is on the list of things to do; but a fair way down the priority list.   

I've cleaned & repainted these over the years, some came with the cars & some from swap meets

I had always assumed that the type with the bracket were later but could be wrong

Although it took till FB before they improved the FE - FC sedan jack by doing the rachet handle

I matched approximately the remnants of orange (not mixed) one of the jacks with the bracket appears to have grey motor grey

The instruction decals I found later after a hand painted attempt on the 1st jack which I'm pretty sure came with the FE pano

(https://i.postimg.cc/DWStJvPy/20240131-125536.jpg) ($2)

(https://i.postimg.cc/bG4417m0/20240131-202055.jpg) ($2)

Zulu, are the decals nowadays obtainable ?  Looking for one.  AL.

Al,

I think the bottle jack decal came from a helpful member on here, but it was a long time ago

Gary

Thanks anyway Garry.   Anyone out there have one to sell ?  ?

Thanks for the advice. The jack I have acquired has remnants of orange, no grey to be seen, and the bracket is different from the two in image you posted. It will get coat of orange paint and a tart up; but I will try to positively identify it in the fullness of time.

Well, the fullness of time didn't take long; about 15 minutes in fact.

Mine is an APAC No 17, which apears to have come in both orange and grey and in two styles. The type I have has an enclosed cage hook on the base for moving the jack about.  The model with no cage hook has the access hole rotated 15 degrees to the winding hole. In operation, this would have the effect of capturing the square nut at the end of the winder once the winder is withdrawn enabling withdrawral of the jack from beneath the car by pulling on the handle. 

According to the Clyde-APAC company history https://clydeapac.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Company-Information-Clyde.pdf ($2) APAC made jacks for Holden for over 60 years. It also appears from a newspapaer article dated 16 December 1948 (found in the APAC history) that they provided the jacks for the FX. It is highly likely that the jacks without cage hooks are APAC No 17s as APAC were based in SA. In addition to their own jacks they made Lightburn hydraulic jacks both here and in South Africa. In 1954 APAC industries was acquired by Clyde Engineering in NSW and became Clyde APAC. From other articles I found at Ozwrenches https://www.ozwrenches.com/jacks.htm#aussie ($2) APAC and Clyde APAC also supplied aftermarket jacks to NASCO. 

Wylie were also based in SA and the Ozwrenches site has linked them as a supplier to Holden as well. On this site they show Wylie scissor jacks; the winding type for FE/FC and the ratcheting type for FB/EK.

This clearly shows the Holden had at least two jack suppliers. It is likely that APAC supplied the early bottle jacks and Wylie provided scissors. Given the APAC No 17 came in two styles I expect that the cage hook would be cheaper to manufacture than the capture mechanism inside the winder gear itself so I'm speculating that the jacks with the cage hook were the later version. I also expect that at some point it was found to be more economical to produce the bottle jack with a turned up tang style cage hook as opposed to the enclosed style on the jack I have. So my best guess is - FX/FJ capture mechanism in the winder, FJ/FE/FC enclosed cage hook, FC/EJ/EH tang style cage hook and then sometime down the track they went to a three stage bottle jack. Purely speculation - maybe the enclosed cage was for some other purpose/vehicle.

I'm not sure what records APAC have from back then but I'll write to them and see if I can't find out some more.

A deep dive into Holden jacks - I never would have thought it.

Jolls ..My floor jack is a APAC 240 ..Ive had it for 50 years , put seals in 3 times ..use it all the time .It was orange in colour originally when new..Vern ..

I read in some of their advertising that their jacks were built to last a lifeltime! Not like the stuff built now. Having said that I'll have to check the orange trolley jack I have in the shed. I recall it in the garage as a kid and inherited it when my Dad passed. Still going strong.