This must sound stupid, but does anyone have a picture of what the factory jack (and hardware) for an 84 firebird (or other similar models) looks like and how it fits in that spare tire area. I have the spare, but the jack and hardware is missing and I hate the rattle sound it makes, so I took it out. I just know, one of these days im gonna need it, so I've been looking in boneyards but don't know what to look for. Thanks,
John

------------------
84 Firebird with Trans am ground effects- 350 4bbl GM crate motor (LM1), T-Tops, automatic, K&N filter, 180* thermostat, ram-air hood scoop, flowmaster muffler, Accel cap & rotor, MSD Super Conductor Wires. Coming soon: new interior (grey), rear end work, subframe connectors, polyurethane bushings

 

I have the original unused jack, spare, and compressed air inflate can for my car but I think your spare tire is just a regular donut as mine is a colapsable so if I remember right, your jack just fits snug behind the spare...

------------------
1992 GTA (226 made), 1 of only 18 "Dk. Jade Gray Met. Primar" 92 GTA's, Window Sticker, 305 TPI, 700R4 4-Speed, T-Tops, Grey Leather, every option except rear disk brakes (Oh well, makes it 1 of a kind), and CD.
Current Mods/Upgrades: 80 Series Dual Outlet Flowmaster, TPIS Air Foil, OE Replacement K&N Air Filter, and Mobil 1. THAT'S IT! 98% STOCK!
Future Mods/Upgrades: None but a complete restoration.

"If it ain't broke, fix it til it is!"
Webmaster www.TransAmGTA.com
My 3rdGen Firebird Message Board!
Help Me Find My Dream Car!!

[This message has been edited by 92GTA (edited October 15, 2000).]

 

Thanks 92 GTA,
That's a start (I didn't know anything about it) anyone know what it looks like? Im guessing it's a scissor-type jack, but no idea about size.

 

Yes, that is the type of jack. It's about as long as the diameter of your rim You should be able to get it at any junk yard for around $15...

 

Later cars have different jacks then the older ones. My 92 has a different one from my 86 even though it has the same donut spare. They also mount differently in the spare tire well.

------------------
-Justin-
T-Top '86 5.0L LG4 700R4 WS6 Now Bilstein equipped!
T-Top '92 5.0L TBI 700R4
My '86 Firebird Homepage
The F-body Model Kit Pictoral Archive (updated 9/18/00)

There can be only one!!

 

Why would you want it? All it does is makes the car heavier.

 

I need it because once I get the car back together, If I get a flat I don't want to have to leave it on the side of the road somewhere and come back for it, or pay a towtruck 100 bucks to get it home. I rather change the tire myself and take the flat to get fixed for like 10 bucks if I get one. Plus it only adds a couple pounds and if I was that picky, my justification would be that it is weight in the rear of the car, helping improve the lousy weight distribution of these cars. Justins86bird, I agree. I did notice when looking at cars in the junkyards that some of the support bars in the hatch area, are wider (for later cars) than mine is. Probably about twice the width. This is why I am trying to find out which one will fit mine (thin support bar).

 

just a thought,never use any jack you find at the junkyard.if you must buy a used one(new r available)buy it from someone you know,even then its risky.I know your saying "its just to jack up the car"but if your on the side of the highway with your wheel off and the jack lets go(they do often)your twice as screwed as just having a flat.these jacks are junk and weak when new,a used one is beyond that.


------------------
~mike~
1 superclean 86IROC-Z

 

On both my Trans Ams (84 also) the jack mounts with a wing not on the top, and the bottom is a hook. The handle should on the side with a screw that holds it on the jack. The hook is screwed through the jack and holds it to the car, then the other hook goes through the spare and a giant wing nut type device with a round disc secures the spare to the jack hook. If you need some hardware and/or the jack I have parts laying around, free, just pay shipping.

------------------
1984 WS6 Trans Am Hartop
Former L69 Car under restoration
1984 WS6 Trans Am T-top car
4-bolt main 350, headers, Holley 650, T-5 and 3.23's.
Daily driver and restoration

 

Instead of the spare tire (et al), you could just have a couple cans of that "flat repair in a can". I've actually used it and it works great for the typical nail, probably the most common reason for a flat.

On some roads here, there is no place to pull off to fix or change a flat, so it really is your option sometimes.

Also, you can get an air pump that is powered out of your cigarette lighter to give it some additional air.

My spare tire has never been inflated.

 

The only problem with the "fix-a-flat" type cans is that they are extremely flammable. If I can save a mechanic the risk of being killed by an explodeding tire by a spare than I'm going to keep a spare tire.

------------------
1984 WS6 Trans Am Hartop
Former L69 Car under restoration
1984 WS6 Trans Am T-top car
4-bolt main 350, headers, Holley 650, T-5 and 3.23's.
Daily driver and restoration

 

The other issue with the "Fix-A-Flat" repair is the mess that it leaves between the tire and the wheel's bead that requires a major-league cleaning before the/a new tire can be mounted.

 

My '92 Formula has a scissors jack that stows in the middle of the spare wheel. I also discovered that the wheel wrench was the wrong size, so I guess there's more than one possible size.

If you're not concerened about originality, Honda scissors jacks are pretty good in my opinion.

And for all of you worried about weight...my sister's Lexus has an aluminum scissors jack...I don't know the weight, but it's incredibly light and works very well.

 

Oh, you said you wanted a picture.

Unless your car's been tampered with, there should be a factory sticker in there that shows a diagram of the spare, jack, and wheel wrench, and the proper storage method.

Your best bet is to probably just find another older Firebird or Camaro at the junkyard.

 

Not all jacks are created equal!Not being very mecahnically minded (a jack is a jack, right?)I decided to use the jack out of my Dodge Shadow to jack up the IROC because my car didn't have a jack. Well the Dodge jack started to contort in ways that I've never seen a jack do before.Very Bad Idea! No injurues and no damage done. I guess the point I'm trying to make is get the right jack for the right job.At 3400(convertible) pounds I guess our cars are a little on the portly side and I learned the hard way that what lifts a Dodge may not lift your Chevy!!I went to my local wrecker and got the right jack for 10 bux, well worth the money....

 

On the problems sited with the "fix-a-flat":

1) I have had no problem with the rim when I had the tire removed.

2) Warn the tire shop that you have used this to avoid any any unnecessary surprises. But in BC, it is against the law to smoke at the work place.

3) My personal safety when I am broken down on the road is far more important. As I said, many roads (the Coquahalla in British Columbia is a prime example here) does not have any place to fully pull over to fix a flat for 20-30 Kms. In fact, the government is advertising for people to drive on their rims (20-30 kms in some stretches) to find a place to pull over, since there has been so many people killed this way. Getting hit by a big semi-trailer is far more scary to me.

BTW, I work for the government of BC, so I see these stats all the time of people being killed while fixing a flat on the road. The government is seriously thinking about recommending "fix-a-flat" just because of this.

 

YA GIVE'M HELL GLEN.[TO EACH HIS OWN]

 

man i hate roads that have no shoulder..what the hell is the govt thinking? you cant even pull on to the grass either? A few other points...smoking isnt the only source of possible ignition of gasses etc. actually, smoking itself cant really ignite most common things...you need spark or open flame. and not being able to smoke at work sucks....also, fix a flat can't fix every tire..if you get a blowout you're scrwed...if you happen to drive on a flat for any distance you can slash up the tire so you're screwed...things like that will **** you

------------------
350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake 600 cfm carb and exhaust, headers

 

82 trans am pic

 

HAHAHAHA My honda jack buckled under the weight of my 2800 lb 94' Accord. Why don't you just stick a 2 ton floor jack in your hatch. HAHAHAHA

 

Sorry for bringing this out from the dead, just ran a search and decided to reply.

That's why on the jack itself or the label on the panel it says "ONLY USE JACK INTENDED FOR YOUR VEHICLE". F-bodies are heavy and most production cars aren't as heavy as ours.

Return to your normally scheduled new posts now.

 

I bought a 2 ton from Pep Boys for $15.00 and store it in the bottom of my hatch under the sub box. Screw the factory jack. It does not work well and trying to get it on that notch to jack it up is a joke. Usually the notch bends and you have a unsafe situation. Don't worry about weight, worry about leaving your car on the side of the road.

 

I agree with these jacks being weak. I tried jacking up the side of my car so I could get a floor jack under the crossmember. Car sits so low I couldn't get it under with out jacking up one side. Anyway, the stock jack looked like it was about the bend in half from the weight...not safe at all.

 

i am in need of a spare tire and jack diagram for my sons 1991 camaro coupe can anyone give me some pictures. I have all the parts, just dont remember how they go back in. HELP!

 

Here's my '89 with everything mounted. The spares never been out so I don't have any breakdown pics. Hope it helps.

 

Thanks for the picture, but my son has a coupe and has the donut spare tire and not the inflatable unit like the convertibles. I appreciate the effort though.. Can anyone else help?

 

Hello Iroctopless!!

This picture brings back memories, I haven't seen my sparetire/jack/inflation can since.........1988!!



I know it's all there, but it hasn't seen the light of day since I took the cover off to see what was behind it in 1988!!

 

Hello All!!

You can avoid the hassle of having to use your jack/spare/infation can, etc if you get some of the run-flat tires, and a pressure monitoring system!!!



The PMS was about $150.00 last time that I saw one, and of course the run-flat tires are $$$$$, but, it beats the heck out of having to drive at 20-30 mph, for 20-30 miles beating the crap out of your expensive/darn near irreplaceable aluminum wheels, because you can't/aren't allowed to stop on the side of the road!!



P.S. When was the last time that you got a flat, or had to use your spare tire????

Mine was..............?????

Never!!!

Knocks on wood!!!

 

I drove out that way from Ontario in my Trans Am. The motor stalled (tired fuel pump), uphill, on a curve, in one of those covered road sections (not quite a tunnel). I had just enough momentum to get over JUST far enough when I look in my rear view and see a logging truck flying up the hill. He blew his horn at us but what was I supposed to do, my car was dead! :P

Long story short I had to put it in neutral and roll it back down out of the tunnel - scary to say the least.

But back on topic, I still have my original jack in almost new condition. Those little grooves don't give me much comfort while raising up a car hehe! I've had mine out of the car for a while, but I seem to remember it being stored behind the fender/plastic covers over the wheelwells in the back.

edit: nevermind! I just saw the pic above lol

 

My 84 had the old ratcheting jack (stick the wrench in the handle) used it a couple times to get her high enough for dad's bottle jack (before my floor jack days). Broke the third time I used it. Bought a GM Goodwrench scissor jack from walmart, works beautifully.

I've had a couple screws get stuck in my tires since then; I always stick the jack under the subframe, never on the pinch weld. I've used the doughnut only once, to get to meijer and buy a plug kit. Once you've done it, you can pull the wheel, plug the tire, and put it back on in 20 minutes. I've got a small lighter outlet pump, but only ever lost 5 psi before plugging it.

Last summer I got 2 new rear tires, so I kept the best one and made a full size spare. It may be heavy, but I worked at a camp 500 mile from home; I'd rather be able to get there on a regular tire than worry about replacing a shredded tire then and there. Does cut out a lot of luggage space, though, lol!

 

Thanks for the picture, but my son has a coupe and has the donut spare tire and not the inflatable unit like the convertibles. I appreciate the effort though.. Can anyone else help?

 

i have 1 and if some 1 wants it im willing to sell it make an offer

 

I am in need of a diagram of how the jack and spare tire fit in the wheel well, I have all the parts i need

 

which jack is the one you have b/c i think theres 3 diff one for the convertibles one for 84-87 and a diff for the rest

 

My sons car is a coupe, has the donnut spare tire and the jack that rachets up and down, is is NOT the scissors type

 

is it this one?

 

what one?

 

is the one on the pic the same one as ur son has? if it is ill send pics of how is mounted on my car

 

no he does not have the one you blow uo with the can of air, he has the dontut spare that the tire is already inflated.

 

man ur loosing me... im talking about this pic not the one with the tire

does ur son has this type of jack ? VVVVVVVVVVV

 

bear with me, But I don't have an actual picture, sorry. Like I said, mie broke, so I got a scissor jack.

OK, looking at the jack, the end that goes under the car when jacking(Wider end in the pic) mounts behind the center of the donut. You should have an eye-bolt that goes through the hole in the jack to "pin" the jack to the bracket on the car. the other end, the "handle" end, is attatched to the stud in the area as shown (above the wheel well) with a wing nut. to place the spare, you should have a bolt with a hook on one end. the hook goes in the eye bolt holding the jack. the threaded end comes through the center of the donut, and a large "wingnut" is tightened down to hold the donut in place. All the pieces were with the car from the factory.

I hope this helps, my memory's a bit fuzzy; it's been over 2 years

 

It looks like,from my observations, your spare is in backwards, the jack is in the wrong place and there isnt any type of hold down screw/washer assm going through the middle of the rim 2 keep everything moving around/rattling ??
Im guessing it was pulled out @ ASC and not reinstalled correctly ??
I'm not trying to be "that guy". I'm just wondering...

 

This is what mine looks like in my 88 Formula,

 

Thanks Tony for being "that guy"! After 11 years of ownership, thousands of posts here and elsewhwere, tons of carshows, a few judgings and even a couple of appraisels, you're the first to mention anything!

I just went out to check things out. Since everything was fitting in the well, snug, and never rattled I never thought anything out of the oridinary. Especially when you've never seen anything to compare too.
I pulled the spare out and found the jack's hold down bolt lying in the bottom of the well. This totally explained the way things should have been, so I put it together "right".


I appreciate you mentioning things. Even the plastic pad the spare sits on was there. What I am missing is the spare tire clamp that hooks into the car's eye-bolt.
Anyone got a spare? Spare bolt that is.

 

Sorry about making you have to look 4 extra parts!
I looked @ the pic 4 a few times then then checked all 4 of my cars..
Anyway sorry abotu being "that guy" !!
I was really more concerned about insideout damage from the jack to the quarterpanel or anything else back there! anyway enjoy !

 

IF YOU PM ME YOUR EMAIL ADRESS I WILL SEND YOU THE ILLUSTRATION FROM THE GM PARTS CATALOG OR GIVE ME A FAX# THERE IS A DIFFERENCE AFTER 1986

 

There are at least 3 different sets between the jacks, and lug wrenches. Early cars have the old clicker jacks that ratchet up, using an old school tire iron to operate the jack. Later cars use a screw drive scissor jack, and they have a ratcheting wrench with an extension bar for the lug nuts and driving the jack. By the books, some 91's and 92's might have a a different wrench that folds for storage.

Then you've also got a few different steel spares, and a pair of aluminum spares. You've got inflated mini-spares, and compact inflatable spares with the air can.

It's a bit of a chore knowing EXACTLY what combination of parts a car should have. But it only matters for those picky about originality. For actual use, the inflatable compact spares are a bad idea. At this point most of them have cracks in the side walls, and it's hard to find a place that can refill the c02 canister. My solution is to have AAA. I've got a spare 16 tire that goes in the trunk on trips. If a tire is damaged, I have the spare tire mounted on the wheel, and I'm able to drive home and get the damaged tire fixed or warrantied. That way there is no need to use the junk factory jacks, or a questionable mini spare.

 

not picky about originality, I just want to get it mounted in there so it doesnt rattle and there is room in the hatch area. This car is a 91 with the "clicker" style jack and a steel spare