C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

[Rich C.]

I've been looking for a correct jack for my '73. I assumed the earlier jacks were of the 'wide body' type with later c3's using a narrower version. However, several narrow versions I've seen on ebay were the narrow variety and had early (68-75) dates! Any ideas? Maybe other cars using scissors jacks?

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

I've been looking for a correct jack for my '73. I assumed the earlier jacks were of the 'wide body' type with later c3's using a narrower version. However, several narrow versions I've seen on ebay were the narrow variety and had early (68-75) dates! Any ideas? Maybe other cars using scissors jacks?

Rich------


They are "wide". Corvettes used the same jack from 1969 through 1979.

[Jim T.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

My 68's jack is the "narrow" and original from the factory, my 70's jack is the wider and is also the original jack from the factory installation.

[David L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

They are "wide". Corvettes used the same jack from 1969 through 1979.

Joe,

When I was in my Corvette "rookie year" (1979) I bought a Corvette jack (GM # 3958710) from my local Chevrolet dealer just because it was available. I was buying just about anything listed for my 1966 Corvette that was listed in my 1972 Corvette parts catalog. I smartened up after I bought a 1966 Chevrolet parts catalog. I now have over 50 Chevrolet parts catalogs.

The 3958710 jack, dated "9C21" (March 21, 1979) was "narrow" but looked nothing like my original 1966 jack. I eventually sold it as a 1979 Corvette jack. The "9C21" jack that I once had looked like the one in the Ebay auction below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Corvette-Original-Scissor-Jack-Stand-1977-1982-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQfitsZModelQ3aCorvetteQQhashZitem2c5c3ee1b2QQitemZ190526185906QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Dave

[David L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

My 68's jack is the "narrow" and original from the factory, my 70's jack is the wider and is also the original jack from the factory installation.

Jim,

Does you 68 jack have a date code?
Is the long bolt coarse thread or fine thread?
Does the long bolt go thru "solid block" nuts or "U-shaped" nuts?

Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Joe,

When I was in my Corvette "rookie year" (1979) I bought a Corvette jack (GM # 3958710) from my local Chevrolet dealer just because it was available. I was buying just about anything listed for my 1966 Corvette that was listed in my 1972 Corvette parts catalog. I smartened up after I bought a 1966 Chevrolet parts catalog. I now have over 50 Chevrolet parts catalogs.

The 3958710 jack, dated "9C21" (March 21, 1979) was "narrow" but looked nothing like my original 1966 jack. I eventually sold it as a 1979 Corvette jack. The "9C21" jack that I once had looked like the one in the Ebay auction below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Corvette-Original-Scissor-Jack-Stand-1977-1982-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQfitsZModelQ3aCorvetteQQhashZitem2c5c3ee1b2QQitemZ190526185906QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Dave

Dave--------


I can't see the jack in the eBay picture well enough to assess if the saddle is "wide" or "narrow".

However, the GM #3958710 jack is what I regard as a "wide saddle" jack. I do not know of any Corvette that ever had a wider saddle than the 3958710. It was used from 1969 to 1979. The 1963-68 jacks were what I regard as a "narrow" saddle. The 1980-82 and C4 jacks are what I regard as "narrow" saddle.

Others may have different opinions of what "narrow" and "wide" saddle denotes.

[Terry M.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Along about 1973 the date font got larger than earlier date code, and later still the date code went on one of the rivets. 1967 and newer date code was number (last digit of the year) and letter (month). M=December.

[David L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Joe,

I know that my NOS 3958710 jack stamped "9C21" on one of the "solid block" nuts was a "narrow" jack because it was about the same width as my original 1966 jack. MY NOS jack was not made by AUSCO since it did not have the large letter "A".

The 63-68 Corvette jacks (type I, type II, type III, and the 68 jack) all had the same part number 3825993 which was discontinued in Oct. 1969 and replaced by the 3958710 jack which was replaced by the 14016051 jack in March 1981.

Do the "wide" jacks have the large letter "A"? I never really looked at one. It's possible that the service jacks (meaning my 3958710 jack) were made by a different company.

I once owned a 1968 jack that looked similar to the type III jack but had "solid block" nuts instead of the "U-shaped" nuts like the Type I, II, and III jacks. It did not have a date code and I do not remember if it had the large letter "A".

Dave

[David L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Terry,

Were all 1969-1982 factory installed Corvette jacks made by AUSCO with the large letter "A" stamping?

Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Joe,

I know that my NOS 3958710 jack stamped "9C21" on one of the "solid block" nuts was a "narrow" jack because it was about the same width as my original 1966 jack. MY NOS jack was not made by AUSCO since it did not have the large letter "A".

The 63-68 Corvette jacks (type I, type II, type III, and the 68 jack) all had the same part number 3825993 which was discontinued in Oct. 1969 and replaced by the 3958710 jack which was replaced by the 14016051 jack in March 1981.

Do the "wide" jacks have the large letter "A"? I never really looked at one. It's possible that the service jacks (meaning my 3958710 jack) were made by a different company.

I once owned a 1968 jack that looked similar to the type III jack but had "solid block" nuts instead of the "U-shaped" nuts like the Type I, II, and III jacks. It did not have a date code and I do not remember if it had the large letter "A".

Dave

Dave------


Well, we know that the 63-68 jacks were "narrow". We know that the 14016051 was "narrow". So, if the GM #3958710 was also "narrow", then which jack had the "wide" saddle? I know that the jack that was originally supplied with my 1969 is a "wide" saddle design. The 3958710 was supposed to have been used for all 1969 Corvettes.

I would say that I think the NOS 3958710 jack you once purchased was mis-labeled as a 3958710 or, perhaps, a jack that GMSPO "substituted" for a 3958710.

[Jim T.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Jim,

Does you 68 jack have a date code?
Is the long bolt coarse thread or fine thread?
Does the long bolt go thru "solid block" nuts or "U-shaped" nuts?

Dave

Dave my 68's jack has "8 A"stamped on the left side.
The bolt has coarse threads. This long bolt threads into a square nut at the end of the long bolt. This nut is not attached to the main frame of the jack, it is actually a lose fit and being square cannot turn in the frame of the jack. There is only one square nut.
There is also a large A stamped on top of the jack.

[David L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Joe,

I know for a fact that my 3958710 jack was "narrow". I actually bought the jack on Feb. 5, 1980, for $24.94 along with a 3898172 lug wrench for $2.81 at Dobles Chevrolet in Manchester, NH, because they were so inexpensive. In later years at swap meets I noticed that the 1970's Corvette jacks were "wide" and were suppose to be the same part number as my "narrow" jack dated "9C21". I don't remember if there was a GM part number sticker on my 3958710 jack but I do remember that it did NOT have the large letter "A" for AUSCO.

The jack part number listed in both my June 1979 and November 1981 Corvette parts catalogs is 3958710. I do not know when the 14016051 jack first made it's appearance even though it replaced the 3958710 jack theoretically in March 1981.

I know for a fact that the similar 1960-1969 Corvair scissor jacks (similar to 1963-1968 Corvette jacks) were made by 2 different companies, AUSCO and RH INC. as I have several of them.

I believe that there were at least 2 companies that supplied jacks for late 70's and 80-81 Corvettes.

Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Joe,

I know for a fact that my 3958710 jack was "narrow". I actually bought the jack on Feb. 5, 1980, for $24.94 along with a 3898172 lug wrench for $2.81 at Dobles Chevrolet in Manchester, NH, because they were so inexpensive. In later years at swap meets I noticed that the 1970's Corvette jacks were "wide" and were suppose to be the same part number as my "narrow" jack dated "9C21". I don't remember if there was a GM part number sticker on my 3958710 jack but I do remember that it did NOT have the large letter "A" for AUSCO.

The jack part number listed in both my June 1979 and November 1981 Corvette parts catalogs is 3958710. I do not know when the 14016051 jack first made it's appearance even though it replaced the 3958710 jack theoretically in March 1981.

I know for a fact that the similar 1960-1969 Corvair scissor jacks (similar to 1963-1968 Corvette jacks) were made by 2 different companies, AUSCO and RH INC. as I have several of them.

I believe that there were at least 2 companies that supplied jacks for late 70's and 80-81 Corvettes.

Dave

Dave-----


The 14016051 jack was first used for the 1980 model year. From what I can tell, it was used from the start of PRODUCTION, so that means it was around in late 1979. While the 14016051 did replace the 3958710 in March, 1981, that's likely when the stock of 3958710 was exhausted and not when the introduction of the 14016051 occurred.

It may even be that the 14016051 was being "substituted", purposely or accidentally, for the 3958710 prior to the time that it replaced it for SERVICE.

All of the 1969-79 jacks that I have seen in original cars appeared to me to be the "wide" saddle type. However, I certainly have not made anything that resembled a "study" of these jacks so I can not say that the "wide" saddle jacks were used exclusively during the 1969-79 period.

Also, even if 2 different manufacturers made the jacks, it would seem unlikely that they would have each made the 3958710 in substantially different configurations. There must have been a GM specification for the jack.

[John C.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

David

You might want to check out this earlier thread on c3 jacks.

John

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...58710&uid=3883

[Tom R.]

Re: C3 jack 'wide' or 'narrow'?

Were all 1969-1982 factory installed Corvette jacks made by AUSCO with the large letter "A" stamping?

Dave

David

Late model C3 jacks were supplied by Stant Manufacturing Products and had the SMP stamped on the bottom of the jack. Link below is to a 1997 NCRS Restorer article on the 1976-78 jacks and also describes the three digit date code used during that period such as 808 (80th day of 1978).

Along about 1973 the date font got larger than earlier date code, and later still the date code went on one of the rivets. 1967 and newer date code was number (last digit of the year) and letter (month). M=December.
__________________
Terry

Yep...by 1976 date codes get stamped on the rivet in the 808 format. By 1979, jack date codes revert to the earlier C3 format of 9e28 or as described by David above for "the 3958710 jack, dated "9C21" (March 21, 1979).

http://www.hunt4cleanair.net/Articles/jackdatecodes.pdf