tkw31

Working on a '68 442 W-30. It has SS2 wheels & redlines on the car & missing the spare. What should be in the trunk for a spare? Another SS2 or a plain steel wheel with a matching tire?

Also, Is this the correct jack for a '68 442? Thanks

dnmfranco

another SSII
Its what I have in my 68s

66400

And the spare SSII wheel in the trunk will also have a center cap on it.

Henry

rcorrigan5

The assembly manual says the same thing - the spare wheel/tire assembly matches what is on the car. And the hold down trim is different for the super stock wheel than it was for the steel wheel. With the super stock, there was a special hex nut (available from Fusick, p/n ST6588) that screwed onto a spare tire threaded retaining rod (p/n ST6693) and held the wheel/tire assembly to the trunk floor, the super stock spare tire assembly included the center cap, and the tire iron was separate from the jack and placed in a couple of clips aft of the spare tire. With the steel wheel, the tire iron was placed in a rubber sleeve on the jack "staff", the wheel was held in place with a spare tire retaining wing nut (p/n ST6516), the wheel was covered with a spare tire cover (p/n STC61), and that cover was held in place over the spare tire with a spare tire cover retainer (p/n ST618).

dnmfranco

no center cap on mine and due to jack/spare tire hold down couldn't really have a cap

rcorrigan5

The hold down on a super stock wheel is supposed to be through one of the lug holes (thus, the special hex nut) in the wheel. See manual section 10, page 117, of the assembly manual. The hold down for a steel wheel is through the center of the wheel (manual section 10, page 115 of the assembly manual).

Randy C.

joe_padavano

Then yours isn't originally an SSII car. As noted, the hold down J-bolt came up through one of the lug holes in the wheel and was retained with a special hex nut. The lug wrench is retained by clips at the rear edge of the trunk floor (just in front of the back bumper) so that you can use it to loosen and tighten this nut.

By the way, this is also shown on the trunk sticker.

joe_padavano

The special nut looks like this and is available repro from all the usual sources.

dnmfranco

originally an SSII car but previous owner chose spare tire cover from Fusicks thus the black piece was absent

dnmfranco

okay thanks Joe will have to get that
Dean

66400

One bit of evidence as to a car having factory install SSI or II wheels will be two small screw holes drilled for the clips to retain the lug wrench, even if the clips are missing the holes remain.

Henry

Octania

I have found a few of these in the trunks of Oldsmobiles back when I lived in CA

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151221453373...84.m1555.l2649

Lugnut hole hold-down nut with built-in swively handle.

If you just need the NUT and don't go thru epay, I can do a better price.

dnmfranco

Henry, based on this pic of my trunk , a legit SS II car
ty Dean

68442

Another thing to consider is in 68 the jack shaft was different from a steel wheel car and a SS wheel car.
SS wheel car recieved the hollow tube shaft
Steel wheel Car recieved the steel "T" shaft

Pictures Shows the "T" shaft

tkw31

Thanks for the help with the spare. It looks like the jack I found is wrong for the car as it's the solid T shaft, not a hollow type shaft. I have to find one. Thanks

dnmfranco

think I have one but unsure of date code if that's important to you or not

rcorrigan5

I'm curious about the comment that says the jack shafts were different for SS wheel cars than they were for steel wheel cars. I note that there were 4 different styles of jacks for at least the '68 and '69 models. The same 4 jack shafts existed for my 1970 GTO. I always thought that the jack you got with your car was more dependent upon availability of any one of the 4 types of jacks, rather than wheel style.

Randy C.

tkw31

I was not aware that there were four different setups available for the '68 & '69 models. Some more input on what I have and what is correct for the car would be appreciated. Here is what I picked up at a swap meet. Hook has F - 85 1968 - 9 & 399200 on it. Shaft has large capital A - smaller A. other side has a 9 - F.

68442

I am unaware of any more than two styles for the 68. The hook you have is correct. The same hook works with both style jacks(There is only one style hook) it is the shaft that is different.

Also over the years i have had many 68's and pulled MANY MANY cars apart at the junk yard(You can guess how old i am to be able to say i saw many at the junk yard )and all seemed to follow this trend.

I cannot say anything to a GTO or any other makes

Purely guessing here could it have anything to do with the jack handle stowage being rested into the shaft for stowage for the steel wheel car.

That jack you have could have also come from a 4 door car, Rare to see a 4 door with SS wheels from OEM?

Lets take a poll on 100% untouched 68's here to see a trend. This will only work of course if the cars in questions history is known 100%.

rcorrigan5

There are 4 different stock numbers listed for "column assembles" (jacks) in the '68 assembly manual (manual section 10, page 115) that show 4 different suppliers (Universal, Auto Specialties, Ryerson & Haynes, and California Jack), and the '69 assembly manual shows 2 different suppliers on that same page (Universal and Auto Specialties) with a note that "columns, lifts and bases to be used as a unit (they are not interchangeable)." I can understand the columns and bases not being interchangeable, but I believe the lift (what I believe they mean is the cradle or "hook") is interchangeable, as mentioned by 68442.

Below is a picture of the 3 styles of columns I have seen (I haven't seen a 4th style). The first one is out of my '68 4-4-2 (originally came with steel wheels but the original jack was long gone; this is a replacement jack I found with a date consistent with the build date of my '68), the second is out of my '69 4-4-2 (originally came with "LY" SSI wheels and it is the original jack), and the last came from my '70 GTO (originally came with Rally II wheels and it is the original jack). As I recall, the assembly manual for my '70 GTO also listed 4 different suppliers of jacks. My '68 is a Lansing car, my '69 is a Fremont car, and the '70 GTO is also a Fremont car. Another thought - could the jack that originally came in your car depend on where the car was assembled?

For twk31, your jack is for a late production '69 A-body. The 9-F on your jack is a date code that means 1969 (9), June (F), and your hook is also for a '69. To be consistent with the build date of your '68 W-30, your jack should have a date code that starts with either a 7 or an 8, followed by the month letter (A = JAN, B= FEB, and so on, skipping I, such that M = DEC). Your hook should just say 1968 and not 1968-69. That's only if you are interested in having the date code and markings on your jack compliment the build date of your car. What you have will work just fine for either a '68 or a '69.

Randy C.

pogo69

the side of jack body rivet has a date code , i also thought there were 2 styles the hollow and tee style depending on where the car was mfg'd i know for a fact lansing used hollow style in 'A' bodies but did they use the tee style also i dont know

driverchoice

[Another thing to consider is in 68 the jack shaft was different from a steel wheel car and a SS wheel car.
SS wheel car recieved the hollow tube shaft
Steel wheel Car recieved the steel "T" shaft] I HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH THAT WHEN I WAS A KID WE HAD A 68 CUTLASS WITH STEEL WHEELS MY FATHER BOUGHT BRAND NEW AND IT DID NOT HAVE A T STYLE JACK IT WAS MY FIRST CAR KNEW IT INSIDE AND OUT

hurst68olds

Since the assembly manuals do not show a usage for the jacks, I'd go with the difference being WHERE & WHEN a car was assembled.

68442

I can help you out with the 4th one.
The cross section is an actual "T" not a Y as your middle picture shows.
I would post a picture of it if i knew how

looks like the orig. posters jack is a "Y" like your middle picture. 1969

Lansing had "T" jacks available in 68 as i have one in the shop now(One Owner Cap car)

droldsmorland

Older post but thought Id chime in with info on my 68, as Im putting new 15" SS1s on it and tire iron clips. I installed 14" bolt on SS3s on it shortly after I got it circa 1985. It was an original hub cap car with the cardboard green hounds tooth tire cover verses the slip over cover which covers the whole tire. Its an early build (09C) Z (Fremont) car. Its original down to the lug nuts. I have the hollow column and the matching Gray base in Randy's attachment. Though mine was black so was the hook and handle and jack mechanism. It was all stowed under the spare. the handle was affixed to the column with two rubber sleeves.
Now I just have to figure out where the jack base is stored. I believe it now will live under the rim.

If anyone has a set of these cap Id be interested.

droldsmorland

Or a set of these