VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Jacking by frame damage shocks/e-brake?

When lifting my vehicle, the rear suspension drops to where it is supported by knee action shocks and appears to pull e-brake casing as well. Are there dos and don'ts when lifting our vehicles by the frame? Am I perhaps missing axel/suspension straps to limit rear-end travel on my 40? Thanks for any advice.

My assessment is that you are seeing the results of normal wear in the rear springs and bushings. They just let the rear axle hang more than when new.

I assume that you are referring to the lever action shocks. Knee action shocks are on the front suspension.

I would not be concerned about this. Unless you are doing Dukes of Hazard jumps i doubt if you will ever encounter a situation where the rear axle will drop to that limit while driving.

The slight load on the shocks when the car is lifted will not damage them. You might want to do some checks to determine is they are really at the end of their travel limits. There are springs inside the shock that make the arm pull up at all times. If you disconnect the link to the rear axle be careful. That arm could move upwards quickly and far enough to hit the bottom of the floor.

With respect to the brake cables that will not be an issue while driving. What you are observing is the exactly the reason that the shop manual instructs you to adjust the parking brake with the car on the ground. The alternative is to sit the rear axle on jack stands so the weight of the car puts the rear axle in normal operating position. When properly adjusted there is enough slack in the brake cables that the parking brake will not be activated during normal suspension travel.

Rusty, thanks. Yes, lever action shocks at rear. Certainly, agree that this would be most unlikely while driving. My concern was really having the car up on a lift in a shop and seeing the suspension just suspended by shocks/brake cables and whether damage could result. I had thought that maybe I was missing parts that limited downward travel of rear axel. Good to know that what I'm seeing is not unexpected.

Unless you have disconnected the springs they are supporting the axle. If you are concerned about how low it is hanging just put a support under the rear axle and lift it a little.

In fact, for safety reasons you should always have a support under your car whenever it is on a 2 post lift. I always do that to make the vehicle more stable while I am working on it.

Good advice, much appreciated.