Expertise in Body Surface Repair; From Uneven to Smooth
Prepping for Paint; Fixing Imperfections on a Truck's Panel
Description 0, WETHAYER 1 739,488 FENI DER JACK Filed July 27. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Dec. 10, 1929. w, E, THAYEg 1,739,488- FENDER JA K Filed July 2?, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM E. THAYER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO B. I. THORNTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA FENDER JACK Application filed July 27, 1928. Serial No. 295,787. This invention is a fender jack whereby an automobile fender readily may be subjected to predetermined .strain in any desired direction, thereby to restore a distorted fender to normal position or to hold it in adesired position while being connected in place or other- .wise worked on. Restoring distorted fenders to a normal position and condition is recognized as an ex.- ceedingly difiicult operation, and as no two fenders are distorted alike, no provision, so far as I am aware, heretofore has been made which would serve in practically all cases. This is Well understood when it is remembered that in some cases the fender must be lifted to restore it to a normal position; in other cases the fender must be depressed; and in still other cases the fender must be strained lengthwise the car, either forwardly or backwardly. To construct a tool which would permit all such operations and thereby meet the normal difficulties of fender repair work, without serious and costly complication of parts, and one which is completely portable and within the working knowledge of the ordinary -nechanic, requires a careful consideration of all the problems to bemet. The presentinvention has for its principal object the provision of a fender jack in which the operator, by proper disposition of the parts, may subject the fender or any part thereof to a lifting pressure, a depressing pull, or a strain lengthwise the fender at will, thus to restore the fender to a normal position. or hold it while being connected or worked on. A further object is to provide a fender jack including a rod. a traveler having a step-bystep movement longitudinally of the rod, and a fender clamp to be engaged by the traveler, the rod being adapted to be held to resist pressure thereon in either direction, and the clamp being reversible with respect to the traveler, thereby to cause the traveler to exert a lifting pressure or a pull on the fender in the movement of the traveler on the rod. A further object is to combine with the fender jack, a hub-clamp, which serves to anchor the main rod with relation to the hub of the wheel, either against pushing or pulling strain, to facilitate strain on the fender in either direction longitudinally of the car. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective View of the fender jack, the parts being shown in position to lift a fender, indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the traveler, showing particularly the means for controlling the position of the upper lift. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the fender clamp. Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the wheel hub clamp. Fig.5 is a perspective view of the device in operative position and utilizing the hub-cap anchor. The fender jack comprises a main rod 1, which for convenience in transportation may be made in section's, to be threadedly connected when desired for use. The lower end of the rod is provided with a foot piece 2, arranged for universal connection with the rod to permit desired inclinations of the latter, the foot piece having a serviceable gripping upper lift 9. The lift or grip 9 includes anannular section 10 having an opening 11 of a diameter slightly greater than that. of the rod 1, and a radial'projection pivoted to the link. With the annular section 10 in a plane at right angles to the axial plane of the rod,- the lift will slide freely on the rod, but with such section at a different angle the edges of the opening 11 will grip the rod and so hold the traveler at set position. a The grip 9, hereinafter termed the upper grip, is slidably mounted and hence means are provided for holding it either in free sliding or locking position at will. Such means may include a spring'12 having one end underlying and connected at 13 to the element 9, and thence extending downwardly and pivotally engaging a stud 14 on the web 7, the part below the stud being formed into a return bend and the upright portion 15 thereof being extended lengthwise the link 8, and connected at its upper end thereto. A cam 16 is mounted on a pin extending through theweb 7, the cam being in position to swing the lower end of the spring 12 on the stud 14, and'thus correspondingly move the lift-connected end of the spring. A finger piece 17 provides for operating the cam, and the arrangement is such that through the finger piece all pressure on the spring may be relieved, and the upper lift then be freely slidable on the rod 1, or any desired pressure may be applied to the spring, and the upper lift given a corresponding gripping pressure on the rod 1. A lower lift is carried by the body 4, comprising a member 18 having an opening slightly larger than the diameter of the rod 1, the member 18 being carried by the lower end of a link 20,the upper end of which. is pivotally connected to a hand lever 21, which beyond the connection of the link thereto, is connected to the body 4. A spring 22, en'- gaging the link and beneath the lower lift, serves normally to hold the lift to an angle other than a right angle to the rod 1, that is to say in gripping position. ' Obviously, the reciprocation of the hand lever 21 will bodily elevate the lower lift in the upward movement of the lever, and then elevate the traveler in the downward movement of the lever. As the lever is raised, the lower lift is brought to a right-angled position with relation to the rod and moved upwardly on the rod, and, on the downward movement of the lever, the lower lift grips the rod and compels movement of the traveler. Evidently the upper lift has to be set for gripping movement through operation of the finger piece 17, otherwise there could be no holding of the body 4 in its raised position to permit the necessary free following movement of the lower lift. Therefore, the operation of the traveler, both in movement and in degree ofmovement, is controlled by the setting of the finger piece 17. The jack includes a fender clamp, whereby the movement of the traveler may be imparted to the fender. The fender clamp comprises a lifting bar 23, formed at one end in a I return bend and terminally recessed at 24 to interfit with the recessed lip 6 of the traveler body, the opposite end of the bar having a right-angled projection 25, notched at the end to slidably engage the main rod 1. Fender clamping jaws 26 and 27 are carried on a pin 28, freely rotatable'in the bar 23 and having an operating handle. One of the jaws, as 26, is freel turnable on a reduced portion of pin 28 imm diately beyond the bar 23, the other jaw 27 having threaded cooperation with the pin 28, a guide stud 28' for the jaw 27 pro ecting from the jaw 26. The clamping aws, which may be and preferably are formed with transverse channels for gripping pur oses, as at 29, are thus relatively adjustable or grlpping the fender, and freely rotatable as a un1t relative to the lifting bar 23, so that the latter may be turned in any position relative to the clamping 'aws. The fender ack also includes, as a necessary adjunct, a hub-cap anchor, through use of which the fixed end of the main rod may be anchored relative to the hub-cap and against pushing 0r pulling strain on the rod. The hub-cap anchor comprises a bracket having a clamping socket 30 for engaging and securely holding the main rod 1, thebracket also including divergent arms 31 to straddle the hub-cap, such arms being covered by protective material, if desired. The details of the hub-cap anchor are shown in Fig. 4, and'the application of the anchor in the use of the device is shown in Fig. 5, wherein the use of the tool for exerting a pulling effect on the fender is indicated. In use, assuming it be desired to lift the outer ed e of the fender, the clamping plates 26 and 2 are engaged with the fender at the appropriate point, and the lifting bar is turned vertically with the notched projection 25 lowermost. The recess 24 in the lifting bar is then interfitted with the recessed lip 6 of the body of the traveler, andthe lever 21' operated to move the traveler lengthwise the rod 1, and through the lifting bar 23, lift the fender. In this position the main rod 1 rests on its foot piece 2, and may, obviously, have any convenient angle due to the universal connection of the foot piece and the rod. If the fender is to be drawn downwardly, the connection of the fender clamp is made as described, the main rod 1 reversed, and the hubcap anchor applied to the bar and hub-cap to resist the movement of the rod. Operation of the fender clamp. will cause the traveler to move the fender in the desired direction. Thus any free part of the fender may be readily forced in any desired direction, or the fender may be rigidly held or supported while small imperfections are hammered or ironed out. Thus in a single tool, capable of convenient portability, means are provided whereby the fender may be forced in any de-. sired direction and to any extent, thus greatly facilitating fender repair both in time and labor as compared with the ordinary methods. Having described my invention, I claim 1. A fender jack including a main rod, a traveler movable on said rod, means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the traveler, a fender clamp including a lifting bar to be interlocked with the traveler, and means for anchoring the main rod to the hub-cap of the vehicle. 2. A fender jack including a fender clamp, a main rod, a hub-cap'anchor for said rod, a traveler movable on said rod, said traveler including upper and lower lifts interlocking with the rod when in relative angular position therewith, means for operating the lower lift, and means for adjusting the interlocking relation of the upper lift and rod, and means for removably engaging the traveler and fender clamp. 3. A fender jack including a main rod, a traveler movable on said rod, upper and lower lifts to interlock with said rod, means for operating the lifts to impart a step-bystep movement to the traveler on said rod, and a fender clamp including a lifting bar adjustable to any angle relative to the fender and interlocking the traveler. 4. A fender jack including a main rod, "means whereby said rod may be anchored relatively to the hub-cap' of the vehicle, a travelermovable lengthwise said rod in a step-by-step movement, means for interlocking the traveler and rod at each step, means for operating the traveler, and a fender clamp to engage the fender and including a lifting bar freel movable relative to the such clamp, said lifting bar being formed to interlock with the traveler, thereby to impart the movement of the traveler to the clamp and fender. In testimony whereof I affix my signature. WILLIAM E. THAYER.
