19482255
New member
Last summer, I picked up these two Blackhawk S4 jacks off my local CL. I have a few heavy old cars and after reviewing what was available new, I decided an older, American-made high-quality jack would be just the thing for my small fleet.
When I saw the Blackhawk art deco S4 jack with the headlight, it was love at first sight. But after evaluation in person, it was clear it needed work. Barely pumps up, and doesn't return the lift arm to rest. But most importantly (above all else [emoji57]) the style is awesome, check!
The blue-painted Blackhawk that came in the deal is not as stylish but just as beastly as its red cousin, with a certain raw appeal. This one pumped up and stayed up, but needs assistance returning the lift arm to its resting position. Only thing I can tell that is obviously damaged on this jack is the control knob which has a chunk missing from its side, and is being incorrectly held in place by a screw/nut combo
I've done a bunch of random thread-reading here and by now, I understand the blue-painted S4 (which looks to originally have been red or orange underneath the blue) is the earlier of the two jacks.
I see that seal kits are available for these. Are they the exact kit required for a rebuild of the hydraulic unit on both, or is there any re-working of components necessary?
Can anyone tell me year of manufacture (or range) for the blue-painted S4?
Is there any literature available on the blue S4?
Should the blue S4 have an ID plate? Where would it go? Does anyone have a picture of this tag?
As far as I can tell, both these jacks have their original U-joints intact. Are these still the hardest part to find? Are people still having to make their own replacements?
Aside from testing whether they're working correctly (they're not), what else should I do first, before spending additional $$ to fix them?
All these questions asked, I spent $40.00 total, buying both jacks. If they both turn out to be basket cases, I won't cry too hard.
Fun side note: I arrived at the seller's house originally intending to purchase a single jack he had listed (not the Blackhawks, didn't know he had those). When I got there, the dude took a look at my van and said (with a very skeptical look on his face) "I think you're gonna have to come back with something bigger". You all should have seen the jack I went there to buy. Neither of us knew the brand (he had two of them!), but it was something old, elegant, and unbelievably huge and heavy. Imagine a jack almost two and half times the size of these 4 ton Blackhawks, and you'd be about right. Could barely push them around! Have wondered since what these jacks were. I think they could have lifted a transit bus, easy. I'll bet he still has them, if anyone wants his contact info. Anyway, after realizing this monster was overkill squared, he said “well, you could buy these Blackhawks I have...” [emoji57][emoji1303][emoji1303]
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
When I saw the Blackhawk art deco S4 jack with the headlight, it was love at first sight. But after evaluation in person, it was clear it needed work. Barely pumps up, and doesn't return the lift arm to rest. But most importantly (above all else [emoji57]) the style is awesome, check!
The blue-painted Blackhawk that came in the deal is not as stylish but just as beastly as its red cousin, with a certain raw appeal. This one pumped up and stayed up, but needs assistance returning the lift arm to its resting position. Only thing I can tell that is obviously damaged on this jack is the control knob which has a chunk missing from its side, and is being incorrectly held in place by a screw/nut combo
I've done a bunch of random thread-reading here and by now, I understand the blue-painted S4 (which looks to originally have been red or orange underneath the blue) is the earlier of the two jacks.
I see that seal kits are available for these. Are they the exact kit required for a rebuild of the hydraulic unit on both, or is there any re-working of components necessary?
Can anyone tell me year of manufacture (or range) for the blue-painted S4?
Is there any literature available on the blue S4?
Should the blue S4 have an ID plate? Where would it go? Does anyone have a picture of this tag?
As far as I can tell, both these jacks have their original U-joints intact. Are these still the hardest part to find? Are people still having to make their own replacements?
Aside from testing whether they're working correctly (they're not), what else should I do first, before spending additional $$ to fix them?
All these questions asked, I spent $40.00 total, buying both jacks. If they both turn out to be basket cases, I won't cry too hard.
Fun side note: I arrived at the seller's house originally intending to purchase a single jack he had listed (not the Blackhawks, didn't know he had those). When I got there, the dude took a look at my van and said (with a very skeptical look on his face) "I think you're gonna have to come back with something bigger". You all should have seen the jack I went there to buy. Neither of us knew the brand (he had two of them!), but it was something old, elegant, and unbelievably huge and heavy. Imagine a jack almost two and half times the size of these 4 ton Blackhawks, and you'd be about right. Could barely push them around! Have wondered since what these jacks were. I think they could have lifted a transit bus, easy. I'll bet he still has them, if anyone wants his contact info. Anyway, after realizing this monster was overkill squared, he said “well, you could buy these Blackhawks I have...” [emoji57][emoji1303][emoji1303]
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Last edited:
Are these for sale?
