You could always try a quick lift jacks, like the ones from Rally Design, if you car is seriously low. The little ones only give an 8" lift, but are only 1" tall when down. I am thinking of getting one of these for the Cortina, as I only have 2" clearance under the front subframe.
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=jack&osCsid=vlpbuep836em39flfpt1v0qor2