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new leafs/shocks

G

gwstang

Member
I put the new leaf springs and rear shocks on the '66 today. Took me about 3 hours to do both sides...you know work 1.5 hours go take a nap...plenty of beverages...work other 1.5 hours...piss and moan about being 55 years old rolling around on the concrete under an ancient car feeling ancient myself. I was careful to support the axle tubes with jackstands/stands just in front of the rear wheels. I used the big jack to hold the leaf in place until I was ready to lower it. Still made me a little nervous because I messed around about 10 years ago replacing the rear shackles and did not account for the tremendous weight/pressure pushing on those things. I unbolted on and it went "wham" on the concrete and scarred the crap out of me. I realized that if my arm had been under there it would have been toast and in pieces. Made a believer out of me. I used these springs and shocks.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-34214/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/STQ-68900/

got these for the front...after i recover from concrete burn and decrepit joints...lol

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-33214/

I did not have any problems getting the front bolts out of the leafs as I had done that dance about 10 years go and covered them with lithium grease so they would come out easy the next time. It is sitting a little higher in the rear than I want, but may settle in a month or so. I did leave everything loose and lowered the car to the ground and bounced the rear up and down a bunch of time.
then tightened everything up and left for the car show at Flipp's. I am so glad those air shocks are gone. Bad idea on a '66 to try to shore up the weak springs...lol.
 
Looks like those are labeled as stock height springs so they may sit a little high as that is how they were stock. What is the distance from the center of your wheel to the fender lip? how much space between the top of your tire and the fender lip?
A pic would help as 'too high' is subjective for each person. You did use stock shackles and not extended ones right?
Jon
 
"Grabber70Mach" said:
Come on pilgram................ :rulz :wop

Sounds like a fun time.
Click to expand...

My wife had the camera and went to visit the youngest boy in school in Mobile, or I would have taken pics.
 
I can take a pic tomorrow of the wheel well to show. One thing I was looking at was the shackles have another hole about 1" up from the bottom (where the bolt is now) and I assume that would lower the body an inch or so, if I moved it?
 
Sounds like you have lifting shackles, not sure what the correlation is for hole distance to ride height changes. Just to compare here is a pic of the stock shackles:
IMG_1283.jpg

Jon
 
"Jonk67" said:
Sounds like you have lifting shackles, not sure what the correlation is for hole distance to ride height changes. Just to compare here is a pic of the stock shackles:
IMG_1283.jpg

Jon
Click to expand...

+ 1
 
Here are my aftermarket shackles, notice I used the top holes which does lower the car.


IMG_0101Large.jpg
 
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Yes, let's see a side view pic of the car as it now stands. I like Marks aftermarket shackles, allowing you to do a little custom adjusting in the back.
 
Mark, it's hard to tell, are your leafs mideye or reverse eye? Mine are mideye.
I'll try to remember to measure the distance between mounting points on my stock shackles tonight.
I agree with Craig (what did I say?) I like the option you have to make small ride ht. adjustment with those.
Jon
 
"silverblueBP" said:
Here are my aftermarket shackles, notice I used the top holes which does lower the car.


IMG_0101Large.jpg
Click to expand...

That is what I need to do because there is another hole like yours and it should drop it a little. Pics coming up in a moment.
 
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"Jonk67" said:
I agree with Craig (what did I say?)
Jon
Click to expand...

Don't worry Jon, it'll be out little secret. :thu Meanwhile, I'm using 4.5 mideyes on both Red andShag :thu
 
shot of the springs/shocks...yeah i stood on my head...lol

car1011.jpg


car1009.jpg


car1008.jpg


car1006.jpg


car1003.jpg


car1003.jpg


car1001.jpg


I had it down at the old horse barn because I finished changing the water outlet this evening and then washed the car because I am always wary of any antifreeze getting on the paint when I fill the system back up. No more leak btw. This outlet is more of a pointing out instead of up so I had to change the upper hose to a setup I had about 10 years ago with the coolant filter in place. That thing sure did catch a lot of stuff, it had silicone sealant from putting an engine together back then, rust pieces even though the block had been boiled for a rebuild. i can't wait to see what the rebuilt '90 5.0 HO has lurking in it....lol. Looks like I will have to go back to a 225 on the rear like Craig is using. I have got to get a new exhaust next, it's just a pain to get the right headers to fit going around the aod tranny. Next project however as I have put this exaust together from pieces and bits after the new engine/aod install. AOD is much wider than toploader btw.
 
Forgot to add that the front is right where I want it. When i rebuilt the front suspension and added the disc brakes, I went ahead and did the shelby drop and used the lowering springs on the front. I just hate that the rear is jacked up now! :confu
I will go ahead and move the bolt on the shackle up to the next hole tomorrow and see if that drops it enough to satisfy me. Maybe I just need to find some "fatties" to ride in the back seat when I go somewhere....lol. :wth
 
Though we have yet to see the back side of the leafs, it looks to me that you are running 4.5 or 5.0 standard eye leafs. Not mid eye for the back side is way too high for mid eye. Show us a pic of Shackled end of the leafs.
 
"cmayna" said:
Though we have yet to see the back side of the leafs, it looks to me that you are running 4.5 or 5.0 standard eye leafs. Not mid eye for the back side is way too high for mid eye. Show us a pic of Shackled end of the leafs.
Click to expand...

Third pic shows standard eye.....
 
Ok, finally remembered to crawl under again, my stock shackels are 3 1/4" center to center for the bushing mounts.

I didn't notice that the IAS shocks are mounted inverted with the piston down? Not sure what difference it makes either. Is that the way the instructions stated?
Jon
 
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