Sagging rear end & Shock Absorbers

[scumdog]

Unless you deliver phone books out of your trunk, I would stay away from air shocks. Their purpose is to lift and greatly stiffen your suspension by charging the shocks with air.

Six progressive leafs should offer all the lift you need. Good shocks control the ride.

In several of my 'hobby' cars I've had the springs flattened a tad and an extra leaf put in and added stiffer shocks
This made for a ride hight about the same but gave a firmer, flatter ride.

[simplyconnected]

Many years ago my next door neighbor, Ed Cieslak (God rest his soul), was a truck driver but he had a heart attack. The company he worked for loved him and would not let him go. They made Ed their Dispatcher, a position he tolerated but everyone knew he wanted to drive.

Ed had a new silver-gray Ford Granada which was a far cry from a truck. He had an extra leaf installed on each side, "to improve the ride" as he said. The car never hauled anything heavier than a fishing pole and his wife. I could tell you stories and keep you riveted all day. He also taught me a lot even after I thought I had life figured out.

Eddie taught me to use my outside mirrors when backing up and since that day I never turn around in the driver's seat to look back.

Eddie was a WWII veteran who fought in the US Army in Alaska as one of "Buckner's B@$tards", as they were called.

His wife (nee, Josephina Alonzie) was as Italian as Eddie was Polish and neither family ever understood the other although they loved each other and strictly attended Catholic Church together.

When Eddie retired, Josephina had a 'honey do' list ready and waiting for him every morning. She had him planting and weeding behind the garage in addition to countless other jobs. Eddie was in the Army but after working hard for a few good hours and about half way down the list, he swore like a sailor, telling her how 'basic training' tried killing him, the Japanese tried killing him, his heart tried killing him, and now SHE's trying to kill him. Then he'd jump in his Granada and head for the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), where he was a Life Member. Ed would have one (and only one) then head back home.

She had him on a short leash but he never strayed far. Ed had a toilet installed in his basement for when he came in dirty from weeding. When the bathroom door was closed, Vanna White was staring at you from a three foot poster. Sometimes Eddie would light up a cigarette, take a few drags then he'd top it and come out. Josephina never said a word because otherwise, he didn't smoke.

Early every Friday morning, Eddie and his VFW buddy went fishing in the Detroit River. Scores of people fish the banks of the Detroit River. This one day, Eddie caught a huge cat fish. Just as he was about to throw this 'ugly bottom feeder' back in, one of the black fishermen stopped him and said, "Hey man, I'll take that fish."
Eddie says, "If I gave you this fish what would you do with it?" Now, all of a sudden Eddie finds great value in a fish he never considered edible for the past 70 years. In the mean time, the black fisherman told him full instructions on how to nail it to a tree, skin it using pliers and how to grill it on a bed of onions on the barbeque. So, Eddie brings it home.

I'm in my back yard looking over the fence to witness Ed, trying to club this big ugly catfish as he's cussin' up a storm, telling it to 'quit floppin' around and hold still' but in much stronger language. Then he nails it to the tree and says to me, "Dave, have you ever eaten catfish?" I said, "No." Then he tells me his fish story as he's skinning it and he chuckles and says, "Sometimes you just gotta make believe." I will never forget those words.

That fish fed Eddie & I AND our wives with the best tasting fish we ever had.

So if you're inclined to add a couple leafs in your stack of springs, <snicker>, sometimes you just gotta make believe and go for it. - Dave

[Restifier52]

It has been said here before: Dave you should write a book!

[Randy]

It has been said here before: Dave you should write a book!

I don't buy books to often but Dave's , l'd get two and give one away.
And you know what Dave would tell you? Wait till next week they're on sale
.

[sidewalkman]

As an FYI, I did a price comparison between McVeighs and Larry's. If you factor in shipping Larry's comes out a bit cheaper.

[StealthSRT10]

fair warning! count how many leafs you have currently and how many the new ones come with. I bought some new leaf springs thinking it would fix my sagging problem and it actually made it worse. The new leafs only came with 5 and my originals had 6. So a couple hundred bucks down and ended up just flipping the shackles.

[simplyconnected]

Where did you buy your springs?
We have a good vendor in our list who sells quality 6-leaf springs. I know because I have two sets from McVeigh in Michigan. - Dave

[YellowRose]

Sagging rear end &amp; Shock Absorbers

You will find their contact information and website in the Technical Resource Library (TRL)....

[StealthSRT10]

I bought them from larrys tbirds. Not saying that there was anything wrong with them. And he offered to take a return but shipping them back would have cost almost as much as the springs themself. I have bought many things from Larry and not knocking him at all.

was just making a point if you want firmer leaf springs then would go a different route than i did is all. Another t bird member on here lives down the street from me and he said he just went to a leaf spring shop and had them make them for about the same price if i recall. i like the ones he has i think it was like 4 or 5 but they were thick leafs.

Where did you buy your springs?
We have a good vendor in our list who sells quality 6-leaf springs. I know because I have two sets from McVeigh in Michigan. - Dave

[OX1]

fair warning! count how many leafs you have currently and how many the new ones come with. I bought some new leaf springs thinking it would fix my sagging problem and it actually made it worse. The new leafs only came with 5 and my originals had 6. So a couple hundred bucks down and ended up just flipping the shackles.

Anyone ever make an add-a-leaf? I swear mine have 7 and it seems to sit high in the rear. None of the leaves look non-factory though.

http://luxjo.supermotors.net/59%20T-BIRD/SUSPENSION/SWAY%20BARS/REAR%20SWAY%20BAR/20180609_124130.jpg

[simplyconnected]

My neighbor was a retired trucker. He added a leaf to his Granada because that's the ride he really wanted.

Some cars came with a single leaf. Stacked leaf springs are 'progressive' meaning, the inner springs do nothing until a load is encountered. Then, support gets progressively more stiff. Coil springs and torsion bars don't work as well with this feature as stacked leaf springs.

Springs determine the ride height. Shock absorbers determine how smooth the ride is. - Dave

[OUR5T8BIRD]

My neighbor was a retired trucker. He added a leaf to his Granada because that's the ride he really wanted.

Some cars came with a single leaf. Stacked leaf springs are 'progressive' meaning, the inner springs do nothing until a load is encountered. Then, support gets progressively more stiff. Coil springs and torsion bars don't work as well with this feature as stacked leaf springs.

Springs determine the ride height. Shock absorbers determine how smooth the ride is. - Dave

Seem to remember something with this load requirement being an exception . Went to enquire about new springs at Special Interest autos years ago for our '66 and the owner had two NOS sets . One had the extra leaf and he said that was for the trailer option . Must check the blue bible .

[430bird60]

I'm looking for front and rear shocks for my 60 with the 430 engine. I contacted Monroe and was informed that they do not produce the 37191 shock any longer although Rock Auto still may have them. Anyone using the Monroe 5801 under the 430 engine, if so, how is the ride? Has anyone tried KYB shocks? Thanks, Ken

[sidewalkman]

I used the Monroes on both front and back, and was really disappointed in them, mushy ride, after 1.5 years I decided to go with air shocks in the rear since with 4 people it really sagged, more a spring issue than shocks but when I pulled the Monroes they were done! I could compress them easily with no effort. They got decent reviews when I bought them but IMHO are just not up to the task!

[simplyconnected]

I suggest you visit this thread:

http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin/forum/-1958-to-1960-thunderbirds-general-technical-discussion/-1958-to-1960-squarebirds-general-technical-discussion/15295-sagging-rear-end-shock-absorbers/page4

This pertains to shocks that work well. Most places push 'classic ride' which to me is nothing but mushy and not at all like the car's ride from the factory. - Dave