CHEAP and Great Alternative Coil Springs '49 thru '59 Ford and Merc

I just did this in my 57 Ranch Wagon, and unfortunately it is too low. I put my 2" drop springs from Eaton back in the car, with 1 1/4 coils cut - worked out great. Car drives great, also due to the wicked (bolt-in) sway bar kit I installed.

I'll post some pictures when I have a chance.

 

I lucked out when I came across this thread about Aerostar coils.
They worked out GREAT! If you're interested in more, check out my '51 on prescotthotrods.com Car is in "current builds". (Great shop for Northern AZ.) I got them rebuild parts for front end from Shoebox.com

Thanks HAMB and all you greasers, for input!

 

well I asked on here if anybody tried the aerostar springs in a squarebird, but either nobody responded or nobody has tried it yet. Well I pulled the springs in my 59 bird and the diameter is the same as the aerostars, so I ordered up a pair and gave it a shot. It dropped the front end almost 3 inches. I will let you fellas know how the ride is once shes back on the road.

before


after

 

shocks shouldn't bottom ?? , the a arms will hit the bump stops b4 that happens..... i have used local 'falcon' springs with a similar lowering result , hadta cut 1/2"-5/8" off the bump stops to get "ride" and the shocks are still ok ......cheers RK57

 

hey bud , re the STUCK lower ball joint- try this ........secure the chassis and drop the A arm OFF the jack an inch or two to LOAD the arm with spring tension... DO NOT remove the ball joint nut completely and belt the crap out of it with ya hammer....wd40 it over night even , cheers RK57

 

P.S. ,, put a piece of timber between the top arm and the chassis/spring mount area to increase the spring tension and load on the ball joint....

 

P.P.S. , undoe the control arm/bushing bolts to let the arms move more freely to release the spring ALSO u should leave the bolts loose until u sit the car back on its wheels so that u dont damage the rubbers in the bushes , drop the car then BOUNCE it a few times to reposition the bushes then tighten them. cheers RK57

 

Just got my Aerostar springs today and have some 4" blocks ordered for the back. Can't wait to stick these in my 53 Merc!

 

I just ordered the springs for my 55 fairlane but do I have to buy new shocks too or can I just use the ones I have?

Sent from my SPH-L720 using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Good info ! Thanks ..

 

I have put the Granada 1.5" drop spindles with Aerostar springs in my 55 custom line. U can go to my photos and see the drop. Before & after. White walls front and back are before.

 

I replaced my shocks with shorter Gabriel units mentioned earlier in the thread. A lot of people have used the shorter shock and some have chosen not to change anything. I have not read anything about people bottoming out their original shocks so if it is "really" necessary could be a debate.


Here is some info from earlier in the thread regarding shocks.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=260795&page=5


It took a few days but here are the shocks I used. My originals were wore out and these were so cheap it was a no brainer to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Gabriel-82026-Heavy-Classic-Absorber/dp/B001AM8FZY/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

 

I bought the Monroe shocks recommended Fairlane Dave (PN 5821) and the shocks have t-bar mount on top and single bolt mount on bottom. However, my 1953 Ford currently has single bolt mount on top and bottom. So the Monroe shocks won't work. Anyone else come across this issue? Have an alternative solution. I also bought the Aerostar spring and plan on installing those.

 

I guess I should have read all 15 pages before ordering my parts. Fordsbyjay showed exact front shock I need.

 

great tip! just did the aerostar spring swap on my 57 custom 300. i'm thinking of adding spring isolators to bring it up just a touch. i found that fox body mustang front lower isolators and rear upper isolators will work. i'm going to add the urethane versions and try to bring it up about a half inch. it's pretty close to bottoming out right now.

<a href="http://buyspecialtycars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/aerostar-springs-2.jpg"></a>

 

GREAT TIP !

 

143? U-SUCK-ASS.....

 

I put a pair on my 55 best damn thing I could of done,after ridin on cut coils took ALL the bump out .Instead of 5/8 coil they are 3/4 inch 11 1/2 inches right outta the box bout 50 bucks on amazon

 

so I have the Aerostar springs, but I'm wondering if anybody has a recommendation for removing the old spring. Is it best to break the spindle away from the lower ball joint or unbolt the ball joint from the lower control arm?

 

IIRC, we jacked up the car real high, unbolted the A arm from the cross member and swung the whole assembly out. It was pretty easy that way.

 

On my '51 sedan, I ground down and popped out the rivets on the lower plates and bolted them back up afterward using high grade bolts... But that was because I wanted the option of lowering the car further using the front blocks. So far with just the Aerostar springs she rides like a beauty!

 

I did the same thing twice! Works good

 

nice, I hadn't thought of taking that approach. Thanks!

 

Got my springs in, really happy with this. This may be a dumb question but visually everything looks okay but the steering is a bit squirelly now, especially turning, with lots of tire noise now. I'm guessing I just need to get it aligned now but not sure if just a turn of the tie rod end would cure this.

 

I have the Aerostar springs in the '59 Ford shown in my avatar. This is how it sits less the engine & transmission.

 

got them on my 53, looks good handles great!

 

You probably have it toed in or out to a significant degree. You can get the toe set pretty close with a tape measure and a few wrenches.

Lots of articles here and other places on how to set it.

 

cool, yeah it was fine before the new springs and I didn't adjust the tie rod ends during installation of the springs. I'm not mistaken in that you can't adjust the camber or caster on these cars, correct?

 

That's correct, however SHOEBOX-central.com has new plates that make those adjustments possible. I think they're like $50. I bought a pair but haven't installed them yet, real nice quality.

If I remember, when flipping the uprights (left and right and upside down) you have to heat and bend the steering arms, @Rocky here can tell you for sure, he's an expert.

 

Thanks, unfortunately mines a 56' I'll look for something similar though.