1952-59 Ford Aerostar Coil Springs on My 54

Check out my blog posting where I show the drop ***ociated with Aerostar coils.

https://mainlineford.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/dropping-the-front-end/

 

Cool. I'm using the Aerostar springs also.

 

Thanks for showing the comparison. Car looks great

 

I've heard it's an improvement in ride quality too. I'm really curious to see if that's the case.

 

Sweet. That is racked up for me as soon as I finish the garage I havent started yet... probably by the end of summer.

 

Got them in my '59 too. Picture in my avatar shows how it sits with no drive train. Just about stock.

 

Sweet!

 

Mine are going on today, with a 1" spacer/isolator. I'm anxious to see the difference, and I'll have a good idea of the difference in quality of ride, if any, since I'll be comparing the new Aerostars/shocks to new oem's. I would guess that 95% of comaprisons are done comparing new Aerostars to old worn out springs.

 

I got the factory isolators, they are real thin though. Considering a 1" spacer if it does funky things on me.

 

With the drops like this, either with the areostar springs or spacers on the lower spring support on the a-frame, how much clearance is there between the lower a-frame and the frame bumper? Rhode Island roads are rough at best so a bit of travel is needed to avoid bottoming out the a-frame. Are dropped spindles a better idea?

 

I have a set waiting to go in my 56 too, with polyurethane isolators since I could not find the rubber ones. I already installed the 3" blocks out back. I am just waiting for brake over haul parts and an idler arm to come in before I get to wrenching on the car again. Hopefully with all those repairs the car will be road worthy again though. Guess we will find out soon!

 

Love the drop Aerostars provide. Took a bit to get correct shocks though. Front ones in Stickies were too long, bottomed and both front/rear rode very hard (hard ride does not mean good handling and gas shocks usually ride hard.) Called the shock manufacture tech number, got right length shocks with the smooth ride characteristics I wanted and trimmed the bumpers. I posted the manufacturer shock suggestions some time back. Now my '53 rides smoothly, handles well and looks good. I did nothing to lower the rear and now have the rake I desire.

 

I've got a set that'll be going in mine too. What isolator part number did everyone get/use? I'm looking at energy suspension #9.6101. It seems to be the closest in size that I can find.

 

Very nice, I am doing the same and installing Versilles spindles. I think it gives another 1 1/2" drop

 

Installed Areostar front springs in my 53 exatly 6 years ago and they have been great. The ride was improved 1000%.

 

Well, my confusion on this issue for my car is rising instead of lessening. I got the Aerostars installed today with 1" spacers (I used Mr Gasket [HASHTAG]#1285[/HASHTAG]). I was hoping for a 3" drop,as other 57 owners had got, and got a 4 1/2" drop. I am now instead of being 3" too high, setting at at least 1" too low. Ride and handling changes are unnoticeable from what I had with the minimal driving I did today, but I'm comparing new Aerostars/shocks to new OEM springs/shocks. Quite a bit different than comparing New Aerostars to old worn out springs.....both in ride height changes and hanling/ride characteristics. So, the confusion problem comes in for me not knowing usually when someone says "they'll give you a 3" drop" is what that 3" drop is coming from. Also, I found out today the new oem springs that were in my car do not measure out physically to what they were suppose to be according to Eaton Detroit's Part number/invoice. They are a 1/2" longer. Granted, 1/2" isn't that much, but it's enough to tell me it's not the spring it's suppose to be, so I have no idea what other factors like load rating, etc are on the springs I had. They are abviously a stiffer spring than what was suppose to be, verified by my ride height being too tall, and the 4 1/4 height difference with the Aerostars/spacers.
Here's a pic of how it sits today. At least it doesn't look like a g***er anymore, but I do have 4"rake along the rockers, a little much for my taste. I'm considering lowering the back 1"- 1 1/2, but I need to do more driving with the front as is to confirm I don't have any other issues, like bottoming, or unwanted steering changes.

 

That is the number I had found online and ordered and they are a perfect fit.

 

My opinion that is one bad*** stance,I like it ! It suits the looks of the car.

 

Yeah, I think it looks great to but I would bring the rear down to level it out more like you are considering.

 

Awesome! Thanks!

 

I'm digging the rake... hope mine looks that good.

 

My KYB Gas-Adjust shocks showed up today so I installed them real quick, after work, then took the car for a test drive.

As my teenagers say.....OMG!

The ride is dramatically better than it was with the stock coils and shocks. And, for the record, the stock coils and shocks I was running were all new.

I'm very happy with the end result of both the drop and the improved ride.

Also...the car has settled down roughly another inch. So, I now have a total of a 3" drop.

 

Which shock did you use? I have the one mentioned in the stickies but haven't installed them yet. I hope they work without bottoming out.

 

I'm digging the stance,T57. But I would drop the back a little . Lookin' good thought.

 

The part number for the shocks is KYB KG4503.

As for the ride, it's both stiffer and softer, in good ways. Honestly, the best way I can describe is to say it feels more "modern"....more like a newer car.

It's feels more bolted down to the road, but yet absorbs the bumps in a softer, more controlled manner.

I know that's not probably not a good description, but it really does feel a lot more like something you'd expect from a later model car. My wife drives a low mileage Toyota 4Runner that's ten years old. It's in really good shape and rides nicely. The 54's ride is now very similar to the 4Runner.

 

My guess is that the shocks alone are probably responsible for a large part of the ride improvement.

 

My car is a '53. The ones listed in the Sticky were too long when using Aerostar springs in my car. The 5514s gave the required travel, didn't bottom or squeek and gave me the smooth ride I wanted while maintaining control.

 

This has me scratching my head so many guys that did the Aerostars before used the 4503's with success yours was actually a first here using a different number,I was considering changing the FAQ but did not so do you remember the difference in the extended and collapsed length ?

 

Not at the moment Jeff as I am away from home until March, but I sum sure you can get the specs from KYB. The shocks I used came recommended from KYB Tech Support. Maybe my car is different? Perhaps pointing out the possibility would be a good thing or maybe you could poll the group. Thanks for you interest..

One more thing: I have an ARDUN in my '53 and it weighs a bit more than a flathead or small block Ford or Chevy. The extra weight could have caused the problem.

Tom

 

I did not have good luck with the 4503's on my 56 wagon or my 55 Victoria i used the Aerostars spring's on both car's still have not found a shock that work's well for me i will call kyb an see if they can help i am useing the stock shock's at this time they are shorter than 4503's but do not work well