Hello everybody. Fairly new to posting on the HAMB. I'm currently looking to modify the suspension on my merc. Looking at ridetech coilovers and I was wondering how much of a pita it is to get the front coils out of this car. And what would be involved. I'm not looking for the drastic change an air ride set up would bring. Any insight is appreciated. Pictures for fun.
If you can't figure out how to get the coils out of a '63 Mercury, an air ride installation will be way over your head. I would static drop it and call it done. However, there's someone on here that did a custom 1962 or so Mercury wagon with an air ride system and a 4-link rear.
Well, never said I couldn't figure it out, just looking for tips and tricks from those who may have already done it. I also explained I didn't want air ride.
Removing the stock coil springs is most often done by disconnecting the lower ball joint from the lower control arm, swinging it down to free the coil. HOWEVER......FIRST put the vehicle on jack stands in a stable position....and use a floor jack to support the lower A arm BEFORE disconnecting the lower ball joint or things can ugly real fast. Also it may be necessary to disconnect other items from the lower A arm such as the anti-roll bar links. On some vehicles it is also possible to do this operation by disconnecting the the inner pivots of the A arm instead of the ball joint (pivot pin/bushing), but that usually is on GM cars of the late '30s and '40s. I think your Merc would work best as first described. Ray
Thanks for the heads up. Very standard way of doing it. Haven't really been wrenching on the car a whole awful lot yet.
Hnstray is right on. The spring comes out by removing the shock absorber and separating the lower ball joint and letting the lower a-arm down slowly with a jack. I am running Ride Tech Shockwaves on the front of my '62 Monterey. They are a simple bolt in. All you have to do is drill a hole for the air line in the top of the shock / spring cup portion of the frame. There are also kits out there that relocate the shock to the outside of the a-arm and use a standard air-bag. I am not a fan of doing that since the relocated shock puts a new torsion load into the a-arm that they were never designed to take. Now, here is the fun part. For the most part, your '63 Mercury shares the same chassis as '62 and '63 Galaxies, so parts are common and plentiful EXCEPT on the front lower control arms. Mercury used a unique bushing configuration in '62 and '63 that allowed the lower a-arm to move inboard as well as pivonting up and down. Mercury called it the "Anti-Harsh" suspension. Maybe it was, but the bushings wear out fast and lead to excessive bump steer ,wondering, and poor handling of the car. Kanter sells replacement bushings, but they are extremely expensive. Check out my build thread for the Mercury on how they can be replaced with the much more common and cheaper Galaxie bushings. The rear suspension is a bit more fun. Thanks to bobss396 for posting a pic of the rear setup I used on my '62. Ride Tech does have you covered, they sell a bolt in 4 link for early 60's Galaxies and Monterey's, but it is anything but cheap. Do NOT use Shockwaves in the rear as the shock studs are not designed to carry the weight of the car and it won't be long before the upper shock mount bolt breaks and the top of the Shockwave punches a hole in your floor. I chose to build my own 4 link, easy to do when you are doing a frame off build, not so if you plan on keeping the frame and body together. 1962 Monterey Wagon Build Thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1962-mercury-monterey-custom-wagon.959751/
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