anybody ever done this? anybody got some spares i can mangle while i figure out what i'm doing? there can't be a whole lot in there,right? it costs about $120 or so to get them rebuilt,but i'm a cheapskate,so i'm hoping i could just do it myself-george
I know some of them can be rebuilt without too much trouble. They were commonly used on English sports cars, you might find some info on a British sportscar resto board. You know they can rebuild anything;because they have to. The easiest way to find out is take one apart. Then report back here what you find.With pictures. O-rings,wipers,seals,and bushings can be found easily in any size,cheap. Motorcycle fork oil in different weights will adjust the stiffness. Gaskets are easy. Let us know,should be another Tech Week coming up again soon.
I put ATF in my MG shocks. I think the seals start leaking a week out of warranty (thirty years ago) It just occurred to me that some transmission stop leak might bring the seals back to life without surgery... They have an orifice that passes the fluid pushed by a piston attached to the lever. There's a cap over the orifice with a spring holding it down with a certain amount of pressure, that's your resistance factor. About the only things there are to really wear out are the shaft seals and bushings.
Diagrams Ford shock: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_chassis-pics/Flathead_Suspension_houdaille.jpg I have most of the Ford shocks and aquired a bushel to get a set that hold oil and are not a lump of rust. I tried disassembling a couple and determined I need the right stuff to keep from mangling any more. Need a press to remove the splined arm, pickle fork wouldn't do it. Also have to make some kind of socket to grab the cover. The rust is serious here and the exposed threads look hopeless, but with the right tools and determination... Some kind of spanner wrench will take the ring off the earlier (pre '34) style. Got one of them apart, I think aftermarket seal and o-ring can be had from a hydraulic supply house.
Are you talking about Ford Houdalle(sp?) shocks? I lost the URL to the site that detailed the whole process. It is alot more difficult than one might expect. Just getting the SOB's apart is not easy. I gave it a try but it became obvious that I was going to ruin the ones I had. I think they said only about 50% are rebuildable. I found a rebuilt set at Hershey for 250$. That's alot of money for 4 shocks but that's what I wanted.
04120 sounds like Apple Hydrualic's price. It's been the same for years. They set you up with new brass cylinder liners in the proccess. For my brit stuff, they were always top shelf suppliers.I have been inside an Armstrong shock, what a pain in the ass!!! Considering the work involved and the parts that may have to be fabbed, 'cause most folks have no access to them, the price is not bad. Lever shocks are not the "budget" part they seem to be.Due to the expense, they were done away with long ago by the OEMs I'm going with them on my mod 'cause they work well and look right.
[ QUOTE ] When did the British sports cars switch over to tube shocks? Or did they? [/ QUOTE ] I had 63 & 67 Austin-Healeys and they both had the Lucas levers...
nope,not talking about houdaille ford type stuff,i'm talking DELCO.the reason is,'54 olds is the last year for lever shocks on the front,they're the upper "A" arm.i could convert to '55-'56 tube shock front,but then what if i wanted to run airbags? then i'd have to relocate the shock.
HI YA GEORGE Go ahead and put tube shock on, lots to pick from. Mount on outside front of lower "A" arm and fab mount on top outside of frame, room to spare. Leave stock lever shock in place. No problem yanking spring later if you want bags, this works fine, done three cars this way. Just fab good sturdy mounts.
that would be too easy.part of why i like working on cars is getting to know what's inside every component,and if possible,rebuilding it myself.it's a good option if things go horribly wrong though...
George...I've got the same setup on the front of my 41 Poncho. My plan was to follow Don Wow's suggestion. It worked for millions of chevy pickups over the years. There usta be a guy advertised in Hemmings that would rebuild your old ones but he was a bit on the steep side. I'm not sold on the effectiveness of the design of them anyway. I remember as a kid, seeing the 40's-50's GM cars bouncing down the street with worn out front shocks...I dunno, George. I like my shocks to do a little more work than those things do...even on a good day. But, good luck to ya and keep us informed [with photos] on your rebuild procedure. I'd be interested to see what happens. I'd send you my old ones but I'm gonna use them as control arms. Can't think of a better design for a basic control arm....shouldn't ever need bushings with that oil inside!
I'm really interested in this thread. (As usual), got ZERO practical experience to pass on. There's a coupla nice links here to the (British) Armstrong lever shocks. http://www.singercars.com/4ax/armstrong.html http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rhodes/shock.html I'll be working with Delco-Lovejoys on the Packard chassis. Double acting (and adjustable firmness from the dash) (little threaded linkage rods). Would really like to avoid "Apple's" pricing. (MANY canadian dollars, I estimated more than $750US for all four). Old MOTOR's service book has some nice parts views of the Delcos, still....doesn't really say how to service'em..
Swap em' out George! Those things are a true curse! I wish I could get rid of mine, but it's not as easy on a 49.
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