Register now to get rid of these ads!

Chassis Engineering 35-40 front shock kit

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Alienbaby17, Aug 31, 2009.

  1. Alienbaby17
    Joined: Sep 13, 2005
    Posts: 924

    Alienbaby17
    Member

    Despite putting in a Posies reverse eye front spring my '39 still rides terrible. Every bump in the road is a disaster. I'm guessing the stock houdaille shocks are worn out.
    I'd like to upgrade to some tube shocks and saw the CE kit.
    Does anyone know if this kit will work with an other-wise stock (no dropped axle and unsplit- wish bones) front end.

    Just looking for experiences/ opinions of this kit from someone that's used it.

    Thanks,
    Jay
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2009
  2. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,405

    alchemy
    Member

    The shocks don't care if the axle is dropped. Now, they may be stretched to their limit if the spring is too high though.

    Is your spring reversed eye? I'd bet the CE kit is designed to work with a reversed-eye spring. Call them up (319-643-2655) and explain the parts you have. They'd love to help.
     
  3. Ice man
    Joined: Mar 12, 2008
    Posts: 983

    Ice man
    Member

    Didn't have STOCK friction shocks, Henry didn't use them. They were hydraulic shocks when new. Iceman
     
  4. 36tbird
    Joined: Feb 1, 2005
    Posts: 1,142

    36tbird
    Member

    Alien, I'm a big fan of CE stuff and have had really good luck with the shock kit for '35 to '40 Fords. There is plenty of adjustment available for any spring.
     

  5. couverkid
    Joined: Mar 30, 2007
    Posts: 1,132

    couverkid
    Member

    Me and my dad have used may of these 35-40 ford front shock kits. They are great in my eyes. I would also install a chassis engineering front sway bar kit they are reasonable and the car will drive totally different you will not be disappointed at least i am not.
     
  6. Alien, my 36 chassis is all Chassis Engineering and I cant say enough about the quality or how they stand behind their product. Although I'm on my third set of front shock brackets, they keep fracturing between the bolt holes, the company has sent new ones every time with-out problems.(actually maybe the shock brackets could be made of a little heavier guage than 3/16 so they hold up better-I dont know if I'm the only one with this problem) Its hard to find a company that stands behind their stuff like that, they could have told me to go scratch from the get go. If you want , ask Kevin or Chad at HOT ROD CHASSIS & CYCLE and see what they use, I know its another company just dont know which one. Anyways, when I build my next car, I will deffinately deal with Chassis Eng. again. Good luck, mike.
     
  7. Dak Rat
    Joined: Mar 8, 2006
    Posts: 547

    Dak Rat
    Member
    from NoDak

    That 39 is never going to ride like a buick. My '39 coupe had dropped axe, non-split wishbone, tube shocks, removed 3 top leaves, and plastic between the rest. It never rode worth a damn except on the smoothest of paved roads. Now my '32 with 4-bar and posies front spring is another matter, smooth and fun to drive.
     
  8. 40Tudor
    Joined: Jan 1, 2002
    Posts: 635

    40Tudor
    Member

    Nuther vote for CE here. I have their shock mounts and one of their reversed eye springs. Mine are probably 15 years old and in good shape.

    While you're in there a panhard will take care of that pesky oversteer that will occur once you start carving the turns with your new shocks and anti-roll bar. Pete and Jakes has a nice bolt-in setup.
     
  9. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    My 40 Std. Coupe had a Houdaille aftermarket tube shock kit on front AND rear and rode quite well. I had the factory Ford sway bar setup on it too.
    Never had a complaint about ride from any passenger or anybody else I let drive the car either. We removed a couple leaves from either end and cleaned and reassembled the front and rear springs and reinstalled them with factory style sleeved steel shackle studs.
    It's not magic.
     
  10. Alienbaby17
    Joined: Sep 13, 2005
    Posts: 924

    Alienbaby17
    Member

    Thanks for the input, guys. I'm going to see about ordering the tube-shock set up. I just know I've got to do something. My other rides are a 15 year old Jeep and a 55 year old Effie. Both of those ride like Cadillacs compared to the '39. I know it'll never ride like a dream but it's nearly ridiculous. It hits pot holes so hard I usually feel obligated to apologize to the car afterwards. Maybe I've just been paying more attention to how it rides since I put in the Posie's reverse eye spring but it almost seems to ride worse now. Is that even possible?

    Anyway- I'll be ordering up the CE kit this week and throwing it in as soon as it gets here.

    Jay
     
  11. WisconsinMicko
    Joined: Apr 26, 2012
    Posts: 28

    WisconsinMicko
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    I realize this post is 7 years old but-I have the CE front shock kit in my '40, unsplit bones, teflon between spring leaves, pan hard bar and their stabilizer bar. Lower 3 piece shackle-shock mount, the shock stud itself rubs on the inside of my AR Thorq Thrusts. Wheel size is 15 inch with 195 X 15 tires. Brakes are Speedway discs which WIDEN the tread width 3/4 inch per side. Turning radius is huge now compared to what it was. Running 76 Cutlass power steering box. I intend to try P&J's shackles next to see if wheel to shock mount stud with narrow up enough to stop the shock mount from rubbing on the wheel. If this does not work, I intend to make, or have made, a new shackle that mounts the the shock stud above up and inside the axle-wishbone mount area. Anyone else have this trouble?
     
  12. Potts
    Joined: Jul 22, 2017
    Posts: 6

    Potts

    Not sure if you ever fixed your problem but I am running into this with my 38 Ford Coupe! Did you ever get this resolved? Thanks
     
  13. mvee33
    Joined: Jul 3, 2010
    Posts: 75

    mvee33
    Member

    I had this issue with the triangular front shackle/shock mounts on my 35 Ford with dropped axle and reversed eyes front spring. The lower shock mounting bolt was contacting my widened original 16'' Ford rims when steering, reducing my turning radius.
    Not sure what brand the shock brackets were but probably similar to CE.
    I cured the problem by rotating the the triangular brackets 180 degrees so the shock mount bolt is on top, then raising the chassis shock top mount the same distance to maintain correct shock travel.
    This does reduce the perch to shock mount clearance, which is still adequate, however it gives a lot more wheel clearance and the best possible turning radius.
     
  14. chevyfordman
    Joined: Oct 4, 2008
    Posts: 1,354

    chevyfordman
    Member

    This may be an old post but the info is really good. On my 40 sedan, I had a Posies reversed springs but when I put an 8RT engine in, the car bottomed out in the front end. I called Posies and he told me to add another long leaf and that solved the problem.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.