Shocking News: I'm Cray Cray

So after narrowly avoiding burning my car down, I've decided I need to install new shocks, shock absorbers, etc. Since I have nothing better to do with my time and money.

As I've said in the past, I don't know sh*t about cars. This is all a learning process for me. With shop manual in hand, I plan on doing some serious repairs on my new little baby. The question is, what do I need to do? The reason I'm replacing the shocks is because at the moment, my vehicle is 2-person capacity tops, otherwise it drags on the ground.

Advice? I've been looking at falconparts.com and just want to make sure I get the right stuff.

 

Shocks don't prevent bottoming out, they reduce up and down movement. Sounds like you need springs.

 

"I need to install new shocks, shock absorbers, etc."

Shocks and shock absorbers are the same thing. If your car drags with more weight in it, shocks won't help a thing. The springs hold the car up, not the shocks. I think you need to find a local friend to help and give advice. Lots of Texas guys on this board, so hopefully you will find a friendly local.

 

Shocks may help somewhat, but think shocks and springs for the best ride possible. The rear leafs can be re-arced by a spring shop.. they gotta come out. The fronts are coils, pretty straightforward but not something to be tackled by a newbie without someone helping.

Bob

 

Good advice here.

But I have a question, what the hell is cray cray? Is it contagious?

I mean I have some debilitating things going on in my life but I have never had cray cray, I did have dengue fever once, and so did I.

 

Not trying to be funny at all, but just how heavy are you? That could be part of the ride issue.

 

Maybe the Z is not working on the keyboard

 

You can get shocks at a regular parts house.Don't bother paying a premium for parts you can get local. With that said,sounds like you need new springs. like the other said.

 

What's dragging on the ground? You've got bigger problems. Bump stops should not allow ground dragging even with a tired spring. Pics and or more info.

 

Your car bottoming out is because of the springs, not the shocks, although the shocks may need replacing anyway and shocks are cheap. Speaking of money, you shouldn't complain, you can't buy the smile on your face from the satisfaction of fixing it yourself and all the money you saved by not visiting your local corporate repair shop that won't let you get away with less than $1,000 bill for anything nowadays. By the way, you can find a spring shop and have your leaf springs rebuilt for around $200.

When learning to work on a car, always put safety first. I've seen too many cars lifted up by scissor jacks and guys crawling around underneath and too many stories about people killed and injured by falling cars. I once saw a guy lift his car by the differential and then proceed to remove the leaf springs (the same job you want to do). Always think ahead about cause-and-effect. If you remove that bolt, what happens next?

Never get under a car unless you are absolutely sure it won't fall on top of you. Get a good floor jack and a good set of jack stands, with both items rated at at least twice what your car weighs. They're cheap and you'll have them for the rest of your life.

Always place your jack, and your stands, on the heaviest, strongest frame member possible.

Another cool trick is to shoot digital photos of things as you take them apart so you can reference them when putting it back together. Ziplock bags and magic markers to reference nuts, bolts, screws and other small bits.

Good luck.

 

Yep, always try the regular parts houses for hard parts for that car first before going to the specialty houses.

As the others said, new shocks won't keep it from bottoming out when you load it or put the heavy duty friends in the back seat.

A lot of cars from that era suffer from the flipped or long shackle thing from the 70's and the springs lost their proper arch a long time ago. That could be the case or if it has lowering blocks you may need something like a pair of overload bags on the back that you can air up a bit when you load the car down. A lot of places sell them for pickups as overloads and they would work a lot better than air shocks.

The shock install it's self is pretty straight forward. If I'm not mistaken you have to get in the trunk and pop some plastic covers off to get to the top studs on the rear shocks. It works a lot better on the rears if you have a helper to either hold the shock from the bottom or tighten the nut from the top while you hold the shock.

 

I think the first thing I would do is find out EXACTLY what is dragging. Your car doesn't really look that low.
As far a shocks go, you might "bounce" on the front (and then the rear) of your car and see how many times it bounces up and down before it stops. Any more than a couple and you probably need shocks. But it might not stop your dragging problem.
Larry T

 

I would do the shocks first before diving into the deep end. Really blown out shocks are like having no shocks sometimes. The skills learned on those can be applied to doing the springs later on.

Bob

 

Put the manual down and back away slowly. Sell the car for whatever you can get. Take up a new hobby like boys or shoes. Cars are not for everybody.

If you are not interested in the above advice... OK let's fix your car. From the picture it looks like the front is not too bad but the back is sagging. If this is the case (camera angles can be tricky) you need to check out the rear springs or have them inspected. The springs are 3 to 4 feet long and made of thin flat strips of steel called leaves. Ford springs in those days were not too great, they wore out, lost their spring and broke. Look for broken leaves and evidence of bending or sagging. The spring leaves are supposed to have an even curve from end to end.

If the springs are bad take the car to a spring shop. You can have the springs repaired, or buy new ones. New springs should be about $200 to $250 installed. If the old ones are not too bad they can be rearched and an extra leaf put in for less money.

Do not try to fix springs yourself. Even professional mechanics take their car to a spring shop. It is definitely not a job for a beginner.

 

Aren't air shocks the cure for soft springs? Seems like a lot of cars I have had to re-do properly had air shocks fitted....

 

Put the manual down and back away slowly. Sell the car for whatever you can get. Take up a new hobby like boys or shoes. Cars are not for everybody.---------------------------He added the the repair later(after my statement) guilty conscience? Here's a "smart assed" remark for BEAUSHIRE, fuck off!

 

Smart assed remarks are traditional on the HAMB....

 

There are far mopre palces to shop parts than Falcon Parts.com. I have many suppliers including Ford dealers, it just depends on what you need.

I kinda doubt if the springs are bad judging by the pic, might be hitting exhaust, making the dragging noise.

Cosmo

P.S. Proper diagnosis preceeds any successful repair. Success can be defined as a repair that addresses what is wrong AND not a thing more. This saves a lot of money.

 

'60's cars usually handle MUCH better with substantially heavier than stoc springs...
I know nothing about late model Fords, but suspect that the Mustang aftermarket might help you on that.

 

Thanks for saying it. This place is getting way too nice.

I counted only one 'smart ass' remark. A bunch would be at least three right? Go outside and shake the sand out of your panties and by the time you get back maybe there will be some more to justify your righteous indignation. But to make you happy (that's what the HAMB's all about), I'll chime in with the first dozen posters and suggest the fella check his springs and to go ahead and put in shocks, shock absorbers, bouncy things. There...happy?

 

New front coil springs are probably available from your local auto parts store in their Moog Spring catalog.
Rears may be the same as Mustangs and there are plenty of Mustang parts vendors.

 

funny stuff!

 

In case you guys missed it, we are dealing with a "her" or a "she" not a him or a fella. I am giving her some serious kudos for diving in head first. And I think a little ribbing is part of the deal, I know I get my fair share of it.....

 

how many friends do you have, are they clowns? I have seen alot of clowns get of a car before.

Seriously, everyone above it correct,

Leaf or coil springs carry the weight
Shocks control ( smooth ) the up and down.
Bump stops, little rubber things that keep the axle from hitting the frame.

I suspect like others, your springs are weak from age. you shocks are bouncy from age and maybe the bump stops are broken off or missing.

First you can replace the spring pack, shocks and bump stops. this will handle the LOAD of your friends and smooth out the bumpy roads.

The cheapest route would be to add a leaf to your exsisting spring pack, and buy new shocks and bump stops. but thats pretty advanced, you would need to take apart your spring pack and add another spring the same width and just alittle shorter than you main ( longest leaf ) this would handle the weight. Those spring packs are under alot of pressure even out from under the car they will fly apart if you remove the center pin.

heres a tip raise car and set on jack stands loosen the ubolts DO NOT take them off, now loosen the center bolt holding your leaf pack together, the U bolts will hold the springs in place and will not let them fly out at you, cut the band clamps off the spring pack, should have at least 1 band holding the pack together, raise axle with a jack and use a screw driver and hammer tap the center pin up but not out . Slide in your new leaf untill its center hole lines up with the center pin drive center pin back into position and snug it up now tighten the ubolts be sure the axle lines back up with the top of the center pin.

Now things to look out for, you stock center pin may not be long enuff for the thickness of the new leaf, if so get a grade 8 bolt and use a die grinder to round off the head, dont cut it off just round it so it is the same size as the original center pins head.

Your U bolts may not be long enuff for the thickness of the new leaf either, you can get longer ubolts from any parts store.

only do one side at a time, if you undo both sides the axle can pivot and be a real bear to get back into position.

I hope this helps, study your manual, get familier with the names and were all said parts are, Cars are just like a puzzle, you just need to study each part and figure out what order they hook together.

Godspeed
MrC.

 

My bad. I didn't see any reference to gender. Went back, checked the blog, you're right, she is a wahine! So.....

I'm with you, I wall always give a girl kudos (and gratitude) for diving in head first.

Cray Cray?

 

Oh here we gooooo.........

 

'64 and '65 Falcons are the same as the respective Mustangs (6 or 8), but the early ones are different, though LOOK very similar.

Cosmo

 

wow! Have the rear leafs rearched around 150$ and on the front have somone that has done this help these springs if I remember set on top of the upper A arm.
good job for a new car guy just have help with the front.

 

Your car doesn't look that low, so I would just about guarentee that your dragging problems are the exhaust pipe. Most early Falcons use a clamp right below the manifold that holds the pipe itself tight to the block and supports it over it's run down the floorpan. It is also the one thing that is missing on just about every Falcon in the world at this point, so you see lot's of these cars with the exhaust system hanging down low. A quick glance in manual will tell the whole story.

 

Also, if you want to see another gal working on HER Falcon, search "The girl and the Falcon" and take a look at my girlfriend putting her own engine in her '62.