1957 country sedan build

[1930artdeco]

This weekend I going to start dismantling the front end and have a few questions.

1) How do I get the shocks out? I know how to take off the nuts but do I need to compress the arms and then remove them and do they come out the top or bottom? The manual is not very specific.

2) What is the best way to remove the springs? I will have to get a compressor obviously, I read that the ball joints have to come off and that is going to be hard. I think they are original and still have the rivets and not bolts. Everything is getting replaced anyways

3) I saw in one of the catalogues that I can buy just the rubber dust boot for the tie rods. Does that mean they were designed to be rebuilt-assuming they are still tight and greased?


I am going to start from the outside and work my way in. Backing plates, springs, spindles, A arms (keeping the shims in the correct position and amount) and then the tie rods and steering parts. Sound about right?

Thanks,

Mike

[thomasso]

Shocks come out the bottom after removing the top nut and the two cap screws holding the lower bshg. cross pin.  Springs will just about fall out after releasing the lower ball joint, with a splitter or large hammer.  Leave nut loosened on stud. Be sure a arm is supported with a jack that can be lowered to safely extract the spring.  If the tie rod ends are good just replace the boots which help keep dirt out.  Be sure control arm bushings and shafts are centered.  A heavier sway bar is also a good idea as are heavy duty shocks as possible.  Just because they say H.D. and gas charged doesn't make it so.

[abe_lugo]

You may need to vise grip the upper shock shaft to keep it from spinning if the nut doesn't come off. 

FYI most all the front end work is much easier if you take the whole front end off.  Not sure you have done that yet. 
Especially if you were going to pull the engine.

[1930artdeco]

Thanks for the tips as I have not looked super closely at the shocks yet. I have a bottle jack that I am going to put under the lower A arm to lower things down. I do have to take the front end off to get to the cowl drains. Unfortunately, I put her up on stands and took things apart before I realized that I had to do that. I am going to put KYB all the way around, I will look into a stiffer sway bar as well.

Mike

[Tom S]

You don't have to have to take the front end off to get to the cowl drains.
This is what I did.
http://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=3895.msg65607#msg65607

[thomasso]

Don't recommend a bottle jack as a arm must come down almost vertical to remove spring.  Use a floor jack with wheels if possible.  Memory is failing, if control arm bushings are rubber rather than threaded steel don't tighten bolts until full weight is on the ground.  Don't forget the idler arm.

[1930artdeco]

Thanks Tom, when I get back in her wheels I poke around to match you pics up with the car.

Mike

[1930artdeco]

I asked Tom S about his cowl drain method to make sure I understood it correctly. Here is our conversation for everyone else. I probably should have asked here in the first place-my fault.

Hi Tom,

Question on the cowl drains. First off I have not really look to closely at them from the engine compartment as I have been focusing on the front end/brakes. But, if I understand your photos correctly, you reach in between the fender and the cowl with the plastic elbow and push it through the hole in the side wall. Is this correct? Then you run the clear drain line after the steering box/wheel well in the corner?

Thanks,

Mike
Yes, that's about it.  If I recall, I had to stick something in the end of the large, 1-1/4" plastic tubing & wiggle it around to expand it a bit first in order to get it on the plastic elbow. Maybe warm it up a little too. It's a very tight fit, didn't need a clamp. You might consider the small screw-in piece that I put in the larger elbow & the 1/2" tubing as optional. I thing the factory just let the drain dump down the side of the cowl/fender well.
BTW, Instead of a private message I think it's much better to post questions about something in a thread in the thread itself. That way anyone else that has the same kind of questions gets the answer.

[1930artdeco]

Today's update-not much. I dropped the outer tie rods as I could not get a decent whack at the inners. So I am going to take the whole thing down and separate them out of the car. I have decided to just replace the left spindle at this point as that bearing race and washer are frozen to it. Tried to get the shocks out and the stud started to just spin so I will just cut the nut off of both of them and then remove them. Got in some front hubs and drums from a yard, I am hopeful they can be turned. If not then it is off to China for new ones.

I poured a gallon of laquer thinner in the tank as an experiment. But I think I will just buy a new one as the shellac and/or rust go all of the way up the sides. Hey it's only money right? On the springs, do I need a compressor to remove them if I break both ball joints loos and then lower the lower arm on a jack? Will that take all of the energy out of it? How do I get the PS control valve out? I pulled the pin and loosened the nut and was hitting it up, but the valve won't budge.

Thanks,

Mike

[glr7533]

When I did my 300 the tank looked like new on the outside but was solid rust on the inside. I purchased a tank from Auto City Classic of Isanti, MN. I think I paid about $130 at that time now they are over $200. They have them for  the station wagon/ranchero but they are not cheap.

When I did my ball joints I purchased a cheap spring compressor. I used it on one side but it would not stay in position and I was afraid it would let go of the spring. The other side I used a floor jack. I ran a piece of chain down the inside of the spring and fastened it together incase the jack slipped the spring would not go flying.

[1930artdeco]

How did the tank fit?

[terry_208]

I haven't done the tank on my 57, yet.  I have done a tank on a goldwing using electrolysis. A negative charge to a sacrificial anode and a positive charge to the tank.  I used salt water as a solution and waited.  after a few hours I removed the charges and drained the tank.  A quick rinse with a small amount of acid purchased from a pool and spa supply followed by another rinse of a pint of MEK. The tank was clean, dry and unprotected from surface rust.  I had the tank lined but some say that rinsing it again, this time with wd 40 would have prevented surface rust. 

It was one heck of a job and would be compounded by the size of the 57's tank.

[glr7533]

The tank fit great. I did put a coat of silver paint on it before I installed it just for more protection. I am lucky to have them only a couple hours away so I just drove over and picked up the tank and windshield at the same time. The tank for the wagon is different than the custom.  I reused my sending unit without any problem. I did solder a wire to the sending unit to use for a ground. I was concerned I wouldn't have a good ground with new rubber between the tank and mounting straps, insulating paper above the tank and the whole underside of the car having several coats of chassis saver.

[1930artdeco]

I have t check yet, but I thought I saw paper/plastic sleeves that go around the tank straps? What do you mean by insulating paper on top of the tank?

Mike

[glr7533]

There is a rubber strip that goes between the tank and the strap. They are available from Auto City Classic or I am sure you could make them. There was a black paper between the top of the tank and the body on my car. I think it was to keep the tank from rubbing on the trunk floor and making noise. I used heavy tar paper because the old paper fell apart.