Hi all. Well been working on the 57 Niagara 300 for a while now and ready to tackle front suspension. Have read most of the posts and ready to tear into it. Started at the rear of car and moving forward. Does anyone have any cautions, tips, suggestions on the process. I have all the parts for a complete overhaul. Retaining stock A arms. Thanks
one tip.....grab a length of threaded rod and steel bars, or some chain to run down thru the coil spring...... as a safety in case all doesn't go as planned.
Thanks Rich. I've got the threaded rod. Chain sounds a bit stronger. Would you happen to know the best tool kit to push and install. I don't have a press. Thanks Greg
I assume you're asking about installing the bushings. I did mine with 5/8"threaded rod for both remove and install. I used sockets from a cheap 3/4" Harbor Freight socket set with nuts and washers for the "cups".
The removal is probably going to be difficult because they're going to be rusted in. You can use a drill motor and drill bit to chew away the rubber between the inner and outer sleeves. I may have just used a hammer and chisel at that point to collapse/remove the remaining outer sleeve. Be aware the new bushings are going to have raised "tabs" that are depth stops. They do not get pushed in all the way.
Thanks again. unfortunately I gave my 3/4 set of sockets to my grandson when he started his apprenticeship at a John Deere dealership. I'll figure something out. As you said the coil spring is the Boogy Man
I use threaded rod, a couple of large washers and a short piece of pipe I use the same set up turned around to remove them
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Thanks Jim. Looks easy enough
Morning Jim. Another question. Have you any idea on where to source the lower control arm pivot bolts. Thanks Greg
Greg, I'm sorry I don't know of any but I seem to recall this being asked before and someone else may have the answer.
They are very pricey, but I got mine from Larry's T-Birds. He sells them as a pair for about $165.00. Might try eBay also.
James
Thanks guys. I was thinking of getting them b4 taking apart just in case but maybe just wait and see how it goes. I saw on another post that you could be lucky on the rears but the fronts can be trouble. I'll wait till I take apart and see. In the meantime I will check sources. Thanks again. By the way. If you have done this did you remove inner fenders. Original shop manual that I have says to do this for uppers. Seems like a lot of work. Maybe a way around it
Greg, no reason to remove the inner fenders to remove the uppers. Just remove the four nuts from the bolts that hold it to the frame where the alignment shims are and remove as an assembly
Greg, soak the lower bolts with penetrating oil where they go into the frame, let it sit a day and then heat the surrounding metal a bit so it will expand, then soak again so it will hopefully pull some of the oil in between the bolt and sleeve in the frame. Then locate a large socket that will fit and try bumping back and forth to Break it loose. This usually helps but i have had some that had to be beat out, thus the need to buy new ones from Larrys T-Birds. I also found a NOS pair of bolts on eBay once, so you might watch that as well.
James
Hi All. Thanks for the tips. Found bolts and bushings as a kit from Jamco. $129 each side. Going to soak lowers and see where it goes. Would like to find just pins as I already have bushings.
This is cheaper. It's where I got mine..Concourse Parts
https://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~dyndetail~Z5Z5Z50000051e~Z5Z5Z519365~P82.95~~~~S6KW19MV5A50269818066a~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000051e
Thanks Rich. Much better. I will go to their site as I need rebound rubber as well. Greg
When I did this on my 59 Meteor, both rear pivot bolts came out fairly easily, but the fronts were more stubborn. I have the socket that fits the hex on the pivot bolt, but for whatever reason, Ford made the bolt head so then, the socket tends to want to slip off the hex. Grinding down the end of the socket, so there is no chamfer left, helped, but one was too stubborn, so I ended up having to head up the front crossmember around the pivot, between that, and a big hammer, it eventually came out OK. Rather than hammer on the stock retainer bolt, I picked up a longer bolt, threaded long enough, so that I could thread the bolt into the pivot all the way in, until it bottomed out in the pivot bolt, to prevent damaging the threads inside the pivot. I did all this while the engine was out, so no idea how much hammer swinging room you will have with an oil pan in the way. My pivot bolts didn`t have any noticeable pitting, so I just cleaned then up with a wire wheel. I used a bit of silicone spray on the lower rubber bushings, and Never Seize where the pivot goes into the front crossmember, just in case it ever needs to be taken apart in the future.
front suspension.jpg Finally tore into it. Upper and lower bushing pins didn't look to bad for 65 years old. rears came out easy. fronts were soaked and came out. Thanks to everyone for tips. Don't worry about backing plates hanging. Removing to convert to disc. All in all I can't complain. For a Canadian car this one is a dream to work on. Must be because it came from west coast.
Quote from: Gregs57 on 2023-04-02 17:42front suspension.jpg Finally tore into it. Upper and lower bushing pins didn't look to bad for 65 years old. rears came out easy. fronts were soaked and came out. Thanks to everyone for tips. Don't worry about backing plates hanging. Removing to convert to disc. All in all I can't complain. For a Canadian car this one is a dream to work on. Must be because it came from west coast.
Being from the West Coast likely did help it come apart. My 59 Meteor was originally sold in Kitchener Ontario, but spend the majority of it`s like around Vancouver bc, which has much less snow, and milder winters. ( I base this on the 1976 British Columbia Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection sticker on the old windshield). Since moving to Nova Scotia in 2020, I am now familiar with the amount of rust vehicles suffer in most of Canada, there is a local wrecking yard with a number of old cars, including 2 58 Fords, and it is not at all uncommon to see vehicles around here, with rotted out frames, that are less than 10 years old. Funny, how when I grew up on the West Coast, I always thought our cars were rust buckets, and compared to vehicles that I have bought from California and Oregon, they were, BUT, compared to what I see in Atlantic Canada, and have seen in visits to the North Eastern US, our stuff in BC was cherry!
Hi again. OK started reassembly. Working on left side first. When I was ordering my parts the Concours parts list shows a large washer called a front spring spacer PN#8A-3013 for the left side. I called Concours to inquire if there was one needed for the right side and was told no just for the left. Hmmm. I looked at the front end parts diagram in the Fabulous Fords catalogue and it does NOT show this spacer. When I removed my LS front spring there wasn't a spacer ring there just the rubber insulator. Can anyone shed a light on this part. If it does use this part does it go between spring and insulator or insulator and frame cup. Also why just 1 side gets it? Thanks again
If that spacer is what I think it is, I believe it is more of a select fit shim. My 59 had one, but when I installed the new LCA bushings, there was not enough room between the bushing and the crossmember, so I just left it out. Maybe the new LCA bushings were a bit longer, so the spacer was no longer needed, not sure.
Mine did not have them/it. Possibly to even out ride height if needed. Some have asked why their front ends were not sitting level.
By definition it appears to have something to do with the coil springs not a arm bushings. 1 washer is $10 U.S. What would make the car require a spacer on the left side. If you think of the crown of the road I could understand putting one on the right side to level it up. Thanks for the feed back
I can see needing them as the spring usually sags more after years on the driver side due to the drivers weight. I've never seen one from the factory.
Thanks Jim. I have no idea if the springs have ever been replaced. There wasn't one in the left side and the front end sat level b4 taking it apart.
On another topic . I posted a new post about idler arm play. I installed a new idler arm and bushings. I used specs from my 1957 manual. It called for 19/32 between the inside top of the bushing{nut} give or take 3/16 and the idler arm itself. When I did this at both the center link and the bracket end there is an incredible amount of slop. I saw on another site you are supposed to snug up tight and back off 1 turn. Am I missing something here. Thanks
Quote from: Gregs57 on 2023-04-07 15:46Thanks Jim. I have no idea if the springs have ever been replaced. There wasn't one in the left side and the front end sat level b4 taking it apart.
OK, I thought you were talking about a steel washer between the front crossmember and the LCA front bushing. Seems that you really mean a rubber cushion on the top of the front coil springs. In that case, yes, my car did have a rubber cushion on each side, and when I ordered my new coils from Eaton Detroit Springs, I ordered new cushions, as the 60 year old originals were split and falling apart. Pretty sure all the cars came with them, as a noise insulator.
I looked in the Ford Parts Book and I didn't find the PN 8A3012 spacer and it doesn't show up in the Parts Illustration Book either. I suspect it was intended to fix the lean of the car in a "driver only" scenario. The spacer thickness is multiplied by the suspension geometry as far as ride height is concerned. I did see it in the Concours Catalog, very interesting. I would put the spacer between the rubber isolator and the frame if I were going to use it
If you replaced the bushings on the idler since they screw on the the shaft. there shouldn't be a difference in the "slop" based on how far they are screwed on. I think the spacing is for the seal. Maybe the threads on the arm itself are worn?
In the 60's we call them air condition spacers do to the extra weight. The 57 Ford is notorious for being low on one side, it was due to poor welding and frames not being correctly jig up. The owner would never know because the factory installed the spacer if needed and unless you disassembled the front end you would never know. J Viera
Concourse has them under item #8a-3012 l.h. upper spring spacer not to be confused with insulator, around I/4 in. thick aluminum.
Since I ordered it I think Ill use it as I am not replacing coils. The car has the original 272 in it. If I go with my 466 big block later I will change out coils because of the weight change. Thanks all for the feedback.
Greg, not really sure if a FE is much heavier than a Y Block, when i swapped out the 272 in my 57 years ago, for a FE, the front end did not sit noticeably lower. When I was doing my 59 Meteor, it had the original 332 FE, so when I swapped to the 428 CJ, the weight was pretty much the same. However, I installed new coil and leaf springs, just because I thought the 60+ year old originals were ripe for retirement. The original coils were not broken or collapsed, but I didn`t want to "roll the dice", by keeping the old springs in. I bought my new coils from Eaton Detroit Springs, and they offer the springs in several weight rates. Since my 428 has aluminum heads, intake, and water pump, I chose the lighter 292 application springs, but eventually cut 1/2 coil off to get the nose down a bit. Stil may cut another 1/4 turn off at a later date.
I was not looking for a lower than factory height, but even with lower 70 series tires on the front, it sat up a bit high.
Greg.... sorry.late to the party.. if still win need of factory parts.. look up Shay at PRESIXTIES.COM for all your part needs.I rebuilt both my complete front suspensions from him.. NO Chinese or crappy Indian Garbage.......
But if you have everything you need..... never mind hahaha