core support mounting

Ford Blue blood · 2013-10-30 22:50

OK, both the Ranchero and the Retractable were evidently put together wrong in their past life, the Edsel is exactly as the drawing shows. The wagon was apart when I got it (bolt was missing and the spring was broken) so it was not a good referance point. Sorry for the bad info there guys.

57 imposter · 2013-11-02 15:37

Got my rubber bushings from Carpenter yesterday and nothing about them seems to be correct. First off the bolt shaft is 1/2" in dia. and the bushings have a 3/8" hole. Quite a stretch since the rubber is fairly stiff. second, both bushings are 3/8" thick. That didn't look right either so i assembled the core support mount per the dia. from the service manual and measured the distance from the spring to the bottom of the core support at .590. If I allow for the .090 clearance they want from the bushing to the core support, the top bushing needs to be 1/2" thick. I also don't believe there is any way I will be able to start the nut with the bottom bushing installed. I'm just going to make bushings from rubber i have left over from body mount kits. If you need bushings for your core support, I would sure think twice before I ordered these.

hiball3985 · 2013-11-02 15:55

Thats good to know about the Carpenter pieces. I ordered two from Mac's but won't be here until next week and I'll post the results. Probably the same thing..

RICH MUISE · 2013-11-02 18:36

I'll be working on mine hopefully soon...but I assumed the .09 they were looking for was after the bolt was tightened and there was some compresion on the spring. Were you measuring yours uncompressed?

57 imposter · 2013-11-02 23:03

I had it completely assembled and the nut tight when I took the .590 measurement.

SkylinerRon · 2013-11-03 17:27

Retracts are different than all other 57's, they have 2 coil springs and a different thru bolt.
Regular cars pads are 1.5" O.D., .290" Thick (above the C/M pad). 1.10" O.D., .50 Thick (below the C/M pad). Shims are .12 Thick, 2.25"X2.25" square w/2 notched corners. Retract shims are 2.25" X 1 53/64" Oblong.

Goodluck,

Ron.

SkylinerRon · 2013-11-03 17:35

Also you can freeze rubber and drill it if needed.

Ron.

57 imposter · 2013-11-05 10:37

Your dimensions are not even close to what Carpenter supplied. And yes, the bag was marked "core support bushings 57 and 58 Ford". I wish I could say these were the only rubber parts i have received from Carpenter that were a problem but they are far from it. Unfortunately they seem to pretty much have a corner on the market for these cars.

Limey57 · 2013-11-05 14:43

I'll second the "thanks" for the info. I had no idea how it all went together, at least I now know what bits I'm looking for in one of the big box of bits that the previous owner removed & filed away.

hiball3985 · 2013-11-06 14:24

I just received my pucks from MAC's, both are identical:
OD: 1.52"
THICK: .320
HOLE: .420

RICH MUISE · 2013-11-06 14:38

honestly, it is annoying a simple part can't be made right, but in this case I can't see it as being a big deal...just add a washer or two until the .09 is close. I haven't even looked at the ones I bought years ago..they're still in a box on the shelf.

hiball3985 · 2013-11-06 16:01

Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2013-11-06 14:38
honestly, it is annoying a simple part can't be made right, but in this case I can't see it as being a big deal...just add a washer or two until the .09 is close. I haven't even looked at the ones I bought years ago..they're still in a box on the shelf.

A lot of the aftermarket stuff is disappointing even from reputable dealers. I've order a cowl vent seal from both MAC's and Carpenter and neither has been correct

RICH MUISE · 2013-11-07 10:52

I dug out my pucks I bought 5 or 6 years ago. Both are .290 thick, 1.50 dia. Mine both have a .570 Dia hole..... The bolt shaft is 9/16, not 1/2, on mine, so the .570 hole is perfect. My old bag of parts also had a 3rd rubber washer, about 1/8 thick...I'm guessing was used to build up the puck at the spring to get to the .09 spacing. my oem pucks are long gone..so can't compare the new ones.
That 3rd rubber washer may explain why at least the new sets have 2 washers of the same thickness...maybe Ford used that thinner one with one of the thick ones on top. I'm pretty sure when I disassembled mine, it was the first time it came apart.

hiball3985 · 2013-11-07 12:12

The more I think about the less I like this design

Why does the front end need to bounce around on a spring when the rest of the body is solid to the frame?? Maybe because the rear of the frame flexes more then the front so the front sheet metal has to follow the body?

gasman826 · 2013-11-07 19:13

My car is a long ways from a restoration. The OEM frame is a noodle but it rides nice. Since I was going to more power and doing suspension upgrades, I reinforced (short of caging) the frame so there is little to no flex. Like I said before, hang the front fenders to the cowl so the door gaps are correct and then shim the core support. I made the rubber cushions and tossed the spring. I snugged it down just like the rest of the body mounts. No squeaks, binding, or fatigue cracked metal. No issues at all and I'll do it again.

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core support mounting