| mzahorik | -- 07-15-2020 @ 8:41 AM |
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Now that I have my 1937 running pretty good. I noticed a loud clank in the front when the car drives over large bumps. I found that there are no suspension bumpers in the front. Even the bolts are gone. Then I noticed that the car is leaning. The drivers side is lower than the passenger side, by about an inch or so. Both springs seem to be OK, no broken leafs and the center pin seems to be in it's hole and not sheared. I measured the center pin to each side and they seem to be centered, to within less than 1/8". Where is a good common point to measure ride height? AND what should it be? What else can cause the body to lean? Thanks Mike
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| TomO | -- 07-15-2020 @ 8:56 AM |
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Worn out springs are the main cause of body lean. Ride height is usually measured at the 4 frame horns. Tom
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| kubes40 | -- 07-15-2020 @ 9:21 AM |
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I have heard but never witnessed a shock being frozen and holding one side down lower than the opposite side. I have always found that very difficult to believe as IF the shock were frozen so much as to hold the car down, well, methinks the shock would very shortly break. As my friend Tom has advised, it's 99.9% likely the spring is simply worn out. Leaning lower on the left is quite typical as obviously that's where the majority of weight (read: occupants) has rested through the past 80+ years. I am a firm believer in installing NOS springs only. They were engineered to offer but specified ride height and handling characteristics. While you can source a spring from (example) Eaton, it is very unlikely to replicate exactly what Ford installed. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
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| mzahorik | -- 07-15-2020 @ 10:39 AM |
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I'm not familiar with the term 'frame horn'. Mike
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| 1940 Tom | -- 07-15-2020 @ 1:05 PM |
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Hello Mike-- Let me help out both TomO and Mike K. regarding your email. The "frame horns" are the "extensions" - both front and rear - of the 2 parallel frame rails - past both the front and rear crossmembers. Think of them as "horns" on cattle. They bear no major weight. The front and rear bumper brackets are attached to the frame horns. So TomO is correct (as usual). Those 4 corners would be the best place to measure the height of your 37, for evenness purposes. Good Luck. Tom
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| kubes40 | -- 07-15-2020 @ 1:06 PM |
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Frame horn would be the very end of the outer frame rail. I'm confident that there are manuals somewhere "out there" that specify the correct ride height for your particular car. Most of the Ford engineering drawings I've seen show the height to the crown of the fender as well as the roof height. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
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| ford38v8 | -- 07-15-2020 @ 6:30 PM |
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Kube, I too am skeptical of things I cannot see, however I can assure you that I have seen frozen shocks, as well as shocks being ripped out of the mountings on frames as can result from frozen shocks. I have not seen shocks or shock levers "broken". Alan
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| 1931 Flamingo | -- 07-16-2020 @ 4:59 AM |
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You could also check the tightness of the U-bolts............. Paul in CT
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| 50CaPU | -- 07-19-2020 @ 9:22 AM |
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Please post if you find a source for measurements. I asked this question about my 1935 Tudor. Several folks made reference to seeing the info somewhere no one knew of original specs to compare to. The measurement that was given came from the commonly published drawings showing the body height but this doesn’t answer the question if measuring the 4 sides individually for abnormalities. Tim Downtown, Ca
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| kubes40 | -- 07-19-2020 @ 10:10 AM |
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Methinks you are either over thinking this or making it a bigger deal than it is. Disconnect the shocks. If it's still leaning to one side, replace the spring. Done. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
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| kubes40 | -- 07-19-2020 @ 10:27 AM |
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Alan, No argument whatsoever. I too have seen frozen shocks. However, there has always been some type of collateral damage. Like you'd suggested, torn from the frame or the shock itself is very loose - something not very notable until it is removed. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
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| TomO | -- 07-20-2020 @ 7:49 AM |
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I have been unable to find ride height specifications for your 1937 Ford. The only spec that Ford provided to check the springs is the eye to eye measurement when the spring is mounted on the car and the car is resting on it's tires. For the 1937 Ford it should be 40.3" for the front spring and 46.6" for the rear. If your measurements are greater than the specs, the spring is worn out. A frame shop may have the crash specifications for ride height, or you may be able to buy them on Ebay. There is a video on measuring ride height on You-Tube. It is talking about modern cars, but you can use the principles on your 37. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E68mqLNU5VI Tom This message was edited by TomO on 7-21-20 @ 7:15 AM
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