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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 41 ford shocks

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Discussion Topic: 41 ford shocks -- page: 1 2

curts41

11-17-2009 @ 9:39 AM

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Hi all,
Newbie here. I recently purchased a stock 41 ford tudor. I have a real problem with the rear end swaying around when I am driving. I see some real strange looking shocks. Can somebody explain what I must do to fix this problem?

Thx .
Curt

supereal

11-17-2009 @ 1:59 PM

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Curt: Those "funny looking shocks" are likely the original Houdaille lever shocks. More often than not, they are inoperative because of age. There are two good remedies: tube shocks and a sway bar. A good source is Chassis Engineering. Their web site is www.chassisengineeringinc.com, or call them at 319/643-2645. The transverse "buggy springs" of old Fords allow the body to swing on the spring shackles. If the shackles are worn, it seriously affects control even more. CE manufactures their own parts on site here in Iowa, so they avoid the rinky dink foreign parts curse.

42wagon

11-17-2009 @ 4:08 PM

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Curt
You say you have a stock 41. Before you jump to tubular shocks and sway bars stop and consider what your goal for the car is. Once you make these changes it will no longer be eligible for fine point judging if that is your goal.

Also keep in mind that Ford used those transverse springs hung on shackles. Even if everything is nice a tight your car is going to sway more than you are used to driving a modern car.

If you don't already have the 41 to 48 Ford book you should get one. There is a wealth of information about your car in it. The book is available from the Early Ford V8 Club on the home page of this web site.

Tom/SC

11-17-2009 @ 6:52 PM

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Kurt,if as Super has said, your 41 has the factory Houdaille shocks, they are adjustable for the stiffness of ride and handling that you prefer. It is also possible that the fliud in the shocks is low,making them weaker. Check the two u-bolts that secure the spring to the rear crossmember, there should be a fabric " pad" between the spring and the rear crossmember. any looseness there would add to the swaying. Check the rear spring shackle bolts, all four for wear and looseness. Correcting these items should help eliminate to a great extent the rear end sway. Tom

40guy

11-17-2009 @ 7:05 PM

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Does any one know if Louis Trinque in Conn. still sells these rebuilt shocks? Is he still living? Have any of you ever heard of him?

39 Ken

11-18-2009 @ 3:52 AM

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Louis Trinque has retired and sold his business to Bill Wzorek. Continuing in Louis' fine tradition. You'll be happy with his quality and service.
BILL WZOREK
71 Cardinal Way
Florence Ma. 01062

(413) 586-5324

supereal

11-18-2009 @ 5:33 AM

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Another source of lever shocks, either to be rebuilt or replaced, is Apple Hydraulics. Their site is www.applehydraulics.com I can't quarrel with the desire to keep a car "original", but if lever shocks were as effective as the tube type, particularly the modern designs with variable valving, they would still be used. While they were OK for roads of the 30's and 40's, and road speeds under 35-50 mph, today's driving requires better control to be safe. Any slack in the steering or other components can set up uncontrollable movement, which is amplified by ineffective shocks.

curts41

11-18-2009 @ 8:58 AM

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First off, thank you all for the quick and helpful info, it is truly a pleasure to belong to this group.
An update on what I discovered on my 41 shocks. It seems that somewhere down the line the arm of the passenger side shock went down and the link on the end of the arm got wedged against the transverse spring shackle. That side of the car was totally bound up and the other side was free. I first stood on the bumper and jumped to try to get that noise I was hearing. The drivers side moved as you would expect but the passenger side was really stuck. I am in the process of removing this assembly now. I am sure it has been bound up for quite a while as the end of the link has been worn away against the shackle.
This car came from a small town in northern minn, and is really clean for it's age. As far as what I am going to do with it, I am at a cross road. I like the looks of it now, totally un-molested, but I also want to drive it and not worry.What to do, what to do.

Curt

This message was edited by curts41 on 11-18-09 @ 9:01 AM

deluxe40

11-18-2009 @ 9:18 AM

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As for what to do, I'd vote for fixing anything that is unsafe, unreliable or
uncomfortable and enjoying the car as it is. At this point I enjoy looking
at cars with some history showing as much as looking at cars that are
perfectly restored.

curts41

11-18-2009 @ 9:31 AM

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Delux 40
That is exactly what I was thinking of doing. This car is from a small town in Minn. about ten miles from where my mother is from. This car was mfgr. in the year I was born. Lots of reasons to leave it as is. I have done my share of cutting on cars and I don't have the desire to do that to this car. Car has 66K on the clock.

Curt

This message was edited by curts41 on 11-18-09 @ 9:32 AM

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