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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Tube shocks

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Tube shocks -- page: 1 2     johnmyron 02-13-2010 @ 9:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 97 Joined: Oct 2009 Put a two speed rear end in my 47 fordor and found the handling at 60 mph kind of rolly. My knee action shocks were rebuilt but am wondering if tube shocks would make a big difference. Any guidance from experienced users would be helpful. The kits are expensive. Would putting a tube shock kit in front make most of the diff or should put front and rear? TomO 02-14-2010 @ 6:10 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 Tube shock will not make any difference in handling over a set of properly rebuilt lever shocks. Your lever shocks should have considerable resistance in both directions when operated by hand. There is an adjustment for more resistance on the lever shocks, which may help your handling. You should also have a rear track bar and a front stabilizer bar on your car. The bushings in these bars may have deteriorated, giving you the sway at higher speeds. Tom supereal 02-14-2010 @ 9:47 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 One advantage that properly mounted and sized tube shocks have over the lever type is that they help control sway. The lever shocks were replaced in mid '47 with tubes for that reason. If you replace the old shocks, install on both front and back. Odd handling is often the result of badly worn spring shackles and bushings, loose king bolts in the front, and/or slop in the steering components. As TomO says, check the rubber bushings in the front and rear sway bars, as they crack and shrink from age. As for price, poor handling can be very expensive if you lose control of the car! johnmyron 02-14-2010 @ 10:41 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 97 Joined: Oct 2009 I restored this car frame off. All bushings, etc are new. Sway bar, track bar, etc all there. Had the hydraulic knee action shocks rebuilt by a guy in oregon, and they have good resistance. May try adjusting resistance up first. Thanks, John Wells johnmyron 02-14-2010 @ 10:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 97 Joined: Oct 2009 everything is new. Can't help but think that tube shocks would work more effectively than the knee action hydraulics. Thanks, John Wells ford38v8 02-14-2010 @ 12:09 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2758 Joined: Oct 2009 John, check your center spring perches. Even a very slight looseness there will produce a roll that no shock absorber can handle. Alan supereal 02-15-2010 @ 10:05 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The main reason that tube shocks contain body roll is that they are mounted with a bit of angle that addresses sway, while the lever (Houdaille) type have just up and down links. Good quality tube shocks have variable valving to adjust to the amount of movement, including spring rebound. Matching the shocks to the car is essential. Many of the gas filled shocks will not help, and make things worse if they are designed for modern cars. TomO 02-16-2010 @ 7:01 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 John, did you have the handling problem before you installed the 2 speed rear end? Do you have longer shackle bars than stock? Are your shock links longer than stock? Are your springs new, or do they have lots of miles on them? All of these things affect stability. Your car had less roll at high speeds when new than most of the new cars in 1946. The transverse springs tend to limit sway compared to parallel springs. Tom jerry.grayson 02-17-2010 @ 8:13 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 128 Joined: Oct 2009 Many tube shocks are single action or slight action in one direction, the Ford lever shocks are DOUBLE action. By double action I mean that they control the downward movement of the body as well as the upward movement. This results in control of roll in a turn. The OEM lever shocks are better in my opinion. jerry.grayson 02-17-2010 @ 8:20 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 128 Joined: Oct 2009 Supereal, I believe that the tube shocks were introduced in the 48 cars because they were CHEAPER and were (hopefully) longer lasting, not better working.JMO

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