Thread: Can't figure this out

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Thanks for the suggestions. It will be a few days before I can get back to it. I'll keep you posted.

Do you have an impact driver you can use? I've had really good luck with those helping get stubborn bolts to move.

I finally had time to get back this project. The sawzall solution worked. I had to cut the lower mounting bolt on both sides between the shock and the mounting bracket. As I suspected the 1/2" bolt was frozen inside the 5/8" to 1/2" reducer inside the shock bushing. Since the reducer is larger than the 1/2" holes in the bracket it wasn't moving in either direction.

Once I got the shock out I could see what failed. Somehow the cap that screws into the top of the tube had come out. I couldn't see the cap until I got the shock out and found it jammed against the top of the rod.

No markings at all on the shock so I can't identify who made it. Speedway says they can't rebuild so I need a new set of coilovers. I don't know what the spring rate is so I need to do some research. The spring length is 9 1/2", which isn't standard. Maybe it started out as 10" and has permanently compressed. At this point I guess I'll just replace both sides.

I don't know what my front end weight is but have found estimates from 1400 to 1700 lbs. Any thoughts on that? It's a 1936 Ford pickup, all steel with tubular independent front suspension and small block Ford.

don't know what's near you but a lot of truck stops have scales , scrap yards have them and many other places

You should be able to measure up the springs, wire size , number of coils, O.d. and length and I think Afco (speedway) can use that info ro come up with a comparable rating. The other thing that I did was start to use LOWER spring rates to get a smoother ride / less harsh. And if needed swap into the next higher spring to dial in the ride you like. Springs aren't that expensive and I believe Afco will swap'em at a smaller cost. At least they did for me.

You can find the rate of your springs by using the formula on this page/link (below). You just need to take a few measurements on your springs and plug the numbers into the formula.
https://therangerstation.com/tech_li...ringrate.shtml

Originally Posted by J. Robinson

You can find the rate of your springs by using the formula on this page/link (below). You just need to take a few measurements on your springs and plug the numbers into the formula.
https://therangerstation.com/tech_li...ringrate.shtml

Thanks. That's very helpful.