Multilink with coils for later air ride

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hollandaises
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Multilink with coils for later air ride

Post by hollandaises »

My 69 sedan needs the rear suspension totally redone. Since I have to replace everything now may be a good time to set the car up for air ride later. What are your thoughts on installing a four link kit and running the car on coils for the time being? How would the ride quality and handling compare to the original Hotchkiss drive? Any issues installing a spring on a setup meant for air or ca I even source a spring that will provide normal height? Any long term reliability issues? I use the car on long trips and I have no issue renewing the bags once in a while as they age but I cannot afford to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a burst air spring. It seems a lot of these cars on bags are show cars used sparingly or only in local traffic.
1969 Lincoln Continental
2011 Mercedes-Benz E350

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TonyC
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Re: Multilink with coils for later air ride

Post by TonyC »

There is no marked advantage to balloon suspensions, save for the bouncy-bouncy novelty to show off in parking lots or intersections. Even those cars that were designed for the option (and '69 was not one of them) didn't really show that much improvement in ride stability, otherwise the option would have been adopted much more widely and constantly across the board.

Nobody ever dares to admit publicly what concerns resulted by employing a totally-different suspension design into this generation of Lincoln, which was engineered for Hotchkiss springs, and I doubt they will unless Wonder Woman ties them up. But being that the '58 and '59 cars had problems with their suspensions forcing the engineers to go back to Hotchkiss in '60 and stick to it until the Humpback Mark III (which did eventually have problems), that ought to be an argument against gutting the leaves for trailing arms and links. If one only wants a trailer queen that comes out on her own once every couple blue moons, and then only for parading around, then sure, that may work. But for regular transpo use, especially on highways, you really want what it already has. Your average balloon won't last much beyond 10 years before deteriorating and needing replacement; heck, the stock bushings last longer. Real springs last three to five times longer before requiring replacement...and they are far more resistant to damage by road debris.

DISCLAIMER: The above is only a personal opinion of the poster (based on experience and observations, but still a personal opinion) and not necessarily shared by the Forum itself or any other members of the Forum. Considering how grossly unpopular the above opinion is, don't expect anyone to support it; on the contrary, expect everyone to dismiss it (which is cool, they have the right).

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1966 Continental Sedan, affectionately known as "Frankenstein" until body restoration is done (to be renamed "General Sherman" on that event)
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hollandaises
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Re: Multilink with coils for later air ride

Post by hollandaises »

That's a fair point. Mercedes-Benz and Citroen produced reliable non-conventional suspensions in large numbers during the 1960s, but these were relatively small and light cars that didn't have the advantage of weight to produce a good ride. I am not concerned about the lifespan of the bags. As far as I'm concerned they are a wear item one shouldn't complain when they wear out anymore than one would complain about worn out tires or brakes. The Mercedes-Benz system of the same era used very thick bags and steel lines not unlike in heavy truck use and were fairly immune to debris. A lot of these aftermarket systems don't look to be tremendously robust to me.
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Pontiac/Oldsmobile 1940-1978
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Re: Multilink with coils for later air ride

Post by TonyC »

Oh, I've had experience with the Citroën setup, in Germany, with a Xantia one of my senior NCOs had. That suspension was punishing, especially from the back seat. It was almost like the wheels were attached directly to the car, like a shopping cart or wheelbarrow...and with some of those Kaiserslautern roads, one would end up going to Sick Call for a bruised tailbone.

Sorry if I've asked this before, but is your car fitted with the factory-option auto-level system?

---Tony
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, just because there is a picture with a quote next to it." (Abraham Lincoln, 1866)
"Question Authority!"

1966 Continental Sedan, affectionately known as "Frankenstein" until body restoration is done (to be renamed "General Sherman" on that event)
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LithiumCobalt
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Re: Multilink with coils for later air ride

Post by LithiumCobalt »

I'm one of those original condition/configuration assholes. These cars are being destroyed at a exponential clip with these kinds of modifications. It is distressing as hell to try to find one of these cars that hasn't been modified. But, I guess it's your car and your money.
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Re: Multilink with coils for later air ride

Post by TonyC »

And I am in Nick's camp. Any car refitted that way has lost its value. I certainly would not be paying five-figure kilos for any such setup, not when I might have to spend that much to rip out the stuff and go back to real springs.

But Hollandaises decided against that conversion for now, so all is good in the world.

---Tony
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, just because there is a picture with a quote next to it." (Abraham Lincoln, 1866)
"Question Authority!"

1966 Continental Sedan, affectionately known as "Frankenstein" until body restoration is done (to be renamed "General Sherman" on that event)
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