1966 Front Shock Absorbers

[papawayne]

Getting real nuts and bolts is a real challenge these days. We used to have a place called Fastenal, nearby with semi-intelligent workers who knew nut and bolt grades. But they went out of business, and a wacky-weed store replaced them. I won't go to Lowe's or Home Depot because the only phrase the high school kids in these places know is "I don't know". So, I stick with Ace Hardware where there is enough brain matter for the clerk to take you to the nuts and bolts and he or she knows the difference between grade five and grade 8 and will show you where they are and help you pick them out and put them in a little bag. I needed some more shear pins for my snowblower one day, and an enterprising clerk showed me where they were but said, "If you go over to Tractor Supply, you can get grade 3 bolts much cheaper that will work just as well. He was right. There is a use for bubble gum steel. Wayne

[Dan Szwarc]

Getting real nuts and bolts is a real challenge these days. We used to have a place called Fastenal, nearby with semi-intelligent workers who knew nut and bolt grades. But they went out of business, and a wacky-weed store replaced them.

Look online. Ebay, love 'em or hate 'em, is a pretty good, but for onesey-twosey bits, shipping is a killer.

I won't go to Lowe's or Home Depot because the only phrase the high school kids in these places know is "I don't know".

Never got to Lowes of HD for fasteners, period. Nothing is correct and nothing is grade 8.

So, I stick with Ace Hardware where there is enough brain matter for the clerk to take you to the nuts and bolts and he or she knows the difference between grade five and grade 8 and will show you where they are and help you pick them out and put them in a little bag. I needed some more shear pins for my snowblower one day, and an enterprising clerk showed me where they were but said, "If you go over to Tractor Supply, you can get grade 3 bolts much cheaper that will work just as well. He was right. There is a use for bubble gum steel. Wayne

Ace is actually pretty great if all you need is a few.

If you want exactly period correct or close to it, use AMK products. I restored my 66 using their hardware. I cataloged every symbol and bolt type down to material and plating. It isn't cheap. Its best for big jobs.

[papawayne]

Thanks, Dan, computers and I don't really have a relationship. So, Ebay and I are not intimates. Would you believe that I heard about this forum from a fellow Lincoln owner back in 2009 when I joined, but the Episcopal priest across the street a bit, actually came to my computer, found the forum and made the forum a "favorite" for me? He didn't preach at me, but I've always wondered if he wrote it down as a pastoral visit. Authenticity has always been one of my problems. I once got dinged for an air cleaner cover wing nut that was the wrong color. I still don't know what color it is supposed to be; this one is chromish. Wayne

[frasern]

We have a Fastenall here, and I used a lot of their hardware when building my shop. I can trust their quality, but they only sell in bulk. Chinese hardware, even when marked with the correct grade, is dubious, and I prefer to use a rusty OE bolt, than a shiny new one from a dubious source. I think the top bolt that broke, has a spline, but not sure. If so, you can drive it out and drive in a new one, the bottom nuts can be replaced with one with a tab attached, like an eccentric, the tab turns until it butts something, then just tighten the bolt.

[Dan Szwarc]

Thanks, Dan, computers and I don't really have a relationship. So, Ebay and I are not intimates. Would you believe that I heard about this forum from a fellow Lincoln owner back in 2009 when I joined, but the Episcopal priest across the street a bit, actually came to my computer, found the forum and made the forum a "favorite" for me? He didn't preach at me, but I've always wondered if he wrote it down as a pastoral visit. Authenticity has always been one of my problems. I once got dinged for an air cleaner cover wing nut that was the wrong color. I still don't know what color it is supposed to be; this one is chromish. Wayne

Sorry, Wayne. The AMK catalog, available online and findable through a weird tool called google.com or a "search engine", actually has a page that identifies various plating and coating materials by color and more information about those items is also findable using a search engine. Beyond that, I don't know what else to say.

As for rusty bolts, I have a collection of bolts acquired by stripping parts cars. I sandblast, powdercoat, and replate the really weird ones.

[papawayne]

Thanks again, Dan. Stu looks here too, and he also has a 63 sedan, and he may look under his hood and may report what he sees. Sometimes LCOC judges ding stuff just because they can. When I hid my 15" wheels behind '63 wheel covers, nobody noticed. (I learned that trick here on this forum).
When I had '73 wheel covers, one judge said, "Is there anything you'd like to tell us about the wheels and the hub caps?"

[siglumous]

Just stumbled across this:

https://metrommp.com/shock_absorber_gro ... 1714392053

It lists a replacement grommet for our shocks.

[tomo]

Here is what I found
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/en ... y-monterey

[Lee]

Tom, I think those are the strut rod bushings.

[Mike]

Replacement shock bushings should be easy to find they're pretty universal. But if the shocks are more then a few years old it might be better to just replace them all together since junk modern age rubber is what's inside them too.

[TonyC]

Well, I did indicate above that I already swapped out the shock absorbers. The Monroe shocks still have resistance in them, which tells me they still have some life to them, even if they are a bit on the old side; it's only the bushings that gave out. If those can be replaced–and from the input on the thread it looks like they can be (thank you, Fraser and Siglumous! )–I'll try that and hold them as a backup should the new Gabriels fail; after all, they are noticeably smaller than the Monroes. I haven't given the car much exercise since the swap except for the drive home from the auto shop, because I still had surgery to do on that upper-end bracket. I fixed that at home, but then I had to catch a bus to Florida to pick up my inheritance. I'm still there, having just gotten that car officially transferred to me. But when I get home I'll report back on how Frankenstein feels.

Yes, those bushings Tom posted are strut-rod bushings. It is good to know, however, that O'Reilly still offers them when I or anybody else may need them.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

Just stumbled across this:

https://metrommp.com/shock_absorber_gro ... 1714392053

It lists a replacement grommet for our shocks.

This looks like the upper bushing.

[tomo]

I must have been asleep when I gave the link for strut rod bushings.

[TonyC]

No harm, no foul, Tom. I've had gaffes in the past, fully awake when I posted them.

Yes, that link is for the top-end grommet, which also tends to wear down and break up. It's good to see new "rubber" parts for shock absorbers that would otherwise still be functional.

---Tony