1966 Front Shock Absorbers

[TonyC]

Hi, all,

As a separate topic to prevent hijacking of Goldstar's thread for shock-absorbers for his Mark IV, I need input for front shock-absorbers for Frankenstein. All over the Forum I see mostly one statement to the effect of "DON'T buy Monroes." Okay, well, mine are Monroes, and Monroe appears to be the dominant brand for replacement shock-absorbers or McPherson struts. So, then, if not Monroes, what??

It's been years since I saw anybody mention what to buy as opposed to what not to buy, but I do remember the name Gabriel mentioned. So, then, what about Gabriel? Is that brand any good? If so, could that be why it's almost non-existent on E-Bay? Is there another brand that can be recommended, that maybe E-Bay is not aware of?

What model of Gabriel shock is correct? I did come across one listing for Gabriel shocks specifically listed to fit onto the clap-door series. The specific part number is 82615. Is this listing accurate, that it will in fact fit our clap-door battleships? If so, then I'll go for them.

To play devil's advocate for a mite, the Monroes that are already in place held up for a pretty long time. I cannot even remember specifically when I installed them, though I want to say it was circa 2012. The front of the car does not bounce and jounce when I press down hard on it, but I know it is time to replace them; below is why. I suppose I had known this for a few years, but I've been reluctant to do it sooner for two reasons:

1. The vitriol on the Forum towards the most-common, most-acquirable brand; everybody has been saying the "DON'T buy" lines, but hardly anybody really got into detail of what to buy instead.

2. I have an even deeper problem on Frankenstein where the left-front shock-absorber is concerned. Many years ago, when I did the first shock replacement, the nut inside the spring cavity (or shock tower) that secured the bolt for the upper eyelet's retaining bracket broke its spot-weld, causing it to spin in place and subsequently causing me to resort to drastic measures to get it out. Since then, I've had to use a regular hex nut to thread that bolt into, which tends to drag a half-hour job out to three full hours just for that one side, trying to tighten down a bolt while trying to prevent a nut from spinning, in a dangerous and cramped space. I will be going through that ordeal again.

That is not a job I'm looking forward to doing again; but if you look at the pictures below you'll see why I have to. I am suspecting that this must be one of three reasons (the other two linked to the stabilizer) why I've recently been hearing disconcerting thumping noises from under the front whenever I turn or hit rough spots on roads. At highway speed it's not that noticeable, but at city speed it's very noticeable.

---Tony

[Lee]

Tony, I’ve run both Gabriel and Monroe, and frankly I couldn’t describe any difference between the two. The 62 and 66 take the same part numbers. My driving is predominantly highway, little maneuvering through rough city streets. They both wear out that #$&@ bottom bushing long before the internals of the shock are worn out. It’s one area where a urethane bushing (were one available) would be useful.

I’m currently running Monroes with maybe 10-15,000 miles on them, no complaints at this mileage, but you would probably do that in a single year.

It’s hard to tell country of manufacture. I see claims that Monroe still makes theirs in Arkansas, where Gabriel is probably Mexico.

A direct comparison shows the specs are basically the same, but there is a small advantage (?) to the Gabriels, with 5.25” of total travel, vs. 4.6” for Monroes. I don’t know what the OE shock was.

I found it amusing that a new manufacturer (RideTech) has seen fit to bring a super-duper deluxe premium adjustable shock absorber to market for our cars. Why don’t you spend the $1000 for a new set, and report back on your findings? Inquiring minds want to know!

[frasern]

Tony, I’ve run both Gabriel and Monroe, and frankly I couldn’t describe any difference between the two. The 62 and 66 take the same part numbers. My driving is predominantly highway, little maneuvering through rough city streets. They both wear out that #$&@ bottom bushing long before the internals of the shock are worn out. It’s one area where a urethane bushing (were one available) would be useful.

They do exist! I bought these for my '97 before it was stolen, now that's all I have left.

Those bushings have always been the weak link, but I think they have gotten worse in recent years, like a lot of things. Back in the eightys, when I was more into 4X4s, there was a company, Rough Country, I think, who made rebuildable shocks for off roaders, you could get bushings from them, but finding one to work in your application could be challenging. Actually, I have, somewhere, a very old NOS set of those bushings for a 50s Chevy, so they used to be replaceable.
Tony; As for that bolt, on many newer things they use a nut with a tab, my Explorer has them. Easier for the assembly line, it only turns until it binds, you could, perhaps find or make something of the like, bend the tab to hook into the center hole.

[LithiumCobalt]

With as heavy as these cars are I can’t imagine one cheap shock absorber compared to the next would be very much different. I advocated specifically against Monroe Sensacraps in the past only because of my experience on newer Lincolns in that they would make the car ride like a lumber wagon. With the exception of the RideTech nonsense shown, can’t imagine the specs and quality are all that different on the cheap shocks available for our cars. Or, six to one, half dozen to another.

[Dan Szwarc]

I didn’t know Gabriel still existed. I always thought their gas-charged shocks were good.

[TonyC]

Indeed...? I didn't know Gabriel ceased to exist...! That could explain why of a couple-hundred hits, only two were Gabriel. The listing I put on the watch list has only two of those shocks in stock at $64 each, which was rather competitive with other listings for front shocks, even Monroe's.

Aside from the bushing issue, I haven't had problems with the Monroe shocks I got at O'Reilly. I have been running these fronts for quite a while, and folks here know how much I run in an average year. I want to say that it's been at least 12 years since I put those on. I did put rears on more recently, when I was in Kansas, but even that has been a few years. However, the rears' bushings aren't disintegrating.

If I could just replace the bushings, I would; I had wondered whether such replacements existed, and if they didn't, why not? I suppose they may have before, but too few thought of doing shock repair to justify the continuation of that market.

Lee, thank you for the info; that helps a lot. If the Gabriels have more travel, then I'll try them out this time. Ride Tech is beyond my pay grade; I'm only a retired Army staff sergeant. Besides, any splurge of four figures at this point, I'm reserving for black-market freon.

Fraser, I think it was the cage that broke off, so that's my problem; unfortunately that's just not something that can be fixed by a straight replacement. It will require a bit of mad-scientist brainstorming. I do have an idea on what to do, though it is a bit of a shade-tree fix. It will involve a nut with a flared end and some JB Weld, and of course as thorough a cleaning of the spot as I can muster. I don't know exactly what size bolt and nut to use; I know my last fix involved smaller-than-original hardware (rhough it's held up all this time). But I do have two sizes, each of two lengths, at least one of which has to work; if the larger size will fit, that's what I'll use. All I need now are shock absorbers and about four hours at the nearest auto center...oh, yeah, and new stabilizer bushings and end-links. But I have a line on those.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

Black poly bushings are still available. Verify the size.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ens-9-8107g

[Lee]

Fraser & Dan: thanks for the tip! I'll remember that next time.

[Dan Szwarc]

Indeed...? I didn't know Gabriel ceased to exist...!
---Tony

Gabriel is still around. I said I thought they ceased to exist.

https://gabriel.com/product-search/ligh ... al&engine=

[TonyC]

Ahh. Well, I put the order in for the last two Gabriels that seller had yesterday. Once I get an answer regarding the listing for the link kit, I'll get the stabilizer pieces. A couple days ago I did apply grease to all the steering and suspension parts, which turned out was needed. In the meantime, I just hope the thumping doesn't get worse.

---Tony

[TonyC]

Bump for an update. Today I installed the new shock absorbers, after being admittedly hesitant to do the job because of that annoying ordeal with the top bracket fasteners on the port side.

The starboard-side shock absorber went in without issue; the port side, not so much. As if dealing with a permanent problem in the top bracket fasteners wasn't enough, one of the nuts for the bottom of the shock spun out of its place in the lower control arm! Luckily, I was able to snake a 1/2" box end in there and hold the nut while I twisted the bolt out. Quick exam told me that it would be relatively easy to JB-Weld that nut back into its place, so I did. First (and the easier) *doh!!* to deal with. For the top, I decided I wanted to install a bigger bolt and nut in place, something closer to the size of the starboard-side top bracket bolt and nut. So, I installed a bolt and nut of 3/8" diameter and 16-pitch, which didn't seem too bad with the old shock out of the way. I JB-Welded the nut to the inside of the tower and threaded the bolt into it with a light snug fit, to hold it in place while it cured for a couple hours. Then, when I started installing the bracket a couple hours later, feeling more confident that I'd get this job done with plenty of time to spare, the bloody-damn bolt snapped on me! I was torquing down to 45 ft.-lbs., which is within the range the shop manual stated, and which I successfully torqued the other top bracket to...only to learn that new bolt was not made for that amount of torque. With barely over an hour left to work at the auto shop, I had to pull a spare bolt I bought with the one that snapped. I got it on; but knowing that bolt was made the same as the snapped one, I limited the torque to only 24 ft.-lbs.–well below the minimum specs, but just enough to at least allow me to drive home.

So, what to do now...? One thing that came to me while at the shop was that working on that top bracket was actually feasible for me to do at home; I didn't necessarily need the shop environment to swap in the new shocks. On my way out of Lackland I stopped at O'Reilly to buy new bolts of 3/8" diameter and 16-pitch, but with higher torque tolerance. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I intend to hit that port-side top bracket again, at home, see if I can make that a permanent repair. If weather doesn't cooperate, then it has to wait until I return from Florida.

But I can tell a difference in how the front end feels–a difference for the better.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

Ahh, those trusty lower shock bolts.

I think the original lower control arms had welded studs sticking out the bottom. If yours has bolts going up and loose nuts, then the originals broke free long ago. The bolt and nut combo is the fix, but backing both sides is tough through the spring and you have learned.

This is where having a welder helps.

Did you buy grade 8 bolts or just 5s?

[Lee]

Tony, you’ll need grade 8 bolts for that much torque.

[papawayne]

I've trusted all kinds of shocks for a long time, and usually do pretty well with all of them. It is ball joints that all inspection mechanics like to replace, even on my Lincoln. I don't get any choice offered on ball joints. The last batch came from a parts store that had supposedly ball joints for antique cars. Can't remember the name of the parts store, but it is big, it took over an old grocery store, nor the name of the ball joints, maybe "old car" something? Wayne

[TonyC]

That brings back memories of when I tried reviving my grand's Man-Of-War in '89. We took it to the one shop in Podunk Quincy, FL, that did that sort of work; and they indicated the whole front end needed surgery. That is understandable as it was still factory-stock at the time. They gave an estimate of about $600-ish, which was a lot in 1989; and then that still did not cover everything. They said they could not acquire lower ball joints or the idler arm.

Well, that was about the time I learned about Ron Baker: With no interwebs existing yet save for strategic defense, I thumbed through antique-car periodicals and found an ad for Baker's Auto; I got absolutely everything I needed for that surgery, and our regular mechanic who mentored me assisted me in putting everything together...and all for just over $400.

Of course, now, with decades of experience on these cars and interwebz assistance, I can do that same job now at about the same cost.

This is where having a welder helps.

Did you buy grade 8 bolts or just 5s?

Well, though I could learn, it's not really practical to have welding equipment at home, not when home is an apartment. I'm thinking I may have wound up with Grade-2 bolts that time around. I guess I just got so spoiled by Waters True Value in Junction City that hooked me up with every fastener I needed for seven years, that I thought Lowe's would hook me up properly as well. No such luck, Chico. But the bolts I got at O'Reilly have six hash marks on the heads, meaning they have higher torque strength. I did the job last night, and the new bolt held to 45 ft.-lbs., same as the other side. Now, how much change will that make to the car? That I have to wait on to find out, as Project Elsa is now upon me.

---Tony