Fluid for hydralic shock

in June 1930 Ford switched over to M-564 Hydraulic fluid
instead of glycerin
see page 464 in the service bulletins
Glycerin looks black
you dont find many shocks anymore with glycerin in them
if its golden, its oil of some sort ,who knows what someone in the past
has filled them with
i believe most restorers of shocks use some sort of oil based fluid
ive also found hydraulic fulid is too thin
but it may work in a perfect shock
 

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Glycerin is clear. Get a little rust mixed in and it can get darker.

in June 1930 Ford switched over to M-564 Hydraulic fluid
instead of glycerin
see page 464 in the service bulletins
Glycerin looks black
you dont find many shocks anymore with glycerin in them
if its golden, its oil of some sort ,who knows what someone in the past
has filled them with
i believe most restorers of shocks use some sort of oil based fluid
ive also found hydraulic fulid is too thin
but it may work in a perfect shock
 
ive taken apart hundreds of shocks and every one with glycerin was very black
even a NOS one
if hes looking inside his used shock the glycerin will be black
 
I would recommend that if your shocks work well, especially on SPEED BUMPS----Just leave well enough ALONE. If you just HAVE to mess with something, change your oil & grease it!
Bill W.
 
I have good original shocks but I need to put fluid in them. After reading g the posts above I know less than what I started with. The question is what do I fill them with now? Not in 1930 but today?
Sincerely. Frustrated in Iowa (then again were all frustrated in Iowa)
 
first I ever heard about glycerine in shocks. but I use it to soften leather and I brushed a few heavy coats mixed with water on the seats on our model A it seems to me it softens em up. I buy it in gallons on amazon about 12bucks plus postage. thats vegtable glycerine if I am talkin about the same thing
 
Do you mean something like atf or transmission fluid? I don't know what is them currently should I take them apart put in new seals and start over?

Tractors use hydraulic oil for the loader cylinders and it's used in hydraulic jacks, etc. You can buy it in different weights at farm stores and most likely auto stores.

Glycerin attracts moisture, much like the common DOT 3 brake fluid.
 
Motorcycle fork oils come in different viscositys---and in some tests of fork oils they also tested ATF, and some multiviscosity hydraulic oils for tractors, both the ATF, and tractor oil worked as good or better than some of the fork oils for both foaming and viscosity stability
 
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