32 Ford Tube Rear Shocks

K

Krylon32

Well-known member
I've never done this before. 32 Ford sedan with 40 rear end. Want to install tube shocks. What do I need and where do I go?
 
The lower shock brackets from a '48 Ford will bolt (need to use longer bolts) to the rear backing plates of the '40 rear end. A company called Pure Hotrods was making those brackets. They are located in Michigan as I recall. The upper brackets can be made from a flat piece of heavy steel with a standard shock stud bolted to it. You could also use a heavy piece of angle iron and put a hole in it to use a shock with a stud on top.
 
32 spring or 40 spring? The curved 32 makes it a very tight fit. I mounted the upper to some standoffs into the side of the crossmember. The lower was to some brackets off the wishbone mount. I think the 48 style lower mounts like recommended would work well.
 
The spring is what you need to be thinking about. If you are running the 32 curved spring, you may find that there isn't room behind the axle - to achieve the angles you want and the locations you want (up top). In many cases, the dang shocks just don't fit well.

What I recently did for a 32 rear in a 32 was to use the lower wishbone mounts to make a custom bracket for the lower shock mounts (ahead of the axle). Then I made a 1.625" x .125 tube cross-member that mounts to the frame - just ahead of the banjo connection. This gives me my upper shock mounts - at the right angles, etc..

I'd never done this before, but it will be what I do on any 32 - 34 rear that is using a stock style cross-member and a 32 - 34 curved spring.

2024-12-07_12-47-30.jpg
 
There are numerous lower brackets available or that can be made with later Ford parts. I believe you are going to need to drill or weld something (frame, rear crossmember, etc.) for the upper mount.
 
Bored&Stroked said:
The spring is what you need to be thinking about. If you are running the 32 curved spring, you may find that there isn't room behind the axle - to achieve the angles you want and the locations you want (up top). In many cases, the dang shocks just don't fit well.

What I recently did for a 32 rear in a 32 was to use the lower wishbone mounts to make a custom bracket for the lower shock mounts (ahead of the axle). Then I made a 1.625" x .125 tube cross-member that mounts to the frame - just ahead of the banjo connection. This gives me my upper shock mounts - at the right angles, etc..

I'd never done this before, but it will be what I do on any 32 - 34 rear that is using a stock style cross-member and a 32 - 34 curved spring.

View attachment 556807
Click to expand...

Dale,

Any chance you have another picture of the lower mount? Curious what you did there.
 
I was planning on just using a spacer and bolt thru the rear crossmember just like I did on my 40? Works fine.
 
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