Shock bandaid

Bruce

Bruce

Senior Member
My Roadster rides like a buckboard.
Part of the reason for that is a ten-leaf rear spring. Another factor is that the rear shocks don't dampen movement of the axle, which as mentioned before, doesn't move much in relation to the car's frame and body anyway.
I've ordered a new seven-leaf Roadster spring and anticipate its arrival any day now. That should take care of the flexing problem. It also took care of my fix-a-Model-A budget.
So, I'm faced with what to do about the shocks, which are not "frozen," "dry," or "leaking." The arms move up and down easily and quickly. Way too easily.
Will the shocks' resistance be improved if I open up the fill plug and add some erl? Will that at least preserve them until I can have them rebuilt (perhaps at Christmas time)? And, since I have convinced myself that this is the "nothing ventured nothing gained" way to go, what weight erl should I squeeze in?
(I have a nagging memory of removing the lever shocks from my Model A a few decades ago. On the advice of a fried who was 'sposed to know, I poured out what was in them and replaced it with ((you guessed!!)) STP in the hope of making it corner better. Made the car ride like a buckboard.)
 
There are a bunch of questions I guess Bruce.. Do the shocks have any oil in them now or has it all leaked out?? Have you tried changing the adjustments?? Are they in the proper locations?? I'm not sure what the normal shock oil weight is, but, I've heard of folks using all different weights from 10 wgt hydraulic to heavy gear oil.. Everyone one this board prefers to have the originals rebuilt which sure sounds like the right thing to do..
When you figure it out let me know.. My roadster rides like yours.. These shocks were really in bad shape and I didn't think worth rebuilding so I bought a $700 set of re-pros, which are absolute junk..
 
Welllllll Oil is the last thing I would put in the shocks. It sounds as if you don't have a clue. I believe factory fluid was a mixture of glycerin and alcohol. Sorry I'm unsure of the ratio. Speaking only for myself I would try the factory method first. If that doesn't work I might try the oil rout but not without a lot of thought. :cool:
 
I checked my Ford service bulletin on rebuilding these shocks and all they call it is fluid. If I remember my Dad rebuilt his and used hydraulic oil and his roadster pickup actually road very nicely. The service bulletin says to "fill the instrument with fluid up to the level of the filler plug opening, then replace the filler plug". They also are doing this off the car. I suspect that yours are low on fluid or don't have any.
 
shock absorber fluid seems to be a secret formula.
but Moss motors sells it.
i have heard of asking for motorcycle fork oil at your local parts dealer.
some have even suggested ATF oil.
it is really just a hydraulic fluid with anti foaming abilities and the viscosity is determined by the vehicle it is used on
 
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You will most likely have to remove and heat the shocks to get the STP out. I have heard of using 600W in shocks that were badly worn. If the shocks move easily with STP in them makes me wonder if you have the later reproduction shocks that had a fake reservoir. You can pour in oil and it fills the dummy reservoir but it doesn't get to the working part of the shocks. I don't think that this type of repro shock is rebuildable.
 
When you consider having your shocks rebuilt, if original, suggest you contact Robert Paul in Yoder, Colorado 719-478-5102. I've had several sets rebuilt over the years and Mr. Paul does an excellent job and he stands by his work.

Ron
 
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
Just to clarify, the shocks are not dry, siezed, or gunked up. The tube-type links are well greased. The piston rotates in the middle of the cap. They don't rattle. The problem is that the shocks don't dampen any movement.
I have shocks rebuilt by Robert Paul on the Roadster Pickup. They work great. I think they came back from Colorado in Santa's sleigh several Christmass ago. His (Robert's) workmanship is truley the way to go ... but I want to continue driving the car this summer.
The STP in the MG's shocks was something that I did in 1972 when I was in college. Andy Granatelli (maybe it was Gus Wilson) said it was the way to make worn MG shocks work like new.
(Sadly, the MG went to Brit Car Heaven many years ago).
My questions were two ... what oil to top off the shocks and has anyone had experience doing it -- good or bad.
 
Most old shocks require a heavy gear oil. Also, most old shocks have air vents that are plugged up. Remove the STP and try a gear oil. You should feel a lot of resistance on the shock arm.
 
Ron in Quincy said:
When you consider having your shocks rebuilt, if original, suggest you contact Robert Paul in Yoder, Colorado 719-478-5102. I've had several sets rebuilt over the years and Mr. Paul does an excellent job and he stands by his work.

Ron
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I agree with Ron, we did a shock review in the Model A Times a few years ago and test repro shocks, tube shocks and rebuilts from various people. Robert Paul did an excellent job and we used his shocks on the sedan that we took to Texas. The repro shocks we tested were not the ones being made by Bill Stipe they were not available at the time.
 
The fluid that was in originally these shocks was a glycerine based fluid similar to brake fluid wich absorbs moisture like brake fluid that is why most of the shocks are ruined by rusting internally similar to what you see on wheel cylinders and master cylinders on older cars. Check to see if they have this mixture or has been replaced with hydrolic jack oil. If the old mixture is still there wash out with denatured alcohol multiple times before refilling with oil or you wil have big problems. If yours are moving, then they can be rebuilt provided the internals are not too far out of tolerence. There is a rebuilder near you in Ohio by name of John Holland 303-483-3896. They come back correct for your model year. Cost about $55.00 per shock to rebuild when I had them done. BTW use the flat rate postal boxes when shipping them to him saves you $$. Sent him 7 to get 4 back working.
 
Houdaille dampers are still in use on the old Bell 47 helicopters. They are of different construction than the Model A type but same principle. They just pass fluid from one chamber to another through a control orifice during rotory motion. Adjustment of that orifice and viscosity of fluid used will both have an effect on how much pressure it takes to rotate them. On the old Bell 47s we hang a specific sized weight on the damper arm and test to see how long it takes to go through its travel. MIL-H-5606 type hydraulic oil is used for these. Just about any fluid can be used keeping in mind what that fluid will do to the inards or whether it will stay in there or not. ATF is a form of hydraulic oil that would work if it gives the desired dampening rate. Higher viscosity fluid would naturally slow down the damper rate. Adjusting the needle in the orifice will do the same thing barring any internal problems such as leak by between the chambers.
 
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