wickcopland
Senior Member
Can the Model A shock be rebuilt?
I am new to these and my wife's 30 model both fronts are bad.
Thanks,
Wick
I am new to these and my wife's 30 model both fronts are bad.
Thanks,
Wick
There have been several rebuilders that have developed ways to repair severely worn or corroded housings and wing shafts but the price to perform elaborate repairs makes it less popular. It takes big tools to open them up and can even take a lot of heat. It's like tearing an early Ford V8 down only to find cracks in the valve pockets & badly rusted cylinders. A lot of work for possible bad internal parts.
Some repro parts don't last so do your research on those. The Stipe shocks were better than OEM who-die shocks but I don't know if they are still in production. Other types are sealed and not readily maintainable if they leak.
A person can get lucky and repair their shocks and others have to keep scouring the country for rebuildable ones. It just takes time and patience sometimes.
An alternative to Stipe is Rotoshim:
https://www.oneillvintageford.co.uk/acatalog/rotoshim-shock-absorbers.html
They are made in the UK and the website indicates they are on back order. They are expensive but I’m not aware of any other option.
David Serrano