Spring/shock perch ball

M

Mike the Grump

Member
At some point my car had hydraulic brakes.

When they did that they cut off the shock ball and its perch flush with the top of the shackle.

Its back to mechanical brakes but there is nowhere to connect a rear shock.

Seems there are 3 possible solutions

1. Buying different axle housings which would turn into a bigger project.
2. try to fabricate a riser with new shock balls and weld it to the shackle housing.
3. concede and put tube shocks on it.

I have original style shocks and all the linkage parts. They've never been used but were purchased probably 30+ years ago.

The brakes/backing plates as well as the body are all off the car. seems like the time to make a decision. My welding skills are horrible but might be worth a try.

Any thoughts on if the shocks I have are usable after all this time?

If the option is a fabrication project plus $1,200 for shocks I may just choose the tube shocks.
 
in my opinion. if that riser that the ball is on has been cut off. i would replace the housings. should be lots around.

i guess if you had an old housing that was unusable you could cut the risers off and weld them onto you housings. not something i would do tho.

there is a kit available to mount modern shocks to your housing and still have the mechanical brake. that may be something to consider as well. new shocks will work a lot better too.
 
those original shocks should be ok. all that can happen is the may leak from sitting so long. fill them with fluid and see what happens. and all that happens inside them is oil being forced through tiny holes from one chamber to the next. its all metal parts inside there. except the sealing o-ring and packings. i would use them.
 
third alternative

i ran my 32 B (which was supposed to have the same style of shocks as Model A) it had no shocks the whole time i owned it. 40 plus years . drove thousands of miles in it.
 
I have the tube shocks on the back of my Fordor. They are not noticeable without climbing under the car. They do a good job.

I also have them on the front. They do a good job there but are a little stiffer than the originals.

You could sell the original ones for a pretty penny and buy the complete tube shocks kit and have money left over for some pizza.

https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/product.htm?pid=977215&cat=41741
 
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I'd swap out the axle housings and use original style shocks. You might want to research who made your shocks. Thirty plus years ago the quality of some of the repro shocks is not what they are today. Many did not work properly and were prone to early failure.
 
If the balls have been cut off but the part of the housing where the balls mount (on top of the spring perch) is intact, it's relatively straightforward to drill out the housing and weld in new balls.

If the tops of the perches where the balls mount has been removed (I think that's what you are saying) I would not try to weld on new ones. Heat may very well distort the perch and you are then faced with having to ream out the perch for the bushings.

Frankly, if I was in your position, I'd go with tube shocks.

BTW, if you can confirm that those hydraulic shocks you have are Stipe shocks, there is potential resale value in them on the Swap Meet as they were first quality and are not being made any more.
 
If your welding skills are not top notch do not attempt to weld on new balls, you will make a mess. A pro could weld new balls on. If I were you I would install tube shocks on the rear and move on.
 
I would base what to do with the current rear axle housing based on the condition of the rear wheel bearing journal stub. If the journal has a lot of slop wear for the rear wheel bearings then I'd look for better axle bells. If the journal stubs are really good then I'd braze some new stubs on the perch with new balls installed. The brazed part will likely last just as well as an unmodified perch. The shocks have some push & pull on the perch but that's it. It doesn't support weight like the spring perch does.

Replacing the bells would require measuring the old gaskets for replacement on the banjo center support but it wouldn't be all that invasive unless the differential carrier and pinion bearings are found to be unserviceable. A lot of these old units could use an overhaul anyway. There are a lot of parts out there such as axle bells and axle shafts on the used market. The wheel bearing journals can be sleeved and worn shock balls can be replaced. New hard parts are available such as ring & pinion sets and new bearings are reliable for the most part.
 
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You say the ball has been cut off with it's pedestal,so just replacing the ball isn't an option.Cut one off an old junk housing,stand it up there,and weld it on.Perfect accuracy is not critical here.If you can't weld very good,find somebody who can.That way it'll be done in one quick pass.I've welded new perch mounts onto the trumpets before.They came pre-beveled,and were made by the Funk Brothers.They came in bulk in a small wooden barrel,and did not have that shock ball on them.I had to weld them on myself.After welding the perch on,welding the shock ball and pedestal on was a nothing burger.
 
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