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Coil Spring conversion

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Posted by: cdnpt

Hey, I just picked up an '86 Mark VII, white, with 135K miles for $610.00. It has a bit of surface rust on the bottom of the trunk lid and a few small dings. It also has a sometimes there, sometimes not L rear airbag leak. I have seen coil spring conversion kits and I was wondering if anyone had done one of these and how it worked out for them.

Posted by: Awesund

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdnpt

Hey, I just picked up an '86 Mark VII, white, with 135K miles for $610.00. It has a bit of surface rust on the bottom of the trunk lid and a few small dings. It also has a sometimes there, sometimes not L rear airbag leak. I have seen coil spring conversion kits and I was wondering if anyone had done one of these and how it worked out for them.

Hey,

I met the, now famous, Don Arnott
http://www.arnottindustries.com/history/index.asp
back in the mid 90's, here in Florida, when this Air-spring repair stuff was in it's infancy. I think he offers some kits/parts to fix your ride. But those are factory fixes.
There are also Air-Spring conversion kits to be found if you wish to use your existing air-spring control arms. Strutmasters... et al...
But... if you want to go deep and get serious, go to the junk yard and get some 87-88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe(TC) parts including the front and rear sway bars (the thickest availabe).
The TC front control arms are the right size to replace the Mark VII control arms, but you'll need some upper spring mounts for this to work.
The rear control arms are also the right size, but additionally, you'll need to fabricate/buy the upper perches to hold the springs, and the rear springs will have to be cut down, which will make your ride incredibly firm (no luxury..lol). And will have minimal body roll (great handling).
Hope this helps you, it can be a lot of work...

Posted by: my1stmarkVII

I bought the coil spring conversion kit from arnott about two months ago. The parts are sweet hand machined, The guys in florida do a lot of this stuff, make sure you do your shocks and struts at the same time. With parts and the mechanic I paid around $650.00. Then came the new rotors and brakes. Choose tires wisely also, I think the conversion kit lowers the car a bit, making it look even more badass. But I do experience a tire rub in the rear now and then. My only complaint is an occasional squeek from the springs, Maybe the bushings but the guy at the tire shop said that he had a hard time doing an allignment because the camber was adjusted as far as it would go do to me having it lowered. I told him I didnt lower it that it was this kit I bought and after that he was just lost.The ride is just as equal to the ride before I replaced my bags. Also I resold my bags and compressor on EBay for a fair price.

Posted by: ILL VII

I got arnotts, had to get spacers for the rear, that was pretty

ty, but besides that i love em, great machine work, great people, great service.

Posted by: moserary

Am awaiting the spring replacement kit (from Strutmasters) for my air shocks and read this thread to see whether I've made the right decision. (I'm a girl, so I don't want to have to deal with these air shock things again!)

When you say "replace the shocks and struts at the same time", does that mean I should have the tire shop (I need new tires, too) do all this work at once? I was planning to have the shop who does most of the work on my car do the replacement (and front brakes) work, then take it from there for new tires...

Thanks for your time. (Wish they had a "scratching his/her head" icon...)

Posted by: ND4SPDLSC

The system is actually simple in operation and maintenance and reliable enough to average 10 years/100k miles in service. If you look at it from a cost perspective, replacing every wear part every 10 years regardless of need equates to about $70 a year. For anyone who has worked on the system, they will agree that an average high schooler, boy or girl, with minor mechanical aptitude can diagnose and maintain the system indefinitely with simple hand tools in his or her driveway.

It sounds like you just need a air spring. Arnott has generic ones for $90 that will match the springs in base or designer models. If you want an LSC spring with the stiffer spring rate, you need to go to Ford or get a rebuilt one from Bagmaster in TX. The springs are interchangeable between models though if money is an issue or if you don't mind a softer spring rate. It's adviseable to replace them in pairs as the other side is not far behind, but I got an extra year out of one of mine. Your results may vary. You can replace the spring in your driveway with a jack and stands, small socket set, a flat screwdriver, and some silicone grease in about an hour.

I've heard good and bad about the kits but a quality conversion involves welding in spring perches and using parts from a Thunderbird or Cougar. The Mark's air spring perches don't have the same loads to contend with as a steel spring perch.

Posted by: moserary

but...you are talking with a 50-year-old female who has just had not one, but two spine surgeries. I am not only not about to lay around my driveway with a wrench and not even the basic mechanical skills you indicate, I cannot.

The other - if you will - "wrench" in this works is that I plan to give this car to my nearly 80-year-old father in a few months. He has neither the capability nor the financial resources to fiddle with this stuff in the years to come.

I bought the car two years ago, in California, with 28,790 miles on it. I'm hoping my dad won't have to mess with too much other than basics by the time I give it to him, but will depend on the folks 'round here - such as yourself! - to help us out.

I purchased a full replacement set from Strutmasters, and, per another thread, will purchase Monroe or (don't remember the other brand) shocks and let my tire guys do the rest.

Unless, of course, you're planning to visit northern Nevada within the next couple of days and want to do something beside play slots...?

Thanks anyway!

:-)