I no longer have my Mark VIII, but a friend has a 98 Conti. I guess looking to get rid of the air ride. Here's what he'd like to know.

"Is this as simple as just grabbing coilsprings from one that didn't come with the airbag suspension, or are struts needed as well? "

My father-in-law had a FWD Connie and he had the front air struts and rear air springs swapped out with coil struts and springs from a Taurus of the same model year. It seemed to work fine and the guy that did it said it was not all that difficult. I really despise McPherson struts and wrong-wheel-drive cars, so my experience with said vehicles is limited. But that's what he told me.