cdnpt said:
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, :W
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...