I want to know if there is an alternative to buying off the shelf shock absorber kit for my 56 4 door Fairlane [front & rear]. Anyone tried some shockies that impoved the handling alot, maybe firmer than standard..?. I figure that I would buy new shockies over a rear sway bar..

Where would I find them at a reasonable price?

Cheers, Rob.



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

Y-Guy Rob:      If you can acess a Gaberial(sp?) or Monroe catalog, look

                in the application section and get the part # that fits you car,

                then go to the back and find your # in the "lenghts & mount style"

                section. Determine the style of mount(usually E1/L1 for loop style

                and SS1/SS3 for stem type) and then you can use that info to research

                a heavier duty shock to fit your car. Keep in mind the h.d. shock

                may have a larger diameter and that could factor into the deal.

                     Be sure if you have to order them, that they will take them back

                if they don't fit or? Hope this helps...........

                                                       Bill

Bill

Pelham,Al

Hi Rob,  You can get KYB shocks for your car through Summit Racing.  I've never used them but have heard good stuff about them.  Just go to summitracing.com, enter KYB in the search box and then after that list your Ford, year and body type.  I looked up '57 T-Bird and they listed shocks for it, as well as a Detroit locker for my rear axle and lots of other stuff.  Good luck, Nick Brann - K.C., MO

The best shocks I've found for the 56 ford are the Monroe Gas charged Magnums made in USA. The rear # is 555043. I've misplaced the # for the front. You can order these at NAPA and Advance Auto and any other store that carries monroes. These are not cheap but seem to have more control than the kybs I had earlier. The kybs are really good shocks as well, I just wanted a little more control crusing these mountains I live in.

-Gary Burnette-

Do a search for shocks and you will find some great info.

If you have a 55-56 the shocks for rear are Gabriel Ultra G63398.These are actually listed for Ford pickup.A good matching set for front are Gabriel 82026.These numbers came from Chuck Gardiner who spent some time trying a few shocks to get a set that fit and worked well.If you want to see his 56 go to www.chuckgardiner.com/1956ford.htm

Ol'ford nutCentral Iowa

56 Vic w/292 & 4 spd.

Rob' the # I gave you will fit a 56 or 57 ford car or tbird. I just found the # for the 56 front which is a sensa.trac Monroe and it is > 5751 ST. They should have the number for the 57 at the parts store for which it would be different for a 57 passenger car, not sure about the 57 tbird. The 56 bird and car have the straight ends for the front and rear shocks. 57 passenger car has a T type fitting on the lower front.

-Gary Burnette-

Rob, I forgot to tell you I'm running these shocks on my 56 Sunliner and 56 Tbird of which I drag race in Columbus OH during the Laborday weekend Yblock meet and everyday driving the rest of the year. There are other brands to check out that will do a very good job as well. Good luck

-Gary Burnette-

I put the KYB shocks all around on my 56 T-Bird & have used them on other cars as well. I am satisfied with them. I like the gas charged shocks as they are a bit firm, & these don't cost too much. The radial tires made the largest handling improvement though. Rear sway bar is something on my eventual wish list.

Brian - 56 T-Bird

Woodinville WA

Thanks for all your info guys a big help.

Is there anything I should be aware of if the car is lowered? I wonder about some of the "sensing" type shocks my not work well if they are too far up the travel already.

I need to get it right as it will be hard to return once it all gets to Australia.

Rob.



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

Brian, the rear sway bar will be one of the best handling additions you'll do too your bird. I'm thinking about doing it to my 56 merc convertible. When I added the rear bar to my bird it was absolutely Great! The front didn't need to be changed at all.

-Gary Burnette-