Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Greetings from Oregon! Allow me to introduce Henrietta. She's a '29 Special coupe with a firewall stamped August 3, 1929. The body assembly plant number indicates she was assembled in Sommerville, MA, and her engine stamp indicates a September 9, 1929 manufacture date. She's got a 6 volt electrical system and mechanical brakes, but has been modified with a Mitchell gear-splitter, 6:1 head, alternator, modern points and halogen headlights.

Henrietta has a new interior, fresh paint and beautiful faux wood dash. She's got less than 1000 miles on her fresh engine and a rebuilt Zenith carb. But Henrietta AIN'T GOT NO SHOCKS!

So there's the question: are they necessary? :confused: Bratton's new catalog shows a set of new U.S. tooled shocks (which I assume are the best) for over $1,000. That's a pretty major investment for a luxury item.

What say y'all?

Mike

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

In my opinion necessity.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I prefer shocks but...

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

It does make a difference,get some you'll like um and the ride is much better.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Why not put modern shock on Henrietta ? Lots cheaper and they work .

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Why not put rebuilt ORIGINALS on it, A lot cheaper & they work !!

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Rebuilt originals do work nice but they are definitely not cheap. Shocks in my opinion are mandatory, running without them can cause some serious issues.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Them dudes are DANGEROUS without shocks. I wouldn't go out of my neighborhood without them. I'M TOTALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS!! One unexpected whip to avoid someone & that dude would be on it's side!!
If that's not the answer you wanted, just wait for someone who says, "Oh! they drive beautifully WITHOUT shocks"!-----And I'll be praying for BOTH of you. Bill W.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

They drive beautifully without shocks, just occasionally into ditches and oncoming traffic.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Hi, i recommend rebuilt Originals. They work great and I think it's definitely better than driving without or with the cheap imitations.
Greetings Barney

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Hey 29er,
It's a matter of STABILITY! Without shocks your beautiful car will most likely end up , in an emergency, as Bill suggests. When you try to turn quickly and your car FEELS like you are going to loose it; or when you have to stand on the brake and there is no control or when you hit a pot hole or railroad track and your car continues to oscilate up/down ! Well that's your choice,eh !

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Mine seems fine without shocks but the springs are dry enough to be their own shocks!

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I followed a 4 dr sedan many years ago, old guy and his wife, in town. His springs and shackles must have been well lubed as this car bounced up and down at least 9 inches as far as I followed him, and in a corner it leaned waaay over. You couldn't have paid me to ride in it. Yes, you should have shocks. JMO
On another note, it's interesting how many cars are for sale that do NOT have shocks. When I purchased mine I'd looked at about 2 dozen and only 3-4 had them.
The one I bought did and they were a deciding factor.
Paul in CT

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I'd recommend new shocks built by Bill Stipe, which are the $1000 set from Brattons, or a GOOD set of rebuilts. I'd also recommend staying as far away as possible from the new 'oil-less' units. I have them all, rebuilts from Apple Hydraulics are good but expensive. The new ones from Stipe are the best.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Became a shock 'beliver' yesterday - my truck has "modern" shocks (got the kit for free from someone that found a set of originals) but the brackets for the front weren't so good.
I am making my own, and while waiting for the paint to dry, I went on a 20 mile errand, and could not believe how mushy the front end was, the back ones were still connected, I can only imagine what kind of "buggy spring boat" this thing would be with none at all.
Put shocks on it - any kind - just put something on it

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

The fact is if you have a tight car with good springs then the car will not be safe to drive over 25 MPH without shocks. The car will start horrible bouncing and create a scary few moments as you get the speed down.

I do know worn out springs that are not properly lubricated between the leaves do not bounce much. Just look at the cars that owners will not drive over 45 MPH with no shocks. The front spring is down, you can not see it behind the front splash apron. They sometimes have the orange rust dust between the leaves.

On the other hand, once the shocks are on the car handles nice even up over 60 MPH. The Model A is a pretty well behaved car.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Bill you described a Buddy of mine, he never wanted to hear the correct answer, he always asked everyone until someone agreed with him and he went with it, the best exaple was when he was building a spec house, code for the lolly columns was every 9'. He put one in the center, i believe he paid off the building inspector. He lived there about a year and a half and removed the one in the center. I refuse to go into his house.:eek:

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Well I have to say my car rides just fine without them. I have a new front spring.
But being a roadster it is probably a little lighter.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Look, On the fronts , you're on your own, but the rear, I made my own brackets to go on the brake backing plates from angle iron. (Probably a lot more substantial than anything from Detroit) For my Town Sedan. These are copies of the shock brackets on my coupe.
I couldn't identify exactly what the old numbers were (Too much Rust) but we matched up a shock that worked from catalogs. What we came up with was the Monroe Gas-matic #59017. I think that is the correct number, it's the largest font of the four numbers on the shock box tab. cost? around $80. Feel free to ask me whatever.
Terry

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

they prevent the rocking chair ride, darting while driving (especially on rough roads), darting while brakeing, front axle pendelum, and body roll. It's like flossing. You only have to floss the teeth you want to keep.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

You take the chasnce of seriously injuring yourself, your passenger and the person you hit when the car swerves ! The expensive set is a major investment but well worth it !
Al

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

A lot cheaper than $1,000 + for a re-pop set..

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

In Canada you cannot get an ownership with a plate with out in inspection and one it em is shocks Gord, B

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I too recommend Ron Paul. I added the missing shocks on my tudoor and it made a big difference in ride and control. Your '29 coupe sounds like a very nice car. Why leave out a major part of the suspension?

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

If you're trying to find/match an older 'modern' shock, here is a catalog of Mounting and Length Specifications from Monroe. LINK It is also quite useful for custom buildups.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Mike, welcome fellow Oregonian!

I have shocks on both of my rigs. When I first finished the huckster, I did not have shocks on it. So I went cheap and purchased a new aftermarket set from M&S. They are located in Hillsboro, OR. I think they are still around $500. Before getting them on my huckster being it is a heavy rig, it handles much better with them. I am not an expert on shocks, but the M&S shocks seem to work fine for me on the huckster. But I do not drive the rig more than 45 or 50 MPH and it is all stock, no two speed setup and they seem to give it stability for me. I also do not take the huckster on long cruises. So it is a parade car and a grandkid hauler around local. So guess my point is that the need for them is well expressed above and if they are not needed, Ford would not have put them on in the first place.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I am in favor of shocks and would like to point out a no shock happening no one has mentioned yet. If driving with no shocks and you hit a pot hole or go over a railroad track the spring leafs all absorb the shock as the car bottoms out, but on the rebound only the main leaf is picking up the front end or rear end and carrying most of the load. It is not unusual to have the spring main leaf broken and this is often the cause.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

The stability of your A when going about 45mph through a sweeping turn is greatly enhanced with a set of working shocks. Without good shocks at 45mph in a sweeping turn the banjo tends to skip sideways accross rough pavement. Call shock rebuilder John Holland (330-483-3896) for a set of reasonably priced rebuilt shocks. He rebuilt mine and I am totally satisified.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Shocks are definately a must have item. It's your choice as to what kind, but PUT THEM ON FOR SAFETY !

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Thanks guys! Lots of wisdom among you all. This is gonna be fun! Your replies stimulated some research on my part.

Seems shocks ARE necessary (mandatory as one of you said) for: (1) safety; (2) protection of springs, frame and maybe even tires; and (3) comfort. 'Ol Bill W's photo of the toppled "A" should convince everybody (but Bill, did ya notice several of those jars of moonshine were unbroken!).

Anyway, I made a few calls yesterday to see what's available. Thought I'd share what I discovered. Seems current options for shocks are: (1) modern tubular types; (2) rebuilt originals; (3) new "sealed" Houdaille reproductions; and (4) Bill Stipe's remanufactured/ retooled Houdaille-type. Other threads at FB adequately discuss these.

Several people told me the originals are getting harder and harder to find, especially those that are still in suitable condition for rebuilding. Bert's told me they don't have anymore to rebuild unless you supply them. The guys who rebuild them are listed in Pluck's list and on other threads here at FB.

Fortunately, I've got 4 in the barn and will likely rebuild them for the learning experience.

Thanks again for your thoughts. I'll look forward to being part of the Model A Forum.

Mike

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

BTW Mike, what part of Oregon are you from?

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I found out years ago that having shocks makes the difference between driving a BABY BUGGY and driving a car. I can not imagine driving without shocks.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

I put modern shocks all the way around. The front was too stiff and I cannnot find a oil filled replacement. I took off the fronts and just have the rears on. The car rides well and I don't have any control problems.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Saw these in the Snyder's catalog, and I need some on the front of my pickup because I only have them on the rear. Are these worth it???

http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/5684

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Henry thought they were a necessity!

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Stay away from having M&S rebuilding your originals. I had nothing but leaking shocks after having mine done there. I even took some of them back to be redone, and they still leaked. No problems with Rob Paul rebuilds.

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Just saw in the 2013 Snyder's catalog they have stopped selling these due to "quality issues"

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

What should I look for when trying to find 'rebuildable' shocks?

Re: Shocks: Necessity or luxury?
 

Remove the fill plug and if powdered rust falls out, it's only good for a paper weight.

Also if the square shaft too much side clearance they are too worn for use.