1948 Ford (42 Deluxe)

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John has this very nice 1948 Ford. He was working on the rear spring replacement and drivers rear shock replacement. I took some pictures as he progressed.







































John has plans to re assembled the spring and shackles tomorrow.
Biggest problem was getting the sleeve out of the upper shackle casting.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
Regards,

[mercman from oz]

Thanks for posting. Very educational photos. Well done.

[1942deluxe]

Job completed. Car now sits much more level (maybe even a slight rake) and rides better. The shock absorber we replaced was frozen and that eliminated a noise going over railroad tracks. We learned upper shackle bolts can be somewhat evil to remove and install but we got it done. I think Chris took some pictures of the finished product. The original spring had at least one broken spring.

[TomC750]

I can clearly see The zerks on the spring pack. Mine are missing and I have never been able to figure out the thread. I have a good supply of fittings, but none match! Any help here?

[1942deluxe]

Tom, the NOS spring didn't come with any grease zerks. I could find the center bolt one at Third Gen. Might be worth a call to Michael to see if he has them. Look like a 90 degree but nothing I had fit either.

[1942deluxe]

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Originally Posted by TomC750

I can clearly see The zerks on the spring pack. Mine are missing and I have never been able to figure out the thread. I have a good supply of fittings, but none match! Any help here?

Tom,
I went out and looked at my 46 Ford and the grease zerts are present on the spring covers. It appears it has been pumped full of regular grease which is hard and caked. In the Canadian 1941 shop manual I have Ford recommends not to use regular grease. Their part number was M-4628-B which contained crushed asbestos, talcum and another ingredient. There are some threads on what can be used as a substitute.

[TomC750]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Tom,
I went out and looked at my 46 Ford and the grease zerts are present on the spring covers. It appears it has been pumped full of regular grease which is hard and caked. In the Canadian 1941 shop manual I have Ford recommends not to use regular grease. Their part number was M-4628-B which contained crushed asbestos, talcum and another ingredient. There are some threads on what can be used as a substitute.

Thanks John, I do remember an earlier thread that stated an acceptable grease that was available at any auto parts store. I will have to chase that down as well as check with Michael as you suggested.

[sugarmaker]

Guys,
I was slacking on getting the rest of the pictures loaded. Thanks John for reminding me. I like the pictures as it may help someone. Neither of us had changed these. John is very knowledgeable of the parts. I just helped break and damage things along the way.
So this is some of the reassembly. I hind site we could have been just a tad slower in making some moves. But John was happy with the project for the 48. We used the shocks to hold the axle from falling or tilting while the old spring was out of the car.
The upper shackle bushing/ pin were the hardest part of the job I believe. The exterior sleeve was grown into the casting. And the new one had to be forced/ pounded into the home position. ( I installed the first one too far / flush) They need to protrude about 1/8 on each side.








Cherry picker lifted and held the spring in position. John had all the existing hardware clean and ready.





Portapower used to spread the spring for ease of shackle attachment


Note the sway bar had to be removed. John had new rubber bushings for that in his stash at home!












Hope these help someone with there 40's Fords. John said it is an improvement and Cathy approves!

Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[Als48]

Great work as well as great photos, Chris and John!

Al Hook

[s.e.charles]

(for scale modeling research)

Q: in the first picture of Post #8, where does the separation of bracketry take place?

i've studied all the pictures and cannot determine the separate parts. Van Pelt was a

little helpful, but i'm still scratching my noggin.

thanks,

sid

[Zeke3]

Chris, what did you use to install the shackle pins in the axle? I tried pressing them in on my 1937 front wishbone and ended up mushrooming the sleeve before getting it fully inserted. Thanks

[1942deluxe]

We used a 9/16 socket and tapped them in with a hammer. Prior to that put the shackle bolt in the freezer and coated the hole with never seize. When they were going in, I was A) praying, B) holding my breath waiting for them to start mushrooming but they didn't. S.E. Charles, I think what you're asking about is part of the axle housing.

[Zeke3]

Thanks John!

[sugarmaker]

Guys,
John has it correct. I would say we had to pound vs tap during the installation of those upper bushings. The bushings O.D. was right at .75 inch dia. When we got the old ones out we ran a drill and a dremel with a sanding drum on it into the holes. They were very tight getting them in place. I hammered to drivers side in too far. I was very concerned the upper bushing units were not going to go all the way in.
Sid, I didn't understand your question on the first picture in #8 post. Maybe John answered it???
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[Kurt in NJ]

The fittings are not for grease .
They are for spring lubricant.
That is a mixture of ice machine oil,talc and a very little ground asbestos.
a replacement can be made with auto transmission oil and talc. 75% oil
the talc is a dry lubricant and polishing agent.
grease will clog the passages and prevent the lubricant from reaching the tips.

[s.e.charles]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

. . .
Sid, I didn't understand your question on the first picture in #8 post. . .

no; but then again i probably didn't ask it very well anyway.

i will often print a picture of something i don't understand and start outlining the pieces in pen to make them stand out and differentiate. this time my method failed me.

there's a bracket from the rear axle which has an extension that
wraps 180 degrees around and points toward the rear of the chassis.

this has a "stud" (i often don't know the correct terminology!) which accepts both the shackle bracket & another the sway bar* end. there's also a provision to attach the dogbone from the shock absorber.

i have to stop here - for now and study these some more. i may have answered my own question and cried "Wolf!" yesterday it was a bit more confusing but now i think i'm understanding the relationship of all the parts.

* a 'sway bar' search is what brought me to this thread.