Suggestions for smooth riding Shocks?

[Todd]

My 68 has 90,000 miles on it and everything looks to be original, not pretty but original.
So I'm assuming that when I skitter across bumps and potholes that its probably my shocks are shot?
I realize there are probably some bushings and joints to grease but can I get rid of the skitters?
Todd-

[SLOroadster]

Spend the money on a set of KONIs. They last forever. When they get tired, they can be rebuilt. They are hard to find, and a little pricy, but when it comes down to it, they are the way to go.

Will

[S Allen]

Todd,

You might want to take a real hard look at your front end suspsension. Specifically the upper and lower mounting points of the shocks. There have been reports of sheared or loose bolts top side and cracked lower mounts. Look it over real good with the front wheels off and the car on jack stands. While you are at it grease all of the zerk fittings. Ball joints, control arm bushings, ect. ect. The control arm bushings are a bear to replace and can be seized up due to lack of lubrication. You can check the ball joints for excessive play. Hopefully they are tight as replacement is not cheap-around $125.00 a joint. The rubber boots are available from vendors like Fairlady Products. Shocks-GR2's are avaialble and cheap. They give an okay ride. Gas-Adjusts are a bit more pricy and provide a stiffer ride. There is a lot of shock info on the main site at http://www.311s.org/tech/susp/shocks.html

As to the rear shocks mounts-they are usually not a problem unless some previous owner has hit something in the past. Good luck.

Steve

[TR]

Hello Todd,

Is this the first 2000lb car you have driven/ridden in? Note that even a Miata is 2700+lbs. Most cars are above 2700, this weight holds them down...

The weight difference may explain some of the skittering. If the car has 90,000 and the shocks are original, that would explain a lot, too...TR

[bespa]

S Allen,

Just like what you described.
After inspecting the front suspension last week, I found that
the lower mounting piece at the contro arm was cracked. The left side was welded back by the previous owner. I welded the right one and was able to use the same shocks. Still I have found more
problem with the left side now, this time it's at the top. The car is
really bouncy. Another thin I noticed was that there are THREE bolts, only two were bolted on each side. Third was missing.
Reading about suspesion at the Tech section of this site, the author
mention FOUR bolts at the lower mounting plate to the shocks...
Oh well. Is this a major repair now?

[68 Toadster]

thanks guys for the info.
Guess i'll be getting a little greasy this weekend!
Todd

[Minh]

Bespa,

If there is anything cracked or broken it needs repair or replacement.

How are the shocks/springs? When was the last time the 22 zerks have been greased? If you did not know most (if not all) the joints are bare metal to metal. Ever wonder why the handling is so tight? Now you know. Lubing is good

If nuts and bolts are all you need, the nearest True Value Hardware might have it. If not, they can order it. I would go with the grade-8 or stainless steel bolts and nuts. If you have the opertunity if the location does not envolve a lot of heat go with the Ny-Lock nuts and flat washer - get rid of the split washers. That's all I buy when I replacing nuts and bolts. What's in a few nickels, ya know?

If it can be fixed by a machinists compare that price to a used part.

I believe Mike Kerr in Placerville off Pleaseant Valley Road might have all the replacement parts that you may need. (He's got a nice collection in his 6 car garage they are all for sale too. He got a nice racer being built for somebody in the shop too.) These parts will be salvaged from his many cars. It's about an hour from Elk Grove.

If you need new parts that might cost more since NS and NOS are few. You just have to see what it is and find what the part number is.