Spring donut?

[PITT40]

I'm putting QA1 coilovers on my car. The type that sit in the stock spring pocket at top and bolt to the shock mount in bottom. FYI, I already beefed up the shock mount!

When I got it apart, there are no donuts up in the crossmember. Was this a popular "lowering" technique in the 60s? Like I've said on here in the past, my car has sat undriven since 1971 and was bought in 1969 by the guy that I bought it from. He said he didn't do anything to it except change the oil. It was 99% stock and has ALL the pieces that were often discarded. I swear, it lacks nothing except pieces his kids broke or removed over the years of playing in it.

Has anyone ever experienced a car without these? What are the consequences? Squeak? My old Mustangs used a spring rubber that fit into the spring top and was maybe 1/8" thick at the contact point of the spring. Rather than deal, I can run by the local Mustang shop and buy a pair of those and use them.

Thoughts?

 

[michael-king]

Funnily enough I have seen original unmessed with cars that are missing them, and no evidence of suspension being apart and also cars with just 1 .... Only on tigers not alpines .... Can't explain it

 

[0neoffive]

Snap Squeak Bang

I have seen the towers damaged somewhat from extra firm springs, but nothing that an experienced Beam welder couldn't remedy. Of more concern would be the "loaded" height and angles of the upper & lower A-arms keeping the geometry in sync. A thin hard rubber cushion would be a "quiet" suggestion.

 

[cobrakidz]

I have had way too many early Mustangs and that was a cheap trick to lower the front a little bit - remove the upper rubber donut. The only drawback was an occasional spring squeak from metal to metal.

 

[PITT40]

OK, so now it's all back together but I have just enough spring tension that I can't get the top spindle into the ball joint the whole way. I have the nut started but it just spins in the socket and will not tighten. I used a jack under the control arm to get it this far and now it's off the jack stand from spring pressure.

How do I get the f#&*er tight?

 

[Bob Knight]

Air wrench

If you have one, and can get it on the nut, and air wrench (or electric impact)will usually tighten up a connection in the situation you describe, i.e. the male portion rotates when you try to tighten the nut and there's no way to hold on to it.
Bob K.
B9471705

 

[Jeff F]

Two tips.

#1 is that where you put the jack makes a difference in how much spring compression you will get. Try and get it as far out as you can, like maybe on the hub.

#2 is to use a ratchet strap around both arms to get a little extra compression so you can get it started.

And a 3rd tip that you didn't ask for:

Be very careful using an impact on a shock rod. It is possible on some shocks to unthread the rod from the nut that holds it onto the piston, at which point it will shoot out the top of the shock. Production car shocks are staked so this can't happen, but aftermarket rebuildable shocks often aren't.