1953 Mercury Monterey Front suspension

[Eaglescout2457]

I am currently finishing up replacing the leaf springs on my car and will be starting the front suspension in the next week. I purchased the rebuild kit from shoebox central. does anybody have any tips or tricks for this process? I have done suspension work on newer vehicles but nothing that had the shafts as shown in the provided photo. Any tips with the kingpins would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Eaglescout2457

I am currently finishing up replacing the leaf springs on my car and will be starting the front suspension in the next week. I purchased the rebuild kit from shoebox central. does anybody have any tips or tricks for this process? I have done suspension work on newer vehicles but nothing that had the shafts as shown in the provided photo. Any tips with the kingpins would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

[wga]

It is a ton of work...did my very original '49 woodie recently.
Ref the king pins, I had a local shop install and ream the bushings. There are some thin 'washers' that are shims to reduce the play, you add these to the bearings.
The bushings that screw onto the cross shafts that came with my kit - not from Shoebox Central, Dennis Carpenter were crap, soft metal.
You would think Dennis Carpenter's company would have some quality products. Those days are long gone. The zerk fitting threads were metric. I cleaned the original zerk fittings and reused.
Those rubber seals are a real fun time to replace. You will long for the simplicity of ball joints.
I reused some of the fasteners, though most were replaced with new grade 8 hardware
with that funky chromate plating.
I replaced all the steering parts at the same time. Once completed, you will notice an improvement.
Looking back at the project, with all costs and time involved, the use of a modern IFS kit
from suppliers like Heidit's, et al, makes sense. I would not hesitate to install on a original car.
Have fun!

[19Fordy]

If you take your time and use the 1953 Mercury Chassis Manual as a guide you will have success.
https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/...Manual-Reprint
Take plenty of photos before you take anything apart and as you go. Use liquid dish soap to make rubber bushings slide on easier. You will have to have a wheel alignment after you're done.
I rebuilt the front suspension of my 51 Merc. and reused all the stock OEM bolts and nuts.
It's takes patience but it's a lot cheaper than installing an IFS.

[petehoovie]

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Originally Posted by 19Fordy

If you take your time and use the 1953 Mercury Chassis Manual as a guide you will have success.
https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/...Manual-Reprint
Take plenty of photos before you take anything apart and as you go. Use liquid dish soap to make rubber bushings slide on easier. You will have to have a wheel alignment after you're done.
I rebuilt the front suspension of my 51 Merc. and reused all the stock OEM bolts and nuts.
It's takes patience but it's a lot cheaper than installing an IFS.