50 Shoebox lower A arm outer seals

[Rocket455]

I hope this is a safe space for dumb questions. I've looked around the boards here and can't find any mention of it. And I can't find any solid pictures online. I took a lot of pictures of the car before I took it apart, but as luck would have it, not of this.


Do the outer seals on the lower A arm (I suppose same question for the uppers) go outside of the A arm? Or do they go directly between the spindle support and the A arm?


I have pictures to hopefully help explain what I'm talking about if that's not clear.


I'm thinking they go on the inside but I can't get them to fit there. Any suggestions on how to compress those enough to even get the spindle and both seals to fit in there?

[51 MERC-CT]

Yes, all seals go to the inside of the A frames.
The seals you have appear to be for the '52-'53 suspension.

[mrlaser]

There was a recent thread (on April 3rd) re: these seals on " The Original 1949-1951 Ford Shoebox Forum". The seals are a very frustrating part to install. Check the posts for helpful hints. Boiling them seems to have helped some who posted.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

Yes, all seals go to the inside of the A frames.
The seals you have appear to be for the '52-'53 suspension.

Thanks for replying.

So for the diagrams you sent it looks like they both have the same part numbers. That being 3088. But they do look different. I got these from Dennis Carpenter and they are 3088. I’m going to double check everything. Thanks again.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by mrlaser

There was a recent thread (on April 3rd) re: these seals on " The Original 1949-1951 Ford Shoebox Forum". The seals are a very frustrating part to install. Check the posts for helpful hints. Boiling them seems to have helped some who posted.

That's great, it appears to be a private group on Facebook that you have to join in order to view.
And if you have the right seals there is not any frustration or special procedures that I had to use to install them.

[51 MERC-CT]

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Originally Posted by Rocket455

Thanks for replying.

So for the diagrams you sent it looks like they both have the same part numbers. That being 3088. But they do look different. I got these from Dennis Carpenter and they are 3088. I’m going to double check everything. Thanks again.

The 3088 number may be correct but the suffix would make it different.
These are some original ones that are shaped the same as the ones in previous post just a different size.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

The 3088 number may be correct but the suffix would make it different.
These are some original ones that are shaped the same as the ones in previous post just a different size.

Damn...I’ll check. Thanks

[19Fordy]

Just as a point of infor:

49-53 Ford and Merc seals are similar looking but different in size from each other.
They don't interchange.

[Rocket455]

What do you guys think of this? I double checked the part number from Dennis carpenter. 8A-3088-B, and it’s out of the 49-51 Ford car catalog.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by Rocket455

What do you guys think of this? I double checked the part number from Dennis carpenter. 8A-3088-B, and it’s out of the 49-51 Ford car catalog.

Photo didn’t upload right. Here it is.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Just as a point of infor:

49-53 Ford and Merc seals are similar looking but different in size from each other.
They don't interchange.

Did these guys set me up for failure?

[flatford8]

I put mine in very hot water and turned the adjuster all the way to one side, put one seal in and then turned it as far as I could the other way to put in the second one. I put a little white lube or grease on them also. I bought mine as a kit from Shoebox-Central, so I didn’t look at individual part numbers and can’t help there.
I will admit I ended up using every cuss word I know and made up a few new ones by the time I got it done..... Mark

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by Rocket455

Photo didn’t upload right. Here it is.

From what I see you are good to go.
The original 8A 3088 was replaced by the 8A 3088-B which is also the same one used on the '52-'53 Mercury.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by flatford8

I put mine in very hot water and turned the adjuster all the way to one side, put one seal in and then turned it as far as I could the other way to put in the second one. I put a little white lube or grease on them also. I bought mine as a kit from Shoebox-Central, so I didn’t look at individual part numbers and can’t help there.
I will admit I ended up using every cuss word I know and made up a few new ones by the time I got it done..... Mark

That is exactly what I ended up doing. I was in bed last night when the idea hit me. And that seemed to work the best in the end. As for the top pieces I wrapped them around the a arm, installed the spindle support and then slid them over.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

From what I see you are good to go.
The original 8A 3088 was replaced by the 8A 3088-B which is also the same one used on the '52-'53 Mercury.

Cool! Thanks for all your help. I appreciate everyone’s time.

I’m more accustomed to 60s Oldsmobiles. My first Ford and oldest car I’ve messed with.

[flatford8]

Well...... now you gotta post pictures of your car....��.... Mark

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by flatford8

Well...... now you gotta post pictures of your car....��.... Mark

For a guy with a Billy Joe Shaver quote of course. I don't have much though of the whole car. Quick story: My grandfather bought this car in the late 60s or early 70s. He drove it for a few months. Fuel pump went out he got pissed and parked it behind the garage at his house. That is where it sat until about 2007 or so. I remember climbing on it as a kid. My uncle gave it to me a few years ago. But Army had me moving and time with family I'm barely getting any where with it.

[Rocket455]

my uncle took all the chrome and trim off and put in the trunk. I have almost everything missing in the photos. Except that chevy pickup in the background...it was stolen.

[tubman]

WOW! A "shoebox" coupe; the "deuce" of the 21st century. You haven't listed where you are, but that looks pretty rust-free. 6 or V8?

Don't let it get away from you.

[Rocket455]

Originally Posted by tubman

WOW! A "shoebox" coupe; the "deuce" of the 21st century. You haven't listed where you are, but that looks pretty rust-free. 6 or V8?

Don't let it get away from you.

I'm in southern California. Currently in Corona, CA. It spent from around 1970 to 2007 in Gardena, CA though. Which is close to the coast. But yeah the rust isn't bad at all.