1998 Mark 8 coil spring/strut conversion kit. Does it work?

[icladius]

been riding on air since my 69 300sel 6.3

and would not consider changing to steel on any car so equipped. the manufactures have gone to great expense to provide these cars with the superior ride that lucky owners enjoy with this luxury.

the fmc system is reliable, easy to repair and parts are available and reasonable.

i have owned 2 lincoln air suspension cars with a total of 430k miles between them. in that time one air bag at a cost of $113 has been replaced between these cars. that repair was required when the bag was holed by a road hazard.

my advice is to find and fix the problem as opposed to scrapping the system to replace it with ill engineered steel replacement parts.

 

[Joeb6812]

Well, I ordered the conversion kit on 2/26 from american air suspension. It should be here on 3/3. I also ordered 2 new control arms from arnott industries. Has anyone done this repair before? Any tips? It looks pretty straight forward like most suspension.

I know I know, most people are against the coil spring suspension kits but, it is an inexpensive solution for right now. I wanted to pay the extra money for the air but, I just don't have it right now. I have so many things that need to be fixed on this car.

Wish me luck.
It's been about 2.5 years since I've turned a wrench and gone into my new found profession.

 

[driller]

Good luck!

 

[Roadboss]

Sounds like a cheap price for the UCA's as well. Good luck

 

[KempoDavid]

convinced

This thread has convinced me to stay with the air ride. You had me at "turn it into a T-bird" LOL drives me nuts when my neighbor says "how's your T-Brid" but I guess that's what I get for shaving all the logos and stuff (although I just got a new trunk lock cover on ebay)

I put all four courners and a compressor on, about 7 years ago. I am not at all mechanically inclined (changing spark plugs intimidates me) but I did all that work myself. So now I need rear bags and a compressor, and I need to get the parts and have it all installed by Sunday night when it goes to be painted!

 

[XLRVIII]

Glad to hear it David!

IMHO you've made a wise choice.

for some it's financially unfeasable, and I understand.
BUT.. if the job "wont break your budget too bad".. KEEP the AIR RIDE!

again, good choice Dave

 

[jrm94mark8]

I have a 94 mark8 with 103 K on it. I had the whole car converted to coil springs about 6 months ago. The clunking was insane and my suspension guy recommended to go this route b/c of the age of the car. My front struts were shot and it was $800 to replace them. I converted the whole car for $1000 and really sorry i did. I wasn't very happy with the aftermath and took it back in.
I then did the upper arms and bushings (front and back) and it was better but still not like stock. Prior to this I'd done the lower arms as well. Basically I've replaced about everything there is in the suspension and not happy. I believe the coils are the culprit. Let me also say that I live in Chicago and the streets are rough. Very bumpy and I notice that this car just does not absorb bumps for sh*#!! Feels like a pickup truck. On smooth roads it glides nice but bumps are really bad. I often wish I'd tried new air struts in front. IF you plan on keeping your car a long time I'd stay sock for sure.

Good Luck-

 

[XLRVIII]

great words of wisdom

 

[Joeb6812]

Just replaced the air suspension with coils from american air suspension on Tuesday. I also replaced the front upper control arms. So far I am very happy with the struts and springs. It's only been 2 days but, it rides 100% better than before. It may be due to the fact that the upper control arms were practically falling out for 6 months. No more clunking, banging, and nose on the ground symptom. I still find myself waiting to hear the compressor kick on but, alas it never will again.

The installation was not too bad. Like I posted before, I have not turned a wrench in years since changing careers. The hardest part was accessing the nuts for the upper control arms. I had to take the master cylinder off to get the drivers side.

The ride is definately noticeable to me. It seems to be stiffer, (to be expected), but my girlfriend does not notice anything different.

My next project is the drivers side door ajar switch. Any step by step instructions available? It looks like the latch is rivited in? Why would they do that? Coming from the Chrylser/Jeep world where everything is bolted in, I'm kinda stumped. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Devin]

They can have my air ride when they pry it out of my cold dead fingers!

 

[pinball]

My 93 is used for less than 4k miles/yr sometimes after a week of no use the air bags are down.is that normal or should I be concerened

 

[BlackIceLSC]

be concerned. Air ride shouldn't leak....ever...regardless of how long it sits. It's a sealed system.

This thread is 9 years old, and many of the air ride enthusiasts have changed their tune due to lack of parts availability.

I never trash-talk or try to convince someone to go either way with regards to the suspension.
I've had both, unlike most, and can give my opinion based on facts, not beliefs.

find the source of the leak first before you make a decision.

 

[pinball]

Hi I have a 93 Mark air ride is good thinking to add coil spring,conversion for insurance Any thoughts on this

 

[mag]

If it isn't broken don't fix it.

 

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Hi I have a 93 Mark air ride is good thinking to add coil spring,conversion for insurance Any thoughts on this

I am on springs and I will tell you why fix what is not broken. A comet could hit the earth, your engine could blow, your air ride could work fine for 5 more years! Just don't find work.

Now, take WD-40 to your control arm bolts and all up front and in back. Someday you will need to get them 25 year old bolts loose to either replace the front control arms or do shocks and struts.

As soon as that air ride bleeds down consider repairing vs replacing.

 

[BlackIceLSC]

The air ride works....and is a sweet feature unlike any....until it fails and you're stuck with the front bumper dragging on the ground, 30 miles from home, in the rain, and only a "basic towing" membership.

with the availability of parts dwindling, and the cost of the scarce parts, you should begin to do your homework on "coil conversion".
But FIRST, do your homework on AIR SUSPENSION to fully understand what is involved, how it all works, and how easy it is to work on.
when it fails, and make no mistake, it WILL fail, you should know what component failed so you can decide to fix it if its minor, or scrap it if its major.

I tossed my air ride the day it leaked down...I was on a tight budget, and listened to someone here and decided to sensor-lower my 94 with 10 year old bags...it leaked at one of the bag folds, and slammed instantly...I drove it daily 130 miles to work and back and couldn't afford a break-down. I replaced it with coils, and LOVED it.
flip-side = then I had a 97 LSC with newer bags when I bought it. I bought the spider extreme from Eddie and loved the feature...but when I sensor lowered it, it rode like crap...jounced and bounced, even with new fronts and rear shocks...it was like driving a mini-trunk or slammed Honduh...it looked cool, and loved the self-leveling feature...

decide where your priorities are...dont let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn't do to YOUR car unless they pay for the repairs.

It's not rocket science...you wont "ruin" the car....it's not like you'll be selling it to a Mark VIII enthusiast who will wish you kept the air ride....10-15 years ago, that might be the case...but if you do not need air ride or self-leveling, lowering at speed, etc, then wake up and realize the car belongs to you, no one else. do what YOU want.

If you love to tinker with technology, are interested in air suspension, and how to modify the system (tinker with gadgets), and enjoy showing off old-school technology AND have deep pockets and the time to scour the web for replacement parts, then KEEP IT.

It's a car...it'll drive great with ANY new suspension parts...just decide where your needs and interests lie,, and prepare to keep or toss it...because some day it WILL fail. So will your engine, your transmission, your climate control, your headlights....parts fail....

My analogy is this:

you can either build a guardrail at the top of a cliff, or a hospital at the bottom

PS...with regards to spraying the lower strut bolts/nuts where they pass through the LCA, use PB Blaster instead of WD-40....it works better and was designed for that purpose.

whatever you decide, we're here to help.