Project Mercury Montego MX - Eaton Springs, Coil Springs Installation - FordMuscle

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Cheap Fixes (continued)

Once we got the control arms off it was clear they were in dire need of replacement. The Good news was the bushings came out real easy since they were nearly disintegrated.		We picked up some Energy Suspension polyurethane for both the upper and lower control arms. All six pieces were relatively "cheap" in price (under $30) and high in quality.

These particular bushings required leaving the original shells in place. They took some coaxing to fully install.		Lower control arm bushings don't take the same beating that upper contorl arm bushings do on these cars. We had to torch them to get them out.

In a fuel-free and ventilated place we "burned rubber". The stock bushings were sawdust in about 15 minutes.		Ahhh...cheap fixes and cheap beer. The urethane bushings went in quite well but we had to cut them with a coping saw to fit within the crossmember.

After we had the ball joints and bushings in place we masked them off and sprayed undercoating on all four control arms with a "cheap" rattle can.		We reattached the upper control arms to the frame and torqued them to spec.

Next, we moved on to the lower control arms and torqued them to spec as well. The "cheap" beverage came with us.		Eaton Detroit Spring shipped out some front coils for our 1972 intermediate chassis. The 1-1/2" drop 500lb front springs are off-the-shelf and ready to ship from Eaton. A nice quick and inexpensive alternative to one-off custom coil springs.

Sometimes even when you want to be "cheap", you can't. We we're pleasantly surprised to find these stock replacement sway bar bushing assemblies were urethane and stock items at Kragen (CSK Auto).		With the springs in place we reattached the spindle, struts, swaybar, and added "cheap" stock replacement shocks.

Next, we bolted the brake dust covers on and installed the new rotor and hub assemblies.		New calipers and pads from the chain store and we were ready to put the Montego back on the ground.

Eaton Detroit Spring also supplied us with rear springs. The 1-1/4" drop is apparent when comparing old versus new.		We test drove the Montego to settle the improved front suspension. The new lowering springs yielded the same ride height the car had on the tired stock springs, except now we had our spring rate back.

Conclusion
This hobby is a compromise between what we want to do, what we can afford, and what isn't going to cripple our lifestyle. Wherever you decide to draw the line, it's most important that you keep wrenching. For most of us, the hobby is our means of therapy and can oftentimes be our primary source of accomplishment. These days, doing what you have to for a living can parallel the tortuous episode Paul Newman endured in his role as Cool Hand Luke, a man who was forced to repeatedly dig and fill the same ditch. While our livelihoods can sometimes be counterproductive, the results we achieve in our own garages keeps our spirits high. This month, Project MX once again served its purpose as a "cheap" outlet from the daily grind.

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Replacement Coil Springs for 1972-1976 Intermediate Fords and Mercurys.

When we needed coil springs quickly for Project MX, Eaton Detroit Spring Inc. came through with a set of lowering springs for our intermediate chassis. 1-1/2" front lowering springs with a 500lb rate and 1-1/4" rear lowering springs with a 165lb rate are ready to ship anytime from Eaton. This setup makes for a fine upgrade for a modest 1972-1976 Ford or Mercury intermediate like our Montego.

Eaton Detroit Spring is owned by the founder's grandson, Mike Eaton, and is overseen by Frank and Grace Eaton's great-granddaughter. Frank and Grace Eaton sold everything they had in 1937 and bought Detroit Steel Products for $11,000. Now called Eaton Detroit Spring Inc., the Eaton family still runs production on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit. The same corner as Tiger stadium, the former home of the Detroit Tigers.

Eaton Detroit Spring Inc. is the industry leader in hot rod and custom leaf springs. Eaton also offers modified stock coil springs and "one off" custom coil springs for special applications. Another option in custom coil springs for the intermediate chassis Gran Torino, Montego, or Ranchero, is Coil Spring Specialties.

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