I need to raise my car but no luck on springs or shocks that will

actually no, my rims are weird and tires rub like crazy over big bumps also when someone sits in the back seat

 

The ONLY correct "fix" for this problem is getting rims that fit the car. Everything else is a band-aid fix.

 

okay so new rims are the key. i foundout when it tears the tire today. it tears the tire when i am at a stop and i accelerate the back sinks down and the fender rubs

 

Justin,

If you just get some new replacement leaf springs, that sounds like an excellent starting point. If your car is sagging with people in the back seat, your leafs are toast.

Mine are too... one buddy in the back seat and 3 duffle bags and a cooler in the trunk and my car turns into a lowrider. I will probably be doing the Econoline leaf swap and tune up a set to my liking.

 

does anyone know of a good air suspension kit for the rear? price is a issue i just got my job so it will be 2weeks before i get a check. $500 is the most i really want to spend on the kit... or can i just buy air shocks or do i need the whole kit

 

I hope so..

Air shocks are a huge no-no on early unibody Fords, and should never be put on them. They will punch right through the floor of the trunk.

 

Air shocks are a huge no-no on early unibody Fords, and should never be put on them. They will punch right through the floor of the trunk.[/QUOTE]

kk then what do you think i should buy that will raise my rear end 2 to 3inches?

 

Early unibody Fords? My Falcon is not made like a Maverick. I keep 60 lbs psi of air in them for the past 39 years with no problem.

 

Our nicely smooth, pot hole free Georgia roads have likely aided in that. My dad got away with air shocks on the back of his Comet for years as well. Why take the chance with a band-aid fix, though. My uncle's '65 Mustang he drove in the 70's had the rear shock mount ripped out after a year and a half of driving in Indianapolis with air shocks. He also had removed the factory shock tower brace. The drivers side shock tower folded over when he hit a pot hole one day, causing the car to veer into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing hitting another car head on.

 

Excuse me but I didn't read through this thread, but if you really want to raise the rear of a Maverick, the easiest way is to install Granada leaf springs. I did it by accident and it raised mine 2"....I left them on cuz it was all I had and added 2" lowering blocks. Lucky for me I found some mint leaf springs today so I can get the rear suspension back the way it should be.

 

From what I have seen, just getting some replacement 4 leaf springs will probably pick it back up 2 inches.

There also is the Econoline spring tech article. I may go this way myself ... keep the stock main leaf and swap on a couple Econoline leafs. I really don't want to raise mine, so much as, just increasing the spring rate a bit.

In your earlier post, you asked about air suspension ... that and air shocks are not one and the same. Air suspension involves mounting air bags in some fashion along with the stock design (in some cases) or a completely fabbed new suspension design (most cases, and pretty expensive if someone else is doing the work)

 

changes

Change out the rims for a set with the proper back spacing as already noted. Take the springs out and have them re-arched, about 40 bucks. Tell them you want 6 1/2-7 " of free height. They will settle down a bit after some use. Leaf springs will always sag over time, just the nature of the beast. Shocks are not designed to control th ride height of a car, just to keep the tires on the ground ...

 

wont getting stiffer leaf springs just max out the shocks like shackles do?

 

When I went through the nightmare if installing the Granada springs on mine, I had to install shock extenders. There are a threaded extension that screwed onto the shock making it longer. I can't wait to get all of that jack leg stuff off of my car.

 

If you keep it reasonable ... somewhat near stock, like going from 3 leaf to 4 leaf, there is enough leeway in the shocks designed for Mavs and Comets to allow for that.

As a sidenote, the alternate shocks that I outlined in my tech article are identical to OE shocks for our cars except that they have more available extended length.