[cougar1]

I'm going to redo the suspension on the '69 and getting confused on which coil to use. Auto parts like pep boys/autozone will list the 8232 spring. MU will show, well, take your pick 8234, 8330, or 8534. Moog website and a cross reference on part numbers with Napa shows 8232 for the convertible and 8330 for the hardtop xr7. Give me a break!
I'm leaning toward the Moog/Napa since the 8232 seems a little stiffer than the 8330 for the extra convertible weight which makes sense.
Anyone want to throw their 2 cents in? Thanks..

 

[Cougar Bill]

For the 2 cents entry fee my vote (and I always use) 8356. I have them on my 69 XR-7 Vert, the RestoMod, put them on the BossCat, and many, many other Cats over the years.
These are rated at 418 Lbs and have a free height of 10.5"

 

[Bad69cat]

I think you want to base it off of what the weight it needs to carry - also the ride height you want. Hopefully they list it that way. I imagine the part numbers vary from brand to brand, so it's kinda hard to compare without specs. I was thinking closer to 600 lb springs - but Bob's vert may be that much lighter....

 

[posidude]

Cougar Bill, Hmmm.... after seeing your cat on the track, another option to think about.

 

[cougar1]

The 8330 and 8232 are rated at 295lb/in and 286lb/in respectively. The ones cougar bill is referring to are 418lb/in. The load height on all 3 is the same at 10.5". The thing is I want to keep as close to stock as possible. I'm keeping this one a luxury cruiser. I have the '68 set up for playing. I'm going to pull out the shop manual for the '69 and see if there are any specs in there.

 

[CougarCJ]

I'm your Huckleberry.

Typical coil spring for 1969 Cougar convertibles with 351 and FMX transmission, with A/C and power steering is a number 83.
C7ZZ-5310-A 1 Pink, 1 Violet stripe.
1790 lbs normal load.
9-1/2 coils, 0.610 wire diameter, 16-7/8 inches free length.

 

[cougar1]

CougarCj, guess you mean the 8330. It has the closest specs to what you wrote. My car in not convertible however. I'm leaning toward the 8330 since it is slightly stiffer than the 8232 the usual auto parts list. It's also the one Federal mogul/Moog lists and I'm figuring they know since they make the darned thing.

 

[Cougar Bill]

Just a note (Posidude) on the "RestoMod"... The springs were cut down 1-1/4 coils. The ride of the (uncut) springs is very nice not too stiff.

 

[1969XR7Vert]

...I was thinking closer to 600 lb springs - but Bob's vert may be that much lighter....

Who Bob? Me Bob? I used the ones from my '70 HT, hope the height/ride will be good. My originals were VIOGLD2 - Violet-Gold-Gold. No AC.

CougarCJ (Not Lin), can 'ye decode them thar?

 

[posidude]

Just a note (Posidude) on the "RestoMod"... The springs were cut down 1-1/4 coils. The ride of the (uncut) springs is very nice not too stiff.

Thanks Cougar Bill. I was thinking of going with the 620 lb spring setup before I read about your spring choice. I will be running a 351W with aluminum heads. I think that is pretty close to the original 302 in weight. The 8356 spring is in the middle and seems like a good choice for me.

 

[CougarCJ]

Who Bob? Me Bob? I used the ones from my '70 HT, hope the height/ride will be good. My originals were VIOGLD2 - Violet-Gold-Gold. No AC.

CougarCJ (Not Lin), can 'ye decode them thar?

Bob Puppetclown,
I had to scan the color codes, and only found one entry with 2gold 1violet.
1N code, C9OZ-5310-L, 1776 lbs, 8 coils, 0.696 wire dia., 14-1/8 inches tall.

The rest of the 1969-70 Cougar H & M codes with FMX (both HT and convertible):
#83 1790lbs, 9-1/2 coils, 0.610 dia., 16-7/8 height.
#87 1580lbs, 9-1/2 coils, 0.600 dia., 16-1/2 height.
#96 1670lbs, 8-3/4 coils, 0.650 dia., 14-5/8 height.
#97 1760lbs, 8-3/4 coils, 0.650 dia., 14-7/8 height.
#3A 1650lbs, 9 coils, 0.600 dia., 16-3/8 height.

Remember, these are what the MPC shows, may not be accurate to the period of time that these cars were built in Dearborn and San Jose. Refer to your cars build sheet for what 'should' have been installed on your specific Cougar.

Not Lin.

 

[ntgregory]

I'm leaning toward the 8330 since it is slightly stiffer than the 8232 the usual auto parts list.

That was my thinking about 15yrs ago when I installed 8330's in my '69 hardtop with 351 & A/C. I also have a 1" anti-sway bar and recently changed over to the KYB GR-2's.

While you're in there, do yourself a favor and install a set of roller spring perches from OpenTracker, or similar. The suspension is more agile without the harsh rebound I got from the stock rubber-bushed perches.

 

[1969XR7Vert]

The fine graduations Ford had on springs is amazing, at least to me.

 

[1969XR7Vert]

Oh, and thanks, not Lin!

 

[cougar1]

thanks ntgregory. I was going to replace the perches. Guess I'll look into the rollers. Makes sense since they aren't stiff like rubber bushing ones. Thanks for confirming the 8330 decision.

 

[1969XR7Vert]

thanks ntgregory. I was going to replace the perches. Guess I'll look into the rollers. Makes sense since they aren't stiff like rubber bushing ones. Thanks for confirming the 8330 decision.

I bought and installed opentracker roller perches, looking forward to seeing how the suspension works out.

 

[Bad69cat]

^^That's something i wish I had done. I think I'll put roller perches on my next must do list....wasn't aware of them at the time we altered my springs by cutting 1 COIL. Stiffness wise - I think it rides pretty well, still a bit sloppy in the rebound from bumps. I'm thinking they were 620 lbs at the time? carrying a 351w FMX - now AOD, didn't seem to change either way. An area I would like to get some improvement without breaking the bank.