1970s Shocks

[Tpicks55]

I have a 75 Eldo convertible. I see recommendation for Monroe MA-751 shocks for the car. Does the same shock go on all corners or is there a separate number for front or rear? Thanks!  Tony

[Big Fins]

Separate for front and rear. Having operational ALC also makes a difference.

[TJ Hopland]

Rear air shocks were standard on the Eldos.   If they were removed you would have to substitute stiffer springs perhaps from a Toronado where it was optional.  Without the air working either manual fill or auto it will ride real low in the back.   

I got a theory that no one has made new air shocks for these in many years and we are just working off old stock.  You can still buy them under a few different names but they all appear to be the same unit and my experience has been you are lucky to get one out of the pair that will last more than a year or two.  The shock part failing is more common than air issues.  I don't bother replacing them in pairs I just replace the bad one and wait for the next failure.  I think I have thrown away good ones because I had it in my head they needed to go in pairs.   

[_Cap_]

Guess ill add my 2 cents here, as they already said air shocks in the back and normal shocks up front. Ive had no issue with my Monroe air shocks, but I've only been driving on them for around a year and a half so who's to say if they will fail soon or not.

If you plan on keeping the old air ride system, the compressor is very simple to rebuild all things considered. As long as the rubber diaphragm is still in good condition then its just a matter of cleaning it and sealing it all back together with some silicone.
The rear leveling switch is also very simple and likely only needs cleaning at the ports. I would recommend running new air hoses of course, however i found it very difficult to find any connectors that will replace the old ones. I ended up settling for just keeping the old connectors and splicing some new wire onto it with a 1/8 to 1/8 push connector.

Hope that helps
-Morgan

[bctexas]

My dad had a '68 60S back in the 1970's.  He was a salesman and traveled about 50k miles/year in the northern half of Florida.  He carried samples and some stock in the trunk, and the auto leveling system was important to him.  After rebuilding the compressor a couple of times, he hit on an idea.  Instead of letting the compressor pull in damp Florida air which was corroding the internals, he drilled a hole in the AC evaporator housing and stuck the air intake hose into it so it would pull in dry air from just downstream of the evaporator.  It appeared to extend the time between compressor overhauls...

[_Cap_]

wait, that is actually genius. Im also here in Florida, and when i pulled my compressor apart it was pretty rusted on the inside, probably because the car was always in Florida. I might have to implement this, thanks for that idea