I have an original set of rear shocks for a 3/69 Dearborn M code 69 cougar that I will be selling in the near future. I have no idea what the value would be. They are not pitted but will need to be rebuilt. Not looking to sell right now but I do need help on value. Thanks
Not sure what you mean by “need to be rebuilt” because these shock absorbers are resistance welded at the top (rod guide and seal cup) and bottom (base cup).
The outer reserve tube can be repainted. But if the piston rod, which normally has a thin chrome finish, is pitted with rust, there’s not much one could do to restore that either.
What does “3/70 Dearborn M code 69” mean? if built on March 1970 then it can’t be a 69. That leave me confused.
Thanks.
You are correct. I meant 3/69
Original shocks can be rebuilt by DSD restoration
Do those say Auto Flex on them?
Pretty rough surface for “no pitting”…
Thanks all for the help with the question (sarcasm). I’m new to this site but not new to the hobby. I have found that it is very difficult to get positive feedback or answers to questions. Seems many are more interested in critique of the post than providing answers or or help. Just an observation.
Apparently you are the only one that knows worn out shocks can be rebuilt. Minus that knowledge people were actually being kind to you, not telling you they were worthless. Further, without knowing what it would cost to rebuild them how could anyone say what the cores might be worth?
Since you are not new to the hobby you are probably familiar with the Barrett Jackson effect: following the auction people think any rusty hulk is now incredibly valuable. Throw some paint on it and ask for the sky. So occasionally people show up with an old generally common part and put it on eBay with search terms like Boss or GTE or Eliminator, even though the part might have been common to every Ford built.
The real answer is they are worth what ever some one is willing to pay, unless those shocks are worth more to you, then you keep them. Frankly I hope you get a ton for them. I’ll have a good cry over all the worn out shocks I’ve thrown away, the dig through the scrap pile to see what gems might still reside there.
My comment was sincere.
I worked as a Research Design Engineer at Monroe Auto Equip for ~8 years and Monroe produced shock absorbers that were fabricated just like those Autolite shocks you show. My point is they are resistance welded at the top and the bottom, so they do not come apart for rebuilding or restoration. You can certainly restore the outside of them by prepping and painting. But the inside portion which includes the piston rod bushing which eventually wears and aids in shock oil leaking among other things cannot be rebuilt. There is also a rubber seal under the welded cup on top that gets hard over the years and that is where most of the shock oil and Nitrogen gas escapes.
Does this restoration service you speak of actually cut open the shocks, rebuild the components inside, then reweld them back togather? If yes, that IS good news.
Note: We did make take-apart shock absorbers while I worked at Monroe. The bottom of the reserve tube was welded to the base cup like any other shock, but we placed a locking ring collar at the top of the reserve tube, usually hand brazed. Sometime I TIG welded them. But the locking ring collar had female threads and would allow a locking ring with a rubber seal to be placed over the piston rod after all of the shock valving and assy, plus shock oil were placed into the reserve tube. These take-apart shocks were made so we could tune the valving for an OEM customer. A ride development engineer would need these for that purpose.
These shocks predate the use of Nitrogen. There is no Nitrogen charge in them.
Thank you Tom for a great reply. Yes David at DSD restorations cuts the he shocks open to rebuild the insides.
I stated the facts. The statement was, and I quote " They are not pitted but will need to be rebuilt."
The very 1st picture clearly shows pitting on the base , of each shock.
Truth in advertising.
I know I’m not the only one who hates misrespresented items for sale. All can see the pitting, so why state non-facts?
I too agree w/ Bill. I have thrown away tons of item some may feel were worth more than scrap…
That one of the reasons these items are worth something… everybody threw them away… Kinda like rev limiters & air cleaners!
And Smog equipment!
Agree, the shocks do look somewhat pitted, but that could be fixed with time and body work skills if you really wanted them perfect. But again time is money.
Do you have any idea of the shock rebuild cost? If more than $100 to $150 per shock, likely that would exceed the value of what you could get for them once that is completed. There is a fairly limited market for original Autolite shocks, which would be primarily focused on those high end restorations for Boss 302, 428CJ, GTEs, Eliminators, etc.
To the person doing a concour restore and needs those numbed shocks in the condition they’re in now $50 pr. If you restored them and fixed the pitting with new seals, oil and proper finish. Top of the market $700 pr. I went to DSD restoration page and put a question to them if they restore Autolite shocks. Would be a nice resource to have if they do and thanks to CR Johnson for the tip if they do Autolite shock rebuilds.
Well, I had no idea along with other people of the forum that someone was offering a service to rebuilt Autolite shocks. DSD restoration sent me an e-mail back that they do rebuild Autolite shocks. Here is what he had to say:
Brian,
Sorry for the slow reply. I do restore them. New seals and shafts if needed. They run $250.00 per shock plus shipping back to you. Running a couple month turnaround at the moment.
At first $250 per shock seems high until you stop and think about the time involved in the process to rebuilt one. Then it becomes apparent that is very reasonable priced. Thanks crjohnson for tipping us off on the shock rebuilt service that DSD restoration offers. Now I need to go bookmark their website. https://www.dsdrestoration.com/
