Air ride or lowering kit for 69' Mark III - Same as 4 door?

[KRBishop]

Hello - I dug around on the site a little before I posted, but most of the posts on this subject seemed really old.

I need a new suspension for my 1969 Mark III coupe. I know it is not everyones cup of tea, but I would like to lower the car a little. Possibly add an air ride that won't break the bank.

Do any of you know if the front and rear suspension set up for a 69' 4 door is the same a 69' 2 door?

All the kits I see online do not specify 4 door vs 2 door and the suspension dealers don't seem to know.

What are some cost effective solutions out there? Anyone ever cut a ring off the springs to lower the car a little? If you have used kits (air or non-air) what have you used?

Thank you

[TonyC]

I'm thinking your question might have its answer in the "Updating, Modernizing, and Customizing" category of this forum (actually, your question would have been more appropriately placed there). I'm fairly sure that somebody there might have gone that route. Go there, and do a search; there are a lot of posts involving dragging bottoms and balloons; someone must have done it for a Mark III.

---Tony

[KRBishop]

Thank you. Was not 100% where to place the question. I did spend some time searching, but came up emtpy. I'll look again and then maybe move this question over there. Thanks again

[KRBishop]

I'm thinking your question might have its answer in the "Updating, Modernizing, and Customizing" category of this forum (actually, your question would have been more appropriately placed there).

Actually... it is in the "Updating, Modernizing, and Customizing" category unless I am missing something?

[Dan Szwarc]

I moved it.

To answer your question, I don't know what you mean by 2-door or 4-door.

All Mark IIIs are 2-door, but I think your question is more related to the confusion of the Mark III vs. the Full-Size Continental.

A Mark III is NOT a Continental. There were two models available from Lincoln in 1969: The Continental Mark III and the Lincoln Continental. The Mark III is vehicle K, the Lincoln is vehicle D (in the MPCs). It's important to remember that the Mark III is shared from the Thunderbird and the Continental is shared from the LTD Full-size (but different).

Ford did not market the Mark III as a Lincoln, so to speak, but as it's own line. Technically, it is a Lincoln, though, in the truest sense of the word.

So, back to your question: Are you Looking at kits for the Continental, or the Mark III?

[mlj427]

I saw that Fat man fab list that they have drop spindles for a lincoln. Www.fatmanfab.com it says 52-79. Not sure how much drop or if stock brakes work or anything. If you contact them please let us know more info.
Mike

[KRBishop]

I don't know what you mean by 2-door or 4-door. All Mark IIIs are 2-door, but I think your question is more related to the confusion of the Mark III vs. the Full-Size Continental.

Thanks for the feedback and you are correct. I know all Mark IIIs are two doors. My question was pretty straight forward... I need to know whether not a 1969 2 door Lincoln has the same suspension set-up as 1969 4 door Lincoln.

I "think" what you are saying is no, they are not the same. Is that right? I am looking for kits that will work with a Mark III

Also... I am confused by what you are saying here:

A Mark III is NOT a Continental. There were two models available from Lincoln in 1969: The Continental Mark III and the Lincoln Continental...

Everywhere I look they are called Lincoln Continental Mark III, the car is definitely a Lincoln and the car has 'Continental' badging. You are saying the 2 door Lincoln Continental Mark III is not a 'Continental' but then call it the 'Continental Mark III' - I am confused?

thanks again

[TonyC]

It did get confusing back then. Lincoln went by the combined name "Lincoln Continental" until 1977 when they debuted the Versailles. But the two cars in '69 were by no means the same. As Dan indicated, the Mark III was essentially a re-skinned Thunderbird (however exquisitely re-skinned), so any cross-reference would have to be Thunderbird or something related.

To clarify one bit of confusion, the '69 full-sizer did not have any relation at all to any other full-size Ford product. It was a unique beast by then, the last of the unit-body Suicides. Nothing in its suspension would be compatible with the Mark III. They went to the LTD-based frame cars in 1970.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

If the catalog does not say "Mark III" but just says Lincoln, it is not for a Mark III.

69 Continentals are not in any way similar to the Mark IIIs. Nothing will cross.