1968 continental suspension/ steering

[Cole1968]

Does a 1967 continental have the exact same suspension and steering components/ system as a 68 continental? Im trying to find a full front end kit but can only find it for 67, the 68 kit does not have all the parts.

[Dan Szwarc]

Yes. Front springs may have different spring rates, especially due to the 460, but all of the steering components are same (BJs ends, bushings, etc.).

[TonyC]

Dittos to Dan's response, for the most part. Except for a few mostly minor to inconsequential differences, '68 will be the same as '67. The only real differences I'm aware of would be the auto-level option for the rear suspension (only on cars so fitted, which I'd like to see one day, maybe try to retrofit one on Frankenstein); the mounting point for the steering gear box, as the rubberized spacers were deleted that year; and quite possibly the center (or drag) link, depending on which engine the car was fitted with. The last one may be a concern; I understand that '69 cars had a differently-designed drag link, likely due to the 460 engine. It stands to reason that difference would also apply to 460-equipped '68 cars.

Everything else, though, should be the same as the older years.

---Tony

[frasern]

The last catalog from Bakers (defunct) lists drag links for 61-62, 63-67, and 68-69. all 3 groups are priced differently. My gut tells me the '68 is longer, but maybe, could be adjusted out with the tie rods, however a correct '68 kit would be better, if someone can find it.
Interestingly, 63-67 is when the insulators were used, so I wonder if the early and late groups are the same length? I may have to measure my parts cars drag links to find out.

[Dan Szwarc]

Oh, yeah. The idler arm and draglink/centerlink might be different. You can confirm that using the MPC.

[frasern]

Rough measurements, I didn't want to get too far underneath car on a jack so I reached under with the tape measure. '62 is 26" pin to pin, '67 is 25 3/4, 68 is 26 3/4. all are 6 1/2 between tie rod holes
'62 steering box is bolted direct, but '68 has solid spacers, similar to the aftermarket conversions.

[TonyC]

Question: What engine does your '68 organ donor have? I'm asking just out of curiosity, to see whether my theory about different engines having different steering links holds water.

On an unrelated note, Fraser, just want to tell you that the aftermarket blower motor you gave me from that car is still holding up like new. It's so nice to no longer hear that deafening moan suddenly happening at random times!

---Tony

[frasern]

My '68 has a 460, which is destined for a new home in my '67 F250, which will then be my version of a hot rod Lincoln.
The Bakers catalog does not specify engine, just year. I think the difference is more due to the mounts, which appear to hold the box closer to the body than the rubber type.

I think the Brewer ones are thicker, for a direct swap on the earlier cars. using these on a '63- '67 may require a '68 center link.
Glad the heater is working, it looked like hell, but function is all that matters, and nothing is more irritating than a squacky heater.

[TonyC]

Oh, no doubt about that! I was even able to modify the hose on it to serve the purpose it's supposed to serve. It was not the cause of my heater woes, but it was a concern, and very irritating on my startle instincts. It was one reason why I didn't want to carry passengers in my car, along with two other reasons which still have to be addressed, but which I have raw materials now to remedy.

There would be more consequences with the new spacers involved; different thickness dimensions would affect the alignment of the column, requiring the engineers to shift the column's placement on the dash to keep it lined up with the gearbox. Then the Pitman arm and idler arm would likely need redesigning to accommodate the realignment. That, however, is plausible for them to do; it wouldn't be immediately noticeable to a driver, but it would be there. I mean, I know there are differences in how a '67 column fits in the dash compared to a '66; they're not critical differences, but they're there. Maybe the different link is universal for all '68s for that reason, I wouldn't know without comparing two cars of that year with different engines. But Cole also has a 460 in his car, which means the center link and very possibly the idler arm will be factors in his purchase. I remember seeing pictures of the three groups of links, and I do remember significant differences in the ways they were shaped, not just length.

ADDENDUM, 6 July: It took me this long to comprehend Fraser's supposition. I can actually answer that definitively, from experience with such a swap 12 years ago. The Brewer spacers are not any thicker or thinner than the OE cushions. They are exactly the same thickness. They would have to be, to prevent any misalignment complications between the column and the gear box...and they are (at least for swaps between '63 and '67, for certain). The one issue that popped up back then was that the gear box's anchor bolts, well one specifically, became too short to use because the threading of the original cushions was not factored in. I fixed that by acquiring one longer bolt, so now all three bolts are the same longer length. John got wind of the issue and began adding new longer bolts to his spacer sets.

One would think it would have been easier for the factory engineers just to make hard spacers of the same thickness as the rubberized ones they replaced...but if the 460 block which was intended for '68 from the onset had enough differences in its lower width to make that impossible, that would warrant the more-involved mod. There was already hardly any clearance for the gearbox with the Y-block's width.

---Tony

[Cole1968]

So I ended up buying a kit without the centerlink which was all pretty good quality. I reused the center link, seemed to be in good shape/nice and tight

[TonyC]

Oh, good! If the end studs on the center link had in fact been worn, you would have noticed immediately once you removed it. On the other hand, the '68s were not plagued by the same design flaw that plagued the earlier years. Ironic that it was not seen nor meant as a design flaw; just turned out that it was.

---Tony