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Early build 66 Galaxie front coil springs

4K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  66SevenLitre 
#1 ·
Currently rebuilding the entire front suspension on our 66 2dr hardtop. After some looking online it seems the build date is a factor when ordering. So I went to my local parts store and ordered a bunch of Moog then asked about springs. The build date came up again. Ours is a January build and the change is sometime in February. I asked my parts guy what the difference in the springs were and all he could see was that the early build was 1 inch taller at 18 inch iirc, the later at 17 inch. Everything else looked the same. Does anyone know why this is? Did they just lower the front and inch in February?
 
#2 · (Edited)
First, it's helpful to know your Galaxie's body type. 1966 Ford Galaxie 2-door "hardtop" (also known as Fastbacks) came in four flavors: Galaxie 500 (body-code 63B), Galaxie 500 XL (63C), Galaxie 500 7-Litre (63D) and LTD (63F).

The reason the body code is important is it allows you to cross reference applications in the Ford Master Parts (MPC) catalog which is extremely useful. When I restored my `66 Galaxie 7-Litre, I researched the front springs and made the list below. My car came with HD suspension and a 428/4-speed. What I found was that there were two types of front coil springs applicable here: C6AZ-5310-T (2345lb load rate) and C6AZ-5310-S (2235lb). Here is a breakdown of applications for each one:

C6AZ-5310-T:
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL with HD suspension, 352 engine and Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL with HD suspension, 390 engine and 4-speed Toploader or Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL, 7-Litre or LTD with 427 engine and 4-speed Toploader trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL or 7-Litre with HD suspension, 428 engine and 4-speed Toploader or Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL Police Interceptor with 428 engine and 4-speed Toploader or Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Post-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL with 427 engine and 4-speed Toploader trans

C6AZ-5310-S:
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL and LTD with HD suspension, 352 engine and Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL and LTD with HD suspension, 390 engine and Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL, 7-Litre or LTD with 427 engine and 4-speed Toploader trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL, 7-Litre or LTD with HD suspension, 428 engine and 4-speed Toploader or Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Pre-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL or LTD Police Interceptor with 428 engine and 4-speed Toploader or Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Post-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL and LTD with HD suspension, 352 engine and Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Post-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL and LTD with HD suspension, 390 engine and Cruise-O-Matic trans
- Post-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500 XL and LTD with 427 engine and 4-speed Toploader trans
- Post-Feb 14 1966 Galaxie 500, XL or LTD with HD suspension, 428 engine and 4-speed Toploader or Cruise-O-Matic trans

After I made that list, what it told me is that both the C6AZ-5310-T and C6AZ-5310-S front coil springs were used on 2-door hardtop fastbacks both before and after Feb 14, 1966. So that manufacturing date doesn't matter.

If you had a copy of the MPC, you could cross reference and see for yourself. You could also verify other stuff and frankly just about anything else that comes up. FYI you can find copies of the MPC on CD at Ebay for $25. See the link below. I have no affiliation with the seller, manufacturer or anyone else, just passing along to fellow Galaxie owners is all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-1972-...6410?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c1#viTabs_0

By the way, I ended up getting the MOOG 8336's which have 2450lb load rate (slightly more than C6AZ-5310-T), 473lb/in spring rate and 12" unloaded height. These were perfect for my application which included PS, AC, HD suspension/shocks/anti-sway bars. These are linear springs which have equal “distance” between all the coils. I am extremely happy with them.

Insanely, they can be found on Amazon for only $52.33!!

https://www.amazon.com/Moog-8336-Coil-Spring-Set/dp/B000CORVTW

Remember, the role of coil springs (and anti-sway bars) is to maintain constant tire contact, patch attitude and chassis balance. Meanwhile, the shock absorbers role is to minimize tire force variation while ensuring there is always as much tire patch against the road surface as possible. In other words, they help the tires stick to the road.

Overall, the coil springs combine with the shocks, sway bars and tires to maximize road grip (bite, traction) in order to provide good drivability and handling balance (under-steer, push, over-steer, etc). This is what I was shooting for - good balance and handling characteristics for “fun” (and heavy-footed) driving conditions. :)
 
#4 ·
It is odd they are listed as applicable for `67-77 Fords, especially given the seller is MOOG. To be sure, if you look at the MOOG website for the 8336 spring fitment applications, you'll see they actually list 1966 Ford's. https://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/moog-8336#fitment

I bought the very same MOOG 8336 front springs and installed them in my 1966 Galaxie 7-Litre. I can attest firsthand they are correct.

A few things to keep in mind:

- These are heavy duty springs with 2450lb load. They'll provide more stiffness over stock springs. In other words, there will be less "softness" and "bounce" ... such as when you drive over a speed bump or curb ramp. But these springs are not hard and the ride is not jarring.

- New springs sit higher when you first install them, but over time they'll settle in. Be ready for that and have faith the ride height will decrease in the next year or two. This will happen no matter what the spring.

- If your rear springs are old and sagging, then obviously the front will sit a higher than the rear. But if not, you should be OK. I had a set of custom-made rear springs from Coil Spring Specialties that I had installed 10 years ago. But they still sat fine. With the new MOOG's, the overall ride height was balanced all-around.

- If you do have old/worn springs in rear, the handling characteristics will clearly be affected if you install HD springs up front.
 
#5 ·
FYI, if you do additional searching for interchange part numbers on the MOOG 8336 coils, you'll find that Ford part number C6AZ-5310-T is listed as interchangeable. You'll also see there are other Ford part numbers for models well into the 1970s:

C6AZ-5310-U
D4AW-5310-AZA
D4AW-5310-EA
D4AZ-5310-AU
D4AZ-5310-AV
D4AZ-5310-E
D5AW-5310-GA
D5AZ-5310-G
D7AZ-5310-L
DOLY-5310-A

Also, here is a picture of my car in 2015 after the springs were installed. There is a slight stance which is from the tires, not the springs. I have 225-70-15 tires up front (27.4" ride height) and 255-70-15 in rear (29.06")
 

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