Could anyone give me some advice on what shocks I can use for a smoother ride on a 65 mustang. Thanks

 

Bilstiens from Maier. Custom valved for the Classics for various spring rates.

 

Installing even the crappiest shocks will make it ride better if the ones one there are shot.
If yours is just a daily/weekend driver, buy the best shocks you can afford.

No need to spend big bucks unless you've got a track car or chasing suspension upgrades just for kicks.

 

I beg to differ. This is one of the things that will most affect the ride quality of the vehicle. Monroe doesn't make any good shocks for these cars. Period. They do for other, newer cars, but not for anything this old.

KYB's offerings are...ok. GR-2's are a slight upgrade from the Monroe offerings. Decent enough for something that never gets driven hard, but don't expect much from them. The Gas-A-Justs provide good handling, but at the cost of ride quality (they're rather stiff). I used to run Gas-A-Justs and actually liked them as long as I wasn't on rough road. They do such a poor job keeping the tires on the road that the back end would slide around if I hit a bump or rough patch mid-corner.

I switched to a set of Edelbrock IAS shocks (got them cheap from a friend) and instantly noticed a huge difference in ride quality. After taking the car out for some "enthusiastic" country-road driving, I found that roll control was at least as good as the Gas-A-Justs, but ride quality was drastically improved, and the tires actually stayed on the road despite crappy road conditions.

Custom-valved Bilstiens should be even better than the Edelbrocks (and are only a couple bucks more expensive). They're valved for spring rates common in our vehicles (there's a separate option valved for 700lb race springs), and therefore do a much better job of keeping the tires on the road, which is the primary function of the shock.

So while anything is better than a blown-out shock, it's still worth it to save for a higher quality shock. I'd even go so far as to recommend changing to roller perches (and upgrading from the crappy stock springs) to further improve ride comfort and handling.

 

where are you guys getting the bilsteins? their website did not have a listing for my '67. also looked at a few vendor websites without luck. a part number by chance please?

 

I agree with Starfury on the KYB Gas-A-Just. I have set on my '65, and they are just a little stiff...BUT...I drive on fairly good asphalt/cement roads, so I am actually quite content with them. I'm also running the '65 GT option front springs from Eaton Springs, and my rear leaf springs are modified 5-leaf springs off....yes...a Chevy Nova. Trust me...there is NO rearend squat on hard acceleration!

 

Better quality shocks are also made with better quality parts. The Bilsteins from Maier should last forever and never need replacing. If for some reason they do, they can be rebuilt. I imagine the Edelbrock IAS is similar.

On Maier's site it's a mouse over, towards the upper left, Catalog > Early Model > Suspension, then select the appropriate shocks.

It should be noted that I've gotten a ton of stuff from them, including some prototype parts for the rear, and Mike says even on the track car for competition they still only run 600lb springs with the sport valved shock. I also have that setup, and in addition to handling extremely well, it damn near rides like a Cadillac.

 

buy the better quality worth it in the end.

 

i went from KYB's also to Edelbrock IAS. As low as my car is with no sway bar, its still very controlled and rides excellent.

i dont think they make them anymore.

 

No, last I checked they changed their lineup to "Performer", or something like that, with the "IAS" moniker dropped. Still, for a very small difference in retail price, I'd buy the custom-valved Bilsteins over the Edelbrocks. I'd bet Maier Racing has more R&D in those shocks than any other mass-produced shock manufacturer.