Suspension Arm - U Bolts

Terry, no rear axle reinforcement on 810-1710A

Terry my car serial number is 1748 S


Gary Parsons

While you guys are doing some more checking can you also have a look at the rear axles on the cars?
The attached sketch will show you what to look for.
The two almost triangular gussets welded at each end of the axle.

Hi Gary, what is the Serial No of your Cord?
Also are the holes symmetrical or not drilled so neatly as if done by hand with a pistol drill?
Pictures of the hole layout in my Cord are in an earlier posting. The holes were not done in the Factory and were drilled by hand.

My 37 Beverly sedan has these safety spring hangers up front. They are bent from contacting probably parking lot tire stops is my guess.


Gary Parsons

Thanks for your comments. Yes the Factory probably did act but the question is "When?"
Looking forward to seeing what you discover.
If the cars don't have the U Bolts check if they have the mounting holes or not and record the Serial Numbers.

It seem curious though that there was no Service Bulletin issued for the safety "U" bolts. It would seem that when it was realized the consequences of the spring bolt failure, that a safety mechanism needed to be developed and either installed on the assembly line or retrofitted, that a Bulletin with instructions would have been provided to the dealers. There are six Cords near me and I will be checking them for the "U" bolts! I'll let you know my results.

Jim, I should have clarified my comments. The U Bolts were not fitted because the holes were not in the suspension arms. Thomas O'Brien's Westchester which has always been in Australia and is currently being restored for the first time had to have the holes drilled in the suspension arms to fit the U Bolts. The Serial Number is 812 - 1600 K and it is the highest number so far that never had the U Bolts fitted.
The U Bolts would have been supplied by the Factory through the dealers. I'm working on an article which will be in the newsletter next year focusing on the Factory / Dealer relationship.

Terry,
After thinking about this for a while I have to disagree with you. I think most Cords left the factory with the safety hangers. I do agree that a lot were taken off over the years for various reasons. But to say they didn't have them originally you would have to inspect the suspension arms and see if they had the holes in there for the safety hangers. Every swing arm that I have looked at has the holes, granted I haven't checked every car that I saw that didn't have the safety hangers.

Another point is if most of the Cords didn't have them from the factory where did all the hangers come from? Almost all that I have seen are the same, not home made. And there are a lot of them around that aren't on Cords. If most Cords didn't have them they would be scarcer then hen's teeth.

I think over the years the spring hangers were removed for various reasons such as damage from road hazards, people not putting them back on after working on the car, losing them or couldn't figure out where they go when putting things back together.

Jim

I do not know if there is any documentation on the correct installation done by the Factory or in letters sent to the dealers.
My Cord has Serial Number 810 - 1586 A
From the attached pictures you can see the holes were not drilled symmetrically. The holes were drilled by hand and not set out exactly.
The first hole needs to be drilled in the side bracket of the suspension arm then the second through the suspension arm. The U Bolts generally have a bend at the bottom end to wrap under the spring ends.
During the first ever restoration of the car the holes through the box section of the suspension arm were squared up and sleeved with a piece of pipe welded in place. This was done to keep water spray from getting inside the arms.



 

I have two sets of used U-bolts (they are bent, but can be straightened, however I don't have a "good" set to compare for the original shape. Also it is difficult to determine exactly where to drill the holes to add them. Is there any documentation on how these were added?

810 - 1369 A is another to be added to the growing list.
Thanks for your input. I am beginning to come to the conclusion that none of the 810 Cords and quite a few 812 Cords left the Factory without them.
Quite a few cars missed out having them added in the field by the dealers.
I am working on a more detailed article for the newsletter which will be published next year.
Regards,
Terry Cockerell
Australia

1936 810 1369A does not have the U bolts, but the spring bolts have been upgraded.

Jim I do not believe the U Bolts were added so quickly on the production line. The following cars did not have them fitted until recent times and these are early production sedans with serial numbers 810-1169A, 810-1387S and 810-1532A. They were all originally sold in Australia.
The phaeton in Greece owned by Aris Loumidis has serial number 810-2283H. It did not have them fitted when Aris bought the car over 40 years ago.
Now for a real surprise the RHD sedan owned by Thomas O'Brien with serial number 812-1600K that was originally sold in Australia did not have them either.
All of these cars were well away from the US and obviously missed out on what should have been followed up by the dealers.
Owners of cars that do not have the U Bolts fitted and still have the weak original suspension type bolts are in real danger.

Hi Terry, I think the safety hangers were done very early in the production. My old sedan, 1383, had them and I have seen them on earlier cars. With out notes from the factory or the Engineering group, it will be impossible to tell when they actually started installing them. I have seen a lot of Cords that had them missing and people added them. Whether the car had them originally and were removed at some point or they never had them we can't determine..

If anyone needs the safety hangers let me know, I think I have a few sets up in the barn.

CORDially,
Jim

I often note in photos the suspension bolts are installed upside down reducing ground clearance. The adjuster nuts should be at the top.

Hello Adam, no apologies required what the Forums need are contributions and from different angles.
My good friend in Greece Aris Loumidis has an 810 phaeton serial no 2283 H that was also missing the "U Bolts" His Cord was the only one sold into Greece by the agents in Switzerland from memory ( I need to check
that ) I would suggest you make up a priorities list and put the suspension bolts at the top.
Good to hear from you.

Thank you all for the information, all makes complete sense. 1710 certainly did not have them fitted and was a euro export so I can understand why they were never retrofitted. I will add 3/4" bolts to my ever growing to-do list at a minimum.

Sorry to hijack your thread Terry.

Terry I sent you an email about this....
 Pete N Terry... I too feel we need a signon directory so we can address the person we are reading about or getting help from. Sadly the offer has never been given nor do we... The members wanting help have anything to say about the way this site is operated.
 I offer this in an honest request. To those that "run" this web site... BEFORE changes are made in the future please allow us the knowledge that things are going away or what's going to happen ahead of the actual date of changes. For me there is nothing worse than the loss of what I believe to be valuable information like the deletion of all of our saved private messaging information.


Thank you, Gary Parsons


 

Pete I was thinking it was Mr Cord but he died a long time ago. At least EL put me on the right track. I guess I was fortunate there was only one adjustment possible apart from the toe in or out otherwise I would have been in terrible trouble.
I still have no answer as to when the "U Bolts" were adopted by production.

That is 1 thing I don't like about the site; No way to know who is who or get in contact with them.
Pete

EL .............. who ever you are .............. I stand corrected!
Yes, it is the Caster that is adjusted. I wrote the wrong term on the picture over 13 years ago.
I was learning then and still am.
Thanks EL for bringing that to my attention.

Hello Terry,
Looking at your drawing on the suspension bolt.
I did not think that the bolt adjustment would change the camber but instead adjust the caster.

Hi Adam. The "U Bolts" were a Safety Upgrade and should have been fitted by the dealers to early production cars that they had sold.
At some point they were fitted on the assembly line to all new cars. The "Suspension Bolts" which connect the suspension arms to the ends of the traverse spring are actually long studs with nuts fitted at both ends. They were found to be prone to failure at the 1/2" threaded ends. The "U Bolts" were fitted to the suspension arms and wrap under the ends of the traverse spring. Without the "U Bolts" if the suspension bolt broke the there was nothing to stop the suspension from complete collapse on that side. The car could drop with the drive frame hitting the ground. The wheel would be pushed up into the fender destroying it.
The suspension bolts have been upgraded to 3/4" high tensile bolts by ACD Club members.
See the attached picture.

It is surprising that your Cord never had them fitted no doubt creating a very dangerous situation. Two RHD Cords in Australia never had them fitted either.
I'm also wondering where are the other concerned members who's knowledge on the Cord 810 812 is far greater than mine???????????

 

These are safety items of a sort. They hold up the spring if the large suspension bolt breaks as have been found. Its a reason most owners replace the bolts with the larger better quality bolts. My 37 Beverly sedan serial number 1748S built in the week of January 6 thru the 8th 1937. My car was NOT a renumbered 36 car. I recall those numbers stopped at 1550 or near there.


Gary Parsons

I've seen these on cars and wondered if they were factory or not, mine does not have them. How critical / what purpose do they serve?

I have been looking through the Engineering Changes Book to find out when the "U Bolts" were fitted to the suspension arms but can't se anything listed.
Early Cords did not have these however they were added at a later date. They were adopted into the production line at some point.
Can anybody direct me to any printed material on the subject?